We do fun things.

The situation is frequently the same in our house, but last weekends adventure was a little bit different!  We are normally at a loss for what to do when the babysitter arrives at our house, and I complain to M that I want to do something fun or go somewhere new.  This city is far too big to keep eating at the same crapola restaurants.  We comment on places we see driving randomly towards downtown and the other person usually retorts with a "nahh" or "been there" or "too fancy".   Mental notes are made for the locations we are passing by with a promise that we will get there one day.  This weekend was different though, the kid is going to sleepover at Gramma's house and we get to stay up late!   Well, I will try I suppose.  I'm nearing my third trimester and have a hard time being awake past 10pm.  But bags are packed, kid is dropped off and I buy a cute new sweater to wear on Date Night!

M has planned a fun evening of which I know nothing.  It's all a surprise and I especially love these kinds of dates.   I am a very indecisive person when it comes to what I want for dinner and it can be very annoying.  I know this about myself and I'm trying to work on it.  In this case though I didn't even have a say.  Dog got a walk, I got all did up and off we went!    Sometimes I'll have an idea of where the surprise is going to be, and sometimes I'm way off.  This was a way off time.

Moonlight & Eli, a champagne and fondue bar, opened quietly earlier this year on a main road in Bridgeland, and frankly you'll miss it if you drive past and blink.  Except that the whole building is painted bright pink so I'd be shocked if you passed it twice.   In what I can only assume is a turn of the century house a large glass window over looks the street and the narrow interior is flashy, cozy, bright and romantic.  We were the only table when we arrived and therefore had our choice of seats.  the front of the restaurant has a long bar, high top with gold chairs where you overlook the whole operation.  Cooking (I use that term loosely) the bar, the fridges are all in full view.   Normally I wouldn't mind sitting and watching it all go down, but I wanted a bit more schmoopy and this was too public.  The server pointed us to the back, a tiny dark corner that only seats about six people total.   Chandeliers reminiscent of an earlier time, artwork lined the walls and the music was hysterical.  Probably not what you were expecting to read, but it truly was.  Imagine the top pop charts today and from the last ten years, but slowed down, played by a jazz style cover band.   I caught myself singing along to a Bruno Mars song just out of habit, not realizing the tempo was melancholy and dramatic.   I mentioned it to the server and she explained that this is the most popular request, for the music to be changed to this station.  

On to the champagne and fondue!  The reason we are here!  I guess that's not entirely true since I can't even partake in the delicious champagne menu I get a plain old tap water and M orders a beer.  You can't possibly be surprised at that, right?  Had I been able to have champagne we would have shared a bottle no doubt, we can be classy you know.   But he's not about to venture down that road solo.   Our server explains the menu to us leaves us to ponder and we just take it all in.  It feels like we're on vacation- no kid, fancy new restaurant, no hurry to be anywhere.  Let's just talk for a bit.

The menu is fairly simple, and truthfully I don't remember all of it, but I can't even link it for you.  This place has a super limited online presence, maybe a bit of a detriment to a business nowadays, but also maybe to steer people away from the fact that it's pretty darn expensive.   There were choices like bread and cheese;  you could upgrade to the cheese with truffles; and of course a dessert option.  I was watching the budget as I tend to do and felt that some of the choices were just too much money, but that's me being cheap.  We ended up ordering the standard bread&cheese fondue for two, twenty five bucks a person, with a few add ons.   The plate we chose has pickled vegetables (that's a stretch though, it was cornichon and pickled onions), green apples, and we paid more for cherry tomatoes and meatballs.    We struggled in the beginning getting our flame the right spot, it went out, and then by the end the pot was so hot the bottom was starting to burn.  #rookies.

I think initially we feel like we didn't quite get our monies worth, at first glance anyway, but we realize after we've eaten it all that we could have asked for more bread.  That made up for a bit of the feeling I was having, but we also realized it was the perfect amount of food.   We still had another activity to get to and I didn't want to be gross full.   The meatballs I think were the tastiest part, however I didn't like them too much in the cheese.  It's not something I would normally put cheese on I guess, so I ate them on their own.  The green apples added an awesome fresh texture and lightened the heaviness of the cheese.   To both of our surprise we finished the food right as the cheese ran out! What's that saying my mom used to say?  "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach"; I'm very glad we didn't order the bigger size, or the dessert one, there's no way we would have had the room to finish it.   We did however save room for glitter truffle balls.   About the size of a quarter these locally made truffles are rich and creamy, and for someone like myself who doesn't really like chocolate, they're the perfect size. And they are covered in glitter, therefore so are we, fingers and lips.   We go for a walk and I'm quite sure in the dusk lighting I can see glitter on M's lips.  Breaking the silence of sitting on a bench watching the traffic is the phone ringing.  The dreaded phone call.  Baby girl is having a rough go at Grammas house and misses us (specifically daddy.  Jerk.)   We calm her down after a few minutes and pray that she lasts through the night.  Walking back to the car we pass by the restaurant again and I am certain we will be back, maybe for New Years?!  I think we should go there for dessert after getting the babies to bed.  At least I'll be able to try some champagne then!  

