Love for the Locals: Leva Bar

Leva Bar is one of my favourite small establishments in Edmonton. While it appears to be more like a cafe, Leva offers a full dinner menu and gelato shop. The nice thing is that it's open late until 11pm Sunday through Wednesday, in case you're in the mood for something that isn't fast food or bar food at night :)

I very much like the interior of the place. The space encourages the use of mostly natural light so that it is very bright during the day time, while they use candles to subtly light the tables during the evenings...(I could have sworn I took pictures of the restaurant layout itself, but I have yet to find them. Since I plan to go back to Leva at some point this summer, I will definitely add photos to this post!)

P and I actually had one of our first dates at Leva which consisted of tea and gelato in the morning! We opted for strawberry and pistachio :) Mmm... and a nice cup of Earl Grey to go with it... Thanks to the endorsement of my blog, P has become an aspiring hand model.

We have since been back for what P calls a "pre-dinner" date. I'm pretty convinced that tiramisu before dinner is going to be the next big thing, because it is down right fantastic for my tastebuds. The cakes at Leva are actually quiet light and not too sweet, which pairs quite nicely with a cup of tea. The tiramisu was light, creamy, and oh so yummy with strawberries in it. Oh, how I love my strawberries.

More recently, we sat in for a nice dinner of salad and pizza. The pizzas are more contemporary with thin crust and sparse toppings of more than just your average pepperoni and such. I very much appreciate that the crust is both crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside, and the cheese is spread to nearly the edges of the pizza.

We started with a salad to share - Pear, Strawberry, and Arugula - essentially what it is. Complete with almond slivers and a vinaigrette dressing. Tasty, although a little pricey for what you get, but you do get pretty much what they say you will get, so fair is fair. *end run-on*

Behold! Leva's Proscuitto Cotto with Rapini and Funghi :) It's one of the only two pizzas with mushroom, and this would be your Pizze Rossi (pizza with tomato sauce) option. I'm curious to try the Pizze Biance (pizza with garlic cream or pesto sauce) but it has potatoes on it?...I have yet to have a pizza with potatoes on it. Gotta add that to my bucket list!

Leva Bar has a very calm atmosphere to it, where it's not necessarily buzzing (while not empty, mind you), and you can have a decent conversation with your date without having to yell at the top of your lungs. I've already told P that I plan to return (with or without him) for more Leva pizza! If you're in the campus area at any time of day between 7 in the morning and 11 at night, you should definitely give it a try!

-M

Love for the Locals: Belgravia Hub

After 5 long and expensive years of post-secondary education, I finally got my fancy piece of paper! Following the ceremony, P took me to Belgravia Hub to celebrate over a nice dinner.

Only less than a month old, Belgravia Hub is located just a 2 minute walk west from the McKernan/Belgravia LRT station. It's a small contemporary fixture with locally created flavours, somewhat on the fine dining end, without the fine dining prices. Although the menu (at least for now) is a bit limited, there is enough diversity in the menu for a lovely dinner. An ideal atmosphere for a nice date with your significant other *wink wink nudge nudge*

P and I arrived around 8:00pm, and the place was still pretty packed! Luckily, we had a reservation. Belgravia Hub is only open for dinner (at least for now?) from 4:30 until 10 or 11 on most days, but is closed on Mondays.

Note: You are going to get a variation in the quality of photos because P took pictures of the food with his fancy shmancy camera, and the others, as usual, were taken with the camera on my Samsung Galaxy SII.

I really love the layout and the colour scheme of the restaurant. It gives it such a lovely ambience with the raindrop shaped lights hanging from the ceiling, and the natural light coming in from the windows.

I know this isn't a great picture, but here is a view of the bar. This was the best I could do as the place is quite small, so the table right next to us was looking at me strangely already. :/ Ah, so is the life of an amateur food blogger.

I found it intriguing how instead of your typical lemon wedge in a glass of water, they placed a thin slice of cucumber in it. Have you ever heard the saying, "as cool as a cucumber"? Well, cucumbers have a similar cooling effect like mint does.  I thought it was clever, and quite refreshing.

For our appetizer, we opted for their Flatbread with Veggie, Pesto, and Goat Cheese, and it was delicious. The crust was tender on the inside, but crispy on the outside. The cheese was only slightly melted, so you could get a good flavour. I found it interesting how they basically placed a salad with a light vinaigrette on top of the flatbread, but it you know what? It worked rather well!

