Whether you are a couple, or a single, Edmonton has some great culinary events that happen just for Valentine’s Day. There are some amazing specials going on. I would like to share a few with you.
For BBQ Lovers Only:
If you haven’t already tried Smoke & Ash Canadian BBQ, then you are in for a real treat! During the winter they have their “All You Can Eat BBQ Buffet”. That is all the meats, all the sides and a beverage to boot! They don’t have a liquor license and are family friendly. Children under 12 are charged $1/year (3yrs old = $3).
The meat is smoked to tender perfection (BBQ Judge here!) and the home-made style sides are delicious.
The Valentine’s special is the buffet mentioned above for only $20 per person! (Normally $25). Valentine’s Day only from 4pm to 8pm. No reservations, first come, first served.
Located in Acheson Industrial area, totally worth the drive!
Let’s Get Twisted:
Zwick’s Pretzels is a local favourite. Everything is made fresh and lovingly prepared in small batches. They have brought out the hot cinnamon dust and the coconut dust for this special occasion! 24 hr pre-order required.
Ohana Means Family:
Need a special something for your sweetheart, galentine, mom, or self? Ohana Donuterie’s SWEETHEARTS BOX is available for pre order. Pick up on VALENTINES DAY only.
Six heart shaped filled donuts – 3 made with chocolate dough.
Chocolate mousse • raspberry Bismarck • strawberry cream cheese•
Call or text (780)777-1322 to order.
Donut Cake – Wait What?
Reserve your sweet, sweet, sweetie-pie a special Valentine’s Day Donut Cake from Farrow Sandwiches! Flowers die, donut cakes are forever. I was one of the OG testers for these donuts and I can tell you from personal experience how tasty they are.
Email catering@farrowsandwiches.ca to reserve a cake for pickup at any of our three locations!!
Luxurious Sushi Experience:
An Omakaze style evening with contemporary and traditional flavours. For either Valentine’s Eve or Valentine’s Day, you and that special someone can enjoy our carefully curated menu. Using World class sourced ingredients including Alberta’s fresh meat. Shigeo Takedas Edomame style collaboration Alberta craft steak DOSC Kelly Wong. This is a 7 course meal with premium, luxury ingredients. Japonais Bistro is known for their top quality, fresh seafood. Tickets are $115/person available through Eventbrite.
For My Nerds:
It`s Valentines Day at Table Top Cafe and we have a special offer for couples and double dates looking for a low key night out.
Enjoy the evening playing games with drinks and take a puzzle home to enjoy at your leisure.
$50 for one couple or $90 for two!
Included for each couple:
Entry Fees
2 drinks per person (or one bottle of wine)
1 bowl of chocolate candy
1 puzzle of their choice right off the shelf
To save your spot, just book a table at either store through our website here: https://www.tabletopcafe.ca/locations/ and make a note at the end that it is for valentines.
See you there!
*Drinks can be anything up to $8, anything over is simply added to the bill
*Candy can be not chocolate if you so choose!
For My Spookies:
Vulgar Valentine’s Day Horror Show; a night of burlesque and live music. No food mentioned, but they do specialize in “comfort food” at the bar. $15 cover.
There is a little bit of this, and a little bit of that for all budgets. If you have an event that you would like to share with the YEGfood community, I would love to hear about it. Please mention it in the comments below!
Personally, BBQ has always been about the community. The absolutely deliciousness of the meat is what first attracted my attention. When I became a certified Judge, the community is what kept me going back for more. You always look forward to visiting with your “BBQ People”.
Judging BBQ also means that you get to meet the teams that are competing. It is a great networking opportunity for a foodie like myself to meet some of the restaurant and food truck owners that specialize in BBQ. This is how I met Matt from Cornerstone, and Joe from Motley Que. Add Chef Daniel Huber to the mix and you have a powerhouse hitting the local food scene.
Cornerstone doesn’t have an official store front, YET. I expect to hear news of that coming up soon. You can get their delicious BBQ through Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats from Monday thru Friday from 11 am to 2 pm. They are currently working out of the kitchen in the Freemason’s Hall located right downtown.
I have ordered on my own through Skip and I have been invited as a guest to the Uber Eats photo shoot of all of the food. Someone has to eat it right? Everything I have tried from Cornerstone has been just the right amount of smoke flavour, tender, juicy and delicious! They have large portion sizes when you order from Skip. The desserts are also mouth-watering.
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Don’t get me wrong, Cornerstone’s BBQ is really, really good. They are still young though and have so much potential, the world is their oyster! Kelly from Smoke & Ash has a few more years of experience under his belt and still has the best brisket in town.