Long time no write!!

I have a reason, I swear. I have a 2.5 year old little girl. She wears me out. Did you know that as you get older you get more tired? And tired results in fast meals at home and your own bedtime becomes approximately forty-three minutes after they are asleep. When you have a toddler your favourite restaurants have crayons and plastic cups with lids. Sometimes, there’s a moose hat and people sing to you on your birthday. A lot of these restaurants rhyme with Doston Fizza. And other days you want to personally set fire to the building just so you never have to eat there again. The one down the street from us has actually been under renovation for the past two weeks, which has been a saving grace. We have gone to Tony Romas, which was pretty terrible, Brewster’s, which is my least favourite, and learned that Toad n Turtle now allows kids (this could become dangerous)!

However, these are all our local joints and I need a real meal out. Preferably with my spouse, but (as I write this), alone would do the trick. I’ve been waiting for Date Day for probably three weeks now. We knew we were on holidays for this week and when our camping trip got cancelled we decided to staycation. I’m not much of a fan of these types of holidays, but on short notice we had no choice. What we did have was a babysitter. Grandma to the rescue.

As Maddy wakes up from her nap I’m finishing getting ready and go to put on my dress. I get a sideways look from husband that was clear as day. You’re wearing that?? I said “YES! I love this dress. LOVE IT.” I parade downstairs to show my mom who always* has my back. I twirl around and ask her if she loves my dress. She answers with a resounding belly laugh that had her falling on the stairs in tears. She also hates it. I put on the red boots I plan on wearing with it, and the laughter comes even harder. I’m begging someone to give me the approval on my dress/boots combo. Around the corner Maddy comes over and says, “me like”. Oh thank god someone in this room agrees with me! I gather that if I leave the house in this “candy striper” “hospital dress” than my husband will leave me outside the Emergency ward doors and go have his own date. Someone suggests that the dress would look better if it was just with flip flops, and on cue Maddy goes and brings my flip flops to me. Damn it. This dress is a lost cause. I put on skinny jeans and a black shirt. And the red boots. I am not leaving this house without the boots on.
*I have now learned that my mom doesn’t always have my back. ;)

We had been debating all day over where we were going, and we settled on ‘random places we’ve never been on 17th ave’. We parked a block away and just started to walk. In my fabulous red boots. I’ve driven by One Night Stan’s a few times and was always intrigued. This is a perfect start. We walk down the 4 stairs into a small dark and loud bar, that only had 3 other tables. Immediately I get NYC vibes. One of the places we went to was an Anthony Bourdain recommendation called Criff Dogs and this was almost an identical vibe. Loving this already. The seating snakes around the main staircase so as you walk further more seating appears. My first stop is the ladies’ room, and I’m thrown right back into the hotdog joint. They have a folding closet door there and here it’s basically that but broken in two. If you are any larger than me physically, you’ll have a hard time getting in and out of the stall. I have no idea if the dudes’ room is similarly tiny. We seat ourselves in what I can only describe as Prince’s Purple Rain room. Chandeliers and purple vinyl, small tables and a cuddle your partner vibe. The music however is so loud we have to move. A table near the patio is much better and we find their selection of bar games, where Mike beats me 3-1 in Connect Four. This is not the first time he has beat me at that game, with that score. We move on to Uno, because I’m fairly certain I’m better at that than he is. As we play we order a few drinks and an appetizer of Bob’s Fried Biscuits. I was not at the helm of this so when they arrive I don’t even know what it is. I actually asked him “Are these cookies??” No, turns out, they are biscuits, in ball form, deep fried with cheese and then butter dipping sauce. And I really didn’t like them. Good, M says, more for me. I am okay with that, and I would try them again, I couldn’t get over that it looked like burnt balled cookie dough. We wrap up our drinks and Uno game (yes, I did win…to be fair, M didn’t know one of the rules, but that didn’t affect the outcome of the game). We spent the better half of the time there texting my brothers, reminiscing on the nights where we played Uno as a family.

