eating is the hard part

With an event as spectacular as this, it’s hard to not start my post about Indulgence ’11 by saying it was anything less than epic. And why not. Going into its 11^th year, the event could really only build on last years already solid performance by taking care of just two things; the event length and the space issues which created lineups and elbows at every turn. Even if you didn’t experience the event first hand, a quick look at the producers, the chefs and their restaurants, and the wineries would do nothing but make you hungry, thirsty and/or jealous. So it was with an empty belly and fully charged camera battery that Sarah and I made our way over to the Delta Edmonton South to eat, eat and eat.

Waiting to Enter

I was lucky enough to be contacted prior to the event and be offered a chance to go in 30 minutes early. With timing one of my complaints about the year before, I was excited at the chance to start eating a bit earlier. The best part was that everyone benefited on the timing issues as the Indulgence team bumped the opening time back from 7 to 6:30. Walking into the room just after 6, I was happy and a bit sad. Happy because it let me mingle with producers and chefs, something I was really unable to do last year, and unhappy because much of the food wasn’t ready, which meant I wouldn’t be able to use the extra time to get a jump on eating.

The Masses

Once the evening got going though, it went like clock work. The food started to appear just before the doors opened and continued until empty plates were lying on the table or the lights came down. Clearly the word continues to spread about this event, as there were lots of new and old faces in the crowd. You gotta love that! It’s almost impossible to break down every dish after a taste overload like this, but I should say that this was my favourite year. Considerably more hits than misses in the big picture, so I am going mention some amazing highlights; The Spring Creek Ranch short rib from L2, was one fantastic piece of meat. Chef Chartrand created a Japanese style broth that surrounded the beef which made for a complex flavor profile that really zinged in my mouth. As well

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What’s that in the distance. People…downtown…after work. What The TRUCK?! Making the trek across the river, Sarah and I arrived to see Edmonton’s first food truck extravaganza in full effect! Created by two proud and locally committed Edmontonians, Sharon Yeo and Mack Male, What The Truck?! seemed to be inspired by the food adventures they’ve found themselves on during their travels. And for me, a good food truck is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so I was excited to see what the duo would wrangle up.

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