Lindork’s Lists #153 – Black History Month, Poutine Week, Flying Canoe Fest & more!
Newsletter for Feb 1-7, 2023
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Things to Do This Week
We’re still in a pandemic! Please mask up, stay home if sick, and get vaccinated/boosted.
Experience Flying Canoe Volant winter festival (Edmonton River Valley)
Flying Canoe Volant, the annual winter festival inspired by the legend of The Flying Canoe and French Canadian, First Nations and Métis traditions, returns to Mill Creek Ravine and Edmonton’s French Quarter this Feb 1-4. Check out outdoor art installations, cultural programming, canoe races, live music and more. This is FREE to attend! (Just bundle up!)
Plan to try a bunch of poutine for Poutine Week (various locations)
Feb 1-4 is Poutine Week and 28 Edmonton eateries are offering a poutine for the occasion. From cheesesteak poutine to mushroom poutine, Korean BBQ poutine, Yorkshire Pudding poutine and more, you’ve got a lot of options! I’d suggest planning a little poutine crawl to hit up a few different spots.
Take in the Sweet Treats and Latte Festival (Old Strathcona)
Old Strathcona’s Sweet Treats & Latte Festival returns this weekend Feb 4 and runs until Feb 20, with coffee and treat specials at a number of cafes, bakeries, and bubble tea shops across the district. Plan your sweet tour and enter to win weekly festival prizes.
Check out the Vintage Market at Felice Cafe (10930 84 St.)
Felice Cafe and Thrifted Sister present a Vintage Clothing Market this Saturday Feb 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring seven vintage clothing vendors, change rooms, food and drinks! Might be a nice opportunity to check out the cafe, which is pretty new-ish, located in Stadium Yards (near Commonwealth Stadium). Free to attend.
Get tickets to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Orphee (Jubilee Auditorium)
Ever been to an Opera? The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents ORPHEE (sung in French with projected English translation) this weekend Friday, Feb 3. It features “stunning visual effects never before seen on stage at the Jubilee Auditorium!”
Head to Castle Downs’ Winterfest (11524 153 Ave.)
Castle Downs Recreation Society is hosting their annual Winterfest this Sunday, Feb 5 with sleigh rides, hot chocolates, snowshoe rentals, and you’re invited to bring skates to use the outdoor rink. Free to attend!
Also… The Alberta Emerald Foundation reached out to ask if I could share that they’re currently taking nominations for their annual Emerald Awards, which celebrates people, projects, and organizations focused on environment / sustainability / conservation / etc. Check out the award page + nominate by Feb 14!
Got an Edmonton area event, virtual event, or something coming up you think my readers would be interested in knowing about? Let me know!
Food to Try This Week
Please continue safely supporting local restaurants, in whatever way works for your comfort levels. If not dining in, please do take-out! Please stay home if you’re sick.
February marks Black History Month so I’ll be showcasing some Black-owned restaurants in Edmonton over the next few weeks! Also mark your calendars for the first Feed the Soul Dining Week showcasing Black-owned restaurants Feb 10-17!
Check out Explore Edmonton’s Black History Month recommendations including Black-owned restaurants like Eleanor & Laurent, Sambusa Hut, Old Beverley Cafe, and more!
Catch the final weekend of Chinatown Dining Week (various locations)
Chinatown Dining Week runs until Feb 5, with 15 restaurants offering $10 and/or $20 dine-in/take-out food specials.
This week I picked up a $20 Asian fruit cream cake from Hong Kong Bakery (they also do a great $10 sweet and savoury treat box), had Padmanadi’s $20 Kung Pao “chicken” (they’re a Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant) special, and enjoyed taking a few pals to Liuyishou Hot Pot for their $20 hot pot combo (warning—the spicy broth is extremely spicy!! Even the mild, lol. Recommend you get a non-spicy broth and just add your own spices lol).
Try the new-ish Jung Korean BBQ (9219A 34 Ave.)
