Congratulations to Alberta Food Tours who are celebrating their 20th anniversary on March 18. They’ve planned to mark the occasion with giveaways, prizes, and a birthday party, all at albertafoodtours.ca
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Alforno is celebrating 10 years since opening their Italian-inspired café in Calgary’s Eau Claire – and they’ve not stopped since. Now you can get your bread, pastries, coffee, pastas, pizzas, and grab-and-go food, at two new locations: 707 5th Street SW café and CF Chinook Centre, and their 7th location is opening soon in Calgary’s West District, at 780 78 Street SW! alforno.ca
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You’re still in time to snag a reservation at Emerald Lake Lodge’s Sky Dome!
Chef Valerie Morrison’s outstanding six-course blind tasting menu with wine, cocktail, and mocktail pairings, is available until the end of the month. Truly memorable mountain dining! crmr.com/resorts/emerald-lake
Spruce Meadows’ Foxtrot is open and ready for you, in a striking, purpose-built, building with huge windows overlooking the International Showjumping Ring. With Chef Matthias Fong leading the kitchen, you know you’re in for carefully conceived and beautifully presented plates. They’re dry aging duck, fish, and steak, and cooking with fire (Charcoal Roasted Sablefish and Wood-Grilled Caesar Salad!) with must-try refined comfort food dishes of Burrata “Scotch Egg”, Black Truffle Rolled Lasagna, and plenty more, accompanied by a well-curated wine list (with library wines too!) and cocktails. There are so many reasons to visit Foxtrot; the restaurant is gorgeous, with cleverly designed branding and features (flowery wallpaper on the ceiling and a monocled moose!), led by restaurant director David Singleton. And downstairs is Café Foxtrot for coffee and quick bites. Seven days from 11:30 am, Monday/Tuesday from 4:30pm, foxtrotyyc.com
The wait is over Calgary! Highly anticipated Francine’s is now open, and if you enjoyed their 2024 pop-up, you’ll be delighted by Garrett Martin and Nate Wry’s new 48-seat French bar (they’re keen for you to know it’s not a bistro or brasserie). It’s dark, cool, and exciting, with a small menu of familiar pop-up dishes (yes, Ham & Chips, and the insanely good, Steamed Cheeseburgers are here!) and wonderful new additions, some from Chef de Cuisine Laetitia Chrapchynski, like our star dish of Smoky Trout & Crêpes with vermouth sauce. Drinks are important here, with Wry’s creative twists on classic cocktails, as well as an all-French wine list and mostly Alberta beers. Choose a seat at one of the two bars to watch the kitchen or beverage action! 306 Centre St S, lunch and dinner weekdays, Saturdays from 3pm. francines.ca
Happy Lamb is serving up all-you-can-eat hot pot in Edmonton at their newest location. The franchise from China offers six different, authentic, freshly made soup broths, accompanied by over 70 add-in ingredients! Choose your broth, then head over to the self-service area to pick up your veggies, eggs, and noodles, and order from the wide selection of meats, like England prime lamb brisket, supreme wagyu, or pork. 3838 Gateway Boulevard NW, seven days, 11:30am-10pm. happylambhotpot.com
DRTY Ice Cream has opened a second location in downtown Edmonton! If you’ve never tried it, don’t worry – the ice cream isn’t actually dirty. Filipino locals called sorbetes “dirty ice cream” as a joke, and the name stuck. Known for regionally inspired flavours like ube, jackfruit, and avocado, everyone’s favourite Filipino ice cream joint is now opening north of the river, and you can get your fix of Filipino sorbetes inside Foosh at 10150 104 Street NW. Saturday 12pm-9pm, Sunday 1pm-6pm, and limited hours on Wednesday. drtyicecream.ca
La Torino is a new, fine Italian restaurant in Avenida, completely refurbished from former La Piccola Napoli by Dubai Chef Binu Simon and wife Betsy. Chef Bini has worked in the world’s top restaurants for 30 years: Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, Fairmont and JW Marriott, and the last 14 years in Calgary at Rouge, River Café, and Bonterra. There’s a wide choice of elevated, elegant dishes, perfectly executed and prepared with a very light hand: excellent pastas, steaks, 12-inch thin crust, sourdough pizzas from the custom Italian Phyrallis pizza oven, and the most exquisite desserts! Ask about special weekly features too. Dinner seven days, lunch Wednesday-Sunday, latorino.ca
Inside Station Park, Edmonton’s first shipping container and micro-retailer development, is new grilled cheese restaurant Cheese Louise, serving up classics and customized grilled cheese sandwiches including the “Pickle Vick” (with house-made pickle aioli) and of course, tomato soup. Perfect for those who want to rock and roll and grab a cheesy treat, plus with their ‘Feed It Forward ‘board, you can donate $5 toward a free classic grilled cheese for someone in need. 8125 Gateway Boulevard, Wednesday to Sunday 11am-late. @cheeselouiseyeg
For all the sweet tooths out there, COSW Cookie Shop has opened in the former Rock n Roll Ice Cream space at 10109 108 Avenue NW in Edmonton. Handmade cookies are baked fresh daily and come in mouth-watering flavours like Biscoff Oreo Brownie, Pistachio Knafeh Cookie, and many more. They also sell a variety of drinks, including coffee, mochas, and cappuccinos. This home bakery-turned-storefront is perfect for an after-dinner treat or a mid-day sugary pick-me-up. Monday-Saturday, 10:30am-1:30am. cosw.ca
Marugame Udon has opened their second Canadian location in CrossIron Mills. The new 50-seat, fast-casual Japanese noodle joint has a theatre-style kitchen so you can watch the whole udon-making process and your Sanuki-style bowls prepared in front of you - and they are really good! The small menu includes your choice of Kake Udon, BK Sauce and Nikutama Udon, and Chicken Katsu Curry, as well as rice bowls, crispy chicken, and so many choices of tempura! (Don’t miss the egg, pumpkin, and squid tempura, you’ll thank us). Bonus – it’s all MSG-free! Seven days, lunch and dinner. ca.marugame.com
You can now find Flat Boy Burgers inside Edmonton’s Seachange Brewery. The new location is serving up their iconic smash burgers, fries, milkshakes, and more. Grab a single, double, or triple flatty with classic burger toppings, and be sure to try their signature flat sauce. For those with a sweet tooth, Flat Boy is also serving up decadent milkshakes and even key lime pie. And don’t forget the side shtickle (their novelty-sized pickle on a shtick). Perfect for date night or a fun outing with friends, at 5302 50 Street. 11:30-10pm and until 1am Fridays and Saturdays. flatboyburgers.com