Category Archives: Edmonton

Edmonton’s Duchess Bake Shop is the Sweet Bomb

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Sinfully delicious confections at Duchess Bake Shop in Edmonton

Sinfully delicious confections at Duchess Bake Shop in Edmonton

If I had to choose just one affordable Edmonton eatery, my pound-for-pound champion would have to be Duchess Bake Shop, on increasingly trendy 124 Street. Yes, there is a smattering of fine quiches and open-faced sandwiches called tartines and batards, the latter topped with such things as roasted eggplant spread and hazelnuts.

But this five-year-old shop is the place to go for baked sweets and a pot of tea or French-press coffee. Even the names are decadent: apricot bourbon pecan Danish, rhubarb galette or a raspberry-studded confection aptly called l’amour.

These bombes are to die for

These bombes are to die for

Everything is fantastic looking and even better tasting. Indeed, I haven’t seen its equal in my extensive food forays throughout western North America. As owners Giselle, Garner and Jacob note on their website, everything is made daily from scratch, “using no mixes, no preservatives and no shortcuts.”

A nice touch is the elegantly dressed and solicitous young servers. And when was the last time you saw a barista wearing a tie?

Maybe it was a bow tie. In any event, Duchess, it’s time to take a bow, or curtsy. You’re my number one hit in all of Edmonton.

The elegant space is matched by the servers

The elegant space is matched by the chic servers

Duchess Bake Shop
10720 124 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta
Tuesday to Friday 9 am-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-6 pm, Sunday 10 am-5 pm. Closed Monday
Duchess Bake Shop on Urbanspoon

Spring Road Food Photos

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Pita place assembly line in Edmonton, Alberta

Pita place assembly line in Edmonton, Alberta

Some photos from recent road trips to Edmonton, Alberta and south to Utah

Getting ready to order in Edmonton's MRKT

Getting ready to order in Edmonton’s MRKT

St. Albert's elegant Glasshouse Bistro

St. Albert’s elegant Glasshouse Bistro

When you're attached to a greenhouse, it's no surprise to find live orchids in Glasshouse's bathroom

When you’re attached to a greenhouse, it’s no surprise to find live orchids in Glasshouse’s bathroom

Want some privacy with that uriinal?

Want some privacy with that uriinal?

No one does decadence better than Edmonton's Duchess Bake Shop

No one does decadence better than Edmonton’s Duchess Bake Shop

Old-style drive-in lives on in Great Falls, Montana

Old-style drive-in lives on in Great Falls, Montana

The locals hang out in southern Idaho

The locals hang out in southern Idaho

A fixer-upper in southeast Utah

A fixer-upper in southeast Utah

Face stuffing pastrami at Spero's House of BBQ in Malad City, Idaho

Edmonton Eateries: Part 3

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Lining up for lunch at MRKT in downtown Edmonton

Lining up for lunch at MRKT in downtown Edmonton

After spending 10 days in my birth city of Edmonton, I’m ready for a third instalment of good, affordable eateries, in this case lunch spots. While Edmonton’s roads aren’t getting any better,  the food scene continues to improve, though it’s surprising how many downtown spots are only open Tuesday to Friday for lunch.

The chefs at *Cibo Bistro are noted for serving high-end dishes like seared duck breast, stuffed rabbit leg and house-made pasta with stinging nettles to a discerning dinner crowd. But four days a week, they turn their considerable talents to more affordable lunches at this lofty-ceiling, rustic Italian restaurant along central Edmonton’s busy 104 Avenue.

Fabulous meatball sandwich and golden beet soup at Cibo Bistro

Fabulous meatball sandwich and golden beet soup at Cibo Bistro

Consider my $13 combo, delivered by a most engaging server, Chance. It starts with a luscious bowl of golden beet soup, the small chunks of grapes adding a touch of sweetness to a thick kale base. Then it’s on to Cibo’s first-rate signature meatball sandwich—hefty pork and veal meatballs atop a thin layer of prosciutto and smoked caciocavallo, and tomato basil jam smeared on a toasted baguette. It’s a fabulous, creative lunch and a bargain for the quality, size and execution.

Cibo Bistro
11244 104 Avenue, Edmonton
Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am-2 pm, dinner Tuesday to Saturday 5 pm-10 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday

Another good lunch bet is downtown’s popular MRKT, where a sandwich/salad and soup combo also goes for $13, washed down with a good pot of French press coffee. My braised, shredded beef sandwich is nicely complemented by caramelized onions, smoked gouda and a Spanish tomato sauce, served on a ciabatta bun. I choose the fish soup, featuring small pieces of scallop, shrimp and basa.

