NEW BODEGA SITE JOINS 124 STREET FOOD AND WINE SCENE
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, wine and tapas bar offers a romantic vibe
Chef Lino Oliveira and Christian Mena are on a roll. The owners of the downtown restaurant, Sabor, have just opened a third iteration of their popular Bodega wine and tapas bar. Clearly, the concept is working. At a media night last week to launch the latest addition at 12417 Stony Plain Rd., it was clear that the duo has nailed a vibe that this city wants, and needs. Like its little friends downtown and in Highlands, Bodega in the west end has combined a cosy space with great food and wine at a reasonable price. The menu at all three Bodega locations is much the same, pulling together a large selection of classic European/Spanish/Portuguese nibbles. Patatas bravas, grilled artichokes, and pintxos accompany a range of seafood options. The west-end Bodega is located in what used to be the Dish and the Runaway Spoon, just west of 124 Street. (Watch for a summer makeover on the darling patio out back, a kind of secret garden that has to be entered a few doors down from the main entrance.) As ever, Oliveira and Mena designed and built many of the finishings at the new spot themselves. It’s a perfect locale for date night, but it’s also romantic in a way that invites anybody hankering for a little somethingsomething to nibble and sip. And speaking of romantic, Valentine’s Day looms (sound ominous when you put it that way, but sometimes that’s how it feels.) Lots of restaurants are offering specials on Feb. 14, including the Blue Plate Diner. In addition to the regular menu, the restaurant is offering specials including Lobster Thermidor for two ($13 for a small sharing plate), Ravioli for $16 or Icelandic Cod for $18. Don’t miss the Black Forest Couples Cakes ($5) to round off the meal. 10145 104 St. Celebrity chefs working out of high-concept pop-ups are coming to Edmonton as Travis Petersen of The Nomad Cook launches a new dining series. Starting March 6 with Brooklyn chef Sylvia Barban of LaRina Pastificio and Vino and Aita restaurants, the series — Nomad Dinner Club — is designed to capitalize on Edmontonians’ penchant for unique dining experiences, according to Petersen. “People in Edmonton love their food and the pop-up concept,” said Petersen, who has hosted recent pop-ups here with restaurants including Northern Chicken. “They are a big thing in Edmonton.” Other chefs on tap for the dining series include American chef Katsuji Tanabe, a Top Chef veteran with restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. MasterChef competitor Derek Fox — a Los Angeles drummer — is another celebrity cook on his way north for the series. The location of the pop-ups has yet to be released, but Petersen has partnered with local designer Leah Wright of Vignettes YEG to create the pop-up spaces for each dinner. Petersen is selling the popup series as a members-only package with four pop-up meals included for $1,200 per person, but people can split the package among friends. The price includes a five-course meal, alcohol and exclusive door prizes, plus face time with celebrity chefs, and a photo booth. For further information online, contact Peters at travis@ thenomadcook.ca or visit nomaddinner club.com. Watch for two new restaurants to open in Highlands, now that the historic Gibbard Block has Home since 1982 to the La Boheme restaurant and bed and breakfast, the Gibbard Block (6427 112 Ave.) was purchased by Connie Comeau and her husband, Mike Comeau, in 2005. After shepherding the building through the process of municipal historic designation last year, Connie Comeau felt the time was right to move on. While retaining a piece of the business, Comeau sold the Gibbard Block to local developers, Sparrow Capital, who have big plans for the space. Antoine Palmer of Sparrow Capital said the building will undergo an extensive renovation after the deal closes March 31, and he hopes to be open for business in early 2019. The first floor of the 1913 building (which features the original Edwardian pressed tin ceiling) will be turned into two separate restaurants and a boutique wine shop, all with local operators. The second floor will contain office space. The third floor will be reserved for residential/ hotel rooms. Palmer said the company spent $1.6 million to buy the building and will spend another $2.4 million on the renovations, including a grant of $430,000 from the City of Edmonton. “We’re really excited about Gibbard because that building is a cornerstone on the main street of Highlands,” said Palmer, who also owns the Brighton Block on Jasper Avenue. “That building is the crown jewel of that strip and if we can bring it back to the status of what it was meant to be for that neighbourhood — we’ll consider that a success.”