Knosh Food Truck and Catering

New food trucks are popping up like groundhogs these days, but at Knosh Catering at least the truck is a veteran of the Edmonton curb dining scene.  Hardcore food truck fans will recognize the truck, outfitted with a new logo, as the former Nomad truck.

Though the container may be mostly the same, the food and owners are all new.

Knosh is serving up British favourites like Yorkshire puddings stuffed with braised beef, rosemary gravy, and slaw. They call it “The Joint”, but this joint is totally legal. It’s a good thing too, because this thing is huge and would make out-running the po-po nearly impossible. Tender beef, rich gravy, and a soft yorkshire pudding. Delicious. There was probably a bit too much slaw on there though and it didn’t really add anything for me, but didn’t take away either.  So overall, this dish is a winner.

Yorkshire w/ braised beef. Trust me, the beef is under there somewhere

They also have a pulled pork sandwich with stout and onion, greens, white cheddar sauce and crumbled hard boiled egg. This one should be served with a full-body bib, as it’s a wet and sloppy menace to clean clothes everywhere. The bottom of the sandwich was soggy like a french dip, which isn’t a bad thing as long as it’s tasty, which certain bites of this sandwich definitely were; I found the taste was entirely dependent on whether you get some egg in your bite. Without it, I found the sandwich pretty bland, but when you get a bite of egg with the pork it was so much better. I never would have guessed it, but that boiled egg just brings it all together.

The Ploughman

They also had a Brit Burger with bacon, tomato and mushroom chutney, and an over easy egg. I wanted to try that instead of the pulled pork, but they were sold out. I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence, but given that it was before noon I’d assume something out of the ordinary happened that day.

Hopefully when the fall comes Knosh will break out some more English comfort food like Shepherds Pie and Steak pie, but for now if this is the British Invasion part II, I’ll take my Union Jack tee-shirt in size XL please.

Black Bull Grill Food Truck

With a rare opportunity to get out for lunch, I took advantage and dropped in on one of Edmonton’s newest trucks, Black Bull Grill.

Black Bull Grill specializes in authentic Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, plus a few of their own variations of the famous sandwich. The classic Philly cheesesteak is simple and delicious, but so few places here in Edmonton make a good one.

Thankfully Black Bull Grill has changed that.

The issue of authenticity is often one I despise, as I really don’t care about how authentic something is as long as it tastes good. However, if you claim something to be authentic then you damn well better be right. When it comes to the iconic Philly Cheesesteak, I think a lot of people in these parts would be surprised to learn that in fact topping it with Cheez Whiz is as authentic Philly as you can get. Sure, even in Philly they have a couple acceptable variations such as American cheese and Provolone, but the real deal is “Steak with Whiz”.

Trust me, you don’t want to mess with Philly…. this is a town that boos Santa Claus.

When I got my cheesesteak from Black Bull Grill I was struck at how closely it matched the dozen or so cheesesteaks I ate when I was in Philly. Tender beef seared quickly on the flattop with grilled onions and green peppers, and doused with cheez whiz. It’s so simple, but oh-so- tasty.

The sandwich had a rich, beefy flavour and a whole lot of creaminess from the Whiz. My only gripe is that the beef was sliced a bit thicker than would be ideal. Though, had the beef not been so tender this would have been a bigger deal than it turned out to be.

Interestingly, any of Black Bull’s sandwiches can be made with Alberta Bison to add a local twist. There are also other not-so-Philly variations available such as the Mexican, Italian, Western BBQ, and others.

The Classic Philly

When we were in Philadelphia a few years ago (great town by the way… I recommend a trip), we stumbled upon the annual Cheesesteak competition by Independence Hall and got to sample a lot of different cheesesteaks in one shot. The cheesesteak at Black Bull Grill would not have been out of place.

The trucks regular location is a bit odd, as they set up shop in the parking lot of Gear Jammers truck wash on 99 st at 57 ave. If you find yourself anywhere near their location,  check them out – its as close to Philly as you can get in Edmonton.

The Canadian Food Experience- Regional Hero

This months Canadian Food Experience post is supposed to highlight a regional food hero, but to be honest with you I just can’t stand the term hero. The term hero should be reserved for people who pull kids from burning buildings, donate their organs to save lives, or smack people who install the toilet roll backwards. ( Really? The underhand feed? C’mon now.)

I decided that since most of the accolades in any food community are heavily directed at chefs, restauranteurs, and product suppliers, I would focus on those un-sung heroes of any good food community…. the volunteers.

And hey, since I’m going to bend the rules a little bit here anyways, why not bust them into smithereens and highlight not 1, but 3 superstar Edmonton volunteers?

Anyone who knows these 3 women know they would surely bristle at the suggestion of calling themselves heroes, or frankly toot their own horns in any way. Therefore, it’s up to us to recognize their selfless acts and take a moment to say thanks for all they do.

My first unsung hero is Joveena Holmes.

@milzofsmilz indeed!

Joveena is an active supporter of all things local, and has been a big contributor to Food Security Alberta, which works to ensure a safe, accessible supply of food for Albertans. In addition to that, Joveena has helped organize a national food conference, volunteered for the Slow Food National Conference here in Edmonton last May, and also helps out at the enormously successful What the Truck events.

As you can see, Joveena has had her hands in most everything that matters in the Edmonton food scene, and though she has a long list of causes she’s volunteered for, I know her best from volunteering together at the annual Eat Alberta conferences.