Wandering down the street we analyze every location giving it thought and then finally settling on a place called Betty Lou’s Library. I have heard of it online and there’s no advertising or anything. It’s whole deal is that it’s a secret speakeasy and you have to figure out how to get inside. I was aware of which building it was in and suggested we go a certain way. After being wrong at the first door we find the stairwell and we are golden. This is now the second place tonight that is giving me NYC vibes. We went to a bar there called Bathtub Gin and you enter through a secret door in a takeout coffee shop. There’s a huge bouncer standing on the steps and he gives you a onceover and asks “Bathtub Gin?”. We graciously say yes and are hustled inside. Here there is no bouncer but instead we pick up the telephone and someone inside answers the call. She says she’ll be out and a few minutes later a bookcase opens to reveal a dimly lit, prohibition era lounge. There is nothing big about this location and we are surprised that we are the only people inside. At 6pm we imagined that there would be a small after work crowd. We are told as we sit that there is a Burlesque show at 730 pm and because we don’t have a reservation for that we have to gtfo before then. That was fine by us, so we sit (in a rather uncomfortable chair) and take in the scenery. It takes a solid 10 minutes to order/get our drinks, and they do preface that on the menu; these kinds of cocktails take a long time to make, don’t be impatient. We look at the menu which is all appy style bites and I know that I want more food than that. And certainly, for cheaper. This place is expensive. Capital E. Halfway through our drinks the server lets us know that if we want to stay for the show there happens to be room to accommodate us. We ponder and debate the cost of dropping a whole lot of money here and now, or coming back another night. We decide on another time and when we leave, there’s still only 1 other couple at the bar. Surprising to me.

Our next destination is the Blanco Cantina, a Mexican place across the street from Trolley 5 (the old Melrose). I am left here to get a drink and decide what to eat while M fetches the car so it’s closer to us. Hey, I said I was wearing the red boots, I never said that they are comfy and that I want to walk 2km in them. And as he’s gone I realize that I don’t want tacos and tequila. I can’t figure out what I do want instead, it’s just not that. I ask the server some questions about the tequila selection and chose one for Mike. He comes back and I apologize for making him go that far, but I don’t really want to stay here and I’d rather go back to One Night Stan’s.

We (ahem, I) hobbled back down the road to our beginning destination for some actual dinner. Pulling up to the bar we went through the specials with the bartender and asked him what the rules are for allowing kids. He gave me the most bizarre look and said “What kids?”. Whoops, I guess the family of 6 that was in here two hours ago wasn’t supposed to be? He talks to the other staff and determines he knows what happened, and that there may have been some confusion to the staff about what’s allowed. Turns out children are no good, but dogs on the patio are A-Okay. We order dinner, M had Cajun shrimp and wings, which although the flavor was great, he was annoyed that the shrimp were not peeled. Delicious anyway he said, the wings were kind of meh, but the seasoning on the shrimp was great. He’ll come back for those alone. I had a burger and fries (remember back at the beginning of this story where I said I wanted a real meal? Haha yeahhh…). The fries were fine, they had a bit of a different seasoning on them that I couldn’t identify, but the burger was great. The smash-style with a great thick crust but it was greasy and cheesy. Also delicious. By the end of the night we were in a rush to get home to relieve the sitter, and I sent M to get the car once again. As he was gone I finished up and walked back up to street level. I emerged from the staircase and nearly crashed into a homeless woman pulling two overflowing shopping carts. I apologized for getting in her way and she stopped me briefly, just to talk and she explained that she was pulling her uncles belongings as well, because he’d just gotten kicked out. I wished her luck as I crossed the street when she hollered out “Hey, I love your boots!”

Fucking glad some one does, she would probably have loved my dress too.

Killing Time in Forest Lawn.

If I say to you "transparent red plastic cups" and "buffet" does that take you back?  If I add on "uniquely shaped roof" and "catchy slogans" do you form the image of 1990's Pizza Hut?  Okay good, here we go!

I'm at the mercy of the Crystal Glass location in good ol' Forest Lawn, they're fixing a massive rock chip in my windshield, and I have to kill somewhere between one to three hours.  Nearby is BK, McDonalds, Tim's and Arby's.  None of which are conducive to hanging out for hours and none serve beer.  Husband joked yesterday about Pizza Hut and getting the lunch buffet and drinking Pepsi in the red cups.  Well I'm fine with that, except for the Pepsi part of course.  And after dropping off my car I cross the street and fire a quick text to the husband.  "This is such a trip, and we forgot that they serve beer".

