javelina's Profile
Help with Han's Replacement-YYC
Now that Han's is closed, I don't know where to go for great Chinese dinners in Calgary (I do know some good dim sum places). It doesn't have to be Taiwanese, just delicious. Hole-in-the-walls welcome.
frozen pearl onions--yyc
Does anyone know where to buy pre-peeled frozen pearl onions in Calgary? (I have a great recipe for beef burgundy that asks for them). I've found fresh in some stores but am having a hard time finding frozen.
Thanks very much.
Unfortunate Experience at Trattoria D'Italia (YYC)
I bought a groupon to try La Trattoria D'Italia, on Edmonton Trl in the NE. My overall impression was that the food was bland and overcooked: Caesar salad lacked garlic and I think had those pre-grated parmesan crumbs on it; the shrimp dish (more on that below) was tough; the tortellini stuffed with veal and cheese was, well, inoffensive.
But the kicker was this: I had ordered the shrimp as an appetizer. When I ordered I distinctly remember saying "We'd like to start with this" and then I pointed to the item on the menu. No appetizer arrived, and I thought "fine, we have enough food anyway." But when the entrees came, out came a third entree, a shrimp dish. When I said I had ordered it as an appetizer, the waiter said it wouldn't matter, we had a groupon anyway. It wasn't even on the horizon of possibility that he would take it back (or, as we learned, deduct it from our bill). I didn't make a fuss at the time, but I have since e-mailed them to let them know what happened but have not heard back from them.
The food in and of itself didn't leave much of a taste at all; the service transformed it into a bad one. Have other people had similar experiences to mine?
Calgary CSA Ratings
Hello,
I just saw this thread on the Boston thread and thought that it would be useful to import it. I just joined a CSA this summer--Oxyoke Farm--but was thinking of switching to another next summer, perhaps Eagle Creek Farms, which seems to have better variety (I get their e-mails), more choice, and just plain more in the weekly box. Oxyoke's offerings have been getting a bit bigger the last two weeks, but they still don't seem quite worth the money I'm paying ($500/summer), although it depends how many more weeks it will last. The variety has also been only so-so: lots and lots of chard and kale (which I like, but still). I know we don't live in CA, but I do believe other CSAs have offered things like herbs and tomatoes at this point. I'd give Oxyoke a 3/5, although the summer's not over yet. What have others' experiences with different CSAs been?
Calgary-Heartland Cafe Raspberry Vanilla Muffins
Yes, I tried making these, too, from the Heartland cookbook, and they weren't great, definitely not like the ones I had had at Heartland. I had the same experience with the mouhammara from Aida's: found a recipe on the web that was apparently from the owner but didn't end up tasting much like the actual restaurant dish. Maybe they want to keep their secrets.
Italian in YYC
Went to Rea's last night for the first time. First of all, the service was terrific. We had a very kind waiter who was lovely with our kids (gave them coloring books and kept, good-humoredly, picking up what my daughter was dropping on the floor). The food was good: the pizza from the kid's menu was tasty as was my husband's carbonara. My dish had a nice sauce (rose), but the chicken itself tasted as if it wasn't the freshest, not rancid by any means but a little musty. But, overall, a nice experience, and we'll go back. Thanks for the rec!
Fresh shiitake mushrooms in YYC?
Thanks for all the responses. I ended getting them at the NW Superstore (must have been blind not to have noticed them before). Pretty expensive: @$3/2.5 oz. Next time I'll pursue one of the more cost-effective options.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms in YYC?
Anyone know where to pick some up? I can't recall seeing them at Superstore. Would T & T have some?
Thanks very much!
Italian in YYC
Thanks for all the great suggestions so far: I can't wait to try them. And it's just fine if any of these restaurants don't serve pizza.
Italian in YYC
I've lived here a few years now and realize I hardly out go out for Italian food, despite how much I like it. I was wondering what people's favorite Italian restaurants are. I'm thinking about casual, not-too-expensive (i.e., not Capo) places that you can go to on a weekday night. They might serve pizza but they should also have meat and pasta dishes, too. Went to Chianti's once and didn't love it at all, despite the reasonable prices.
Car-less in Clayton
Thanks very much for all the suggestions so far--it's great to know of some places within walking distance and some areas to to go when I have more time.
Car-less in Clayton
I'll be attending a conference at the Sheraton Clayton next week and heard Clayton is a good foodie destination. I have a few recs for dinner places (Remy's, Pomme, Portabella (which I see also does lunch)), but I was wondering if you could point me to some breakfast and lunch places for a lone diner within walking distance (or an easy public transportation ride) from the hotel. Should I narrow it down more? I love ethnic food and don't care about atmosphere at all--it's all about the food. I'm also quite happy to pick up some good meats and cheeses or take-out and have a picnic in my hotel room. Thanks for your help!