MRKT's downtown Edmonton space is cool and casual

MRKT’s downtown Edmonton space is cool and casual

It’s all good stuff though not quite as flavourful as the ingredients might suggest. The space is certainly interesting—a subway-like tube wrapped in wood paneling, with mostly long and tall shared tables, which are increasingly de rigeur in fashionable, casual eateries.

Braised beef sandwich and fish soup at MRKT

Braised beef sandwich and fish soup at MRKT

MRKT
10542 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton
Lunch Tuesday to Friday 11 am-2 pm, wine bar Tuesday to Saturday 5 pm-late

The corner of Stony Plain Road and 142 Street, in Edmonton’s west end, has been a graveyard for restaurants. Indeed, the most recent resident, Blue Chicago Speakeasy, still maintains its peeling presence a good decade after closing. If and when a nearby apartment tower and western extension of the city’s light-rail transit get built, perhaps the upsurge in area traffic will increase the demand for good eateries.

In the meantime, here’s hoping Cafe Rista, a little place that’s somewhat hidden on a side street a block to the north, has better success than its neighbours. The family-run business has a lot going for it—good Italian espressos, breakfast bagels/sandwiches and a list of fresh paninis, wraps and salads at lunch. My flavourful Italian panini ($8.50) has a generous layering of spicy meats and melted mozza, and the large bowl of the day’s chicken noodle soup is almost big enough to swim in.

Cafe Rista's not kidding about its "large" bowls of soup

Cafe Rista’s not kidding about its “large” bowls of soup

Cafe Rista
14213 103 Avenue, Edmonton
Weekdays 7 am-5 pm, Saturday 9 am-2 pm. Closed Sunday

Had a stressful morning? Just head over to Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant, an oasis of calm on the northern edge of downtown Edmonton. It’s a lovely space, with light yellow walls, arrangements of long bamboo stalks, unique triangular chairs and, presiding over all, a beatific jade Buddha.

Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant is an oasis of calm in downtown Edmonton

Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant is an oasis of calm in downtown Edmonton

Padmanadi carries on the curious custom of vegetarian restaurants naming dishes after the various meats they’re trying to replicate. In my case, it’s the savoury chicken curry, the tofu resembling and tasting very much like, you guessed it, chicken. It comes in a nice, mild sauce with chunks of potato, broccoli spears, a mound of jasmine rice and a couple of crispy spring rolls filling the plate. This $12 meal includes a little bowl of hot and sour soup and chrysanthemum tea, both beautifully presented.

The elegantly presented hot and sour soup is part of the full-meal lunch at Padmanadi

The elegantly presented hot and sour soup is part of the full-meal lunch at Padmanadi

In sum, forget the arguments about faux meat. This is good food, with friendly, relaxed service in a place that allows you unwind for an hour.

Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant
10740 101 Street, Edmonton
Tuesday-Friday 11 am-2 pm

In the bedroom city of St. Albert, just north of Edmonton, is The Enjoy Centre. How can’t you love a name like that, especially when it’s dedicated to plants and a food emporium under several acres of glorious glass? The centre is a legacy of the Hole family, whose famed St. Albert greenhouse business lives on here and is hopefully beyond the financial troubles that plagued the centre’s early years.

The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert is a light-infused mix of plant and food

The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert is a light-infused mix of plants and food

Upon entering the building, you walk through a ground floor devoted to the Amaranth Whole Foods Market, a bakery and a deli. Take the long, slow escalator to the light-filled second floor to shop for perennials and enjoy a fine coffee, panini or fabulous, arranged salad at the aptly-named Glasshouse Bistro & Cafe, with views over Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park. It’s one of those places you just want to linger and, well, enjoy.

A fine roasted veggie and quinoa salad at the Glasshouse Bistro & Cafe in The Enjoy Centre

A fine roasted veggie and quinoa salad at the Glasshouse Bistro & Cafe in The Enjoy Centre

Glasshouse Bistro & Cafe (in The Enjoy Centre)
101 Riel Drive, St. Albert
Daily, coffee bar opens at 10 am, the dining room and counter-service lunch bar at 11 am

Lebanon Lunches North: In Edmonton, Alberta

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Cooked-to-order pitas heading into the oven at Edmonton's Al Salam Bakery Deli & Restaurant

Cooked-to-order pitas heading into the oven at Edmonton’s Al Salam Bakery Deli & Restaurant

I’d always pronounced it fell-awful, or, when I was feeling particularly clever, feel-awful. But when I enter *Al Salam Bakery Deli & Restaurant, hostess Ain gently corrects me: it’s roughly fail-aye-fell.

