The New York Chronicles (NYC): Famous Famiglia Pizzeria!

Sometimes great food doesn't have to be complicated. And sometimes you just want a quick bite to eat or you might only have minutes before a Broadway musical -- you can't afford to wait in a long line or sit down at a restaurant! BUT at the same time, you want good food. Can all of these really coexist happily? Thankfully, with the advent of fast food and commercialism, the answer has arrived: It's easy to find a chain restaurant (large or small) or a simple joint around the corner! However, for some, the thought of reheated food and the feeling of herded cattle pushed through the store as quickly as possible are a steep trade-off! And I don't blame them. Is good food in a fast and homely setting that much to ask?

I walk in Famous Famiglia Pizzeria to find out! Just before, I had mosied through Times Square and it was getting pretty late in the evening; all I wanted was some soul food on the way home and Famiglia delivered big time!

"Is good food in a fast and homely setting that much to ask?"

What's IN: Calzones! 

(I had the sausage one specifically but they're all so good!)

In the Town: Taste of Edmonton! July 21-30, 2011

Whew, with me being out of the city for a couple weeks, I nearly forgot to let you guys all know about Taste of Edmonton! Never fear though, wherever I am, I will always have you guys in mind =)! Read on!

Half a million people every year flock to attend Edmonton's Taste of Edmonton (and with good reason)! Whether you want to volunteer or just partake in the 10-day extravaganza, Churchill Square will be packed with your chance to get a-tasting-away! With a ton of entertainment planned each day, there's no reason not to check out this year's extensive menu
(http://www.eventsedmonton.ca/Resturaunts.html), featuring restaurants of all cuisines and corners of the city, as well as desserts, beer, liqueur, wine and beverages galore! There's more happening than I can list here so make sure you take a little time out of your busy schedules to drop by and give this a visit! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Bottom Line: Taste of Edmonton. July 21-30th. Be there.

Off the Trail: Food Matters arrives in New York City!

*hum* Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There's nothing you can't do... Now you're in New York... These streets will make you feel brand new, These lights will inspire you... to write food blogs! (okay, I'll admit it, that was pretty bad but I do love the Empire State of Mind chorus haha) If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you can either click here for the music video or ...disregard the entire first paragraph and stare at the twinkly lights in my vlog =D

Right, so back to business, it's official guys: I'm going to the Big Apple! Rock on! ...actually that was a lie, I've already been here for over a week but that means, I've been stewing up a whole bunch of reviews for you guys! (Hey, it takes time to write them up!) Keep posted -- I'll being putting up a few of the more memorable ones over the next few days! PS sorry for the video quality, it was shot out of the apartment I was staying in (courtesy of AirBNB.com)

Out and About: Culina Mill Creek

From the Culina Family's finest and most popular offering, Culina Mill Creek! A quaint place located just beyond the heart of Old Strathcona, Mill Creek delivers an intimate dining atmosphere as well as a cozy spot to relax after a long day! Plus, making a reservation at Culina is a snap - just look up your preference on OpenTable and presto! As a heads up though, to those of you considering this location, Scona Road (the easiest way to get there) is currently closed until November 2011 -- seems like Edmonton is constantly under-construction! -- so your best bet will actually be taking Saskatechewan Drive up until you reach 101 St. and then turning off to 89th Ave for the last two blocks! I, myself, had quite an interesting detour trying to get there from Connors Road (one particularly bad lapse in foresight) which ended with epic failure... seriously! Just a little tip =)

As the night was already getting on by the time we arrived... Seriously, it was Connors Road, not my fault! ...okay okay, we were like 30 minutes late but with some calling ahead, Culina was very willing to work with our reservation time to make sure we wouldn't miss it! For that, I have a hearty thank you! But enough distractions, back to the food! Because of the time, we decided to forego the whole appetizers shebang and just dive straight into the entrees. Make sure you don't forget to check out their specials though!

Overall Score:

What’s IN: Spring Creek Ranch Beef Sirloin (Blue Cheese & Chocolate Sauce!)