My Blog = My Life: local food

I was really happy to hear that a new restaurant is coming to the downtown 'hood.
Tangerine by chef Aimee Schulhauser of Evolution Catering will be a welcome addition to the strip of shops on 14th Avenue next to Lorne Street (2234 14th Avenue, to be exact).
The restaurant will be open mainly during the daytime and into the early evening hours, with later hours a possibility once the restaurant has its feet under it (the same goes for a liquor licence). Schulhauser tells me that fresh garden vegetables from her grandma's garden will be front and centre this summer. She calls Tangerine's menu a "chef's playground" featuring a handful of semi-permanent sandwiches and salads, along with whatever else she creates on any given day.
Tangerine's website will be up and running in June. In the meantime, check out Schulhauser's other website: http://www.ecff.ca/

I'm excited to bring news about a new restaurant about to open its doors in Regina.

Tangerine, by Chef Aimee Schulhauser of Evolution catering, will be up and running in approximately one month. No word yet on location, but I've noticed some construction happening at Evolution on Lorne Street. Perhaps Tangerine will open in the same spot?

There's a very good chance that Tangerine, like Evolution, will emphasize fresh, local food as much as possible. The restaurant will be a welcome addition to our downtown food scene, especially since Zest closed its doors last month.

Stay tuned....

So, May is here and the outdoor Farmers' Markets started again today. Unfortunately, the weather couldn't have been much worse. Rain, snow, and cool winds did not make for a great turnout this morning at the new location next to City Hall. In fact, I only counted about 10 vendors of a possible 50-60.

It's a real shame, considering that two weeks ago we were all wearing shorts and basking in +23 degree temps.

Well, things can only get better from here. If the sun is shining next weekend expect a good turnout at the market. Get on out there and buy some local food!

It just dawned on me today that the farmers' market makes its return to the great outdoors in only two weeks.

I decided to check their website, just to make sure I had the date right.

I do.

But that's not even the most exciting part. Regina's farmers' market will be in a completely different location this year. They are moving three blocks west to City Hall! The new market will line Smith and McIntyre streets between Victoria Avenue and 12th Avenue. They will also make use of the plaza in front of City Hall. This rocks!

Of course, it's a temporary location only. Construction will begin on Scarth Street this summer to create the new City Square Project.

Bonus: there will be free parking on the 1st level of the City Hall parkade during Saturday markets (behind City Hall itself).

With all this nice weather, I predict many good things to eat at the market this year.

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 4 out of 5
• Total - 11 out of 15

3000 Wascana Drive, Regina, SK.
306-585-3663

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January has been full of calm nights and above-average temperatures. 2010, I like you already.

It makes a person want to get out a bit more often. So, The Mom and I decided to take our appetites to The Willow on Wascana the other day.
OK, it wasn't just the warm weather that lured us to the shores of Wascana Lake. It was the $20 off lunch or dinner promo that The Willow ran for just two days this month.
The Willow opened in August 2004 and has carved out a niche for itself ever since. It's almost definitely the only menu in town that sources all of its meat, fish and poultry from Saskatchewan sources.
It wasn't too busy for a Wednesday night so we chose a corner table in the warm and cozy dining room. As far as atmosphere goes, The Willow has it made. In winter, the wood ceiling and earthy tones make you forget the sub-zero chill outside. On the other hand, summer is all about the great outdoors as you dine on The Willow's gigantic patio overlooking Wascana Lake.
Now what about the food? It's safe to say that The Willow doesn't shy away from taking risks. The new winter menu features Free-Range Elk Tartare, Coffee-Infused Short Ribs, and a Wild Boar Ragout.
The Mom was feeling adventurous so she went with the wild boar.
Boar sounded a little too Lord of the Flies for me, on the other hand, and I can rarely say no to a good homemade sausage. So, I chose the Chorizo Chicken Roulade.
Our plates arrived in no time and I was in love with the chicken dish at first sight. The juicy morsels of chicken wrapped around a chicken chorizo sausage disappeared from my plate quickly, as did the southwest-style corn salsa served on the side.
Now you're probably wondering what on earth wild boar tastes like? So were we. Our waiter told us it was like pork with a bit more fat. He didn't lie about that last part, for sure.
The tender slab of boar was served on top of homemade pappardelle noodles with a tiny Saskatchewan-grown tomato on top. The noodles were great. The boar was... well, it was kind of like eating sushi for the first time. You're a little bit curious and a little bit scared, especially when a few bites of the meat were more fat than flesh.
As for the service, it was good but not great. Our friendly waiter took the time to joke with us a little, but had trouble recommending dishes and explaining some of the ingredients. For a fine-dining restaurant that charges top dollar that just doesn't cut it. Servers should know each menu item inside and out.
That being said, The Willow scores big points for showing Regina that the food we grow and harvest right in our own backyards is as good or better than anything we truck in from a thousand miles away.
www.willowonwascana.ca