The point is it’s a truly authentic Lebanese place, where my $8 sandwich features large, freshly grilled falafel balls that are light and aromatic, not the dried-out kind one often encounters. What’s equally good is the enveloping, fresh pita; you can watch them coming off the bakery line in the back of the restaurant.

The pita gets puffy, slightly crispy and hot in the oven

The pita gets puffy, slightly crispy and hot in the oven

In fact, I finally follow the lead of regular customers who are ordering baskets of fresh pita—large discs of dough that are placed in a pizza-like oven till they puff up. I dip the resulting hot, slightly golden “bread” in some house-made hummus. But honestly, this soft, chewy treasure is good enough to eat on its own. It’s easily the best pita I’ve ever eaten.

This warm, puffed pita is so good, you can eat it on its own

This warm, puffed pita is so good, you can eat it on its own

Al Salam is half deli—where you can buy bags of fresh pitas and other Lebanese foods and watch sandwiches and plates of shawarmas, kebabs and falafels being assembled. The other half is a sit-down restaurant, with a little brick wall in between displaying hookahs for sale.

Al Salam Bakery Deli & Restaurant
10141 34 Avenue, Edmonton
Daily lunch and dinner
Al Salam Bakery Deli & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Edmonton’s real little Lebanon district is in the northeast neighbourhood of Rosslyn, where you’ll find two strip malls dedicated to all things Lebanese, especially food. There’s Paradiso Pastries, which sells honeyed baklava and knafeh (a syrupy cheesecake) by the kilo. A couple of doors down, Elsafadi Bros. Mediterranean Market carries good olives, cheeses and inexpensive produce (55 cents a pound for bananas, $1 a pound for red peppers). A few blocks to the east is Cedar Sweets and Jomha’s Halal Meat & Deli.

Sunbake pumps out 3,500 pitas an hour

Sunbake pumps out 3,500 pitas an hour

But my principle pilgrimage is to Sunbake Pita Bakery, a family run business that bakes great, inexpensive pitas (some 3,500 an hour). They’re so fresh I can still see condensation in the bags they’re sold in. Behind the counter, Sunbake also makes (mostly takeout) little meals like cheese, spinach or zatar pita pies for the ridiculous price of about $3. For a few bucks more, I get a heftier shawarma loaded with chicken sliced from a rotating spit. The chicken’s a tad dry but is more than offset with a thick blanket of garlicky tzatziki sauce and some pickled veggies, all wrapped in a wonderfully chewy pita. With a Middle Eastern soundtrack in the background and Arabic conversation all around me, I’m momentarily transported away from this never-ending winter.

This shawarma's stuffed with spit-roasted chicken

This shawarma’s stuffed with spit-roasted chicken

Sunbake Pita Bakery
10728 134 Avenue, Edmonton
Sunbake Pita Bakery on Urbanspoon

Edmonton Wakes Up and Smells the Coffee

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Ryan Arcand runs the most laid-back, excellent coffeehouse you'll find at Iconoclast in Edmonton

Ryan Arcand runs the most laid-back, excellent coffeehouse you’ll find, at Iconoclast in Edmonton

I almost wish *Iconoclast Koffie Huis doesn’t get a lot more walk-up business. It’s selfish, I know. But in the four times I wander in over a week, co-owner Ryan Arcand shakes my hand, asks if I want my usual Americano or pour-over coffee (accompanied perhaps with an excellent muffin) and embarks on a long, relaxed chat. He greets occasional other customers by name, introducing them to anyone else who’s pulled up to the counter of this ultra-cool coffee bar. Conversations between strangers (new friends?) ensue, in stark contrast to the eyes glued to screens in most contemporary coffeehouses.

I’m sure things won’t always be this leisurely. But for now at least, Ryan seems perfectly happy with his low-key approach to marketing this new, central Edmonton coffeehouse. For one thing, it’s a bit hard to find, on a little side street across from a cemetery, with only a sandwich board advertising its presence. Indeed, Iconoclast’s website doesn’t currently mention the coffee bar, let alone its hours of operation.