Eat Alberta is a one day conference held every March, and combines a whole day of hands-on and demonstration workshops complete with meals and informational seminars. The entire event is volunteer driven, from the organization to the presenters. What’s truly fantastic about Eat Alberta is that the conference is all about sharing knowledge and skills for the betterment of the food community as a whole. It’s been a highlight for me the last 2 years I’ve been involved.

Talking about Eat Alberta is a great segue to introduce my 2rd unsung hero, Suzanne Dennis.

the very aptly named @supersu

Sue’s volunteer resume reads as long as War and Peace, but thankfully its more interesting. Sue has been on the Organizing Committee for Eat Alberta for the last 3 years, and the past 2 years she has served as volunteer coordinator, which is no small job. Having been one of the volunteers she has had to coordinate the last 2 years, I gained a substantial amount of respect for Sue and all the hard work she does to make Eat Alberta such a success.

Sue is what I would call a serial volunteer, as she rarely says no to a plea for help. Some of the organizations that have been benefactors of Sue’s generosity have been Slow Food Canada and Slow Food Edmonton, Gold Forest Grains, Mojojo Pickles, Molly’s Eats Food Truck, Operation Fruit Rescue, and the list goes on and on and on.

It’s really quite shocking that one person can accomplish so much with their free time, whereas most of us (me) can’t even get a simple blog post done on time (this one is 4 days late).

My third unsung hero, Cynthia Strawson.

Cynthia Strawson

Cynthia is always up for a food related get-together of any kind, and recently completed a term as President of Slow Food Edmonton. There are a lot of great reasons to applaud Cynthia, but I want to focus on one specific initiative that she began in December of 2012.

Cynthia was a Nutrition MSc student at the University of Alberta at the time, and was spending a lot of time volunteering at the LaSalle shelter for Women conducting hands-on cooking classes with other volunteers from Slow Food Edmonton for the women at the shelter . The grand finale of the classes was to be cooking an entire turkey dinner.

Since a lot of these women left their destructive home situations behind with little more than the clothes on their backs and their children, Cynthia decided that it would be a great idea to be able to present  each of these women with a care package of all the kitchen essentials they would need to continue preparing healthy, home cooked meals at home when they left the shelter.

She set out to raise the $2500 she figured it would take to get everything on the list for the 9 women, and called it the “9 of Everything” project. Well the story caught the imagination of kind hearted people nation-wide, and within a few days she had collected well over the $2500 she was looking for. Cynthia enlisted the help of a few friends to tackle the shopping trip, subsequent packaging, and delivery of the care packages.

What I love about this whole story is that there are no ulterior motives here. It’s just a story of a thoughtful, kind woman focusing the generosity of Canadians and channeling the proceeds directly to a very worthy end goal. This is just one of the reasons I’m very proud to call Cynthia my friend.

Read Cynthias blog post on the project here.

Having the pleasure of getting to know these 3 amazing women has really opened my eyes to how much value one good-hearted and generous person can add to their community. Though they don’t seek any accolades or receive any financial benefit for the great work they do, they are every bit as important to this food community as any chef or producer.

These three women truly epitomize what I consider to be heroes.

Win tickets to a Sneak Peek Tasting Night at Plow and Harvest

Dear friends of Baconhound,

Have you ever wanted to be one of those people who gets invited to restaurants to check out the food before anyone else? Have you wanted to schmooze with other like-minded folks and sample everything a restaurant has to offer, all while every dime of your hard earned money stays in your pocket?

Well here’s your chance to party like a V.I.P. I’ve got 4 pairs of tickets to give away to the tasting preview of the soon-to-open Plow and Harvest restaurant on the west end of Edmonton. I can’t say I know much about the place as of yet, other than the following brief description included in an email I received.

The first restaurant of its kind, Plow & Harvest redefines the art of comfort food by combining a fresh-casual approach with a unique chef-crafted menu. With a focus on sourcing and promoting local ingredients, Plow & Harvest supports local and regional producers by serving delicious, enticing, one-of-a-kind menu offerings built on handcrafted techniques and artisanal products. From the signature BBQ Bison Meatloaf Plate, to the Mac-N-Cheese with Bacon Breadcrumbs to the Heritage Roast Turkey Club, the menu offers timeless favourites updated with modern flair and served a casual, friendly environment.

 

With easy access for shoppers, area businesses, and commuters on the way home mat the end of the workday, Plow & Harvest promises to offer a truly unique concept in dining, including locally-sourced comfort foods, craft beer and wines. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available.

So how do you win these sweet tickets? Well, unfortunately I’m going to make you jump through some hoops to get in on the action. There’s 2 ways to win a pair of tickets.

Plow and Harvest Tasting Event

10041 170 st. Edmonton

Tuesday August 13th, 5-8pm.

FACEBOOK CONTEST- Simply like my Facebook page AND comment on the giveaway post on that page and you’re in. I’d love for you to post your favourite Baconhound blog post on your own wall, but since I have no way of verifying that I’ll just hope some of you do it. I will give away 2 pairs of tickets on Facebook. Here is the LINK to my page to make it super easy for you.

TWITTER CONTEST- Follow me on twitter AND share a link to your favourite Baconhound post in a tweet that also tags me, so I can track all the entries. 2 pairs of tickets available here too. Here is the LINK.

If you already “like” the facebook page or follow me on twitter, you don’t have to do it again.  You still need to do the second part though, so don’t forget. 

The draws will be made on the evening of Wednesday August 7th, so you better hurry!