AUGUST 14, 2010: The post below was written in March. Le Macaron is still under construction. Progress seems to be happening slowly. At this rate, expect a mid-fall (October or November) opening?
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Stay tuned, fans of bakeries and sweet pastry: Gilles Gobin, former executive pastry chef at the Hotel Sask, will open his very own bakery this spring/summer.

Once upon a time I worked with Gilles at the hotel. And let me tell you, this man knows how to make a good dessert.

Le Macaron will specialize in creating delicious French macaroons of many different colours (and flavours, I assume). At first, Gilles aimed for a downtown location on Albert Street, near La Bodega. Unfortunately, this didn't work out. Gilles and Co. are now busy preparing a store in the east end.

It seems like opening date is still a couple of months away, but rest assured I will post an update as soon as an opening date is announced.

www.lemacaron.ca

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 4 out of 5
• Overall - 11 out of 15

Let's start with the good: Tangerine is a tastefully decorated bistro that has added a healthy dose of personality to the strip of shops on 14th Avenue between Lorne and Cornwall streets. The restaurant seems to be doing a very good business over the lunch hour. Ladies who lunch, business folks, and university kids are all common sights.
Service is very fast - as it should be at a bistro that depends on the lunch hour to survive. My meals have arrived within minutes of ordering during both of my lunchtime visits. Considering that ordering is done cafeteria-style, that is up at the counter, there is no reason for service to be slow.
The menu, written in chalk on a large wall next to the deli case, has a good mixture of proteins, grains and greens, and it changes often. Tangerine also brews coffee and serves up homemade biscuits and sweets. All of this lends an urbane feel to the place - Tangerine would fit right in to New York's Lower East Side or Vancouver's West End. But it's all ours and we should be proud to have it.
As for the not-so-good: Tangerine needs to work on portions and prices. The other day I ordered the $11 Greens and Proteins: a six- or seven-ounce piece of salmon atop a bed of greens with a light dressing. The dish's modest size left me feeling hungry, and that I'd paid too much. Consider that Siam Thai restaurant downtown offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $9; or that La Bodega serves a mean sandwich with fries for about $12.
As for the salad, I have a strong suspicion that the lettuce mixture I ate was store-bought. This is a bit of a shame in the middle of summer when fresh local produce is everywhere.
Finally, Tangerine could play more heavily on the "food bar" theme that it uses as part of its name. At the moment, the restaurant is open until 7 p.m. on weeknights. But give the place a liquor licence, dim the lights, put on some groovy music, and you could have a very cool evening hangout. Of course, this may come as Tangerine matures. Owner/chef Aimee Schulhauser is wise to take a "walk before you run" approach to the place.
The verdict: give Tangerine a try for your next business lunch, or if you happen to be hanging around downtown on a gorgeous summer day.

Get your tickets now for the PEAK OF THE MARKET gala dinner on August 15 at Cultivate restaurant in Saskatoon.
Top local chefs will pair wines by Saskatchewan's own Living Sky Winery with a seven-course meal using the freshest food that Saskatoon Farmers' Market has to offer. There's no time like summer for a meal like this. Where: Saskatoon Farmers' Market When: August 15, 2010 Cost: $95/person Reservations: Call 306-881-1933

It's here!

Regina's newest downtown restaurant opened quietly this week on the corner of Lorne Street and 14th Avenue.

Chef Aimee Schulhauser will offer fresh eats and a menu that changes frequently to keep up with what's in season. The current menu on the Tangerine website looks very tempting: http://www.tangerineregina.ca/

Watch out for a grand opening some time in July.