Take a bite of your city | thetomato.ca 03 04 2020 Top 100 Best Things to Eat Editor Contents Mary Bailey [email protected] Publisher BGP Publishing Copy Editor Shauna Faragini Contributing Writers Peter Bailey John Gilchrist Jan Hostyn Features Illustration/Photography Curtis Comeau Photography 6 Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink John Gilchrist The eighth annual Dong Kim Design and Prepress 16 Spring Lamb Bossanova Communications Inc. Treat yourself with delicious chefs’ recipes | Mary Bailey WebMeister Gunnar Blodgett, COPA Jurist 22 2020 Canadian Culinary Championships Printer Vancouver, Montreal and Winnipeg top the podium in Ottawa 26 Getting Lost in Ireland Distribution Where to eat on the Emerald Isle | John Gilchrist Greenline Distribution For editorial inquiries, information, letters, suggestions or ideas, Departments contact The Tomato at 780.431.1802 or email [email protected]. 5 Dish For advertising information Gastronomic happenings around town call 780.431.1802. The Tomato is published 14 Beer Guy six times per year: Beer knights | Peter Bailey January/February March/April 20 Feeding People May/June Restaurant confidential | Jan Hostyn July/August September/October November/December 24 Wine Maven by BGP Publishing Mary Bailey 9833 84 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2G1 28 Kitchen Sink 780.431.1802 What’s new and notable Subscriptions are available for $25 per year. thetomato.ca On the cover: chef Christine Sandford, Biera. Curtis Comeau Photography photo. The Tomato | March April 2020 3 Flavours from all over the world are just minutes away from home. Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café. Italiancentre.ca EDMONTON Little Italy | Southside | West End CALGARY Willow Park Fox Tower • 10228-104 Street bundokyeg.com @bundokyeg Modern Canadian Cuisine Dish gastronomic happenings around town drink up with davin a new private club Whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux for edmonton business people has just published a new book and it’s a Consider it a rebranding—behind Edmonton City winner. He profiles over 200 historic and Club is the Petroleum Club which operated for over 70 modern distilleries, and offers spirit trails, years, closing its Kingsway location two years ago. The cocktail recipes, tasting notes and features idea is to attract a younger, vibrant clientele centred in about the unique distillers making waves downtown, who could benefit from a modern space today. It’s not just about Canadian whisky for working, meeting, events and, especially, dining. anymore—witness the explosion of high- Edmonton City Club plans to offer several levels of quality gins, moonshine and liqueurs made membership, including age-based and non-resident. As across the country now. Drink up! part of the current membership drive, there is a lovely The Definitive guide to Canadian Distilleries: incentive—sign up by April 30 and get 50 per cent off The Portable Expert to Over 200 Distilleries the entrance fee. and the Spirits they Make (From Absinthe to Whisky, and Everything in Between) by Davin de Kergommeaux and Blair Phillips, flavours of somalia at nait Appetite by Random House, $32. What a great idea: Flavours of Somalia, March 21, at Ernest’s at NAIT. Jamila Osman, Mulki Ali and Nadiifa Omar are the host cooks and Maryan cibo bistro’s Hussein is in charge of the desserts. The dinners new spring menu are organized by Edmonton Eats, a newish social Pop into Cibo Bistro sometime soon enterprise created to share the skills, passion and to enjoy new menu items such as the knowledge of newcomer home cooks with the rest of toothsome pappardelle and roast pork the community. cheeks and classics like the house-made The idea is to create mortadella crostini. Don’t miss the new economic sublime pistachio gelato with opportunities Sicilian cannoli for dessert. for families and build community at the same time. it’s back! Another benefit downtown dining week is that Culinary march 11-22 Program students learn about Somali Here’s a chance to try something new cuisine and spices. or revisit an old fave during downtown Edmonton Eats dining week. Menus are two-course is supported by lunches and brunches, $20 and multi- the Edmonton courses dinner, $35 or $50, depending Heritage Council on the location. and City of As well as discounted menus at Edmonton, almost 50 restaurants there are organization events: Lunchbox Shorts with the sponsors are Edmonton International Film Bannerman Festival on March 11; Kitchen Community League, e4c and Communities United. by Brad lunches and suppers Event sponsors are NAIT, Bannerman Giant Tiger and on March 12, 16, 17 and 19; Belmont Sobeys. Tix: $75, Evenbrite. Queen’s Brunch at Match Eatery on March 15 and a Craft Cocktail