I am instantly thrown back in time, something probably close to twenty years. I would assume that almost everyone has a childhood memory of eating at Pizza Hut, and I can't imagine the memories are that different from each other.  Frequently we met here for team dinners, cheerleading, hockey or baseball.  It's a genius place to shove 20 kids and 20 parents and let someone else do all the work.  And for my family it was a treat, a big meal every now and then (I actually think I can hear my moms voice saying how expensive this place is), and to be fair it's not cheap pizza.  For us it was a big deal because all five of us would go.  During the week it was a crap shoot if we'd get to eat together because as growing kids we all had evening sports/activities.   But this was the shit.  We wouldn't miss this.   The loud, fast paced kitchen when you walked in, seeing the delivery drivers getting packed up and sometimes seeing a cook toss a dough in the air.    The big salad bar in the middle, and the little tiny station where they had the dessert pizzas.  This was the only thing I looked forward to.  Still is to this day; even as I'm writing I'm thinking about that sweet cinnamon and apple, drizzled in icing.. mm.

The tables are the same, if I recall correctly, dark wood, big high back booths with red cushioning.  Big enough to fit your family and the towering pizza stand that is so highly anticipated.  I remember my brothers glee when the server would drop it off, and the immediate demands of mom and dad.  DON'T TOUCH.  I also recall at least one brother touching it.   Probably, they both did.

Although it's different nowadays (there is only one dine-in location left in the city I believe), it's still the same.  The clientele here are frequent users, regulars who are known by name to the one lone server.   I walk in and see the office-printed "please wait here sign" tape oddly high up on the wall and as I take off my sunglasses a voice from clear across the restaurant yells out "Hi dear, just for one today?"  Sheepishly, which I'm not ever, I say back "yes, take your time".  This woman is run ragged.  The place isn't full at the moment, but it has the look that it was just busy, and she's trying to catch up.  I let her finish with all the things she's trying to get done,  we all know my love for the industry, and the patience I have for it, and I go to the washroom first.

The brown tiled floor and tiny hallways predate Accessible Friendly laws and the bathroom needs a reno real bad.  That being said, the sink has recently been replaced and it's pimp!   Stands out like a sore thumb in the rest of this 1988 decor though.  I've spoken to Angela, my server, and told her that I'm killing time and I don't want to be a burden.  She kindy seats me at a booth and has a giggle to herself when I order a bottle of beer.  She's been hollering out Pepsi and Iced Tea refills since about 11am so I'm a refreshing change.   She explains the buffet to me, and let's me know it'll be taken down at 1:30pm.  I've got plenty of time so I sit back and people watch for a solid fifteen minutes.

There is a very large table in the back corner and about half the booths are full.  It's a very blue collar area of town, and that is evident during lunch here.  It's a great deal I suppose, all you can eat, 7 bucks, and probably 3 for a pop.  Ten bucks and you're as full as you want to be.  Construction workers at almost every table, some tables are moms with arguably more children than they can handle.   Angela is on it.  She's getting everyones drinks and she's in contact with the kitchen on what's run out and what's coming out next.  She goes out of her way to get some kids a cheese pizza, and someone else is upset that the pasta salad is gone.  It's getting close to cut off time and instead of saying no, she goes back and makes an individual portion of salad for him.  I overhear her tell someone that she's worked here for seven years and hasn't eaten a pizza in the last three years.  I don't blame her.   We have pizza every few weeks, but the 'Hut is a treat.  It's still the exact same recipe as I remember, pan pizza - thick bottom crust, almost overdone edges with crunchy bits of cheese and so greasy.  My keyboard is a bit shiny, much to my husbands chagrin 😉.

An hour later and it's almost empty.  I can't imagine that there will be another rush before dinner time so I'll take my time finishing my beer and waiting for the phone call to go rescue my ride.  I'll probably go over to the GT Boutique and do some shopping.  I hear Angela talking about a table of ladies who left her a $1.15 tip on a fifty-two dollar bill.  She snorts "it's not like they couldn't afford it, she had a wallet full of fifties."  Poor lady, running her ass off to her your fat ass eleven Diet Pepsi refills.  God I hate shitty tippers.  I ask Angela for my bill and I leave her a generous tip.   She thanks me sincerely and I tell her it's no problem.  She says she hopes to see me again soon and I say you will!  In the not too distant future we will come back here, with the child, to start our own memories.  I don't imagine it'll be around until she's old enough to remember so I'd like to get in just one or two visits, red cups and dessert pizza for all of us. 💕

Treating myself!

