Shots Stantinople's Profile
Bakeries in Calgary?
Really looking forward to these recommendations - as a former Montrealer myself, I found the same problem here - a lack of good bread. Yann Haute Patisseries is fantastic for a very specific loaf, croissants and macarons, but I've been craving a good variety of breads!
-----
Yann Haute Patisserie
329 23 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2S 0J3, CA
Yann Haute Patisserie in Mission, Calgary
Sorry about that - I thought that I had written a little something about the owners' backgrounds, implying that by 'macaroons' I would mean 'French macaroons.' My mistake!
To be honest, I've never had a noteworthy loaf from Rustic Sourdough. I can't say I've had a bad one, just never anything particularly great. It's been one of two things I long for now that I've set up in Calgary: a good loaf of bread and a good barber (preferably one who can give worldly advice over a $12 haircut).
Yann Haute Patisserie in Mission, Calgary
I'm not sure if this has been posted elsewhere yet, but they apparently opened about a week before Christmas after years of struggles with the City of Calgary.
I went there for the first time mid-week (it's a block away from my place) and am happy to say that I have gone back twice already. They aren't fully set up yet, with no tables or chairs for in-store eating (though I was told that will happen soon), and the selection of goodies is pretty small. I noticed a number of people walk in and immediately turn around when they saw the small selection/sparse decor. Off the top of my head, there were croissants, 8 or so varieties of macaroons (orange, lemon, black currant, jasmine, pistachio, chocolate, raspberry and one other), fresh, rustic bread (one style), wedding cakes, breakfast rolls (cinammon and chocolate if memory serves), and a few other items.
The macaroons were great, and the rustic sour dough bread is quite good (though I was hoping to find a few varieties of bread here, having not yet found a satisfactory loaf in Calgary). But the highlight for me is definitely their croissants. Early in the morn' they are fresh, perfectly textured and flavoured - far better than I have found elsewhere.
The owners were very nice and optimistic - I hope that the place finds an audience and time to grow.
I have a craving for good Roti
Joycee's is indeed a very good roti.
T&T Organettes Social Club looks very, very promising. Thanks for the tip!
How sad is it that I googled "AFAIK Calgary" hoping to find the address of a great roti restaurant? Internet slang...
Calgary Smoked Meat Review
As a Montrealer who spent a good amount of time in Calgary these past few months, I thought I should chime in about my lunch at Palace of Eats a few weeks back.
As there was a big sign outside advertising "Montreal Smoked Meat," I have to admit that I was immediately surprised at having an option for mustards. Though I'll side with regular mustard as being the best compliment to a good smoked meat sandwich, I guess I can't fault more options? Though it did seem a little sacrilegious! Similarly, I was surprised to be served a small portion of BBQ chips instead of a large portion of fries. I found that the artificially flavoured chips generally took away from the main attraction (the sandwich)...
Which sadly, just wasn't all that good. First off, I'll agree that the meat itself was moist, almost to the point of being mushy. It is a completely different (and truthfully, kind of unpleasant) texture and look than Montreal smoked meat that you'd find at the legendary locations. The flavouring was pretty far off too -- the meat itself was far from knee shakingly tasty, and the spices weren't up to snuff, compared to regular smoked meats, but especially compared to old-fashioned smoked meats! I suppose as a sandwich it wasn't awful, but compared to a great smoked meat sandwich, it just left a lot to be desired...and at a pretty inflated price!
I'm very much looking forward to trying some of the other suggestions in this thread, though!
Bar or Pub in Calgary???
The food at Balance was indeed very good! I recommend that everyone check it out soon, as I can't see it surviving for much more than a year, sadly...It seems to have a bit of an identity crisis -- it looks upscale enough, but alternates between top 40 and electronica a bit too loudly, as well as constantly shows sports highlights.
Ginger Beef (Calgary)
Hi fellow Chowhounds,
Mawson Plan's ginger beef-loving Montreal friend here (as fun as the safari is, eating it every day sure tests my love of it, hoo-boy!). Though I'll weigh in on the ginger beef issue very soon (I'd like to get a few more in me before comparing), I just wanted to say that the roti at Joycee's was indeed very good, if a little crumbly/dry -- the fantastic hot sauce did the trick, however!
Sorry if my first post is so off-topic, but I had to pipe in on the roti front: in Toronto, Gandhi Roti is an absolutely delicious East Indian take on it -- and if you dare order the 'hot,' you'll be rewarded with a really flavourful and satisfying heat! And, in Montreal, John Manzo is absolutely spot on with his Guyanese-recommendation: Jardin du Cari's chicken rotis (to be ordered WITH pumpkin!) are quite possibly my favourite home-town meal.
Anywho, I'm just very happy to have found a Calgary roti that is quite fantastic, if not precisely what I crave...