Tour March 16. Find From top: Davin de Kergommeaux’ winning new all the deets, menus and prices at book; Cibo Bistro’s cannoli; Somali cuisine at NAIT; a Downtown Dining Week option—Revel edmontondowntown.com Bistro & Bar scallops. Photos supplied. The Tomato | March April 2020 5 THE EIGHTH ANNUAL TOP ONE HUNDRED BEST THINGS TO EAT OR DRINK IN EDMONTON Welcome to the annual Tomato Top 100 where we ask readers more often. Why not go for lunch (both the Marc and Biera are to tell us what was the best thing they ate last year. Burgers open for lunch); go out mid-week; or after work, slip in early for and pizza were so often nominated we gave them their own a glass of wine and one plate. Hard to do with a family, but what section. Breakfast sandwiches are popular, pasta is a perennial about brunch at a good local resto instead of a chain? Cook favourite and this year, we notice more plant-based dishes more at home to save up for a monthly (or seasonal) dinner out. being recommended. Somewhere really good. Taste what the best chefs are up to, more often. Our readers recognize exceptional food when they taste it, yet many nominations were accompanied by ‘for my birthday,’ ‘for Biera’s winter salad has top billing this year. Chef Christine Sandford our annual big night out.’ We love to hear about your special goes from strength to strength. We love the commitment to local occasions, and we invite you to visit Edmonton’s great restaurants sourcing, the seasonal menu, the love of great cheese. See the full list at thetomato.ca. All photos by Mary Bailey unless otherwise credited. 1 2 Dong Kim photo 6 March April 2020 | The Tomato 1. Winter Salad, Biera This is one sexy salad—a riot of texture, from the apple pear shavings draped languorously over the goods beneath, and the crunch of sunflower seeds throughout, to the creamy, tangy, cheesy dill dressing. A thing of beauty. Nominators waxed rhapsodic about the grilled chicken, the tartare, the various permutations of the excellent house- TOP EDMONTON FOOD made sourdough on the menus; we remember a particularly thrilling mushroom dish last summer. We love chef Christine Sandford’s commitment to local sourcing; the seasonal menus; the love of great cheese. Each dish not only demonstrates fine technique EXPERIENCES and mastery of flavour and subtlety, each supports and highlights the Blind Enthusiasm and the barrel-aged Monolith beers. We are fortunate people to have Biera. Afternoon Tea at the Art of Cake 2. Roasted Farro Pappardelle with “Not only is every bite simply sublime, the presentation is beautiful, the service Mushroom and Parmigiano, Corso 32 outstanding and the decor lovely. I have been a fan of Gloria’s for years. Her wedding cakes are works of art, but how often can you have a wedding cake? This deeply fragrant and savoury dish was a hit with nominators. Farro, an ancient grain Tea can be had on most any weekend. What a treat and worth every cent. much used in central Italy, is roasted, then milled into flour, creating a pasta with earthy Arrive hungry, you will leave full and happy,” says Leanne Smoliak. flavours and a slightly chewy texture, so good with the toothsome sauce. “I recently took two work colleagues to Corso 32, and when they mentioned they weren’t sure if they Cheese School at Cavern liked truffle, we ordered the black truffle moliterno with black truffle honey for dessert. Several times a year Cavern, the cheese shop on 104 Street, offers cheese school. We were blown away by the combination of the salty hard cheese, sweet honey and the It is a unique way to explore cheese—by comparative tasting, or how to pair it umami richness of the shaved truffle.” We love the tasting menus (do try with the wine with wine and beer; or a primer on a certain kind of cheese, like washed rind pairings), the fealty to Italian flavours and technique, the uncompromising rigour in the for example and other useful cheese info. They are also relaxed and fun, usually kitchen. on Sunday afternoons with wine and sometimes with guests. 3. Grizzly Gouda Potato Pyrohy, RGE RD Kitchen by Brad “The pyrohy has been a staple on the menu since RGE RD opened and I still order “It is such a unique venue, with so much to offer. I have attended a cooking them to this day—they are fantastic!” says Deborah Munro. Also, the road trip menu class there, picked up meatball lunches, attended special events such as a gin filled with surprises and delights, the farm dinners, blini with sustainable Canadian tasting, long table dinners and we hosted our son’s rehearsal dinner there. Every caviar—so many delicious bites and forward-thinking food from a crack kitchen. experience is different, new and exciting and I can’t wait to see what he is up 4. Parisienne Gnocchi, Bündok to next.” Aubin Nixon.