Hello stranger!

Oh, wait, that's me, I'm the stranger.  I've been MIA since August of last year according to Blogger and I know why.   It's because my new favourite restaurant is just down the street from us and I've no need to review it.   You've been there, you've seen it, you've ordered it... Boston Pizza.  Where kids rum amok and parents drown themselves in shitty wine and cold beer.   While I'm on the topic I'll just get this off my chest.   I hate this restaurant.  The food is mediocre at best, and that's being generous.  The servers are mostly air-heads (sorry to industry staff that I know used to work there :) ) and it's almost always packed so the wait from the kitchen can be long.   That being said I'm fairly confident most food is microwaved (I'm only being slightly facetious) so when they are ready to bring out your food its steaming hot, but your fries are limp dick.  For us it has a few redeeming qualities: it's close to home, the kids meals are cheap (and being a Kids club member in the summer means they're free) and there is always a beer special.    Now, enough about BP's, on to grown up food!


Just running some quick numbers here, I've lived in Calgary for 14 years; there's about 5000 restaurants according to google.  I've been to 3492 of them give or take.   Odds are that I've been to almost every pub in town (or so it seems) but I've never been to Tipperary's.    It surprises me even, because when I first moved here I only lived a few blocks east which would have been totally walkable on a nice summer night. But alas, here I am on a random Tuesday over a decade later.  I left an allergist appointment down the street and after getting poked and pricked 48 times, and blowing up like a balloon, I decided I was going to treat myself.

Tipperary's is a Calgary icon, a massive building on 16th Ave NW, across from North Hill Mall and probably the only bar in town with its own private, 'underground' parking.  I use that term loosely as the parking is probably only half underground, but it still warrants a low clearance and a sketchy run to the doorway.   Even closing the door and going up the 6 stairs to ground level gave me that "run-so-fast-up-the-basement-stairs-cuz-theres-a-bad-guy-chasing-you" feeling.  I was relieved to see that the ground level opens to a large, sunny interior.   Dark wood and massive booths line the front wall and the pub goes back as far as the eye can see.   On this Tuesday at lunch I did expect it to be a bit busier, as I was only the 3rd table at 1145am, but I was quite okay with relative silence.   The feeling of the neighbourhood pub is not lost, even taking into account its size.   There are a few sections that are closed at this time of day, understandably, so my server is quick to make it over to me.  After going through the specials, domestic bottles and a sweet 'n sour pork over rice, she takes my drink order.   The usual Keith's for myself, and it arrives quickly.  The "Everyday Lunch Special" is the 13 dollar steak sandwich.  How perfect.  Medium Rare with a side of mayo please!  I skipped the gravy, but in hindsight I should have gotten it.  The ketchup and mayo combo I was going for just wasn't doing it for me.   The thick onion ring on top was cooked perfectly, and I ate the whole thing!  That's a big deal for me, the one who calls onions a "yucky" at 36 years of age.   Although if you deep fry things, they usually taste better.  The exception I believe is the deep fried butter from the Stampede, that was just wrong.  And pickles.  No need to eat a hot pickle, they're bad enough cold, and heating them makes them soggy... ohhh.   I know people are gonna be mad at that one!  LOL.  I know a handful of people who love them some deep fried pickles.

My lunch comes out and looks delicious!  I knew I was going to love this place :).

As my food arrives I'm on the phone with someone I know who has gotten herself lost in an alley nearby and I give her step by step directions to unfuck her confusion as I snack on hot, crispy french fries.  *😉 love you*.  The dip that accompanies the dish looks like a chipotle mayo type so I assume it's for the fries and chow down, only to learn at the end of the meal that it actually is supposed to be a sauce for the steak.  I asked my server what was in it, if she knew, and she didn't.  Just said "it's something they created in the back for the steaks and the steak appetizer."   Well.... What?Why?No.  It didn't need any kind of sauce, including the HP that was dropped off.  The steak itself was excellently seasoned, and although it was under done (much closer to a rare...so much so that at one point I cut through the middle and it had the look of a seared tuna, if you understand that image) it still was very good.  I'm almost always okay with eating a steak under done than over, so all is forgiven.    Even more so when I learn that kids are allowed until 8pm, every day of the week.    I literally stumbled upon this coming out of the ladies room where tucked in one lone corner is a single highchair and booster seat.    Not wanting to assume, because there have been times where I've needed to be strapped into a highchair in a pub, I confirmed with staff that the munchkins are definitely allowed.   I immediately text M and say "we must come here; kids allowed".  He says okay to me and I start planning the next dinner out we have.  And, I say a little prayer for finding Tipperary's.   The menu and drinks are just right, the layout is toddler friendly for the 'roaming style' kid who won't sit the fuck down and the location is pretty central.  That's it, we're moving to the NW!