That’s because most of its business is roasting wholesale beans for a growing list of discerning local restaurants and cafes. The small-batch roaster is at the back of an old, long warehouse that’s been lovingly refurbished with lots of repurposed wood, especially at the front coffee bar. On nice days, the bay doors might be rolled up, a table or two pulled out and a chessboard set up for an extended game between Ryan and local sculptor/part-time barista Rob Willms, who helped refurbish the place. Like I said, it’s laid back.

Iconoclast's roaster is in back of the coffee bar in this refurbished warehouse

Iconoclast’s roaster is in back of the coffee bar in this refurbished warehouse

While all things coffee course through Ryan’s veins, he’s perhaps most excited about the prospect of roasting cocoa, of all things, for use primarily in his partner’s (Sjoukje Bouma) line of Pinto chocolates. During one visit, he roasts a small batch of cocoa beans and scatters them on the counter for customers to sample. They’re nutty, delicious and addictive, the smoky flavour lingering long after I’ve resumed my more frantic day.

Roasted cocoa beans, anyone?

Roasted cocoa beans, anyone? Taste these gems and you might forsake the usual, sweetened chocolate

Folks, this is what a great coffeehouse is all about.

Iconoclast Koffie Huis
11807B 105 Avenue
Monday to Saturday 8:30 am-5 pm (with longer hours as summer approaches)
Iconoclast Koffiehuis on Urbanspoon

The latest entry in Edmonton’s downtown-area cafe scene is District Coffee Co., an offshoot of Nate Box’s popular Elm Cafe, though slightly larger (two tables!, along with some window seating). It’s already attracting a loyal clientele lining up for espresso-based drinks and a short, ever-changing menu of creative soups and salads, scones and other in-house baked treats. The day’s pot pie ($8) is a steaming mix of pulled pork and Granny Smith apple wrapped in a flaky pastry—a nice, light lunch accompanied by a strong Americano (using Calgary’s Phil and Sebastian beans).

District Coffee is in slightly larger digs than its Elm Cafe sibling

District Coffee is in slightly larger digs than its Elm Cafe sibling

A pulled pork and apple pot pie goes down nicely with a coffee

A pulled pork and apple pot pie goes down nicely with a coffee

District Coffee Co.
101, 10011 109 Street
Weekdays 7 am-5 pm
District Coffee Co. on Urbanspoon

A couple of downtown Edmonton coffee shops have come and gone. But Credo remains a stalwart. The reasons? It’s a smartly-run place, with two espresso machines and a little line of pour-overs pumping out good Intelligentsia coffee to a steady stream of caffeine seekers. What really makes it stand out is the seven (seven!) types of fresh muffins pulled regularly from its oven, along with house-made granola bars. It’s the details that matter, and Credo checks every box.

Credo's house-made granola bars help make it stand out from the usual coffeehouse

Credo’s house-made granola bars help make it stand out from the usual coffeehouse

Credo
10134 104 Street, Edmonton
Weekdays 7 am-6 pm, Saturday 8 am-6 pm, Sunday 10 am-6 pm
Credo Coffee on Urbanspoon

Savour the French at This Edmonton Cafe

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The menu at Cafe Bicyclette is in French, but the taste is universal

The menu at Cafe Bicyclette is in French, but the taste is universal

It’s been decades since I studied French in high school. So at Edmonton’s Café Bicyclette, my poor brain is taxed deciphering today’s menu board, with the server kindly translating phrases like pain perdu (French toast) and saucisse dejeunet (breakfast sausage). Fortunately, I need no help figuring out croque monsieur avec oeuf, a very nice version of the ham, cheese and fried egg sandwich, on a fresh baguette, for only $6. I finish things off with a good Iconoclast coffee and a delicately crumbed pineapple scone, perhaps the highlight of my petit dejeuner.

A wonderfully delicate crumb to this pineapple scone

A wonderfully delicate crumb to this pineapple scone

Bicyclette is a lovely new French cafe, with just about everything— muffins and pain au chocolat to soups—made from scratch. And it comes by its French roots honestly. It’s located in the heart of Edmonton’s historic Francophone quarter, with the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean campus just up Rue Anne-Marie Gaboury. Bon appetit!

Cafe Bicyclette
8627 91 Street (Rue Anne-Marie Gaboury), Edmonton, Alberta
Weekdays 8 am-5 pm (opening at 10 am for weekend brunch), dinner Thursday to Saturday 5 pm-10 pm
Café Bicyclette on Urbanspoon