Mushroom month
Sorrentinos Restaurant Group celebrates the 24th annual month-long Mushroom Festival. This year the high-end Italian restaurant is hosting a winemaker dinner with Ricasoli Wines at the St. Albert location on Thursday, Sept. 20.Corporate chef Chris Hrynyk will prepare the mushroom-inspired, five-course dinner starting with roasted garlic and chanetrelle cocktail assaggini.
Following is a savoury porcini infused bisque, mushroom ravioli, sweet beet and prosecco sorbetto, and tenderloin medallion with pine mushrooms and porcini Bernaise.
The pièce de résistance is a smattering of dessert – pumpkin and white chocolate crostata, pecan croquante, and caramel bombolini.
“A number of these recipes were picked up last year on my trip to Tuscany. I was there in the fall and I saved my recipes,” Hrynyk said. The NAIT-trained chef has worked at some of Edmonton’s top tier establishments, including Red Ox Inn, Nina’s Restaurant and The Butler Did It.
For the past 11 years, the celebrity chef has found his niche and gradually climbed the corporate ladder at Sorrentinos Restaurant Group.
The five-course dinner will be paired with both whites and reds from Ricasoli Wines, one of Tuscany’s oldest wineries.
The dinner is $85 plus gratuities and GST. Sorrentino’s St. Albert is located at 595 St. Albert Trail. Call 780-459-1411 to reserve.
Going whole hog
Time to celebrate the end of summer with one of Canada’s favourite foods – bacon. For one glorious day, BaconFest reigns supreme with Edmonton’s top chefs and cool establishments creating tantalizing bacon dishes.There will be live Bacon-improv and music including a Johnny Cash tribute at this all-ages event. Or sip some brew and watch Footloose, the movie, starring Kevin Bacon.
BaconFest takes place Sunday, Sept. 2 from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at St. Basil’s Cultural Centre, 10819 71 Ave. Adults $15, seniors $13, youth $5 and children under six free. Visit www.eventbrite.ca or www.baconfest.yeg
A new beer fest
The Mashing, a new beer festival that celebrates spirits, cider and craft beer, brings together the best distilleries, breweries, restaurants and entertainment on Sept. 14 and 15.Not only will visitors sip and savour, they receive the opportunity to see some incredible entertainment, including a Cirque de la Nuit seven-minute Gatsby-inspired piece called Femme Fatale.
Tap into a cask while watching movies from Fresh Air Cinema or check out the varying food stations complementing the drinks.
The Mashing takes place at Re/Max Field. Tickets are on sale at www.albertabeerfestivals.com.
