sidepockets's Profile
bachelorette dinner
On my last trip to Ox & Angela I was disappointed to find the cocktail menu whittled down to less than 10 offerings - the server said that, based on customer demand, they decided to reduce the number of offerings to the most popular ones in order to speed up bar service. It is really too bad, as the first few times I had gone O&A's drink list was the highlight of my visit.
YYC FOODIE SCOOP - Pig and Duke, Best New Restaurant in Calgary! Don't miss this one.
Stopped by the Pig & Duke on Saturday for a couple of beers and some snacks. My buddy tried The Pig - a 12 oz patty that is flattened out to approximately a foot in diameter with a giant bun and loads of toppings - he didn't finish it in the allotted 20 mins but said it was one of the best tasting burgers he has had in a while and the side of fries were top-notch, as well.
The wings we had (called bacon dust - deep fried and then covered in bacon bits) were passable but nothing to write home about.
We were greatly disappointed in the nachos - they came out in a small (~8 inch diameter) cast iron skillet and were piled only about 4 inches high. The toppings were all fresh and they tasted delicious but we were expecting more for $17 (we added the steak on top - which was delicious). The waitress said they recently changed the size of the order and it was evident - this was more of an appetizer for one person; if two people share (which we did) you will definitely need to order another menu item to fill you up.
Late Night Eats in YYC
Model Milk is open until 1:00 AM every day
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Model Milk
308 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2G 1P3, CA
Charpop - Calgary
I managed to get a reservation but am a little concerned as the "secret" website that is supposed to list details on location, menu, etc. still just says "COMING SOON" and our reservation is only 4 days away!
New places in Cgy
Brewster's still does, will still, exist after Beer Revolution opens - Brewster's occupies the East side of the building, Bumpy's the NW corner and Beer Revolution will be taking the West side.
Brewster's just renovated and reopened their seating area so I can't see them leaving any time soon.
dinner YYC Sunday
Boccocino's Trattoria closed several years ago. In its place is an upper-scale Italian restaurant called La Vita e Bella. You have to navigate several narrow stairs to get into the restaurant so it is definitely not wheelchair-friendly.
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La Vita e Bella
401 12 Av SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1A5, CA
Looking for affordable regional food in Downtown Calgary
Actually, the Alley Burgers are sausage patties (80% pork/20% lamb) - not "beefy" at all - but delicious, nonetheless.
Calgary Groupons: Anyone use them?
I used one of our Groupons for District earlier this week. Saved me $10 for a place that we go to on a regular basis.
Panang Curry Paste (YYC)
Has anyone had the fortune of finding this paste anywhere in Calgary? I have seen an abundance of red and green pastes for the soupier Thai curries at my local Safeway, Co-op and Superstores but haven't been able to locate the Panang version and am looking to make this thicker curry without having to make the paste myself. Any help would be appreciated.
Best Burger in Calgary?
On the topic of blue cheese burgers, District's house burger with blue cheese, bacon and avocado is simply sublime. It is not as big as some of the monstrosities you will get around town but what it lacks in sheer volume, it definitely makes up for in the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
Chinese knife vendors - Calgary
http://www.knifewear.com/
For Japanese knifes, the quality of selection and knowledge of the staff at Knifewear in Inglewood cannot be surpassed.
Andouille Sausage
I have tried the Andouille from Spolumbo's and can report that it is simply a pork sausage with cumin and other chili spices - nothing like the real thing.
Coming Soon to Calgary: loungeburger?
After much anticipation, I made it down to loungeburger for their opening today. While not as good as the bison burger with creamed mushrooms and applewood cheddar on a pretzel bun that I had at their pre-opening tasting, today's sandwich was a product of my own creation and still one of the better I have tasted.
The decor feels very much like any Milestone's or Moxie's around. The service left a bit to be desired but was still efficient and we cut them some slack for it being opening day. Price points are around $12 - $20 for a burger & fries straight off the menu - a bit more if you try to create your own.
Highlights today's meal were the pretzel bun that I based my burger on, the creamed mushrooms on my cohort's burger, the curry ketchup and the yam fries. The Ahi Tuna burger left a lot to be desired (three slices of rare tuna on a slice of focaccia with sprouts and cucumber). They obtained their liquor license right as we were leaving.
Teatro Calgary - Experience with Private Functions?
