It's the inaugural YEG Coffee Week, or what I am now calling the week where Edmonton gets buzzed on caffeine! From March 7-15th, 27 different cafes across the city are hosting different events and letting the quality of locally-roasted coffee beans speak for themselves.

Leva - 11053 86 Avenue - Edmonton AB

Throughout my university years I was never a real coffee drinker. Sure, I had a little caffeine here and there to get me through classes and writing those papers into the early morning, but I never really loved it. Fast forward to this new career where I work 12 hour days and nights, and coffee is slowly becoming my new best friend.


Lemon Meringue Tart
To kick off coffee week my boyfriend and I stopped by Leva for coffee and breakfast. What I particularly love about Leva is that it isn't on any major roads, making it a quiet place to visit during the day. It's tucked away in the heart of Garneau and really is a great spot to grab a bite to eat and get some work done!

The breakfast menu at Leva has a variety of offerings ranging from yogurt and fruit salads to heavier items like breakfast sandwiches and pizzas. There's a little something for every appetite, and it's definitely a challenge to resist the tempting display case full of freshly baked pastries.

My boyfriend opted for the Smashed Avocado Open Faced Sandwich ($13.25) served with a potato hash. Avocado is mashed and spread over artisanal toast and topped with cherry tomatoes, maple bacon, and an over easy egg. The crisp bacon was the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and the runny yolk brought every ingredient together. The potatoes were soft with a crisp golden exterior, and with a bit more seasoning they would have been perfect.

Gluttony began early in the day for me as I chose to go with the Breakfast Prosciutto Cotto Pizza ($15). This was actually a margherita pizza topped with prosciutto, finished with an over easy egg and fresh basil. If there's an egg, it's breakfast! The crust on my pizza was nice and thin, whereas the underside was crisp and browned and the cornicone (outer ring of the pizza crust!) was crunchy and airy. Due to the heavy nature of the garlicky tomato sauce, prosciutto, and cheese, the crust itself didn't hold together well enough to be picked up, so I enjoyed my pizza with a fork and knife. It was a massive portion for breakfast, but I worked my way through it since it was so tasty.


Chocolate Croissant
All meals have to end with something sweet, and when you're at a cafe with freshly baked pastries the rule definitely applies. I would have loved to try one of each item behind the display case but ultimately went with the beautiful lemon meringue tart and chocolate croissant. Leva's lemon tart is delightfully tangy, giving your lips a bit of a pucker, but is balanced out with just the right amount of sugar. The cream is velvety smooth and the tart crust is soft and flaky. If you're a citrus fan you definitely have to give the tart a try. Now if you're more of a chocolate lover, the chocolate croissant will do you no wrong. Layers of flaky, buttery croissant dough are wrapped around a stick of semisweet chocolate and baked to a point where the crust has the right crunch and airy texture. It is so, so good.

Great coffee, in-house pastries, a seasonal menu, and the use of local ingredients are just some of the things that make Leva one of the great cafes in Edmonton. With 27 different cafes participating in YEG Coffee Week, I urge you to go check out at least one you've never been to before. And even if you don't like coffee, YEG coffee week is meant to use coffee as a means of connecting with others and building community. Get yourself to a great cafe, meet up with a friend and enjoy your favourite non-coffee beverage!

For more info on YEG Coffee Week, visit the website here.

Back in December the spot previously occupied by Badass Jack's in the university area got new signage promising hot dogs and deep fried chicken. With hopes for a new Korean fried chicken (KFC) place, I eagerly awaited their opening.

IT' DOG - 8621 109 Street - Edmonton AB

Edmonton's solution to the lack of Asian-inspired hot dogs has finally arrived, and they're serving up some crispy deep fried chicken too! IT' DOG opened up this past Tuesday and every time I've driven by, the little fast-food spot has been fairly busy. I stopped by on Wednesday evening for a quick bite and was greeted by a friendly cashier, the sizzling sounds from the deep fryer, and the cooks chatting to one another in Korean. The restaurant is small, accommodating 15 at most, but sitting down for a meal is quick, and many orders are taken to go.

The menu is easy to read and split into four different sections: hot dogs, chicken, poutine and drinks. The hot dogs here are 100% beef, and there are 11 different variations of a Korean-style hot dog served on a pretzel bun. If you're not the adventurous type, they offer a plain hot dog too. I chose to try the IT' hot dog ($10), where the grilled beef sausage was topped with bulgogi, tempura shrimp, mushrooms, caramelized onions, green onion, mozzarella and sweet wasabi mayo. The toppings were generous, as each bite allowed me to taste a bit of everything. I found that most of the toppings gave off sweet flavours (bulgogi, onions, mayo), while the saltiness came from the hot dog itself. Every topping had a different texture to it and I actually quite enjoyed the combination. The pretzel bun was soft and warm which, combined with the abundance of ingredients, made the hot dog very filling.

The chicken menu has four choices: plain fried chicken, sweet and spicy, sweet mustard or soy garlic in 5 or 10 piece sizes. We ordered 5 pieces of the Sweet & Spicy Chicken ($13) with the sauce on the side to avoid having to eat soggy chicken, and the kitchen had no problem with the request. The chicken came out piping hot (seriously, I just about burned myself!), and the golden skin looked promising. The KFC here is the real deal! Biting through the thin, crispy skin revealed tender and moist chicken beneath. The chicken by itself was seasoned well enough for my liking, but the sweet and spicy was a great addition too. The sauce isn't overly thick and is more sweet than spicy. I would have enjoyed more heat from the sauce, but overall IT' DOG has some pretty delicious KFC.