-----
Pomme Restaurant
40 N Central Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63105
Portabella Restaurant
15 North Central, Clayton, MO 63105
Mexican food in Calgary
If you do and you find it good, it might be nice to post it in a new thread. A new, decent Mexican place in Calgary deserves it.
Han's (Cgy): Handover complete
I went this past Friday just at 5 to eat dinner at Han's, and it was shuttered with no sign indicating what was going on or if there were new hours (I checked in again at 5:45 and it was still shuttered). I'm growing concerned that Han's might be out of commission. Has anyone eaten there recently?
Bulk Barn Opening Soon in Calgary
The new Bulk Barn Calgary outpost is now open (as of March 17). I just called and they said this was their first day. Hooray!
Q Haute Cuisine-Calgary
Just went here for lunch (had a dealfind coupon: $35 for $70 worth of food) and will definitely be coming back. They have a great deal going on, even apart from the coupon (and it looks like it's fairly long-term, too): $15 for a two-course lunch and $20 for a three course lunch. I had the daily "veloute," a potato-leek soup. It was the weakest part of the lunch, not bad but not remarkable. The lamb entree I had, which was tender and very flavorful, and the lemon tart, were both very good. My husband had a fabulous Israeli cous cous salad, mushroom risotto with duck sausage and truffle oil (this might have been the best dish of them all) and yummy chocolate ice cream sandwich with caramelized bananas. Considering all the mediocre lunches I've had for $20, this is an amazing find. It has a formal atmosphere, but it's not snooty, with a great view of the river. There were hardly any people when we went (1:30 on a Friday afternoon). That's a shame.
Mid-week,mid-priced restaurants in YYC
Yes, I know ethnic food is a way to have cheaper and often excellent meals, but that's what I'm after: really excellent meals. So let's add Han's (which seems to be keeping up its standards even with the change in owners). What other--out of all the Asian and Middle-Eastern, etc. restaurants in Calgary--are truly terrific, in people's opinions?
Mid-week,mid-priced restaurants in YYC
What are the good, not-high-end places you go to for dinner? The kind of place where you might decide to go mid-week and often, where the food is always prepared with care, but the bill won't break the bank?
I've been going to Aida's restaurant a fair bit lately and thinking how much I enjoy it: carefully-prepared food, reasonably-priced. So I have begun compiling a list in my head of other such restaurants. Can you think of other restaurants that offer consistely good food with most entrees in the $15-20 range? I think Dairy Lane, with their new dinner menu and food-made-with-care, might also qualify.
So let me start a list:
Aida's Mediterranean Bistro
Dairy Lane
-----
Aida's Mediterranean Bistro
2208 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S, CA
Dairy Lane Cafe
319 19 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2J2, CA
Q Haute Cuisine-Calgary
Dealfind Calgary is offering a coupon today (Aug. 26) for Q Haute Cuisine: $25 for $50 worth of food and drinks (good only for dinner). I've seen some scattered comments about Q Haute, but I was wondering if anyone had been there recently. How much did your meal run? Is it as good as, say, Petite or other high-end restaurants that get a lot of mention on this board (Rush, Muse, etc.)?
Thanks!
Bistro Alma-Calgary
This restaurant is part of the newly-opened Hotel Alma, on the U of C campus. The good: the room itself is stylish in a "mod" kind of way. The mediocre: the food. I've been there twice now ( it's possible I've just had bad luck with the entrees). The first time I had soup and salad. Dishes/flatware very neat in a design-y sort of way; soup had a decent flavor but was pretty thin; salad was fine but unremarkable. Both portions tiny, which made the $12 cost seem high. And the meager slice of grilled bread that came with it seemed as if it had been grilled hours before. The second time I ate there I had the Vietnamese sub whose meat tasted a little musty. In addition to the mustiness was the overwhelming sweetness of the thing. A one-note pony (not counting the off taste). Maybe they realized that and offered a weird little side of manzanilla olive and gherkin pickles with it.
Little things about the menu signal a similar off-noteness or at least old-fashionedness, despite the stylish pretensions: e.g., the salad with "garden fresh" veggies. Shouldn't this just be assumed? It's the difference between "garden fresh" as a vague adjective and actually locally-sourced ingredients.
Someone told me the restaurant is run by Chartwells, the concern that caters most university functions. If true, it makes sense: the food has that corporate feel, lacking in "garden fresh" ideas and technique. I wonder if other chowhounds have eaten here and what they thought.