I attended a co-worker's fortieth birthday party at Teatro that had the same menu you mention - the room had great ambiance and the staff provided amazing service and the food stations were ideal for a mix & mingle, drink-in-hand sort of evening.
I am not sure if that is what you are looking for in a "Christmas Luncheon" but it worked perfectly for the function I was at and the menu more than satisfied the revelers in attendance.
Giuseppe's Italian Market - YYC
Stopped by Giuseppe's for lunch today - the mushroom pizza was delicious - house-made tomato sauce covered by portabello, crimini, oyster and button mushrooms with arugula and mozzarella topping off a relatively (compared to Olives To Go - my normal lunchtime pizza spot) thick, yet deceptively light, chewy crust with a crispy bottom that had just the right amount of char on it. Definitely filling and worth the $10.
Service was brutally slow as it looks like they are still working out the kinks and the place was absolutely dead at 1:00 PM on a Tuesday but the pizza chef said I got there just after "the rush" ended..
Coming Soon to Calgary: loungeburger?
I received an e-mail response from one of the partners today and he said that the concept will be "a gourmet "build your own" burger restaurant/lounge" and will also have "appys, sliders, desserts and some select entrees".
They currently plan on opening in mid-September.
DeVille, Part 2
Stopped by DeVille's new location today on my way back from lunch and tried the nutella latte. The espresso component was amazing - I am stuck with Starbucks most of the time so this was an extremely delicious introduction to "good beans" - but the drink really lacked any sort of nutella-fuelled punch; it came across as just a creamy latte.
Green Chili NW Calgary now open
We tried the lunch buffet at the 17th Avenue location yesterday and were greatly impressed.
Despite only having three tables of patrons, the buffet was fully stock with a selection greater than most "downtown" Indian buffets. The shahi paneer was rich and creamy and cheesy and downright delicious. Similarly, the butter chicken was some of the best I have had in Calgary. The lamb curry had just enough spice to make me sweat but not enough to overpower the flavours of the dish. The pakora was packed firmly enough that it didn't fall apart when you bit into it yet still light and fluffy. And a sublime aloo gobi, as previously stated.
Unlike John, we got our piping hot naan at the beginning of the meal but unfortunately did not receive any refills of the basket. This probably had more to do with the lack of service than anything else. Despite the gorgeous room and delicious food, the service is horrendous, at best. The one server for the room (keep in mind there were only 3 tables of diners) failed to clear away our dishes or offer refills of water or naan - she was basically nonexistent. But still not enough to detract from the great meal.
At $15.99 for the lunch buffet, it costs the same as similar "downtown" Indian buffets but with much better food.
Coming Soon to Calgary: loungeburger?
As seen on the Macleod Trail side of the pedestrian level of OPUS's Stampede Station building at 1331 Macleod Trail SE (directly East of the Nuera development and in the same building as ATB): COMING SOON - loungeburger. NOW HIRING.
A quick Google search turned up nothing local and no franchise information for a chain.
Has anyone heard of this place?
Disappointment at the top of the Calgary Tower
Thanks for the primer on business - I had no idea!
Disappointment at the top of the Calgary Tower
$10 for soups and starter salads, $15 for the calamari we tried (breaded, deep fried) and other appetizers, $20 for pasta, $30 for most mains, $40 for steak, $10 for dessert.
The quality seems to be scaled back but the prices are not. You don't have to pay an elevation fee to get to the restaurant but it looks like they collect the fee through the meal prices.
Disappointment at the top of the Calgary Tower
Despite spending her entire life in Calgary, my girlfriend had never been up the Calgary Tower. Since we both loved Chef Chabot's work at Il Sogno, I figured a trip up the tower to sky360 would be ideal for her birthday dinner. Last year we celebrated the milestone by making our inaugural trip to Alloy and were hoping to add another spot to our stable of fine-dining establishments to frequent.
What we got when we arrived at the top was essentially an Earl's-level menu (not even remotely similar to the menu posted on the sky360.ca website) coupled with Montana's-level service (our server half-described the fish special as being "halibut" with no explanation of preparation or accompaniements, there was no drink menu and the server was not sure what types of cocktails the bartender was able to prepare and he was often MIA at precisely the time we wanted his attention).
