barry takes in a few tastes at the rosebowl.

and likes them.

desperately needed pizza after 11 pm one friday past, so a few buds and i headed to the rosebowl on jasper and 117 street. a lot has changed in recent years at the bowl, particularly with their décor, but the pizza still delights the senses. try their spicy mexican pizza or their refreshing can’t-quite-remember-the-name-pizza with a garlic butter base, melted cheese, and chopped fresh tomatoes and cucumbers on top.

i had the chance to speak with the manager, and even better news: they’re extending their menu this fall to include more pizzas, more entrees, and more drinks!

good food, extended menu…my only complaint was that the music was crazy loud, making it near impossible to converse with my buds. maybe earplugs would be a good starter for the evening.

http://www.rougelounge.ca/rosebowl/

barry's sweet, sweet sugar rush.

sun-soaked cardamom
syrup and dough combine as one.
gulab jamun goodness!

head-rush, sugar-rush,
sweet syrup dripping off my chin.
shamelessly munching.

they cry out: “eat me.”
the glucose rush clouds my mind.
just one more you say?

barry’s arabian adventure.

it was middle eastern mayhem the other weekend after i followed the silk road (97 avenue) to 134 avenue and discovered an arabian paradise. well, paradiso anyway. and sunbake, elsafadi, and hajar’s halal butcher. what am i talking about? little lebanon of course – an area of 134 avenue between 107 street and 113 street full of fantastic grocery stores, bakeries and butchers that promise to have something for everyone.

my bud and i started off at sunbake pita bakery where we loaded up on fresh pita, hummus, and ekawi cheese pie; big thumbs up to the pita and cheese pie, but the hummus was a little heavy on the tahini for our tastes.

next we headed west to elsafadi bros super market. here we discovered the wonders (or so we thought) of canned appetizers. you would think that we would know better, but we didn’t. stuffed dolmades and aubergines enticed us with their fancy packaging and promise of tastiness inside. LIES! it made us sad, but did not distract from the hundreds of other fascinating and tasty things to buy at elsafadi, including reasonably priced produce, and fun middle eastern treats – many of which aren’t canned.

paradiso called my name from the same strip mall as elsafadi. i went a little overboard on buying various baklavas and doughy treats (okay – a lot!) but it was so much fun! and everything tasted great, but be careful: some of the treats make sugar seem bitter, so handle with care.

finally it was around the corner to hajar’s halal meats for a big bag of chicken pieces cut and marinated in a delicious. $13.00 for this bag – and the chicken tasted great, particularly with some tzatiki.

this is not a cheap expedition, particularly if you’re like me and start getting carried away the moment you see new food options. pace yourself, and know that these fantastic places aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so relax and enjoy!

barry goes bananas for barbeque.

…and barbeques bananas!

to celebrate good weather FINALLY arriving in edmonton, a couple of barry’s buds hosted a ‘barbeque everything party’ this past weekend.

people went all out, and there came a point when i couldn’t tell if i was sweating from the heat, or from the meat consumption. we ended up consuming an assortment of barbequed items including, but not limited to: meat on a stick, meat marinated in yogurt, meat marinated in teriyaki sauce, ground meat formed into patties, and vegetarian hot dogs masquerading as meat.

to top off all the protein was a gut-expanding collection of salads, vegetables, appetizers and desserts. my buds’ buds really classed-up this barbeque with such delights as saint andre cheese heated on a cedar plank, and topped with toasted almonds and red wine jelly, and chocolate fondue done in orange halves and served with marshmallows and pound cake.

fancy, i know.

and i made banana boats. childhood camping memories would not be complete without a banana boat here and there. all that’s needed are bananas with a slit cut in them, then chocolate chips and marshmallows to be squished in and everything then wrapped up tight in aluminum foil to be thrown onto the barbie until the banana caramelizes. i also added a wee-bit of kalhua for the grown-up crowd.

so simple, so good.

happy barbequing!

(as a complete side note, i finally tried smirnoff’s mojito vodka. i’ve been wanting to try it for awhile now, but revolted against the idea of a mojito without rum. guys, don’t think of it as a mojito, but as an insanely refreshing minty-lime drink when mixed with club soda (it’s too sweet otherwise). superstore has it for ~$16.)

barry hails caesar.

what makes a good caesar: the brand of vodka? the tomato to clam juice ratio? the garnish used? i don’t know – you tell me! – but i can tell you who makes a good caesar: the haven social club. i discovered haven on a blustery winter day this past february. at the time i was screaming for socialism, cbc, and more speak n spell while listening to the dulcet tunes of taking medication. (side note: music does not need more cowbell, it needs more speak n spell, dammit!) what better drink to enjoy the night with than a caesar? only this was the best caesar i ever had. it was garnished with a pickled asparagus, and other than a smooth, savory taste, i can’t tell you much more about what made it so great. i highly recommend that you all take your medication at haven and try one for yourself.

one of many caesar recipes:

6 oz. mott's clamato juice

1½ oz. vodka

2 dashes tabasco sauce

2 dashes worcestershire sauce

celery salt

freshly ground pepper

lime/lemon wedge

1 crisp celery stalk

1. rim highball glass first with the lemon slice and then the celery salt.

2. fill this glass with ice.

3. add vodka and juice to ice, and season with pepper, worcestershire sauce, and tabasco.

4. stir, and then garnish with a celery stick.

barry finally posted pink slip pics.

say that three times fast. click here to view the post with pictures.