Banff (in photos)

Lake Louise:

Yoho National Park (BC):

Johnston Canyon & Falls:

wildlife in Banff:

"artistic" shots from around Banff:

from Tunnel Mountain:

Epicurious... in Banff

While in Banff for our anniversary weekend, Craig and I did our fair share of picnicking, feasting on the breads, cheeses, olives, fruit and granola we either brought or purchased at the market. However, on three occasions, we did dine out, and here is what we thought of our (limited) exposure to the Banff dining scene (I'll be listing them in reverse chronological order):

Our final morning in Banff, we went to Wild Flour, "Banff's Artisan Bakery Cafe" for brunch. I ordered breakfast, and Craig ordered lunch, so it truly was brunch. The place is tucked away off Banff's main street, but easily accessible (as is everything in this tiny mountain town). A dog-friendly venue, many of the people on the patio had their pups along with them. We managed to snag an outdoor table among the pooches before heading inside to order. I ordered the toasted breakfast sandwich and a latte. Craig got the half panini and the daily soup, a promising chipotle tomato. I found the breakfast sandwich to be very bland, and I understood why it was served with ketchup; even though I dislike ketchup on eggs, it would have been a vast improvement. The latte however was perfect. Craig's soup tasted like Campell's tomato soup with a bit of picante sauce added, and I could detect absolutely no hint of the smoky flavour indicative of chipotle. Just when I was thinking that Wild Flour is not so good with the food, I tasted Craig's panini, which was spectacular. When we return to Banff, I may head back to Wild Flour as I appreciate their eco commitments (plant-based "plastic" lids, composting, recycling, etc.) and the coffee was darn good. But I will still with the paninis. And their baked good looked mighty tasty...

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On Sunday night, our anniversary dinner was at a most disappointing Chinese restaurant, The Silver Dragon. The menu seemed promising, with several authentic items listed. The view from the patio was spectacular. And the salt&pepper tofu appetizer was quite good. But the entrees were incredibly bland, atrociously so. My noodle dish was mushy, and the veggies in Craig's hot pot were obviously from a frozen "stir-fry" blend. I have had better food at Chinese buffets in strip malls in suburban Indianapolis. Do not go to Silver Dragon. It was the worst meal we have had in Canada 9thought the company was great and the dinner did not ruin our anniversary celebration).

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However, on our first night in Banff, we had what was probably our best meal in Canada, at Nourish, a tiny vegetarian bistro tucked away on the top floor of a shopping mall off Banff Ave. Walking into Nourish, you immediately forget your are in a mall, as the funky, hippy decor (Batik fabrics, eclectic lighting, bold colors on the walls, etc.) transport you from a world of dreary consumerism to a land of culinary delights. When we saw the menu, we had a hard time deciding what to order. In most restaurants, it's easy, we order the one or two vegetarian items and that's it. But when the whole menu is veg, it's no easy decision. Ultimately, Craig opted for the shepherd's pie and I got the portobello burger. Both items had the most unusually delicious textures and explosions of flavour: the burger had brie, artichoke, and "wasabi ginger aioli" (OMG, yum!!!), and the pie was rich ans savory with nuts, lentils, carrots, coconut and a "strawberry pineapple puree". I also had one of Nourish's specially blended roibois teas, and Craig had a delightful mango peace frosty. We finished the meal with a spectacular bread pudding. Nourish may just be our new favourite restaurant in Alberta, indeed Canada...

Two Mushroom Risotto (crock pot style - 2 hours)

Risotto is usually such a pain in the butt since you have to stand near the stove and stir and stir and stir and stir. But this recipe, found in Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker solves that problem by transferring the cooking to the crock pot. I love my crock pot. This allowed Craig and I to play Starfarers of Catan while dinner was cooking. (he won)

I goofed when making this, though, and didn't turn the crock pot to "high" until one hour into the cooking time. The dish was still done in two hours, and I feel, that with my crock pot, cooking for a full two hours on high would have burned the dish.

Here is the recipe with my tweaks:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  
• 1¼ c. arborio rice
• 2 c. crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 2½ c. vegetable stock
• 1/8 c. dry sherry
• 1 tsp. dried thyme (or 2 tsp. fresh)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (or soy parm, for a vegan option)
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
• In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook about a minute or two, until slightly softened.
• Transfer onion mixture to crock pot. Add rice, stirring to coat rice with oil. Stir in both muchrooms, the reserved soaking liquid, stock, sherry, thyme, and salt. Cover, and cook on high until all liquid is absorbed (watch this the first time to discern the exact timing on your slow cooker).
• Stir in cheese and season with pepper.

Serve hot and enjoy.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend...

Here are the makings of an exhausting (but fun and friendship-filled) weekend:

Friday

• ICU nurses night out (good for the chaplain to join them, eh?)

Saturday

• laundry
• farmer's market (getting there so late they were sold out of decent onions)
• search for canning jars, quart size (finally found at Canadian Tire, of all places)
• attempt to make yogurt
• game night with Lindsay and Brian
• realization one shouldn't leave the house for several hours when yogurt is in the incubation period

Sunday

• brunch (and baby fix) with Sarah, Kevin, and Colin
• conference call with the Peace, Justice, and Environment Project
• grocery shopping
• collapse, and watch a couple episodes of Battlestar Galactica (we started the series last month)

Steeps

Our neighborhood (or rather, our neighbourhood) is fantastic. We live in a part of Edmonton called Oliver, adjacent to downtown, and filled with stores, museums, galleries, restaurants, churches, and bus stops where we can catch a ride to any other part of the city. I love this neighbourhood.

One of my favorite places here is a delightful little tea house just blocks away. Steeps is an "urban tea house" with several locations in Western Canada, but the original is the one near us. Steeps is steps from the best yarn store around and our insurance agent. It's one of those places filled with eclectic, mismatched furniture, artwork by local artists, and floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with hundreds of varieties of tea (three entire shelves dedicated to varieties of Earl Grey). Tea is served in a french press, and you must go to the sideboard to pick out which tea cup you'll drink from. While you're at the sideboard, you can pick up a scrabble board, or as we did, connect four.

On Friday nights, there is live music, of the mellow, coffee-house variety. Still recovering from my cold, I wasn't up for a wild night on the town. So Steeps was absolutely perfect. My Beloved and I played games, read the paper, talked, laughed, listened to a school teacher from Ft. McMurry sing, and drank delicious tea (mine was a fruity blend called "Creativity", and Craig chose one that smelled like a campfire).

I think this is the perfect beginning for a marvelous weekend.