How to get out of the city (more often)
Saturday night, 10pm Lattitude 53. I have a new appreciation for coat check girls. The four of us in the back have been going non-stop, and now all the coat hangers are gone, and there is no where else to put the coats. Latitude is packed with the best dressed (and hottest) Edmontonians and I’m enjoying the hipster fashion show from where I stand. Due to the frigid weather I’ve chosen a simple (but trend-setting) black dress I picked up in Japan. Paired with purple tights and my favourite high-heeled boots it’s fun, but functional. Everyone else around me looks great and it’s so refreshing to see people dressed up in the dead of winter.
I’ve run into so many people I know, from work, other parties, and, most of all, from high school as all the Vic kids are always at art events. It’s always weird when you run into people from your past and you haven’t added them on Facebook (or vice-versa). The small talk always leads to “So, what are you up to now?” as if some kind of fragile competition has ensued to see who has come the furthest. I used to tell people what I did and what my life was like. I would tell them about the amazing places I had seen, the beautiful people, and how wonderful our world was. However, I frequently got a very mediocre response over my enthusiasm; “It must be so nice to have all that money to waste on travel.”
So, after a few years, I stopped telling people about traveling. Now whenever I meet someone from the past I reply with a general answer that I’m pretty dull and don’t do too much.
Despite the lukewarm people, I do feel that travel is one of the only thing you spend money on that will make you richer. I have been lucky to have experienced this and, indeed every penny I put into being on the road, has been an investment 10 times over. I always come home feeling much faster, stronger, smarter, happier and so much more grateful.
I often hear “How do you afford to travel?” or “I could never afford to leave like you do.” True not everyone can travel as much as I do, but you can travel if you want to. You just have to make it a priority.
Travel is important for me, so I make sure to put money away for it. OK, so I owe money away. To keep myself from just sitting at home watching the travel channel (is there such a thing?) I’ve stuck to three general rules to make sure I’ve got money to see the world and live a simpler lifestyle. (more…)
March 2 Edmonton Headlines
It may be stupid-balls cold, but it's still sunny at 6pm. That's something.
Sure it’s still very much winter, but spring is coming (eventually) and that will mean road construction.
This year’s big construction project is 99 Street and Scona Road (99 Street between Saskatchewan Drive and the Low Level Bridge), and it’s going to impact a lot of people. The stretch of road will be going down to one lane in each direction next month, then shutting completely to all but local traffic (the people living off 99 Street or going to the Old Timer’s Cabin) for the summer and most of the year.
Hey, look at that, Sally talked about it a little with the Journal. They left out the best stuff she said though.
Like “I am on a drug – it’s called Sally Poulsen. It’s not available because if you try it, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.” and “If you borrowed my brain for five seconds, you’d be like, ‘Dude! Can’t handle it, unplug this bastard!’ It fires in a way that’s maybe not from, uh… this terrestrial realm.” and “I’m not bi-polar, I’m bi-winning. I win here and I win there.”
Probably because she was talking nonsense.
Alright, we have real stuff to talk about. (more…)
A real taste of Edmonton
As I’ve been mentioning again and again, this weekend was my first trip down to Hawrelak Park for the Heritage Festival.
A trip worth taking.
Since I didn’t want to crack the ETS code of when the shuttles left and how frequently they were leaving I decided to bike down to Hawrelak. (more…)
Culina: Some of Edmonton’s Best Food
(A little backstory: Sally and I wrote this story for a new Edmonton food magazine…alas it never hit the news stands. You, dear friends, can still enjoy our glowing words about Culina. Then, you can go there and enjoy some of the best food in the city. – Jeff)
Some friends, and friends of friends, enjoy their wedding meal at Culina-Mill Creek. So don't worry, dress is usually a little more casual at the restaurant.
Taking the Latin word for kitchen and cooking, and combining it with some Ukrainian heritage, Brad Lazarenko christened his neighbourhood bistro “Culina,” six years ago.
Growing up in a Ukrainian home he knew the translation of the highbush cranberry plant was known as “kalyna” in his parents’ native tongue. That sealed the deal on the restaurant’s name.
“The name is very important,” Brad says. “I see a name [of other restaurants] and think ‘You’re not going to make it.’ I knew I didn’t want to be a ‘Brad’s Grill.’”
Culina-Mill Creek’s name is one of any number of things that make the establishment memorable.
For one, this cozy, 40-seat restaurant is impressive without being pretentious; it’s the sort of place you can wear a suit or dress one night, and return the next in your favourite jeans and feel just as comfortable.
“It’s my baby,” says the owner. “Well, my first baby.”
That correction comes as Lazarenko notes Culina isn’t merely the six-year-old venue off 99th Street, in the Mill Creek neighbourhood (9914-89 Avenue). There’s also Culina-Highlands, in north-central Edmonton (operated by Lazarenko’s sister Cindy), Culina catering, and three wine bars know as Bibo (the first is one door over from Culina-Mill Creek; the other two are in British Columbia).
