Back in February of last year I attended the Mac 'N Cheese Affair hosted by the Campus Food Bank. To my surprise I had won a Chef's Table tasting from Earls. I had completely forgotten about it 'til recently, and had the chance to stop by last week with a group of friends.

Earls - 13330 50 Street - Edmonton AB

Upon arrival we were all promptly seated and offered drinks before the fun began. I had no idea what to expect from the Chef's Table experience, but I imagined that it would be a night of good eats possibly off the menu. Throughout the night we were served multiple courses of different dishes from their regular menu - oops, I was wrong!

Our first course was actually new to the menu - the Mediterranean Calamari ($13): cucumber, spanish olives, greek citrus yogurt. A generous portion of crispy calamari sat on the plate, and the oil was cut by the fresh vegetables and herbs mixed in.

Next up we had a taster size of the Santa Fe Chicken Salad ($16.50 reg): avocado, black beans, corn, dates, feta and field greens, peanut lime vinaigrette, crispy tortillas, cajun spiced chicken. I loved all the different textural components of the salad and the creamy dressing really brought it all together. It was a tangy salad with well seasoned, moist chicken. I totally want to recreate it at home!

To give our teeth a break from chewing, our server brought out mini raspberry mojitos for us all to try before serving the next course. The Chicken, Brie & Fig Sandwich ($14) was the next to our table, and it's one of the most popular sandwiches Earls has: roasted apples, spinach, sweet fig jam, garlic mayonnaise, house baked ciabatta. I know some people will look at this combination and think it's a little strange, but it really works well together! The gooey, melted brie pairs wonderfully with the sweet apples & fig jam and tastes delicious with the moist roast chicken.

After devouring the sandwich our server came to the table asking if anyone wanted to be the chef in the kitchen. I happily volunteered and was handed an apron. Unbeknownst to me, one of the perks of the Chef's Table is a chance to make sushi with the cooks in the kitchen! I donned my apron and headed into the kitchen to make a Dynamite Prawn & Mango Roll. Through a step by step demonstration, I think I did a pretty good job! At least none of my friends got food poisoning, so I think it's safe to say that I get an A+. It was so fun to play in the kitchen environment! Take a peek at these videos here & here if you're curious as to how it went down!

So there you have it, my Dynamite Prawn & Mango Roll ($11.50): panko breaded prawns, avocado, cucumber, maple soy reduction, sriracha mayonnaise, toasted black sesame seeds. Earls isn't even remotely Asian, but this roll really hits the spot when you've got an awful craving for sushi. The sriracha mayo and soy reduction give this roll enough flavour so that you don't need to use the soy sauce, and I really love the sweet chunk of mayo in it. And of course I have to like it 'cause I made it... :)

Continuing with the Asian theme, next to our table was the Hunan Kung Pao ($13.50): spicy ginger soy sauce with wok fried noodles and seared vegetables, topped with peanuts, customize spice by adding 1-6 hunan peppers. This unfortunately was my least favourite dish for the night, as the noodles were quite soggy and coated in a thick, sticky sauce. The sauce itself did remind me of a lot of Asian cuisine, with flavour similar to Chinkiang Vinegar, but this isn't a dish I would see myself eating again.

The last savoury course for the evening was a sampler of the Braised BBQ Back Ribs and Blackened Cajun Chicken. The two were served with a side of coleslaw and warm potato salad. I'm not a huge fan of BBQ sauce to begin with, and found this one to be on the smokier side. The ribs however were tender and moist, making everyone at the table happy. The chicken was moist with a delectable crust on it, and it reminded me of the chicken in the Santa Fe Salad we had earlier.

At the end of the meal we were all nearly too stuffed to even think about dessert, but I wanted it anyway. Our first dessert was the Warm Chocolate Banana Cake ($8): caramelized bananas, banana creme anglaise, caramel walnut gelato, which I really enjoyed as it wasn't too sweet. Banana and chocolate always go well together and the creamy gelato on the top was a great addition to the dish.