Friendly Toast Revisited
We went this past Sunday around 5:15. Was not impressed. There were small service issues, which, coming from different people, indicated to me a general sloppiness. The hostess initially brought us to a table that was too small for four adults and two children but dashed off before she noticed (she told us to take a bigger table--unwiped off--when we asked). The waiter had to be asked once if they had crayons for the kids and then reminded after he said he'd bring them. He also never refilled water glasses or checked up on us. And the food, as in this post, seemed an afterthought: limp lettuce salad, tasteless fish burritos. And each entree seemingly about $3-4 too much for what it was. We won't be back.
Bergamot - outstanding!
Thought people might be interested to know that the Boston coupon site, BuyWithMe, just posted a "$25 for $50 worth of food" coupon for Bergamot (the coupon is available for the next six days if it doesn't sell out). http://www.buywithme.com/boston/deals
Visiting Boston with children - looking for kid-friendly recommendations
We just went to Stonehearth Pizza in Needham with our two young kids, but I know they have an outpost in Cambridge, too. It's very kid-friendly. In fact, when we got there, a little after 5:30, most of the tables were taken up by families. But the best part is that it's pretty good pizza, with interesting, fresh toppings (they favor local ingredients) and a thin crispy crust, not greasy in the least. I liked the pasta fagioli soup I ordered, too, light and flavorful.
opinions on Mario Batali's cookware line
I just had a crazy thing happen to a Batali 6 qt. dutch oven I was using: I was heating it up on a stove (electric). I had the heat on high, and I heard a huge pop. It was the pot: shards of the enamel had exploded from the side and a crack appeared, which went from the coating through the iron core. It's unusable now (and thank goodness I wasn't standing near the stove when it happened). Do you think it heated up too fast? But shouldn't it be able to handle that?
Over Easy Breakfast - Calgary
Fabulous! Went there today and ordered the Something Something Toscana plate: two poached eggs on a subtle rye toast with roasted tomatoes and a piece of slightly cripsy prosciutto on top. The homefries were addictive: this amazing combination of crisp and heft. I think it's also a few dollars cheaper/person than Dairy Lane: my breakfast was, I think, about $13, including coffee. I can't wait to go back.
Where to get Lindemans Framboise Lambic in Calgary?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I called the distributor, and they told me about a few places, the nearest being Creekside Co-Op Liquor Store. I swung by, and they had the "kriek" or cherry flavor, which is pretty good.
Where to get Lindemans Framboise Lambic in Calgary?
Just had some of this at *Farm* and thought it was great. I've since called around a bunch of wine/beer merchants in Calgary and haven't had much luck. Kensington Wine Market will try to order some for me, but it isn't a sure thing. Has anyone seen this around? Thanks! I live in the NW but am willing to travel some to get it.
CALGARY Prix fixe
We just went to the three-course lunch prix fixe ($15) at Vero Bistro on 10th Ave. in Kensington. I had a salad-- a few slices of filet mignon over mesclun, angel hair pasta with chicken and roasted zuccini, and sorbet. (I think the prix fixe menu changes, though.) All nicely prepared, and they forgot a component of my pasta dish (a garlic toast) so comped an extra sorbet dessert for my husband. I felt it was a really good deal, considering I've spent $15 for not-so-good lunches too many times to count. As far as I know, they run this lunch deal every weekday.
O-O-O Oh It's Open
I have to concur with the negative reviewers: we thought we'd try it and went for lunch today. My chicken club was so dry I asked for extra mayo, which helped make it moister but no more flavorful--the mayo had remarkably little taste. My lunch companion ordered the pulled beef, which was tender enough but also very bland. And his "jalapeno cornbread" had no jalapeno to speak of (and if there's even a litle spice he'd notice). And the desserts, which are now $3 apiece, were lackluster: a dry little forest cake and an orange creme cake. Not even close to worth it in our opinions, and we won't be back.
Eclair De Lune--new bakery in Calgary
Someone already mentioned this place in a chocolate string, but I wanted to second his suggestion to check this new bakery out. I stopped in a couple of days ago and had an excellent spinach turnover (would have been even better if I had waited to get home and warm it up), a neat dessert called a "Conversation," almond cream and raspberry puree in a puff-pastry shell, and one of the eponymous eclairs, not quite as good as the "Conversation" but still tasty. I didn't sample the other things on offer: croissants, other flavors of turnovers, black forest cake, many other desserts. They've been around about four mos., and the owner said he's a former engineering post-doc at the U of C. He chucked in his pocket protector in order to follow his culinary dreams.
Their address: 1049 40th Ave. NW