If you've got a hankering for some fun Korean style hot dogs or some juicy deep fried chicken, get yourself to IT' DOG soon! They're open at 11:00 AM daily and are available late night Sunday - Thursday until 12:00 AM, and until 3:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Order a nice cold beer to go with your chicken, or order some chicken to sober up, depending on the time that you visit. Full menu & details available on their Facebook page.

There's a sandwich shop that has been causing quite the buzz in the Edmonton food scene for the past few months. I've never been a huge sandwich person. I mean, I would happily take a hot bowl of noodle soup over a sandwich any day. But sometimes there are those days where I just crave a really good sandwich.

Farrow Sandwiches - 8422 109 Street - Edmonton AB

The minds behind Three Boars Eatery are those behind Farrow, and this sandwich shop is located conveniently next door. Like Three Boars, the space is tiny and seating is limited, but in the summer the picnic tables out front are a perfect spot to enjoy your lunch and soak up some Vitamin D.

When Farrow is open for business they're serving up sandwiches and coffee to the hungry crowds from 7AM - 2PM. Being in the university area it's great place to stop for breakfast whether you're on your way to class or work. But for me, I popped in on a random afternoon for a quick bite as I was in the area. The menu changes often, and out of the choices available that day I went with the Grick Middle ($7): bacon, fried egg, greens, tarragon aioli, tomato jam, smoked cheddar. I am a sucker for fried eggs in sandwiches and burgers, especially when the yolk is golden and runny. There wasn't a big burst of flavour like I was hoping for, but the flavours in the sandwich complemented one another. The oozing egg yolk tied everything together and overall it was a good sandwich.

My boyfriend went with the Chief Beef ($8): roast beef, pickled onion, chips, arugula, horsey mayo. The sandwich was substantial and full of fixins, but what I enjoyed most was the added crunch from the chips! It really changed up the texture of the sandwich, and I'm thinking I may need to sneak a few chips into the next sandwich I make for myself.

When you're in the university area and in a bit of a rush, Farrow might be the perfect spot for you to grab lunch on the go. Most sandwiches are $7-$8 and they have options to cater to the vegan crowd too. With a wide range of sandwich combinations and their willingness to support local producers - what isn't to love?

Those that know me well know that I love my Asian food. Familiar foods equal comfort food, right? But once in a while I'll switch things up a little bit. A while back my boyfriend and I decided to stop by one of Edmonton's well-known established restaurants for dinner.

Parkallen Restaurant - 7018 109 Street NW - Edmonton AB

Parkallen Restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember. Literally. Back in the day my parents owned and operated a small Korean restaurant right next door, and to this day they often remind me that I used to run around our restaurant and would visit Parkallen from time to time. The memories are vague so I figured it was time for a visit to see if anything would jog my memory.

When you first walk in to the restaurant you're greeted by a grand display of wines in the wine room. The restaurant is well lit and decorated in shades of red, yellow and orange, making it feel warm and inviting. On arrival we were greeted promptly and seated in a location of our choice in the restaurant. Although we were the first patrons to arrive for dinner at 5:30 PM, the dining room quickly filled up within the half hour for a busy dinner service.

After some brief explanations from our server we decided to start our meal with the Samaki Harrah ($16): catch of the day in a red pepper coriander sauce. That night the restaurant was featuring cod and it was cooked soft and flaky. The red pepper sauce was flavourful without overpowering the dish and the size was just right to prepare us for our entrees.

My boyfriend ordered the Lahem Mishwee Platter ($26), which features two skewers of AAA Alberta Spring Creek Ranch grilled beef tenderloin. All the meat entrees at Parkallen are served with your choice of two sides, and he decided on the Lebanese fattoush salad and sauteed fresh vegetables. The skewers of beef were well seasoned and tender, but the star of the plate happened to be the fattoush salad. The tangy dressing over the salad mixed with the salty, crunchy pita crisps made it both refreshing and full of flavour. To this day my boyfriend always reminds me that the fattoush at Parkallen is the best salad he has ever had. Now if only I could get my hands on the recipe...

For myself I chose to go with the Spring Rack of Lamb ($45) with tabbouleh salad and Lebanese rice. When I'm out for dinner and lamb is on the menu, I will always order it. Parkallen grilled these ribs beautifully as they came out juicy, tender, and the light seasoning allowed for the flavour of the lamb to come through. Of the two sides I really enjoyed the tabbouleh salad, as it was crunchy, tangy, and full of flavour. The rice wasn't anything to write home about, but it was subtly sweet with thinly sliced almonds and hints of cinnamon.

Our dinner ended with some cheesecake (not pictured, $10) and caramel pecan flan ($10), both of which were a nice way to end the meal. The desserts at Parkallen are brought in from elsewhere, but I wish they had something available that they make in house.

Throughout the dinner we were very well taken care of by our server, and other staff were equally as attentive. Our glasses of water never reached half empty but the servers weren't overbearing either. As Parkallen describes themselves as a Lebanese and Mediterranean fine dining restaurant, it is definitely reflected in their service and pricing. This is not a restaurant you'll be frequenting often, but I would recommend it for celebrations and special occasions. On the other hand, a portion of the menu is dedicated to pizzas made in house. Perhaps it is time for another visit, as I'm curious to see what they have to offer!