Wanderlust and Words

This week, we’re hitting the road with wine trucks, nutrition trucks, Belgian beer, and a travelling food & culture show. We’re promoting real food and opposing political power brokers.  Chef Jenni’s Travelling Food & Culture Show  Chef Jenni is serving California/Saskatchewan fusion food, to the accompaniment of a California-based musician, in the Birch Hills Curl-o-Drome on August 3 . On August 10 , she is serving a multicultural meal in the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre with music and art on the side. On August 15 in the La Ronge Legion Hall, there will be Greekish cuisine with northern ingredients (e.g. Blueberry Wild Rice Spanakopita). Phone (306) 749-7051 or email jwillems@sasktel.net to reserve a ticket. The Woods Alehouse  The Woods Alehouse, an affiliate of Paddock Wood Brewing, will be opening on 2nd Avenue in August. The focus will be on craft beers, including Paddock Wood. Steve Cavan says he plans to start with some beers that ...

Gravelbourg mustard, South African vinegar, Gangster and Persians – an international food adventure   SaskMade Vendor Night, July 26   Sample Saskatchewan's own Gravelbourg mustards in Saskatoon berry, cranberry, German and French varieties, served with J and J Garlic Sausage at SaskMade Marketplace on July 26 from 5-8 pm . Food Day Canada, August 4 Five Saskatoon restaurants and three Regina restaurants are participating in Food Day Canada . So whether you cook at home or eat out, be sure to celebrate Canadian food from great Canadian farmers and producers on Saturday, August 4. Raspberries & Black Currants Rhodes’ Raspberries and Black Currants is a family-run u-pick operation just outside of Saskatoon. They have 10 acres with 8 varieties of raspberries and 2 acres of black currants. Frozen black currants are available year round. (via LocalSask.ca – thanks!) Rozendal Vinegar Rozendal Botanical Vinegars from South Africa are now available at Souleio. T...

Mulberries, Pomegranate Sauce, Dried Lemons, Kashk and Doogh From the outside, it looks like an old-fashioned corner convenience store. But step inside, and you quickly realize that you’ve discovered a Middle Eastern treasure trove. The Persian Store at 223 – 25th Street West is operated by Mahyar Behnami, who has been in Saskatoon for two years. The store serves an Iranian/Persian community of approximately 500 people, but it’s an opportunity for all of us to try new things. Mrs. Behnami kindly gave me a tour of the store and explained how the different dishes and ingredients would be served in Iran. Canned Goods There is a large assortment of ready-made, canned dishes. (The stews are always served over rice that is dry, not sticky.) Ghormeh sabzi is often considered the Iranian national dish. It contains herbs, dried lemon, onion and red beans – you can add your own meat. The herbs usually include parsley, leeks/green onions, cilantro, spinach and fenugreek, and the...

A new cookbook, a new wine store, an abundance of saskatoons, a Market dinner, and an opportunity to protect local farms Dinner at the Market, July 26 The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market is hosting a dinner on July 26 featuring Chef Darren Craddock of Riverside Country Club. Tickets are $75 and include all food and wine pairings. The full menu is available online . Saskatoon Berries  Hounjet Orchards (sell yogurt at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market) have so many saskatoon berries this year that they are struggling to pick them all and are asking for help. Pick 10 bags – 5 for them and 5 for yourself – and there’s no charge. For more information, call Gerry Hounjet at 978-0926. Wine and Beer Brad Laidlaw, owner of Earl’s and Saskatoon Brewery, has purchased Cava’s leftover wine and spirits stock for his store, Ingredients Artisan Market , that will be opening shortly. The Saskatoon StarPhoenix article says that the Market will be opening within the next few months on Second Aven...

A sugar moon, summer salads, picnic and crop tour – so much to discover in this week’s issue of Flavourful Saskatoon Sugar Moon Cakery There’s a new bakery on Second Avenue. Sugar Moon Cakery is located just past Starbucks in the same building as the Saskatoon Asian Restaurant. They are open Monday to Friday from 7 am to 3 pm . They weren’t open when I dropped by, but there appeared to be a counter where you can have a hot drink and a snack. Sugar Moon Cake Co. also designs wedding and special occasion cakes by appointment (e.g. birch bark cake). Swadesh Restaurant Sadiqur Rahman, who owns two South Asian supermarkets, has just opened a restaurant. The Swadesh Restaurant on 22nd Street serves Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi dishes. The restaurant is open from 8 am to 11 pm , seven days a week. Earth Bound Bakery Trent Loewen is always trying out something new at Earth Bound Bakery. The Black and White Sesame Baguette tastes as good as it looks. Lunch at Calories ...

Underground Café has just opened on 20th Street, and it adds more than one creative twist to the Riversdale neighbourhood. First of all, the street-front façade has been torn down and replaced with a sheltered patio. Enormous vases contain sculptured plant arrangements, so now we can sit outside and bask in our all-too-brief Prairie summer. Secondly, Underground Café isn’t just one business – it’s two. The coffee shop fills the front of the space, while Beaumont Film & Record is at the back. They’re two friends, supporting each other with complimentary businesses. Finally, Underground Café has imported a taste of Edmonton. They are the first coffee shop outside of Edmonton to serve Transcend coffee. Saskatoon’s Coffee Culture Dallyn Guenther, Underground Café's owner and barista, grew up in Saskatchewan but moved to Australia and New Zealand where he became immersed in the local coffee culture. “After Italy, I figure New Zealand has the best coffee culture,” he ...

For a taste of New Orleans in downtown Saskatoon, head over to Mardi Gras Grill at 239 Idylwyld Drive South (half a block north of 20th Street). Scroll down the menu, and you’ll find lots of shrimp, blackened chicken and alligator. This doesn’t look good for three vegetarians, but the server and chef were really helpful. We had a double helping of fried green tomatoes with Louisiana remoulade dressing without the shrimp. I enjoyed them. The tomatoes were thickly sliced and juicy, and the coating was crispy and not oily. The blackened catfish salad – minus the catfish – was great. Fresh salad greens were topped with candied pecans, blue cheese and sun-dried cranberries, with raspberry vinaigrette on the side. The cornbread was still warm from the oven. Be sure to leave room for dessert as they are fabulous. We had the southern fried banana, which had a light tempura batter and was served with whipped cream, caramel sauce and ice cream. The beignets are large, pip...

A flavourful start to your week – Saskatoon berry chutney, spiced cocoa tea, Terra Madre, and a Cheesepalooza  Chutney & Cocoa There are always new products to discover at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Orchard del Sol , whose owners divide their time between Saskatoon and Costa Rica, are now selling cocoa, spiced cocoa tea and hot chocolate mix (with chili peppers). Chatty’s Indian Spices has a saskatoon berry chutney, as well as curry seasoning mixes, curried spinach sauce, cilantro hot sauce, and more. And don’t miss the wonderful succulents from Solar Gardens ( Succulents from the Farmers’ Market ). Creekside Orchard, July 18/19 Creekside Orchard , a u-pick apple and cherry orchard in Melfort, is hosting a variety of food and music events this summer starting with a dinner prepared by Chef Jennie of Birch Hills on July 18 and 19. Terra Madre  Slow Food Saskatoon continues to move ahead. We held our first leadership team meeting this past week and se...