You need to try Culina's brunch. They're always busy for reason.
Culina-Mill Creek blends neighbourhood bistro with some of the finest fusion you’ll find on a menu. And it strikes that balance as best that could be done. “I always tell people it’s ethnic comfort food. That puts people at ease.”
Brad’s sister, Cindy Lazarenko, owner and chef over at Culina Highlands, agrees. “It’s all the foods that he loves, but it’s very comforting food. It’s a lot of like starch, and meat, and vegetable side dish.”
Culina-Mill Creek serves lunch, dinner and very popular brunches.
“It’s food I like to eat myself,” says Brad. “Every dish is something I’ve eaten and wanted to recreate. I look at Culina as a compilation, a mix tape.” (more…)
Backstairs Secret Vegan Cafe
Oh, the facebook fan page. It can really get asses in the seats, if you know what I’m saying. Because, you know, one friend of yours declares themselves a fan of say “Your Mom,” and then, one by one, it spreads like wildfire, as it pops up in everybody’s news feed. My favorite example of this was when Jeff recently (and accidentally) declared himself a fan of Canadian country supergroup Doc Walker. He quickly deleted it, but for days after, my news feed informed me that Jeff loved Doc Walker, and maybe I would too?
Anyway, one page I recently became a fan of, after seeing a bunch of my friends do the same, was the Backstairs Secret Vegan Cafe, “Edmonton’s Culinary Speakeasy.” It’s been quite the facebook phenom, rapidly accruing over 350 fans. Basically how it works is you visit their website, check the posted menu and then e-mail to reserve your spot. Be warned, IT’S POPULAR, and therefore tough to get into, but based on some of the previous menus they’ve posted, it’s well worth the wait. It’s $15 a plate, and you will receive further details via email. UH, RAD.
I sent off an email to see if I could find out more about the mystery organizer(s,?) behind the Backstairs. And I did. I met someone who for the sake of not wrecking the secret-ness I will call “Kevin.”
Kevin is a charming, affable guy who is clearly really passionate about food. He informs me that this whole “culinary speakeasy” thing is going on all over the place, and that he recently came across a place to live that was so big and inviting, it was pretty much begging him to serve food in it.
“Probably about a year ago, I read this zine called ‘A Chef’s Tale’. He tours like a band. He was mostly telling stories about the adventures he had,” explains Kevin. “[For] part of it, he included how he used to run a café out of his apartment.”
“I was like, that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Walk This Way
Whyte Avenue on a busy Saturday afternoon.
This is the first in a series of community profiles looking at Edmonton’s “walkable neighbourhoods.” Searching online, it appears the condition of sidewalks, street lighting and other infrastructure stuff makes up the “walkable neighbourhood” criteria. I think instead we’ll look at what makes you want to live in the neighbourhood ,and how close the important stuff is; a grocery store(s), shops, businesses, restaurants, workplaces, transit and other amenities. Let’s say within a 10-15 minute walk. Agree or disagree, let us know what you think. Tell us about your experiences in these neighbourhoods and others we might not have walked yet.
WALKABLE WHYTE
The asparagus is in!
It's so green. And tasty.
I’ve been meaning to write about Edmonton’s farmers’ markets for a few weeks now. We did get a plug in for one busy vendor as our first featured Edmontonian. I think it’s a great thing for people living here, and it’s something that really does put us on the list with world-class cities.
We’ve got great farmland around the city, we’ve got multiple markets (and all of them seem busy all the time) and it’s one of those subtle items that makes Edmonton a good place to live.
While watching a local TV channel’s weekend show I caught a story about strawberries hitting the markets in Victoria, and remembered thinking last week how I’d yet to see a strawberry at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. I attributed to this our wonky, and recently dry, dry, dry, spring weather. (Man, all this rain today could be fantastic!)
One of the cool things (cool, being used loosely here) about farmers’ markets is how you can get into a groove through the year. You know when certain fruits and veggies will be picked, you can tell when something’s been harvested or a herd of animals has been made into tasty cuts(sorry, vegetarians). You also get excited, especially in summer months, when the asparagus, berries or tomatoes hit town.
Edmonton’s Food Economy
Not enough room for the food security crowd.
It’s a packed house at City Hall tonight. So packed they’ve had to set up overflow seating outside council chambers and broadcast the Municipal Development Plan hearing to those who couldn’t find a seat.
What’s all the fuss, you might ask?
Even if you didn’t ask I’ll tell you. The Greater Edmonton Alliance, a citizen’s group, is looking to make sure food economics are written into the 10-year vision of Edmonton. The group doesn’t agree with the administrative report which pins our local food hopes on you getting into the garden. They also want a larger say in the planning centred around farming. (more…)