The last dish of the evening was the Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding ($8): warm rich chocolate cake, chocolate and toffee sauces, vanilla bean gelato. Of the two desserts this one was sweeter and richer. However, I loved the vanilla bean gelato served in the caramelized cookie nest, and could almost say that was my favourite part of this dessert!

So after multiple courses and lots of fun in between, the Chef's Table experience was definitely memorable. We all felt well taken care of and our server was wonderful. If you ever have the chance to join in on a Chef's Table experience, I highly recommend it! As Earls can be found throughout Canada and in some parts of the USA, hopefully a location near you offers it!

Happy Monday! I'm back from a relaxing (albeit REALLY cold) weekend in the mountains and am refreshed and ready to go! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and maybe caught some of the Oscars? Ellen was great!

This week on my tips I have another shade from the China Glaze Sea Goddess collection for Spring 2014. Like Wish on a Starfish, this purple shade is textured and chock full of small glitters. At two coats of polish, the formula gains opacity and dries quickly to a sparkly finish. However, this polish chipped within 2 days and I had lost quite a bit of my manicure come day 4. So unfortunately, this polish doesn't stand the test of time but the colour and finish are beautiful!

Every once in a while I crave a good sandwich. Everyone has their personal preferences for meats, veggies, and condiments. For myself, I love a sandwich with cured meats. It has to be moist (either from vegetables or sauces) and the bun has to be soft with a slight chew.

Swiss 2 Go - 17104 90 Avenue - Edmonton AB

I first encountered Swiss 2 Go at the Avenue Edmonton Party for the 25 Best Things to Eat for 2013. They won an award for their Italian Bride sandwich, and I was able to sample a mini version of it. Being nothing short of delicious, I knew I needed to visit their location for the real deal. Flash forward several months, and I finally stopped by last week!

Swiss 2 Go is a little cafe best suited for takeout orders. However, with little tables scattered around the space you're open to taking a seat and enjoying your meal. Chalkboards overhead at the counter highlight the menu, while a display case on the left houses single-sized desserts and snacks to take on the go.

Swiss 2 Go offers a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches as part of their regular menu. All the sandwiches are served on a housemade pretzel bun and are available in two sizes, so you can order according to your appetite.

For lunch, my boyfriend ordered the Thanksgiving ($7.99 - regular): smoked turkey, French Brie, romaine hearts, red pepper, mayo & mustard on pretzel baguette. All the ingredients were fresh and there was a kick of heat from the mustard. The vegetables gave the sandwich a nice crunch and also helped to balance the flavour.

For myself, I had to get the Italian Bride ($7.99 - regular): Italian prosciutto, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, sliced Bocconcini, fresh basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette on pretzel baguette. Does that not sound amazing? The flavours work together so well - saltiness from the prosciutto, tangy notes from the sundried tomatoes, and freshness from the red peppers and bocconcini. The pretzel bun itself had a nice hard crust while the interior was soft like a pillow. My only gripe with the bun was how hard the points on the bun were - it hurt when pushed against the roof of my mouth. I do have to mention that you have to be prepared to get a little messy, as the moisture from the red peppers and oil from the sundried tomatoes makes the sandwich slippery and a little difficult to eat. It's totally worth it though!

At $7.99 per sandwich you might feel that it's a bit expensive. However, Swiss 2 Go offers a great deal with their "Sandwich Team Box" that allows you to make a combo of a sandwich, soup or salad, a bottle of water & a bite size swiss chocolate for $12.99 (regular) or $14.99 (large). That's definitely comparable to having lunch at a restaurant. With so many different sandwich combinations I'm sure there is something that will satisfy your tastes. Swiss 2 Go is located in a small strip mall across from West Edmonton Mall and is a great alternative to eating in the food court or a restaurant in the mall. If you drive by too quickly it's easy to miss, but trust me, you don't want to drive past this place.