P chose the Blackened chicken with Buttered Leek Mash and Fennel Slaw.  The slaw was quite colourful and interesting. The chicken had a nice slight char on the outside, while tender and not overseasoned on the inside. The mash...well, I'm a sucker for mash. What can I say? I looove me some potatoes! :D

I opted for the Mushroom Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms, Asiago, and Balsamic Glaze. I was a little curious about the balsamic glaze and the rich, creamy cheese, but it worked together amazingly. Before this, I had never eaten a risotto, but now my standards might be a bit high.

With the sun in the right place, P managed to capture this beauty as I was about two thirds of the way through my risotto. Boy, was that yummy...

For dessert, we chose what was called the "Chocolate Pot" consisting of a dark chocolate torte-like pudding topped with whipped cream and strawberries, with an almond biscotti on the side. 

So, if you're interested in a slightly fancy date with your significant other or even with friends, I'd encourage you to try out Belgravia Hub! Quite a nice addition to the area surrounding the University :)

-M

Love for the Locals: Cowgary Commute - Boogie's Burgers

Last weekend, P and I were in Cowtown, and he took me to an old-fashiony type burger joint called Boogie's Burgers. From the outside, it looks kind of questionable, but inside, a pretty cool place with some pretty good food for pretty good prices!

Boogie's Burgers doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is another story.

A burger bar! Kewl...

I thoroughly enjoyed their scale of spicy hotness. I'm particularly curious about "don't be a hero"...

Hooray for tacky colours and paradise-y images on the walls :D

At a table near ours, there was a built in old-school Donkey Kong game :D

Our ginormous burgerrrrsss (and fries)! Homemade buns and patties...

Cross-section of P's burger: Sam's Burger ($5.75). Single patty, homemade sauce, tomato, lettuce,  onion, and a fried egg. Looked good, all except for the egg, but that's a personal preference thing. P thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cross-section of my Burger: Fay's Burger ($6). Single patty, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce, fried onions,  and mushroom sauce. Mmm...mushrooms...

If you're in Cowtown, I think it's definitely worth a try! Peters' Drive-in is great for nostalgia and all, but the burgers at Boogie's are the real deal. Dooo it.

-M

Love for the Locals: Rodeo Burger

(After a month-long absence due to the horror machine that is final exams, I finally managed to get back to posting. Also...this is actually my 50th post! :D I wanted to make it a little bit special, so I figured that a mini blurb in parentheses with italics would do the trick, along with my imaginary fireworks. Woo~ Also...for the longest time, up until actually writing this entry, I thought that "Rodeo Burger" was called "Rodeo Burgers" because that's what P called it, but it was just his I'm-an-international-student-from-Thailand tongue playing tricks on me.)

With two locations in Edmonton (16045-97 Street in Namao and 8525B-112 Street by Newton Place on the U of A campus), Rodeo Burger is a nice change-up from your typical fast-food burger joint. (P took me here for my odd burger fix after we finished an intramurals tournament, and I've already been back for a second visit with him!) When you go in, the place looks pretty much like a sit-down fast food place, but cleaner and a little more snazzy. Rodeo Burger uses AAA Alberta beef for their patties, and they get their other fresh ingredients from local Albertan and BC farmers. I'm not exactly the burger type, but when I'm in the mood, this would definitely be one of my go-to's!

Every now and then, Rodeo Burger will have a special and if you ask, they're nice enough to apply the discount even if you don't have the coupon with you. For instance, a couple of weeks back, P and I got the "2 Lonestars for $8" deal. A Lonestar is essentially their homemade bun with a homemade patty. The rest of the work is up to you. You can add any of 20 free additional toppings including...lettuce, tomato, fresh onions, caramelized onions, pickles, sautéed mushrooms, jalapeños, salsa, green chilies, banana peppers, pickled beets, rodeo sauce (their signature), rodeo relish, ketchup, chipotle ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, southwest sauce, mustard, and hot sauce. Other toppings including cheese, bacon, guacamole, or jalapeños and cream cheese are offered for 50 cents extra.

They also have some pre-customized signature burgers including The Rodeo, The Western, and The Aussie as depicted on their website. They even have a Naked Burger which is like a burger salad, as your gluten-free alternative. Interesting?

Now for the burgers...

