Five nights, five dynamite places to go in your area. These are my top five within Stephen Avenue area: Blink, Taste, Divino, Belvedere, Charcut (2nd Libertine for pub fare & awesome beers).
If you're willing to split minimal cabfare to venture to other amazing & unique places in town: Model Milk, Cassis, Una, Brava Bistro, Borgo, Farm (all along 17 Avenue).

I seem to remember a store at the Calgary Farmer's Market (old site) that carried unique, recycled, hand painted / designed bottles...

A good metal spout is also extremely cheap and easy to find.

I simply fashion my own with whatever bottle suits my fancy for the time ... i'm on an old pop bottle theme right now :-)

hmm might be tough to find ... have you tried 529 or Peasant Cookery? For Sydney's, at $53 for a five course dinner in November, I'm sure it'd be easy for them to set up the pairings on the fly - or even if you called ahead for a specific party so they have the pairings on hand, according to your coursed choices...?? good luck! let us know if you found anything, or if any restaurant was good to accommodate the suggestion of wine pairings!

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Pho Thanh up in the NE corner - Deerfoot Mall exit west on 64th. I know it's a bit of a trek, but definitely reminds me of the Pho I grew up with in toronto at friends/family's homes. It's packed every time we go, line ups out the door. I almost hate to recommend the joint ....

Pho Thanh
6630 - 4 Street NE

-- oops never mind. saw the link in Rosetown's post.
-- yah, it's pretty awesome pho, definitely my favourite in town

green tea matcha biscotti? a small scoop of green tea ice cream? both might overpower the delicate lavender ... how about a touch of green tea foam / whipped cream / creme fraiche?

let us know how it turns out!

agreed ... tho, the 'manager' or whoever oversees the restaurant should have started turning away new patrons, knowing their staff was over extended. i'd rather be turned away that evening and be disappointed about not getting in the door (i'm assuming no reservations were made), than be disappointed by the service once I got sat. just because there are tables in the restaurant - it doesn't mean you have to fill them. (for the patron: being upset about not being admitted into a restaurant when you see empty seats! turning away customers??! now you might know why......)

this should have been recognized (and decided by management) even before you walked in the door - that they weren't going to seat anyone else for another hour, perhaps.

this above, not the quality of service, makes me upset - spells out to me greed, and management not focusing on taking care of the customer, just their paycheques.

Lol ... red sauce ...!!!
Yah, my cut from over a year ago - Seems the scar tissue weighs heavier in the cold weather or something ... That'll get you serious about knife skills.
Otherwise, my press down/chopping habit is still so difficult to break. But 'taking your time' is exactly what I do. I still slow everything down and exaggerate my movements of 'gliding forward / circular-like' motion from time to time, just so I can check my progress. My grip has improved and I'm more comfortable dealing with all my knives in general.
Now if I can only stop my boyfriend's habit of putting my knives in the sink!

Not so crazy ... pink champagne is allowed to be made from a mixture of red & white wine ... I don't believe it to be such a heresy to do so at home. I'd rather a viognier w a touch of shiraz, than a touch of food colouring.

second the suggestion to look at roses, especially bubbly roses ...
another suggestion is to mix a red & white until you get the desired colour ... <gasp>!

Don't forget Michael's craft stores - lots of designs and shapes last I saw.

2nd the JaroBlue beet salad! Definitely splurge and get it with the ash goat's cheese.

You, my friend, get it.
All hail the gracious food prick .....

Hold on - I take offense to "the fact that" kitchen or wait staff would be completely unaware that you were unhappy, or " assuming the waiter even cares" ....etc.

Let's just start with, I agree with food prick (no offense) and I would have done the same. However, when your server comes around to do a service check, be honest and ask your questions! TALK to your server, please no silent pouting or whiny complaints. At a joint where they deserve your cash, your server would notice - or rather ask at the beginning AND the end of the meal (esp if you didn't finish) if everything was alright. And if you did not enjoy your meal, this joint shouldn't be making you pay. No place I have every worked at would make you pay for a meal you genuinely did not enjoy, without even being asked by the patron.

On that note tho, if we can't really confirm whether you disliked it or not, then we can't really help you. In the least, dessert would be on the house, as a gesture to you for trying, and hope that you would come back and try again. No foolin' - we seriously just want you to enjoy your time and food, and if an entree didn't quite do it for you, there's something we can always try and do, if you give us the chance.

Help us help YOU!!

If, though, your server didn't notice or do anything, then that's the server's fault (or management - in fact, they should've noticed and asked about a full plate of food going back to the dish). So despite an unclear menu, or unclear interpretation - the real shame is that the experience wasn't everything you expected (not the dish).

