CALGARY: Bitten by knife envy

We finally took the opportunity of a sunny (last) weekend to wander down to Inglewood to check out the newly opened Bite Groceteria, a gourmet food store carrying exclusive products.

It displays dried pastas, spices and truffle oils and unique cutlery like a boutique, and carries some beautiful-looking, vacuum-packed Rougie duck from Quebec.

A real gem is the fire-red room in the back that’s the physical version of the online store run by a former chef who really knows his knives.

Kevin Kent has a passion, to say the least, for beautiful blades. He lays them out, like precious jewels, on orange lentils in glass display cases for a stunning effect. I’ve never really looked closely at knives before, but here — especially the hand-forged Japanese Murata — they glisten like diamonds. They’re gorgeous!

These knives aren’t cheap, but they’re durable; I can’t even begin to count the number of crappy $20 knives I wasted my money on in my university days.

Putting down his Sunday coffee mug, Kevin chatted to us for a while, explaining the difference between the knives and what they’re used for. He’s a great salesman — because he never pushed anything on us. We left wondering if we could register for wedding gifts there. Hmm…

You can also bring your knives to Kevin for sharpening, but you’ll be tempted to walk out with some new ones.

Check out Knifewear website here.
Bite Groceteria, 1212A-9th Ave. SE, Calgary, (403) 263-3966. Open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. then 4 p.m.-10 p.m. and weekends 12-6 p.m. Closed Mondays.

 

CALGARY: A midday detox

If you read this blog often, you know I’m a major meat-eater. But even I know, I should lay off the meat once in a while. So when Christina suggested a weekday lunch at the Sunflower Cafe, I thought, “Why not?”

The cafe is located inside the health food supermarket on 10th Avenue with a big sunflower painted on the building. It’s a cafeteria, self-serve set-up with mostly long communal tables for eating in.

The offerings are simple: organic hot and cold foods, baked goods and smoothies. The salad bar is more interesting than most. Along with the typical mixed greens and tomatoes, there are things like quinoa, sunflower seeds, couscous salad, feta, dried cranberries and roasted beets.

There was a choice of four dressings including a peanut one made with tahini and a honey mustard one that I quite enjoyed.

The stuffed vine leaves from the salad bar were amazing. Just filled with rice and spices - and no meat. Imagine that. (I picked up a container of about 12 for $3.99 to take home with me.)

Christina and I both got some delicious chickpea curry, mine with brown rice. I also spied some vegetarian stirfry and some sort of spelt spaghetti I think. The soup (maybe carrot?) looked really good too.

Everything in the buffet is measured by weight - $1.79/100 grams. My plate (2nd photo) was $6.64.

There was quite a long lineup around noon so I guess not everyone needs meat. I’d come here again when I’m in the mood for something that won’t clog my arteries.

The store itself is neat to wander through too. I came home with some tasty gluten-free, wheat-free ginger almond cookies.

Sunflower Cafe, Community Natural Foods, 1304-10th Ave. SW Calgary, (403) 229-2383. Cafe hours Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m., weekends 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

 

VANCOUVER: Gallery stop

After the nostalgia and kitsch of Chinatown, stop by the Ayden Gallery for a breather. We were stuck in the Chinese New Year parade crowds and somehow found our way into this refreshing little spot.

Apparently it just opened, featuring the artwork of Canadian, if not local, artists and designers. It’s not all hoity-toity expensive stuff either. Very new and fun. These manga animation paintings were going by silent auction starting at a reasonable $250.

I coveted the unique glass chandelier but it’s hand blown so I fancy that costs quite a bit more.

Pop in for a peep.

Ayden Gallery, International Village (Tinseltown), 88 West Pender, 2nd floor, Vancouver, (77 891-4310. Open Tues-Thurs 5-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m., Sunday 5-9 p.m. or by appointment.

 

RICHMOND: Two dollar mania

The Japanese are inventors of wonderful things – ramen noodles, compact cars, and the Wii. I’d add The Daiso to that list. It’s Japan’s biggest 100-yen franchise. But unlike dollar stores here, most of Daiso’s products are very high-quality.

Daiso’s first North American store is in Richmond, B.C. It’s mere minutes from the airport and worth the half-hour (or so) drive in from Vancouver. Some time in traffic really is worth the armful of cheap goodies.

You see, everything at Daiso - from gorgeous dishes to handy storage units to plush animals - is $2 Can. There’s so much good stuff that on my first visit, I kept asking clerks how much things cost. Everything really is only $2.

I can spend hours wandering the two floors. My favourite section is dishware where I’ve seen the same plates sell for substantially more at other stores.

It’s a great place to pick up gifts but also for things you didn’t know you needed. Cast-iron skillet? Gardening tools? Happy when you know it coin purse?

Daiso is located in the Aberdeen Centre shopping mall. For all intents and purposes, it’s considered an “Asian mall.” There are several clothing stores with styles imported from Japan and Hong Kong that – for better or worse - you won’t see anywhere else.

There’s also a great food court on the third floor with amazing Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese food.

This visit, we were stuck between breakfast and lunch so we settled on trying a “frappé,” mainly because my aunt gave us a free coupon.

We ordered yogurt frappé with caramel. The woman behind the counter hauled out a big cylindrical white block and thrust it into a machine which then spit out shaved bits into a Styrofoam bowl. This was all topped with caramel sauce.

It was kind of like shaved ice but lighter in consistency, and tasted faintly of vanilla yogurt and chemicals.

After all the shopping and eating, make sure to visit Aberdeen’s lovely bathrooms. There’s just something about the colour palette and automated systems that I enjoy. The automatic tap always has warm water, and not freezing coldness. Oh, and they’re very clean.