I was able to sample Motley Que’s Mango Habenero BBQ sauce and some smoked salsa. Motley Que is at the Miller’s Crossing Farmer’s Market on Sundays. I highly recommend that you check out their stall if you get a chance! Joe also puts on BBQ classes that are highly informative and hands on. The classes would also make a great gift for that BBQ enthusiast in your life.
What makes Cornerstone special you ask? They aren’t JUST BBQ. They also have a line of ready made meals that are macro balanced.. Now that isn’t something that I am into personally so I just understand the basic concept of it; the meals are all nutritionally balanced. They prepare with variety in mind, each week has a different menu. Nutritious doesn’t have to mean bland and boring!
The Cornerstone team also does catering and has their own line of spices that are available at a few butchers around the city.
Keep your eyes on these fellas, they are shaking things up and are going to make a great impression on the YEG food scene!
For those of you that are not regular followers, BBQ is life. I am a certified Kansas City BBQ Society Judge as well as a judge for the Canadian BBQ Society. I love the smell and the taste of smoked meats. I was hooked the first time my bestie gifted me with a smoked rainbow trout as a child.
Smoke and Ash Canadian BBQ has been on my hit list for quite some time. They were running a food truck out in front of the Peavy Mart in Spruce Grove for most of the last summer. I did make it out once to see them, but it was just before closing time and they were unfortunately sold out. I did get a chance to chat briefly with Kelly (one of the owners) and the chat just stuck in my head. You can tell with just a brief chat that he is “good people”.
Last summer was plagued with vehicle difficulties for me. It was rough to try and make it much of anywhere, so food truck season ended and I did not get a chance to sample Smoke and Ash. “Next Summer”, I thought.
Summer ends and haunt season begins. I put my head down in September and it doesn’t come back up until November. Extra busy season this year though as we moved Deadmonton to a new building. When Smoke and Ash came up in my Facebook feed advertising smoked turkeys for Christmas, SOLD! My mom-in-law doesn’t like all the work that comes with cooking for all of us ungratefuls, so I thought I would make her life just a little easier and pick up the turkey. I am SO glad that I did.
In October, Smoke and Ash made 106 Fulton Drive out in the Acheson Industrial area their new restaurant’s home. It is a bit of a drive, but worth the effort.
I made a point to make sure that I had enough time to have a meal while we were there doing the pick- up. Brisket is always my standard of judging a new BBQ place because it is the hardest meat to smoke properly so that it is tender and juicy. They did not disappoint!
This was actually the first place that had asked me if I wanted fatty or lean brisket. The favourite part of the brisket for me is the burnt ends. It is a beautiful heart attack on a bun! Slight smoky flavour, so tender and juicy. Some very good BBQ!
Of course I hauled my husband along with me because he loves good BBQ as well and he has been lucky enough to taste competition grade along with me. Hubby doesn’t normally like Potato Salad. I have no idea what Shirley does to her potato salad, but it is amazing and my husband loves it. Shirley is a little shy (especially compared to Kelly) but she is the creative force behind all of the salads and the sides. It is all delicious. She makes one of my childhood favourites, Ambrosia Salad (Fluff Salad).
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After the amazing meal and the equally amazing smoked turkey that we enjoyed over the Christmas holiday, I had to find out more about these two lovely people.
RR First off; what is your Muse?
KK I have always liked cooking since I was 8 years old. I grew up on a farm. One night I looked in my mom’s cookbook and found a cake pudding recipe. So I made it, and it turned out exactly how it was supposed to. From that day on I liked cooking. Even though my mom insisted I became a chef, I went into the trades. I started enjoying the flavor of smoke at around the same time as my uncle was a commercial fisherman. He supplied us with smoked salmon all the time. So when I was about 17, I started cooking jerky and very much enjoyed it.
RR What inspired you to start a BBQ food truck?
KK I have always wanted a restaurant. A couple years ago I became unemployed, so I was doing body and paint on hotrods but it was barely paying the bills. Our kids were over one sunny sunday afternoon enjoying some ribs, and I had mentioned that I had to find a job as I was not making enough money. Our oldest daughter spoke up and said
“You should make and sell sausage because whenever I get some to take home, my friends go nuts over it and it’s gone in one sitting.”
So we looked into what we would need to do. The renovations required in our house were out of the question, so we decided to start a food truck with beef or pork on a bun. It just took off like crazy, so we have just been having fun with it.