The only remotely interesting items on the menu seemed to be the pasta dishes. The bolognese ordered by my girlfriend was passable but the hunk of dry focaccia tossed on the side looked like an afterthought. The "jus" on my mushroom and beef tagliatelle contained a large quantity of grainy mustard - an integral partof the dish but not even mentioned on the menu - as well as the forementioned Focaccia Afterthought..
Perhaps we had set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting an Il Sogno-type experience at an elevation of 600 feet. If Alain Chabot has indeed left Il Sogno for sky360, his presence is certainly not yet felt.
best soft drink ever
I wholeheartedly agree - nothing cut through the oppressive heat of a Queensland summer like a cold Lift straight out of the hostel fridge. I managed to bring back a case (12 cans) of it when I returned to Canada a few years ago. I rationed those 12 cans like they were sugar during World War I...
I found a company that ships Lift to both Canada and the USA but the cost is quite prohibitive:
http://www.aussieproducts.com/prodinfo.asp?number=DDSODA%20%20%20%20LIFT%201.25L
Wings in Calgary
The Regal Beagle closed up shop on Centre Street shortly after they opened up their south location (just of MacLeod Trail at 94 Avenue). The 14th Street location reamins open to this day.
O-O-O Oh It's Open
For what its worth, my GF and I dropped in to O on Saturday for dinner. The decor struck us as clean and modern, if not a a bit homogeneous with the Earl's & Cactus Club crowd.
The food was exemplary. We started with Calamari - lightly breaded and cooked to, as near as I could tell, perfection. We also tried the Lobster Nachos - 6 homemade tortilla chips topped with a dollop of marinated lobster, fresh mango salso, a serrano chili and some tarragon. I was skeptical at first but was won over by the combination of lobster and mango that was quickly replaced by the bite of the pepper - our favorite dish, hands-down.
We shared the Chop Steak Sandwich (burger) that was cooked to order (medium to well-done) and were pleased with the fact that you could readily taste the beef and it wasn't overpowered by the toppings (double-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, butter lettuce, tomato, onion & mayo). The accompanying fries were good but not memorable.
Our other main was the Prime Rib. Our server warned us that it wasn't traditional prime rib - it was pulled apart and basted in a smkoy BBQ sauce and served almost as "beef-on-bun without the bun". Although the meat was quite juicy and flavorful, we both felt that $20 should get you a bit more than a small bowl (3-inch diameter) of beef. The accompanying honey-baked beans were, again, good but not insiring while the medley of market fresh vegetables appreared to be an overcooked afterthought. I think the jalapeno cornbread was a nice touch but my GF quickly declared it her favorite item on the plate and I got little more than a taste.
Total for 2 appetizers and 2 mains (before tax) was $58.
Seeing as it was opening week, much of the blunders in service execution were forgiven - the bar was out of some of the required liquer for their drink menu, the cocktail I ordered (strawberry-rhubarb mojito - twice) was prepared quite differently by two different bartenders, the table beside us had to order different appetizers and half of their mains because the kitchen had run out (by 7:00 at night), waitstaff were tripping over each other and surprised when someone else took it upon themselves to refresh our drink or wisk away our credit card and the hostess couldn't explain why several tables were reserved when they have a stated "No Reservations" policy.
My GF summed it up best stating that O was "essentially Cactus Club with more creative food". I couldn't agree more and will be back to check if they have the kinks worked out of their service.
Vancouver Recommendations
My SO and I will be in Vancouver for a weekend in December and are looking for recommendations for cool tapas bar/lounges to check out in the evenings. We will be staying at The Sutton Place Hotel (Burrard & Robson) and anything within walking distance will receive extra consideration. That being said, I read a recent review of Chambar and figured that may just be the type of place we are looking for.
Daytime will probably be spent wandering around Robson Street, Granville Island, Yaletown and Gastown so if there are any "must try" spots for brunch or lunch I am all ears, as well.
Best Burger in Calgary?
And I almost forgot - Galaxie Diner makes some amazing burgers served up on old-fashioned white bread that you should try if you are in the mood for something a little more "homestyle".
Best Burger in Calgary?
Last summer a friend and I undertook the very same challenge you are talking about. Although we stopped well short of trying every burger in town, (we both ruled out several popular places due to our personal experience - i.e. Peter's, Tommy Burger Bar, Fatburger) we found some new favorites at Amsterdam Rhino (two votes for the GRUYERE MUSHROOM BURGER as the best burger in town) Wildwood Pub and surprisingly, Milestone's.