For belated Lunar New Year dinner, my family and I went to the new-ish Jung Korean BBQ. My sister-in-law loves this restaurant and has actually been a fair bit since it opened (which was not that long ago). It was great! We split into two tables and our table shared the pork combo which comes with noodles and a soup, plus rice and banchan (Korean side dishes), in addition to the various pork cuts and we also added a cut of beef. They have a wide selection of Korean soups, seafood, and appetizer options as well.
Check out the new Siam Thai Express in North Edmonton (242 Mistatim Rd.)
Siam Thai Kitchen, an excellent Thai restaurant in west Edmonton (15883 116 Ave.) as just opened an ‘express’ version in the north side (242 Mistatim Rd.) Find a smaller menu here but I expect, just as delicious as its sister restaurant!
Try the Currents of Windermere Dining Passport (various locations)
The Currents of Windermere is doing a Dining Passport where if you visit 4 restaurants on a Monday or Tuesday and get your passport stamped, you qualify for a $1,000 shopping spree! The contest ends after Feb. 7 so you just have one more Monday/Tuesday to enter but I think it’s doable! You have 11 participating restaurants to choose from.
Get all you can eat boneless wings from St. Louis Bar & Grill (various locations)
I did think it worth mentioning that St. Louis Bar & Grill is doing an All You Can Eat Boneless Chicken Wings for just $20.99 a person promo right now (just call to double check it’s still on at the location you’re headed to).
Start thinking about your Valentine’s meals! Here’s a few ideas:
On Feb. 4 + 5, Meuwly’s is doing a Valentine’s experience featuring a three-course cooking demo, wine tastings, appetizers, cheese, chocolate, plus store discounts and more to help you plan + prep for a Valentine’s dinner at home!
This year, XIX Nineteen is offering their four-course Valentine’s menu throughout the weekend leading up to Valentine’s so you no stress about the actual V-Day reservation.
Just Cook Kitchens is hosting a Chef Takeover Valentine’s Dinner on Feb 13 with some proceeds supporting Zoe’s Animal Rescue! Chef Neil Royale of Die Pie and Seitans (Vegan chef!) and Chef Cam Nelson of OilBurgers and Gnudi are putting together a 5-course. dinner with select drink pairings including Vegan and non-Vegan options.
Eaten something amazing recently? Want to show some love to a struggling restaurant? Have a take-out suggestion? Let me know to include in this newsletter.
Anniversary Giveaways Coming Soon!
This February marks three years of this Lindork’s Lists newsletter!
As a thank you for being part of this email community I’m planning to do a few giveaways throughout February, just for you, my newsletter subscribers. 💛 I just haven’t decided what giveaways yet, lol. So stay tuned, I’ll do the first round of giveaways next email Feb 8!
From the Blog Vault
For Black History Month, here’s a throwback to a Q&A I did with Andrew G. Parker, an incredible Edmonton educator and Black Teachers Association co-founder.
Some News to Know
I’m piloting a new newsletter section sharing a few local / national news you may be interested in each week—from light and heartwarming to hopeful, political & more!
Did you see an Edmonton woman out walking her dog came upon the massive fossilized bone of what likely belonged to an Ice Age mammoth??
Local artist Lance Cardinal launched a shoe collection celebrating Indigenous language! You can get them from Kunitz Shoes. Pretty neat.
Any opinions about the Juno Awards list of nominees? This year’s award show is being hosted in Edmonton!
Check out CBC’s “Being Black in Canada” features for Black History Month.
The government is planning to introduce new “anti-woke / freedom of speech” policies after a guest speaking event was cancelled at the University of Lethbridge due to outrage on the guest speaker’s residential school denialism. This government continues to be on the wrong side of everything.
Still waiting for an independent review of what the heck ‘Premier’ Danielle Smith did to interfere with Alberta Justice re: the Coutts COVID/“Freedom Convoy” blockade. “Smith has given six versions in recent weeks of what she has said to justice officials about COVID-19 cases” but won’t allow for an independent review. Super normal and not sketchy at all.
Popular on my Blog Right Now
Here are the top four most popular posts on my blog this week:
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