And judging from your previous posts, I'm really surprised this restaurant wouldn't have done anything to help you out (being as reputABLE as they are), and wouldn't be surprised if they would have taken the item off your bill. That's IF you had politely spoken up and simply said - it wasn't what I expected and really wasn't in the mood for a tomato based pasta.

It's a two way street guys - we can't read minds, but we do a pretty good job of reading body language ...

This doesn't sound so creative, however everytime I make it, I marvel at how simple and wonderful they taste: Caramelized onion and black pepper scones. I triple what the recipe usually calls for black pepper! yum

Or you can buy fresh, directly from Byblos Bakery in NE, off 24 street and 23rd ave - just behind the Hooters. I usually pick up a few things if I'm in the area - can't resist.

Looking for a good place for steaks tonight during the Canada vs Russia game, but don't want ok food in an otherwise ok pub if it were just for drinks.

Anyone know of a great pub/lounge type place that would be televising / blasting the game tonight that also serves up a great steak?

Prefer not to go to Flames Central - thinking more like Vintage, etc.. but not sure if they'll be putting the game on? Where else should I try?

Bought my first little box of molasses the other day, as well as wheat bran. So, there's been a lot of whole wheat and bran muffins / loaves around our house lately. The best have been the mini dried cranberry & bran muffins, as well as the chocolate zucchini bread (adapted from Joy of Baking website) - just with lots of bran.

My next experiment is an upside down pear chocolate cake.

The Danish Canadian Club on 11 Ave SW has their 'famous' brunches every Saturday ... we've never been, but when we peeked our heads in one Saturday they were packed. Also they do a buffet once a month, and apparently it's good too. Anyone else been? We found them during a street event last fall and haven't made our way back ....

oops sorry - probably doesn't have any chinese food ... as per OP's request!

Oh yes! the goat place from Armstrong BC!
From our travels through there, yes - run by pretty devout Mennonites, lots of products (yes, adds to kitschyness), but locally made, homemade pies (pretty good - we thought good price for the size & quality), homemade sausages (we bought a few links - I think it was no preservatives, etc). And they definitely were the ones opening another location in Calgary. Their location in Armstrong was a complete tourist attraction (produce was a little on the expensive side), but who's the say they won't be competitve in Calgary's market. Will have to check this location out and see.

Update: We were there on Saturday and the owner is thinking he'll be putting beef tongue on the regular menu and having it available all the time now - not just on the special days he makes it! He also mentioned something about trying beef eyeballs ... I pushed for tripe tacos too, but we'll have to see how the tongue goes I guess!

I put melba toast in the toaster oven last year. Yes, it just burns ....

Yup - it's probably the only food joint I'm interested in @ the mall. We ate just prior to going, so tried nothing - but heard excellent things about the South St. Burger Co: intersting story boards, great condiments and good quality meat. Will have to try it the next time we decide to brave it out there. Nice to know about the shakes too...

Add Q Haute (formerly La Caille) to the free corkage on Sundays.

I'm partial to the Yaletown brewpub (part of the markjamesgroup website) - best place to relax and be seen while you have a family meal, great patio (I think minors allowed in dining area). Food & beers are good.

However, if you're looking for a GREAT beer - look for Storm beers, available on tap at locations listed on their website: http://www.stormbrewing.org/?page_id=4
They don't have their own restaurant, but the beer is really superb.

Our trip starts in Calgary, with stops in - Grande Prairie, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Dease Lake, Stewart, Prince George - then back to Calgary!

Though I'm expecting a lot of Tim Horton's lunches and a car packed full of baguettes, sausage and cheese ..... Are there any restaurants or cafes I should be looking out for? Also, any treats or specialites from the north that come to mind?

I heard there is a Harvest Sale this weekend at Heritage Park in association with the CPMA. Has anyone ever gone? I understand you need to pay admission to the Park - but what about the produce (quality, price)? Besides the charitable contribution, is it any different than the farmers' markets?

Another would be La Vita e Bella by the Stampede grounds - decent Italian food, not too pretentious either. The patio is quite casual and menu affordable.

I tell my home-grown Canadian hubby that char siu is not supposed to go on white bread, mayo, mustard and cheese. It's just simply wrong. But he insists on eating it this way - and i have to say, it's actually not bad. Just not what i'm used to growing up eating I guess.

We've had people give some pretty interesting facial expressions when my husband wears this shirt:

Bright green t-shirt, a hamburger with a bubble caption saying "moo" and a hotdog saying "oink".

We're not even vegetarians - we just like to see the reactions on people's faces.

Sam's on the right track - I still use the package I opened over 2 yrs ago, and it's still fine. I'll report back in about 10 yrs to see how it's going ...