Sabor - delicious seafood and vino in the heart of downtown

Posted by Its been a while since we hit up Sabor Divino, now with its name truncated to just Sabor.  We went back several times last year and when the downtown construction got to be a bit much, we meandered off to other restaurants for dinner.  (You can click here for a previous review - we didn't take pics of things we already tried this time around)After it expanded to take over a small spot next door to open up its vino-tapas based Bodega, happy to say the food is still top notch at its parent restaurant, name truncated or not... onto the food!

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Step by step how to fondant, and make 3D fondant elephant, zebra and giraffe cake toppers and grass edging!

Posted by For recent baby shower, I was asked to make a cake with wild animals as a theme.  So I figured I'd challenge myself by making 3D figurines out of fondant to top the cake. And since it was the first time I made them, well, no pressure right lol? Yeah, sometimes even I question how an insane idea could sound so reasonable until I start and kick myself halfway through it. Anyhoos, the cake baking and cooling took about 1 hour. Then I spent the next 7 hours making a multitude of the 3D fondant cake toppers until I had ones that looked good. I probably could have just taken an hour or 2 making the cake toppers, but I'm bit of a perfectionist (by the 6th hour mark this attribute was starting to wane), and the next time I make 3D toppers, I'll make them the night before and plunk them on the cake the next day instead.

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Cafe Amore Bistro Edmonton, AB - tasty down to earth Italian fare with big seafood pasta bowls!

Posted by When you step inside Cafe Amore, its like taking a step back into time where good honest food made by family only run restaurants trumped places that were more glitz, glitter and lacking in quality and substance. Where kitschy memorabilia and mismatched decor are completely ignored as you inhale the heady scents of garlic, wine and savories drifting from the kitchen. Where you honestly have to spend several minutes just reading the huge menu and spending even more time trying to decide from all the choices what you want to nosh on.  And when the food comes out, you eat until your belly button is going to pop like a button, and still have plenty of leftovers for lunch to enjoy the next day.  This and more, is why Cafe Amore still remains a favorite and an "oldie" for foodies and families alike in Edmonton.

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Vietnamese style lemongrass pork recipe - bite size or pork chops!

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I love lemongrass. It adds a touch of fragrant lemon flavor to dishes without the tartness, and its essential in Vietnamese cooking.  I was inspired by my Viet girlfriend's kickass lemongrass chicken wings that are fantastic when slowly BBQ'ed over charcoal.  The marinade works for chicken wings too, but using pork is a bit healthier, and you can make these either on the BBQ or on the stove in a pan as bite sized chunks of flavourful awesome or as a pork chop if you're entertaining.

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Embarcadero Wine & Oyster Bar, Calgary, AB - delicious oysters and Italian fare

Posted by Named after the waterfront district in San Francisco, Embarcadero means "wharf" or "landing place" in Spanish. Known for the widest selection of oysters in the city, they boast at least six varieties of northern Atlantic and Pacific fresh oysters on the half shell... on the night we went, there was 15 delicious varieties to try!  The cuisine is an interesting blend of Spanish, French, Italian and Asian influences, which was surprising as Chef Arthur magically manages to add in touches of each without muddling and elevate the menu items to a new level. On to the food!

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