HAL'S KITCHEN: Local restaurants make national list

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Two Winnipeg eateries have made this year’s list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. Deer + Almond at 85 Princess is number 59 on the list, while Maque is 98th. Chef Scott Dagshaw at Maque at 909 Dorchester who’s been on this list before says the recognition is nice but it’s very subjective and not the be-all and end-all. Like me, Scott thinks there should be more than just two local restaurants in the top 100 across the country. So, what others should be on the list? Well, according to Scott, Petit Socco, Harth and Preservation Hall, just to mention a few. If you haven’t checked out Maque yet but plan to now, Scott says you have to try his egg noodles with wild mushrooms, white truffle miso cream and chestnuts. The steamed buns are also very popular. Congrats to Scott and his team at Maque, as well as Deer + Almond! But if Halifax has four restaurants on the list, surely we deserve more than only two…

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HOARD THAT OLIVE OIL

Olive oil prices are spiking and a possible shortage is looming as drought conditions have dried out olive trees across the Mediterranean, especially in Spain. According to the International Monetary Fund, olive oil prices have hit $6,000 per metric ton, a level not seen since 1997. Spain’s olive oil production is about half of normal.

TACO TUESDAY TRADEMARK

Taco Bell is on a mission to liberate Taco Tuesday. It’s asking US regulators to force Taco John’s to abandon its longstanding claim to the trademark. Taco Bell says too many businesses and others refer to Taco Tuesday for anyone to have exclusive rights to the phrase. Taco Bell believes “Taco Tuesday is critical to everyone’s Tuesday and to deprive anyone of saying Taco Tuesday is like depriving the world of sunshine itself.”

WIENERMOBILE NAME CHANGE

Oscar Mayer is changing the name of its Wienermobile to the Frankmobile. The company says Frankmobile pays homage to the new recipe for its hot dogs. Oscar Mayer is being coy about whether the name change is permanent, saying it’s trying it out to see if it cuts the mustard with fans.

AI DRIVE-THRU

It looks like your fast food orders will soon be taken by artificial intelligence. Wendy’s says drive-thru customers at one of its restaurants will start giving their orders to a “very conversational” AI chatbot instead of a human. The burger chain says FreshAI was developed with Google Cloud and will be tested in Columbus, Ohio next month.

HEINZ KETCHUP FOUNTAIN

Heinz has unveiled a new machine that allows you to create up to 200 varieties of your favourite condiment. It’s like those freestyle fountains where you can make your own soda flavours. Heinz Remix offers base sauces and enhancers like Smoky Chipotle, Jalapeño, Buffalo and Mango. Look for it in restaurants by the end of the year.

COSTCO CAKES

Did you know you can’t order a cake from Costco online? Millions have seen a post on Twitter by Lucy Huber. “You write what you want on a piece of paper and then put it in a box. Nobody follows up with you. You just show up and hope they made it.” The system might be “from the 1800s” but Costco fans assured Huber that it does in fact work.

$7,000 ICE CREAM

Japanese brand Cellato has created an ice cream flavour that costs $6,796 per serving! The new flavor, called Byakuya, is made with a rare white truffle grown in Italy, as well as Parmigiano Reggiano and sake lees. The company says it took over a year and a lot of trial and error to get the taste just right.

— Hal has written columns for years. He’s also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekday mornings from 10 to noon on 680 CJOB. You can email him at Hal@HalAnderson.ca.