Food Notes

• Giada de Laurentiis is having a baby!
  
• New winter issue of Kraft Canada's What's Cooking is great - tons of fabulous appetizers (including the easy to make and very presentable Won Ton Appetizer Bites) and holiday snacks like these Marbled Chocolate Treats. If you don't already get the magazine delivered free to your door - sign up today!
  
• Judy Schultz reports that the Safari Bar and Grill, a new restaurant in the Coliseum Inn, will be opening in two weeks, specializing in East African cuisine.
  
• Loblaws continues their desperate attempts to revive a flagging in-house food brand with new ethnic choices, including frozen dim sum favorites ha gao and siu mai. Check them out in the Holiday Insider's Guide.
  
• EnRoute has chosen what they believe to be the 10 best new restaurants in Canada. Edmonton isn't represented on the main list, but Skinny Legs and Cowgirls is included on their "Next 20" restaurants to watch. I respectfully disagree.
  
• Rob Feenie has left Lumiere and Feenie's, and if that weren't news enough, he's now fighting a non-compete clause that was built into his previous contract.
• Opulence alert: for a limited time only, the Westin New York Times Square is offering a $1000 bagel, "topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves." For dessert, feel free to have Serendipity 3's $1000 sundae, or, if you have several thousand dollars more kicking around in your pocket, how about their $25,000 version? It comes with your very own 18 karat gold spoon, goblet, and bracelet.
  
• Lastly, some random food-related pictures:

First came Chicken of the Sea...

ABC, or "Already Been Chewed" cookie cutters. Who knew something so creative could be found in the aisles of Hallmark?