First visit to Rodeo Burger with P! 

My Western (sauteed mushrooms, guac, caramelized onions, lettuce, green chilies, bacon, "Rodeo sauce", and southwest sauce) complete with a slice of chedda~

P's Rodeo (caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, pickles, "Rodeo sauce", and "Rodeo relish") because some people like pickles that much. More for you, sir.

The interior of Rodeo Burger~ Essentially, a slightly more snazzy fast food burger joint :)

Visit #2: The 2 Lonestars (just your bun with patty - customization to the max!) for $8 deal. Mine's #1, because I'm cooler. ;P

Rodeo Burger is pretty easy to get to if you're in the U of A campus area, and a better alternative to Wendy's or McDonald's, quality and taste-wise. So, saddle up and give the place a go :)

-M

B-b-b-baking: Peanut Butter Sandwich Bread?...

This past Sunday, I had a really good dose of carbs - 4 toaster waffles, 2 toaster pancakes, and 3 cinnamon buns. Tasted awesome, but probably wasn't too good for my body. In the spirit of planning a no carbs whatsoever day some time in the not too distant future, P sent me a link to a food blog recipe for bread made of peanut butter. No flour, essentially just eggs and peanut butter, plus baking soda to help it rise.

Things that I learned today about flourless breads:
- Those on a gluten-free diet often incorporate xanthan gum and guar gum into bread products in order to substitute for the gluten in regular flours. I used to think it was a necessary thing until I discovered flours like almond flour and coconut flour which don't require the use of any gums. You only need to use 1-2 teaspoons of xanthan gum per thing you make, but you can only buy it in 1/2 pound bags, and it costs you about $13-14. You would think that it'd be a worthwhile investment because it would last a long time, but the stuff goes rancid quite easily if not stored properly. I think I'm going to invest in some almond flour, myself.
- Flourless breads are a good way to enjoy carby foods without actually eating so many carbs.
- They do not rise as much as your normal loaf, so baking soda is key.
- You can feel less guilty about consuming carby foods, but for this one...you'll probably feel guilty about eating so much peanut oil. Almond or cashew butter might be better :) I think the balance needs to be worked out a bit, but it's not bad.
- Gluten-free breads do not have to taste like health food!
- Note that eggs are not essential for cakes and breads (except certain types that require a meringue from egg whites), and can be replaced with such things as flax seeds, chia seeds, soy milk, or tofu. There are also bread products that don't even need eggs at all. One good example? Cinnamon rolls. Oh yes...

It's peanut butter...in bread form.

Since the bread didn't rise very much, I created slices by dividing the whole loaf into 6 equal squares (rectangles), and slicing each of those horizontally.

It is quite flat :( Even with the baking soda. Should try a smaller loaf pan, or double the recipe...

The bread itself is actually quite bland, and doesn't have a lot of peanut butter flavour.  So, I added peanut butter like a boss. I also didn't have much to make sandwiches with at home, so I went simple for lunch today. 

Peanut Butter Bread (adapted from 24/7 Low Carb Diner)
*Makes 6 rectangular slices*
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 eggs
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Given all the oil going into this thing, I don't think you really need to grease the loaf pan. I did, but it slid out like nothing, and the bread is a little on the oily side. But, when in doubt, pinkies out ;P
2. Beat three eggs and add to a medium bowl along with peanut butter.
3. Stir in the lemon juice, and lastly, the baking soda. Mix until smooth and well-distributed.
4. Spread evenly in the loaf pan, and bake for about 40 minutes.
5. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before use.

Et voila, peanut butter bread for sandwiching with peanut butter. I just love peanut butter. I could probably eat it with practically anything. (Or nothing at all). Buuuut...I would really like to try tweaking it with almond butter and maybe adding some almond flour as well. Maybe even some sliced almonds? Could be good! Who knows!

On another note, I've been thinking of some awesome fillings to try for a switch-up on cinnamon rolls. Like instead of cinnamon sugar filling, trying some berry preserves as a summery dessert. The colours would be awesome. Should totally get P to take good pictures for those. Also...matcha. I really want to bake something with matcha, and one thing would be something like a cinnamon roll minus the cinnamon, with soft, fluffy matcha dough, and a red bean paste filling...I think it would be good. Or even something savoury, perhaps?

My summer baking brain is coming out early this year (right in the brink of final exams)...sigh.

-M