RR Tell me about the other half of Smoke & Ash, Shirley
KK Shirley is a very compassionate loving person. She has a very strong love for everyone in her family. Her youngest daughter was born with congenital heart disease and she was a stay at home mom so she could love and care for her daughter Britany, who lived a short but awesome life. Britany passed away in 2013 at the age of 17. Shirley then faced the task of caring for both of her elderly parents who were in their 80’s whom both passed away in 2016 during the infant stages of Smoke & Ash. Her Mom passed in August, and her Father on Jan 3 2017. With all the children gone from home, she now channels her energies into Smoke & Ash making all the sides and the baking and of course keeping Kelly in line.
RR I hear that you have a new restaurant located out in the Acheson Industrial area. What can a guest expect when they walk through your doors?
KK The first thing to expect when you walk through our doors, would be the awesome aroma of BBQ. You would also expect a warm, welcoming greeting from our staff. Depending on the time of day, you may hear people laughing and talking and having a great time in our family friendly environment.
RR What kind of hardwood do you use for smoking?
KK We generally keep to 2 different hardwoods pecan for when we are smoking light meats like pork chicken or sausage.
Meats such as brisket, prime rib, or rib eye we use a blend of mesquite, oak, and hickory.
RR How long does it take to make a brisket?
KK The actual smoking of a brisket takes about 12 hours. Normally, we rest it for another 12 hours or more, so I generally start the brisket by 8 am for the next day.
RR Where did you learn to BBQ?
KK I have always had a love for BBQ. I was in my mid-teens when I first started. I have also loved entertaining on the patio. So many, many years of trial and error until I got to the point where I am now. I seem to be getting a handle on it!
RR What menu item would you say is unique to Smoke & Ash?
KK Originally, I would have to say the garlic fries. Since there so many other restaurants making them now, I think I would go with Potato salad. It may not be unique, but the level of flavor Shirley gets to go with it makes it unique.
RR What exciting things can we expect from Smoke & Ash in 2018?
KK We have just struck a deal with a big food supplier that promises to bring superior cuts of meat to our house at an affordable price. We will be able to put these meats on your plate at very reasonable savings. We have been talking about Prime Rib. Ribeye and Strip loin. If you have never tried BBQ Strip loin roast, you are missing out.
RR We are also planning, and you heard it here first, to continue our “all you can eat” buffet special on through February.
KK We are also working on becoming licensed so y’all can enjoy a beer or wine with your BBQ. We are working with Steam Whistle who, by the way, have been very supportive so we have decided to carry only their beer on tap.
RR Where do you want Smoke & Ash to be in five years?
KK That’s a very interesting question, one which we ponder on quite a bit. We have thought of the possibilities of opening multiple locations, but are more apt to think that we will either be doing a small scale franchise, or just being humble and keeping it to one location. The problem is Kelly is a shaker and a mover and can’t seem to keep still!
Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the month of February, there is an “All You Can Eat” BBQ buffet for only $20! This includes your beverage and unlimited sides. On Saturday, you can add a 6oz portion of smoked Prime Rib for an extra $5. They are open from 11am to 8pm on each of the buffet nights. The buffet special is eat in only.
They also have take-out specials if you don’t eat that much meat. $10 for one meat and two sides or $15 for 3 meats and 2 sides. Follow them on Social Media to keep in the loop about the specials.
Smoke and Ash is a little slice of home. Kelly and Shirley will take great care of you when you visit, you will not walk out of their restaurant hungry. Go and get yourself some meat sweats!
Another summer and another 10 days filled with food, food, and more food!
If you are planning on going to Kdays in Edmonton this year, you had better bring your appetite! There is plenty to choose from for all kinds of appetites.
Personally, I like the carnival food. There is no other time of year that I can indulge in the “deep fried flavour of the year”, elephant ears, cotton candy, candy apples and stuff “onna stick”!
Another summer and another 10 days filled with food, food, and more food!
If you are planning on going to Kdays in Edmonton this year, you had better bring your appetite! There is plenty to choose from for all kinds of appetites.
Personally, I like the carnival food. There is no other time of year that I can indulge in the “deep fried flavour of the year”, elephant ears, cotton candy, candy apples and stuff “onna stick”!
Vi’s is one of our favourites for date night. It is small and relatively intimate. There is a beautiful patio for when weather permits and a fireplace inside for winter.
The daily menu is brought to your table as a chalkboard on an easel. They generally have a selection of comfort food all year round, and barbeque in the summer months.
We have never been disappointed with the soups. They are always flavourful and hit the spot every time. They always use really good ingredients for everything on the menu. You will never leave hungry!
Vi’s, as the name suggests, is famous for the desserts. The selection is always different. Cheesecakes, tortes, pies, squares etc. There hasn’t been anything that we have tried yet that we haven’t enjoyed.
They also sell the cakes etc whole to take home, but I suggest you call ahead, as you never know what will be in the case.
