The Pulse: March 21, 2023

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Essentials

  • 0°C: Cloudy. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud near noon. Wind up to 15 km/h. High zero. Wind chill minus 14 in the morning. UV index 3 or moderate. (forecast)
  • Green/Gold: The High Level Bridge will be lit green and gold for Pharmacy Appreciation Month. (details)
  • 5-4: The Edmonton Oilers (40-23-8) defeated the San Jose Sharks (19-37-15) in overtime on March 20. (details)

A portrait of Justin and Derrick Jones holding  wine glasses in the courtyard at Take Care Café

Darling shifts from pop-up to stay-up


By Colin Gallant

After testing their idea with a pop-up at Take Care Café in 2021, the owners of Darling are looking forward to opening their own place on Whyte Avenue.

The restaurant with a focus on natural wine, which is aiming to open in April at 9616 82 Avenue NW, is the latest example of an Edmonton eatery that has made the journey from pop-up to stay-up.

"We know people will come," said Justin Jones, who started the restaurant with his husband, Derrick, plus two silent investors. "They came for the pop-up, so we have the proof, we have the numbers that say people did show up."

The couple discovered their love of natural wine on their honeymoon, said Jones, who has an extensive background in hospitality management for restaurants such as Biera, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing, and Café Bicyclette.

Because natural wine (essentially wine without much intervention such as added preservatives) is a niche market, it would have been a risk to leap right into restaurant ownership. Their friends at Take Care Café, which is usually closed at night, offered them the opportunity to run a pop-up in their space across the street from where Darling Restaurant will be.

"It was just a great suggestion on their part to be willing to let us use that space, kind of test out the market, test out the concept, and see if people will come," Jones told Taproot. "It was a happy middle ground of like, 'Hey, let's test this out, let's have some fun. We'll invest in it, but only so much so that we can see how it goes, and if it goes south, then that's OK.'"

Arden Tse and his partners ran a similar playbook with Prairie Noodle Shop back in 2013-2014, before Edmonton had any dedicated ramen shops. Pop-ups gave them a chance to run a minimum-viable-product version of their concept, leveraging other people's social media accounts and clearly communicating the story of the Prairie Noodle brand without having to invest in their own brick-and-mortar location.

"It was a way for us to not only build up momentum and interest but also attract other investors," said Tse.

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Headlines: March 21, 2023


By Kevin Holowack and Mariam Ibrahim

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An infographic illustrating where in the process testing is for the Valley Line Southeast LRT

Valley Line Southeast LRT testing reaches "warm-up" phase


By Mack Male

Testing for the Valley Line Southeast LRT has now reached the "warm-up" phase, which means more trains are running along the tracks, TransEd has announced.

Episode 213 of Speaking Municipally updated listeners on the line's progress, illustrated by TransEd in an infographic released on March 10.

"I think the trains might open this year," co-host Troy Pavlek said before explaining the steps that TransEd has outlined on the journey to opening the line. "I think it's going to happen before Folk Fest, I'll put that on the record."

An opening date for the much-delayed line has not yet been announced. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival takes place in Gallagher Park from Aug. 10 to 13.

Scenario testing, which includes emergency evacuations, power failures, security threats, and collisions, has now been completed. The next phase of testing — called system demonstration testing — will ramp up the frequency and size of trains running along the full 13 km of tracks. You'll notice more trains during peak times, for instance.

With the increase in trains, TransEd is once again reminding Edmontonians to prioritize safety around the LRT. "Never rush to beat a train and never stop on the tracks. When you see tracks, expect a train."

Hear more about this, as well as the provincial government's decision to mandate body-worn cameras for police officers, the latest statistics on transit safety, and new funding for affordable housing on the March 17 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast. The podcast will be off next week, with new episodes resuming on March 31.

Photo: Roadmap to Opening: Valley Line Southeast (TransEd)

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