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Hummus Gets Happy
“I worked downtown for about a decade, and I always wished there was a place where I could get tasty, cheap, healthy food quickly,” says Hlynn Kenny, who is filling the cheap, healthy, quick food void downtown with her soon-to-open Happy Hummus Hut—a vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, and gluten-free food lunch counter.
Catering to customers with particular dietary concerns can be tricky business, so Kenny is putting HHH’s kitchen in the front window as part of what she calls a “Be Your Own Health Inspector program,” to set customers’ minds at ease. “We take Celiac and allergies very seriously,” she says.
Inspect Happy Hummus Hut for yourself starting in mid-May at 208 Duckworth Street.
Coffee Satellites
Wed, May 2, 2012
Rocket Bakery and Fresh Foods is the most recent downtown coffee shop to open up a satellite kiosk in a big local institution. The popular downtown bakery and cafe began serving its fresh food, baking, and coffee in the Ches Penney Family Y on Ridge Road at the end of March. Rocket’s Y location joins other downtown coffee shops—Hava Java’s Tower Corporate Campus location, and Jumping Bean’s MUN QEII Library location—in the constellation of satellite cafes around town.
Long Awaited
Wed, May 2, 2012
After living away for 25 years, Steve Smith has returned home to open Long Dick’s Sausage Emporium, a food truck he named for his grandfather Richard Noseworthy.
Long Dick’s serves nine-inch, half-pound German sausages Smith has made specially. He cooks them in a seasoned broth, then grills with a his own barbecue sauce before serving them on a challah bun made by Happy Belly Bakery in CBS.
But before Smith even serves up his first sausage, he deserves a prize for solving the kafkaesque bureaucratic labrynth that is opening an electrically ventilated food truck in St. John’s.
“I found out there has been three attempts to take this site but people just couldn’t get past the difficulties with power and whatnot,” says Smith. “It’s just been bureaucracy on a level you can’t comprehend.”
“It’s the communication, or lack of communication, between the city and the different elements involved in setting up a business,” says Smith. “I can only comment on this end of it, but there was lots of misinformation about the availability of power, what’s required in terms of inspections and so on, and then you deal with the contractors and they tell you something entirely different than the city,” he says.
But Long Dick’s has solved the riddle and is now serving giant sausages on Duckworth Street across from the Sir Humphrey Gilbert Building, which you can enjoy for free if your name is Richard Noseworthy. True story.
QV IPA FTW
Wed, May 2, 2012
Quidi Vidi Brewrey’s latest seasonal brew, British India Pale Ale (IPA), was a winner.
Like last year’s special Mummer’s Brew Amber Ale, the British IPA was sent to Chicago to compete in the World Beer Championships, held annually by something called the Beverage Testing Institute. QV’s British IPA won gold in the India Pale Ale category with a score of 90 out of 100 according to a panel of expert beer judges. This is one better than the Mummer’s Brew, which scored an 86 and brought home a silver.
An IPA is a heartier version of a pale ale, with a higher alcohol and hops content, which made it better suited for being shipped to thirsty British troops in 18th century India (hence the name.) The QV British IPA will be available at most places selling their beers, or at the brewery until this gold medal batch is gone.
Twist in the Yarn
Wed, May 2, 2012
Jenny Metler, owner of local yarnery A Good Yarn, is rolling up her ball of yarn, closing up shop, and moving into cyberspace/Halifax. Her store on Bates Hill closed April 22 and Metler is moving and will be re-opening A Good Yarn as an exclusively online shop at goodyarn.ca in mid-May.
Newly Loved
Wed, May 2, 2012
There is a whole lot more to previously love on Kenmount Road, just past Kelsey Drive.
When the building that housed Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador’s thrift store, Previously Loved, across from Avalon Mall was sold, it was an opportunity for the organization to build a new, bigger (by one-third), better, and less expensive (saving the organization $2,000 per month) location they own at 351 Kentmount Road.
The store is Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador’s major fundraising source.
“Every single thing in Newfoundland that’s done for persons with epilepsy is done through Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Executive Director Gail Dempsey. “And every dime that’s spent in our store goes towards those programs.”
Previously Loved, which has been open since 1998, is fully stocked by donations collected locally. Donations are either dropped off at the store, solicited by two telemarketers on staff, or picked up by staff. You can call 722-5571 to arrange to have your things picked up.
Ebb & Flow on Water
Wed, May 2, 2012
Local yoga lifestyle boutique Ebb & Flow has moved from Churchill Square downtown to 166 Water Street. The new location officially opened March 3rd, and owner Beth Moores says “things are going very well. We are seeing a lot more people than we saw in Churchill Square and [are] getting a lot of positive feedback about the store.”
The new location will also allow for Ebb & Flow to open yoga classes, meditation sessions, and perhaps even tea upstairs, to go along with their array of yoga and fitness lifestyle products.
