Happy Monday! It's clear skies and sunny weather here in Edmonton today.. only that my city is buried under 20cm of snow! Boo to the snow and terrible roads, but I just feel like Spring is around the corner! The days are getting longer and I can't wait to finally be able to pull out a skirt to run around in.

In anticipation of Spring, I've got Can't Find my Czechbook - a vibrant dusty turqoise shade from the OPI Euro Centrale collection for Spring 2013. The vibrancy and pigmentation of this blue hue reminds me of robin eggs, and it seems to match with the color scheme of my blog too. How could I not love it? The formula was smooth, but the first layer was definitely streaky upon application. The second sheer coat levelled everything out well, and it dried quickly to a glossy finish. Wear time was 4 days chip free, which is a little less than ideal, as I like five days, but thats something I'm willing to sacrifice for this beautiful shade!

The Edmonton Downtown Business Association's annual Downtown Dining Week is celebrating it's 10th year and running from March 15-24! As an annual tradition, restaurants in the heart of our city put together special prix fixe menus to showcase the culinary talent in "The Dining District".

Tonight I was lucky enough to attend the opening reception tonight to kick off the 10 days of eating. Seven restaurants were in attendance, and I got to get a sneak peek of whats going to be on the menus!

Appetizers from Riverside Bistro in the Courtyard by Mariott, available on the dinner menus. Watermelon & feta, Blackened sea scallop with guacamole & a tortilla chip, and grape bruschetta with prosciutto. I loved the grape bruschetta - it was so different and refreshing!

Butter chicken from Cocoa's Restaurant and Lounge in the Delta Suites hotel, available on the lunch menu. The sauce was well seasoned and the chicken tender and flavorful.

Red wine braised lamb shank with thyme and goat cheese soft polenta, from Sorrentino's Downtown. The lamb was tender and juicy with the aid of the red wine jus, without noticeable game flavour. The soft polenta was a great pairing with the dish, and I would definitely order this off their dinner menu!

Braised lamb shank with parmesan polenta, brussels sprouts with bacon, and sour cherry demi glace from The Public House, available for dinner. I was surprised to see that 2 of the 7 featured restaurants had made such similar dishes, but the flavours were quite different. I found the lamb to be less flavourful than Sorrentino's, but I loved the addition of thickly cut bacon chunks and the brussels sprouts. I usually hate brussels sprouts, but these ones were delicious!

Pan seared pork medallion with yam macaire, and cinnamon maple demi glace from ZINC, available on the dinner menu. If I had to choose a favourite for the night, this would be it. The pork was savoury and so tender, while the sweetness of the yam and demi glace balanced it out perfectly. This version had some onions with it, adding a tangy kick - absolutely delicious.

Chicken & Fritters from Hundred Bar | Kitchen, available on the dinner menu. The fritters were a close runner up for me tonight at the event, as they were served with a bacon butter and peach jam. A perfect combination of sweet, salty, smoky, encased within a golden shell. Mmm.

Heritage Angus beef salad with olives, pickled celery, cherry + roma tomatoes, shaved fennel, rosemary & bloody mary vinaigrette from LUX Steakhouse + Bar, available for lunch. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. While the beef was cooked medium rare and very tender, and the crunch from the veggies was nice, the seasoning was too strong for my liking, and there was too much going on.
With 30 different restaurants featuring two course lunch menus for $15 and three course dinner menus for $25 and $50, there's definitely something out there for everyone. And to celebrate the 10th anniversary, all dining patrons can enter to win gift certificates to participating restaurants, and a grand prize draw for 50 bottles of Wine from DeVine Wines, plus a 35-bottle Whirlpool wine cooler! How fun is that?! I know I'm going to be out two or three times next week.. if only my stomach could handle more! Take a look at the menus here!

Are you planning to try some of the menus? Let me know if you go out to eat!

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the University of Alberta's Campus Food Bank (CFB) Mac 'n Cheese Affair. Their motto, "Hunger for knowledge, not food", really hits home, because I've never really considered how many people attend University and utilize their services. I'm fortunate enough to be living at home and attending university, but not everyone has the luxury, so hearing all the facts and seeing the support for this organization on campus was really eye-opening.

Throughout the night, there were a bunch of performances, speeches and videos to watch, which taught me a lot about the food bank. The ultimate goal of this organization is to shut down the food bank permanently. While that may sound counter-intuitive, it means that they hope to reach a day where everyone has access to food, and doesn't need to depend on a food bank to provide their basic nutritional needs.

With the aid of a silent auction and ticket sales for the event, ($20-$30/person) the CFB had a goal to raise $9000 that night. When we arrived for the event, volunteers were selling balloons at $10 each, with each guaranteed to win a $10 gift certificate to a local salon, or the chance to win a Chef's Table dinner for 12 at Earls. Diane chose to buy one before we walked in to take our seats.

Arriving to our designated table, what I hadn't realized was that I was to sit beside the mayor of our city for dinner. What?! Once the rush of anxiety settled, I took my seat, calm and collected. After the Mayoral address, it was an absolute pleasure to sit, dine, and chat with Edmonton's mayor, Stephen Mandel. Although he had another event to attend that evening, we had the chance to discuss and review our favourite restaurants here in the city - something I never thought I'd have the chance to do!

Mr. Mandel was so much fun to talk to, and before he left for the evening, he made a point to buy each of us a balloon, hoping we might win something good. The best part? Us posing for this picture was his idea, as he made fun of me taking pictures of my food... :)

The meal for the night was perfectly appropriate for a food bank themed celebration! What better comfort food than buffalo chicken mac 'n cheese? Warm, creamy pasta with chunks of cheesy goodness.. and finished off with a sticky toffee cake. Aramark actually catered and donated all the food for the evening, and its so great to see a prominent campus business supporting the CFB.

At the end of the evening, it was time to pop the balloons - however, there were still over 30 ballooons left to be purchased! I really wondered whether that Chefs Table prize was in there, and considered buying a couple, but the CFB decided to auction them off as a lot. The winner paid $300 for the bunch and had a fantastic time popping all their balloons.

I was basically 100% sure there was no way anyone at our table was going to win the Chefs Table prize, but upon popping the balloon gifted by the mayor.. SURPRISE SURPRISE it was in there! Whoo, thank you Mayor Mandel for being a good luck charm! I had a great time at the annual dinner, and encourage all students to attend next year! It's a great way to support the organizations on campus, and get to know a little bit more, or even get involved with the CFB and all it does for students.