Edmonton Blues Festival

Thanks to one of my social media friends, I was able to score tickets to this year's Edmonton Blues Festival. I am a big blues fan, and Blues On Whyte is one of my regular weekend hang outs.I loved the variety of Blues presented at the festival, and the fact that the performers were from all over the world. You can read my blog post about the music over at Inside World Music. The band pictures above is MonkeyJunk, my new favourite!

The food was as diverse as the music! Of course, I had to have a Fat Frank because hot dogs and the Blues go so well together. There was also a Vietnamese vendor offering both freshly-made vermicelli bowls and wraps, as well as fries and onion cakes. I had one of the onion cakes, then later had a brisket sandwich from Smokehouse BBQ - talk about east meeting west!

The choice of beer was also quite diverse - everything from Molson Canadian to Newcastle to Corona, a few coolers, and Strongbow. At $7 per drink ticket it was slightly pricer than other beer tents I have visited, but large cans were being served (the 473ml variety) so the portion size fit the price.

Great music, great food, and great atmosphere - the Edmonton Blues Festival is definitely worth checking out for any serious music fan.

Folk Fest Food - Fat Franks

Fat Frank, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Another Folk Fest tradition for me is having a Fat Frank or two. I was so glad when the condiments included both sweet pickle and corn relish. It made my hot dog even more special - and colourful.

On the Street: Fat Franks

Fat Frank, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Oh, Fat Franks, how I love thee. You are the epitome of street food in Edmonton. Getting a jumbo hot dog from your main stand on Whyte Avenue is especially a treat, for there is corn relish and black olives to be had. How you satisfy my hunger with your beef and chicken goodness. I have seen other hot dog vendors pop up lately in the city, but I doubt from you I will ever stray.

Folk Fest 2011 #4: Turkey Sausage

Food - EFMF 2011, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Fat Franks was the one vendor I visited twice during the weekend. First, I had a veggie hot dog, which is nothing new to me. While I was paying, I noticed a new addition on their menu - turkey sausage. Fat Franks has had other kinds of sausages for a while, but being a non-pork eater for religious reasons, I have never tried them. This one, I could.

The next day, I ventured up to the Fat Franks stand and ordered a turkey sausage. I was told it had been a hot seller, despite being a new product. After my first bite, I could tell (or taste, as the case may be) why. The skin was perfectly crispy, with juicy turkey within. It was not spicy in the least bit, and much thicker and a bit longer than their Jumbo Dog. It was a lot of meat. It was also not cheap, at $6, but sometimes festival prices are inflated. I am going to definitely order another one of these on the street and see if it lives up to this first one.