Coco Cupcakes
Wed, Mar 28, 2012
“The whole thing started with Sex and the City,” says Tracey Collins, owner of the freshly-opened cupcake shop Coco Cupcakes, about the growing gourmet cupcake trend. “There was one episode where they went to a cupcake shop in New York, called Magnolia Bakery, and that’s where it all began.”
Collins, who is from Corner Brook, has been making cupcakes for years. “I used to sell them at a farmers’ market when I was living in Nova Scotia,” she says. “Then my sister, Barbara, and I were looking for an opportunity to start a business, and we thought this would be a great idea and a great location.”
So she moved here and set up shop at 265 Torbay Road.
“We were actually closed on the first day we were open!” she laughs. The original opening date wound up being a snow day. So Coco Cupcakes’ grand opening happened on St. Patrick’s Day instead.
“Our cupcakes are made with real vanilla and real butter,” she says. “We don’t use lard or margarine, and, for example, we have an orange buttercream which is flavoured with orange juice. We only use real ingredients.”
The shop has a little sitting area with a fireplace. You can also get specialty coffees and teas supplied by Jumping Bean, plus steamed milk with gourmet flavour shots.
Get Your Fix
Wed, Mar 28, 2012
“I think it’s a great thing we’re seeing in St. John’s right now,” says Jonathan Howse. “It’s great to see business owners in their 20s working in their own shops.”
Howse is the co-owner of the new cafe Fixed Coffee & Baking, the latest local business start-up helmed by twentysomething entrepreneurs, joining the likes of Post Espresso and Fog Town Barber and Shop.
“The concept behind Fixed is fun,” says Howse. “We want to be a café where we take the coffee and food very seriously, but we don’t want to take ourselves seriously.” Howse and business partner Greg Hewlett plan to open Fixed by May 1 next to the War Memorial at 183 Duckworth Street, formerly Sappho’s Café.
Fixed will feature fresh French press coffee, made from Vancouver’s 49th Parallel beans. “We are also going to have a Mirage espresso machine, which is hand-built in the Netherlands and looks like a Ferrari,” says Howse. Breads, muffins, Montreal-style bagels, and scones will be baked in-house, and a selection of Scotch whiskys will be on hand. It’ll also be the only place we know in town to find a good selection of beers from the popular Quebec brewery, Unibroue.
Pi Gourmet places at the International Pizza Challenge
Fri, Mar 16, 2012
This just in from Dave Hopley co-owner of local pizza restaurant Pi Gourmet:
The winning entry was the Fibonacci pizza, a roasted garlic and olive oil base topped with compote of caramelized pear and red onion braised in port, baby greens, toasted walnuts and gouda cheese.
The challenge is an annual contest held as part of the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Judging panels are composed of chefs, food critics and other pizzeria owners who judge the pizzas based on taste and visual appearance.
The expo also includes The World Pizza Games, which includes the categories Freestyle Acrobatic Dough Tossing, Fastest Dough, Largest Dough Stretch, Longest Spin and Fastest Pizza Box Folding.
Nights of the Round Tables
Thu, Mar 15, 2012
Bryan "Deli Cutz" Hobbs presenting "Turntablism: The Origin of The Skratch" Photo by Chad Sharpe
“It was kind of a happy accident, I guess,” says Mark Power, aka DJ Slim Macho.
With about 15 years in the electronic scene under his belt, Power was helping the owners of Annexe, a new restaurant and lounge on George Street, line up DJs for their weekend-night entertainment. At the same time, he was watching the success of Facebook groups like St. John’s Electronic Music Producers underscore a resurgence in the electronic scene.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we have a gathering and see who all these people are. Like, who is Outlandaa? Who are these people that I see online all the time?’” he says. “Why not get together and share ideas and have a more successful scene?”
So he discussed it with the owners of Annexe and they gave him a Wednesday night to host a gathering of DJs and electronic music producers.
“I just posted it in the local Facebook groups and in my status,” he says. “For the first one, we thought we’d get maybe six people, and over 20 showed up. It was a big success. People started meeting people, and shaking hands, and there was a lot of ‘oh, you’re so-and-so.’ ”
In fact, the meeting was so successful that it’s become a regular, bi-weekly convergence, called Nights of the Round Tables. The last meeting was held March 7th, and included presentations on turntablism and Ableton by Bryan Hobbs, aka Deli Cutz, and Patrick Dunne, aka Physical Patrick, respectively.
“The electronic music scene has always been an undercurrent in the city,” says Power. “I still really love it, and I’m excited to harness this energy and keep it going in a more positive light. These guys are young and are into the music, not so much into the scene. So, let’s get together and aim it — we don’t all have to do the same thing, but we could all be going to the same place which is a positive regeneration of this undercurrent.”
You can find out about upcoming Nights of the Round Tables by keeping tabs on the St. John’s Electronic Music Scene and St. John’s Electronic Music Producers Facebook groups.