The Daiso, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, B.C., (604) 295-6601. Mall info here.

 

CHICAGO: Canadian-friendly shopping

If you google Wicker Park/Bucktown, the same descriptions come up - “a hipster community” more recently gentrified by yuppies moving in. I’m a hipster yuppie. Sounds like my kinda place.

We took the L blue line to Damen and came out in the middle of Wicker Park where Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues meet. You know you’re in the right place when you see this triangular Coyote building.

Right across from it is the shorter Flat Iron Arts Building, also triangular but full of artists and galleries often open to the public on weekends.

We were already finding Chicago extremely friendly. This area, full of cool independent stores, is very Canadian-friendly.

City Soles + Niche is right by the L station. This was a shoe-lovers heaven. Very high-end, gorgeous designer shoes for both sexes - with high-end prices to match.

As soon as we walked in, the saleswoman chatted us up and learned we were visiting from Canada. She grew up in Washington state, so we talked about Vancouver and how much we missed the West Coast weather. Then she gave us tips on the best stores to visit in the neighbourhood.

Moving on, we found Detail by Akira, an accessory and men’s shoe store. The salesgirl there was interested in how far Alberta was from Toronto, the only Canadian city she knew about.

Jason got two hats and two pairs of great shoes on sale. As I moaned about how it’s too bad the store had no women’s shoes, the salesgirl told us about their women’s shoe store down the street, and gave me a $10 off coupon.

The salespeople at Akira Bucktown Footwear were giddy when they found out where we were from. One of their colleagues on break was Canadian so they figured having comrades in the store would make her happy. She was pretty excited.

Anyway, the shoes here are fabulous and prices are reasonable. The shoes I wanted didn’t quite fit, but they gave me a coupon for their women’s clothing store half a block away.

Akira Bucktown Women is a spacious place with trendy mid-range priced clothes and a whole room dedicated to brand-name jeans - and on that day, my very own gay stylist firmly focused on jeans best suited for my butt.

At the cash desk, we got invited to some fashion show/fundraiser the store was organizing. Then because of our total purchases at ALL the Akira stores, we ended up with a $30 gift certificate - which we then spent at their men’s clothing location.

Akira’s brilliant cross-store marketing got us to spend money in all of their locations - and we happily fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Us Canadians, eh?

Akira Bucktown Women, 1837 W North Ave., Chicago, (773) 489-0818. The other locations within three blocks on W North Ave.
City Soles + Niche, 1566 N Damen Ave., Chicago, (773) 489-2001.

 

CHICAGO: Shop and lunch

Marshall Field’s isn’t just a department store. It’s a destination. From a dry goods store in 1852 to now the second largest department store in the U.S., there’s a history there in the Great Clock and the Tiffany glass ceiling at its flagship State Street location.

The building is fabulous but the 10 floors of shopping are pretty darn good with ultra-nice salespeople to boot. Plus there are convenient bathrooms and air conditioning. Did I mention there was a heat wave?

On the seventh floor is Seven on State, the store’s upscale food court. Different stations make the entrees fresh to order. I grabbed a smoked ham and gruyere cheese panini on sourdough from the La Brea Bakery counter. It came with a side salad for $6.95 US.

The sandwich was pretty good but even better was the great downtown view from the huge windows. There are also tables facing the inside of the store with a view of the glass ceiling and the different floors.

You can also check out Frontera Fresco from local Mexican food dude Rick Bayless if you’re a foodie type.

It’s peaceful up here. And I’ve never seen staff bus tables so fast and so pleasantly.

Marshall Field’s was the first department store to open a sit-down restaurant. The Walnut Room on the seventh floor is still a swanky option.

The basement cafeteria is a great stop for a break and a deal. Just follow the smells of home-cooking. The deli counter offers ribs, meatloaf and roast chicken. There’s also an impressive create-your-own salad station, a fresh sushi counter, and a dessert station with pretty cupcakes.

Oh yeah, Macy’s bought Marshall Field’s and is changing the name in September 2006. Who knows what else might change.

Marshall Field’s, 111 N. State St. Open Mon-Sat 10 am-8 pm, Sun 11 am-6 pm.

 

TORONTO: Stylin’ stink-free second-hand

It takes a patient person to rummage through racks of unsorted clothes, sort the treasures from the crap, and withstand that distinct patchouli slash grandma smell that comes with second-hand adventures.

Every blue moon, you’ll find that perfect dress or vintage coffee table for a steal, but why bother when the fine people at Bungalow have already done the hard work for you.

In Toronto’s stroll-friendly Kensington Market, this store is filled with hand-picked furniture, housewares and vintage clothing that have already passed the quality, style and smell tests.

So many stores are pushing new clothes and furniture styled “retro,” but here you can still get the real thing for much less. Everything is categorized neatly and according to size and colour.

My last visit I found a brand new reversible windbreaker from the ’80s for my stylin’ man for only $25 Can. If I wasn’t from out of town, I’m sure I also would’ve hauled away a teak dining set too.

And since you’re in the neighbourhood, get your loonie’s worth with a Jamaican patty at Patty King or bliss out on Chilean food at Jumbo Empanada.

Bungalow, 273 Augusta Ave., Toronto, (416) 598-0204.
Open Mon-Thurs 11–6:30, Fri and Sat 11–7, Sun 11–6.
Patty King, 187 Baldwin St., Toronto, (416) 977-3191.
Jumbo Empanada, 245 Augusta Ave., Toronto, (416) 977-0056.