Prairie Food Bytes
Saskatchewan's Only
Electronic Food & Wine News Source
Editor: CJ Katz
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Issue 17
-
There will be no Prairie Food Bytes next week -
Fire Up Your
Barbies and Support Canada's Beef Farmers
ACROSS CANADA - On August 2nd, link up with Canadians coast
to coast in one massive outdoor celebration and create the
world's longest barbeque. Anita Stewart, founder of Cuisine
Canada wants Canadians to stand up, make their voices
heard and give Canada's beef farmers a loud and well deserved
kudos. At 6 p.m. - no matter what time zone you are in -
get out your Canadian flag and grill up some of Canada's
best barbequed beef.
Create a meal using less expensive beef
cuts, invite over friends, crack open some frosty beverages
and have a blast. Stewart says she'll be in New Brunswick
beside a lake with former Maple Leaf CEO, Archie McLean
who helped to found Cuisine Canada along with his
wife Kay, their huge extended family and the biggest barbecue
she's ever cooked on.
What are your plans for August 2nd? To participate, e-mail Stewart
at astewart@uoguelph.ca and tell her what beef cut
you'll be grilling and how you plan to celebrate.
Saskatoon Berry Fest Starts Today
REGINA - Don't forget to head on
down to the Regina Farmer's Market on Scarth St.
today and Saturday morning to take in the Saskatoon Berry
Fest. Indulge in a slice of fresh Saskatoon berry pie
for $1.50 and purchase a special item made with Saskatoons.
All vendors will be featuring fresh, baked or limited-time
products made with Saskatchewan's beloved berry.
Proceeds from the festival will go to the
Hospital Foundation of Regina. Market hours are Wednesday
from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. Free parking is available in the SaskPower
parking lot on Saturdays.
Who Are Regina's
Top Ten?
REGINA - Who are the faces behind
the food in Regina? Mark your calendars to pick up next
Wednesday's issue of the Regina Leader Post and find
out who are some of Saskatchewan's top chefs. Learn who
was the Team Captain of the Saskatchewan Culinary Team
and who won one of the first gold medals for Saskatchewan
at the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt. Find out what
new chef was personal chef to Danielle Steele and
Giorgio Armani, and which chef took paramedic training
before finally deciding that cooking was more rewarding.
Read about their preferred kitchen tool, their favorite
restaurant in Canada and what home cooked meal they enjoy
the most. Read about it in the July 30th edition.
Christine Cushings
Coming to Regina
REGINA - Speaking of great chefs,
the Dairy Farmers of Saskatchewan are bringing in
Christine Cushings to spice up this year's Buffalo
Days. Cushings of Cushings Live on The
Food Network, will be whipping up gourmet treats, offering
culinary advice and signing autographs twice daily. You
can catch her shows live at the Centennial Stage
Friday and Saturday 12:30 and 6:30 and Sunday 12:30 and
2:30. Advance gate and midway passes are available at Mac's,
Safeway, and the Agridome Box Office. Buffalo
Days runs from July 26-August 3.
Botanica Modified Old Menu, New One Coming
This September
REGINA - This past week, eight of Botanica's chefs from Alberta,
Saskatchewan and Manitoba met in Red Deer, AB to reevaluate
the current Botanica menu and come up with some new
and exciting ideas for the fall.
Primarily a casual, upscale family dining
establishment that does a great lunch business, the new
menu will focus on improving menu items that have been overlooked
in the past, says Thomas Rush, Executive Chef at the Regina
Inn. "We'll be adding more signature items and concentrating
on introducing some interesting sandwiches." As well, Botanica
menus will now include a Feature Section on a quarterly
basis, which will include more seasonal fare. The current
section boasts an array of Summer Sizzler items targeted
at the lunchtime crowd. "We've really concentrated on a
cleaner, nicer presentation than in the past," says Rush.
So, this fall, for those of you who love
power-packed sandwiches at lunch, look forward to trying
their Penthouse-style sandwiches which will be triple-layer
creations packed with all kinds of goodies. Most of these
sandwiches will range from $6-$8 and come with a choice
of sides. As well, health conscious guests can look forward
to more authentic stir-fries with a variety of presentations
such as noodle bowls and chopsticks. For meat eaters, make
sure you check out the mega 10 oz double pork chop and the
increased selection of steaks. For dessert lovers, Rush
says that the bulk of the desserts served at the restaurant
this fall will be entirely homemade.
In the meantime, their current modified
menu is doing very well, drawing in large lunchtime crowds.
Some of their more popular items are the Charbroiled
Black Cod, the 8 oz Angus Burger on a Sour Dough
Bun, the Denver Sandwich and the Chicken
Mango Burger. Incidentally, my husband, Michael ate
there for lunch just the other day and had their Taco
Salad, which he said was tasty and worth every
penny.
In other news, a new Botanica restaurant
will be opening this fall in Calgary.
2000 Bordeaux
Arrive at SLGA
REGINA - The 2000 vintage Bordeaux
is being touted as one of the best vintages to come along
in years. For all you Bordeaux lovers, here are some products
that have arrived at the SLGA as of June 30, 2003. Sorry,
but there are no tasting notes on these products. A limited
supply of these wines is available.
- Chateau Camensac 2000 (Haut Medoc)
$47.15
- Chateau Bouscaut 2000 (Graves)
$45.89
- Chateau Malecasse 2000 (Lamarque)
$39.15
- Cheateau Martinens 2000 (Margaux)
$38.45
- Chateau Rouillac 2000 (Pessac
Leognan) $38.85
Bushwakkers Freshens
Up Old Favorites, Adds New Beer
REGINA - Keep your eyes open for a new menu coming to Bushwakkers
in early August. "We've freshened up some of our mainstay,
popular dishes and will be introducing some brand new menu
items," says Grant Frew, marketing and promotions manager
for the brew pub. Watch for three new beers including a
smoked porter using the 2003 "Best of Show" recipe from
the Saskatchewan Ales and Lagers Enthusiast's Annual
National Home Brewing Competition, an altbeir (old German
lager-style) and a roggenbier (extremely rare beer style).
To
have food or wine information published or to subscribe
to this free service,
e-mail me at cjkatz@sasktel.net.
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