Y DINING
Chef Spotlight
STEVEN FURGIUELE
Having always worked in a creative industry — from photography to music — creativity is an essential part of the man behind Fuge Fine
Meat , Steven Furgiuele ’ s , process . To create his artisan cured salumi and unique sausages , he draws inspiration from the people in his life . “ My wife is Brazilian , so I ’ ve been to Brazil a few times and I love their use of cilantro , coriander , coconut — all that kind of stuff ,” Furgiuele says . “ So I have a Brazilian salami I ’ m developing right now .”
Most of his offerings are available at the new OTTO Food & Drink ( pg 42 ), and its signature OTTO Dog was inspired by the owner , Ed Donszelmann . “ I asked him about his cultural background , where his family was from , and I researched the towns to find spices and things that they used in those regions ,” Furgiuele explains . “ And I created the OTTO dog : smoked Sylvan Star Gouda bratwurst with a lot of caraway .”
Furgiuele made the jump from music to cooking after being inspired while watching Hell ’ s Kitchen . “ I really appreciated Gordon Ramsay ’ s standards , his uncompromising nature when he was doing his show , and his extreme attention to detail .” Those characteristics transfer into his food at Fuge , but they ’ ve been ingrained in Furgiuele since he was a kid . “ My dad is one of the hardest-working dudes I ’ ve ever known in my life , an unbelievably hard-working immigrant guy ,” he says . “ He would work straight 12-hour days , and then go home to this massive garden , which was half the size of our backyard , and maintain it .” His father would also pickle vegetables , make tomato sauce , and — of course — cure salami , which the young Furgiuele helped with . When he started curing his own meats while at Culina , he says , “ I realized I ’ d done this thing my entire life : I was going back to my roots .”
When not enjoying his own food , Furgiuele ’ s a fan of the ramen at Nudoru ( nudoru . ca ). He also admires the work done at Chartier ( pg 40 ). “ The bread is phenomenal !” he raves . “ And their smoked meat sandwich — I wish I lived next door .”
Visit fuge . ca to learn more about Fuge Fine Meat and discover where you can buy their food .
Price ranges refer to the approximate cost of an entrée at dinner , without the customary 15 % gratuity factored in :
$— 15 or less $$— 15-30 $$$— 30 or above
Coordinates refer to maps on pages 51 to 53
ALBERTAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 BAKERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BARBEQUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BISTROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BREAKFAST & BRUNCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 BURGERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CAFÉS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CAJUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CANADIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CASUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 CHINESE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 DINERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 FRENCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 FUSION CUISINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 GERMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 INDIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 ITALIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 JAPANESE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 KOREAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 MEXICAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 PIZZA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 STEAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 THAI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 VEGETARIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 VIETNAMESE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
FOR FULL LISTINGS , PLEASE VISIT where . ca / edmonton
The following symbols , located at the end of each listing , denote the establishment ’ s location :
D — Downtown
N — North Edmonton S — South Edmonton W — West Edmonton
ALBERTAN
RGE RD Inspired by Alberta ' s diverse culinary offerings , chef Blair Lebsack uses a farm-to-fork methodology where the availability of ingredients , acquired fresh from surrounding area farms , dictates the seasonally changing menu . Everything is beautifully presented and looks too good to eat — but after one bite you won ' t be able to resist digging in ! Mon - Sat 5 pm - Late ; Closed Sun . 10643-123 St ., 780-447-4577 . rgerd . ca Map 1-C4 $$ D
THE HARVEST ROOM With a dazzling view of the North Saskatchewan River Valley , diners can enjoy award-winning cuisine featuring regional specialties such as Alberta beef and game , a selection of international wines , and creative cocktails . Royal
Tea is served on weekends , for which reservations are recommended . Mon - Fri 6:30 am - 2 pm , 5:30 pm - 10 pm ; Sat - Sun 7 am - 2 pm , 5:30 pm - 10 pm . Fairmont Hotel Macdonald , 10065-100 St ., 780-429-6424 . fairmont . com / macdonald-edmonton / dining / harvestroom Map 3-I6 $$$ D
THE LOCAL OMNIVORE Beginning as a popular food truck , The Local Omnivore now has a permanent location to show off its tasty smoked and cured meats ! Using fresh and local ingredients , this no-frills restaurants offers unique sandwich combos , delicious cocktails , and a rad brunch on the weekends . Tue - Fri 9 am - 5 pm ; Sat - Sun 11 am - 2 pm ; Closed Mon . 10933-120 St ., 780-660-1051 . thelocalomnivore . com Map 1-C4 $ D
THREE BOARS EATERY Located in a historic building in the Garneau area , this is a great place to enjoy a fresh meal , a pint of craft beer , or a unique cocktail . The menu changes often , sometimes daily , as the restaurant uses as much local produce as possible . The venue is quite small , so come early or make a reservation . Wed - Mon 5 pm - Late ; Closed Tue . 8424-109 St ., 780-757-2600 . threeboars . ca Map 2-B1 $ S
WORKSHOP EATERY Highlighting regional and fresh ingredients , this fine-dining establishment creates handcrafted , seasonal fare — much of it found in the
Indulge in a freshly made , hand-rolled Zwick ’ s Pretzel ( zwickspretzels . com )
NEW dusted with savoury garlic or cinnamon sugar .
MARCH / APRIL 2017 // where . ca 37