Annexed
Mon, Mar 12, 2012
“People are really enjoying the atmosphere,” says Scott Sweetapple, co-owner of Annexe Resto Bar. “It’s more of a grown-up space; you don’t have to have flashing lights to have a nice, intimate club experience.”
Modelled on the Montreal resto-bar–think Tokyo Bar with food–Annexe is in the old Mustang Sally’s spot, at 32 George Street, offering restaurant seating on the ground floor and a lounge with a bar on the top floor.
So far, the concept is working for Sweetapple: Annexe upstairs, called the X Lounge, which has a bar but no tables, has become the place to play for local DJs and electronic music enthusiasts looking for a bit of class. The Annexe restaurant downstairs, which has tables and no bar, features pastas, steaks, weekend brunches, and lunchtime fare.
The restaurant is open for lunch seven days a week and for dinner every day except Sunday. The lounge is open on the weekends, with DJs on Friday and Saturday nights until 3am. Past DJs include Kid Cue and Grayster. Future DJs include Krystle Hayden and the fellas from Unofficial Bootleg.
“At the moment we’re also organizing an art show,” says Sweetapple. “We’re going to rotate the show through once every four to six weeks and support local artists who aren’t necessarily on the gallery circuit. It’s all part of our vision of combining food and entertainment in a contemporary atmosphere.”
Yuk Yuk’s Goes Uptown
Mon, Mar 12, 2012
We kept getting sent listings for Yuk Yuk’s and for a place called Uptown at the same address, and we got all confused. “Is Yuk Yuk’s going independent or something?” we wondered.
“Definitely not,” says Chantelle Murphy, Operations Manager for Uptown Relaxed Dining and Entertainment, home of Yuk Yuk’s. “This is still the home of Yuk Yuk’s. Now, we’re also Uptown, which is a seven-day-a-week restaurant and entertainment venue.”
When there’s no Yuk Yuk’s comedy event (i.e., when it’s not Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening) you can now enjoy dinner, lunch, brunch and sometimes live entertainment in the same space. For example, they host a weekly, kid-friendly magic night with a magician doing tricks as you dine. They’ve also got dinner specials, live jazz brunches on Sundays, lunch specials, and live music after the comedy shows.
More events, specials and themed nights are to come, says Murphy. The full schedule will be posted on their website, www.experienceuptown.ca.
New LGTBQ-HQ
Mon, Mar 12, 2012
In the 14 months since the Zone closed its doors for good, a lot of rumours floated around about where the next gay bar would be.
Spoiler alert: The Headquarters rumours are true.
Except it won’t be called Headquarters.
Luc Viau, owner of the bar and the building, is letting his future patrons decide. A Facebook group, called Name St. John’s new gay bar!, as been set up for people to offer and discuss name suggestions.
“As of now, the name ‘Velvet Club and Lounge’ is looking good,” he says. “But no matter what I wind up choosing, I know I’m going to get some people who like it and some people who don’t.”
He hopes, though, that everyone will like what he’s done with the place.
“I just hired somebody to redo the rooftop patio,” he says. “We haven’t been able to use that in years. I’ve painted all the ceilings, and we’re going to redo the floor — bling it out, as they say.”
And he knows that everybody will like the team he’s assembled.
“Fabian Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. DJ Fabian, is on board and will be joining the team,” he says. “I’ve also got Stephen Dillon on as the head bartender.”
He’s hoping it (Velvet? Duchess? Bent? Out?) will be open by mid-April.
For the latest news on the name ands the opening plans, keep your eyes on the Name St. John’s new gay bar! Facebook group.
Ate With Relish
Wed, Feb 29, 2012
"The Great One" cheddar cheese, bacon, roasted garlic mayonnaise. (Relishyou.com)
“St. John’s is a real meat-and-potatoes kind of place,” says Roger Andrews, co-owner and Chef of soon-to-open Relish Gourmet Burgers. “Relish gives those meat and potatoes a bit of something else. Yeah, it’s a burger, but the concept, it’s funky and hip and cool.”
Relish, a well-loved New Brunswick-based gourmet burger operation, will be opening their first location outside of New Brunswick in the old Salvation Army building on Waldegrave Street in late May or early June.
The concept is this: you choose a gluten-free or regular bun; a beef, turkey, or veggie patty; and one of 10 topping combinations like, say, blue cheese, back bacon, and caramelized onions.
“There are 10 burgers per location,” says Andrews. “Nine of those are standard across all Relish locations, and the tenth is special to that location. The St. John’s burger will be uniquely Newfoundland—it will be a real Newfoundland flavour.”
Though he can’t give away too many specific details, he does emphasize the patties don’t have any bread or egg filler, and he’ll be using as much fresh, local produce as he can.
Andrews, a chef instructor at CONA, never thought he would open his own restaurant, “but when Relish owners called me up in August to see if I knew anyone who’d be interested in opening a St. John’s location, I changed my mind.”
Wed, May 2, 2012
Morgan Murray