It's just like old times!

Hello again!!  I didn't leave you, I've just been busy.  Raising a baby is rather time consuming and frankly we don't go anywhere cool anymore.  So if any of you need a review on your local Boston Pizza or Montana's let me know, I'm your girl.   But for now we are gonna kick it old school.  Like, before baby was here.  Let's pretend it's a Saturday in 2014 and we are childless. 

For the most part we end up trying new places because M sees them while he's out and about.  Working downtown provides lots of opportunity to see new restaurants open (and a few shut down) and if he doesn't go there for after work drinks he'll save them to take me to on the weekend.  This one he'd been talking about for a week or so telling me to get Grandma to watch the baby, we've got a hot date.  From 4-7 pm.   I try not to ask too many questions, I really do enjoy being surprised by the destination.   He tells me that I should dress nice.  Um, hello?  I'm a mom.   My nice outfits consist of jeans I used to wear before I was pregnant (yay for losing baby weight!) and stretched out tank tops.   You are fucking lucky if said clothing is clean.  That means I should blow dry my hair!  And wear my contacts!   Oh my god - I feel fancy!! 

He did give me a few hints, bless his heart, and advised me that the menu at this place changes so often they don't even post it online.  It's comparable to Cannibale in Bridgeland.  So I know to expect hipster vibes and overpriced cocktails :)   

I was bang on.  Pr%f (pronounced 'proof') is right downtown, where the skinny jeans and man buns run rampant.   We arrived just after 4 (they only open at 4 everyday...must be hard to get up earlier than 2pm for some folk)  and the door was still locked.  Oh shit.   Ah... the beard to the rescue.  I joked to him that we are super eager and he points us to the bar.  The bar that faces a wall of liquor.   I mean a wall.   We settle into the bar and take a peek at the menu.  Oh, happy hour!  Good deal.  I have a "she's a peach"  basically rum, peach something, and lime juice.  And ice.  Me and the ice have an issue.   Mainly because the glass is overflowing full but clever of them because the straw they serve you has a....flat round thing? at the bottom so you can stir and sip your drink without ice going up the straw.  The straw is also metal.  That is a super strange sensation when you clench it between your teeth, because you're expecting it to flatten.  The drink though was pretty tasty, a bit sour for my taste, but I drank it.   In the time it took me to finish mine M had finished an old fashioned, which he really enjoyed.  His first sip was the kind that makes him sit back and go "ohhh, that's really good".   He's not the most outspoken man I know so a full on, out loud, comment like that means its good. 

For his next trick, his drink was smoking.  Literally.  The El Santo started with Beard Man lighting a chunk of wood on fire.  He held it over a blow torch for a few minutes and then set it on a side plate and used the glass to cover it.   The smoke billowed, trapped inside while he made the rest.  It was tequila, and creme de cacao, and other things.  When he served it, he tiled the glass away from M so he could get the scent of the smoke as he poured the drink into the glass.    I couldn't get over the fact that it smelled like campfire, a point that didn't bother M at all.  I kept asking, doesn't it taste like fire?  And no was his answer.   I even asked about the cacao, does it make it taste chocolaty?   No again.   He described it as sweet, and smoky.  A very unique drink, we've never seen anything like this before.  I was a bit irritated at reading the drink descriptions yet still not understanding what was in it, because they use such obscure ingredients and mixes.  I gave up and asked him to make me something.   I said fruity is fine, really sweet.  I ended up with a yellow drink (might have been a boozy lemonade?) and in front of me he poured an ounce of creme de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur over the top.   It was sweeter than the peach drink but still not quite there.  Didn't matter for the most part because halfway through I put lotion on my hands.  Then I picked up a glass covered in condensation.   That makes the glass slip right out of my hand and tip over spilling half of it.  Conveniently,  I dumped it right into the bar mat over top of the sink.  Good job Tam.  

By this point I'm a bit over the fancy cocktails and would like a pint of beer.   I get one last drink, I've asked the barkeep to think of something.  This guy is new and much more personable.  He chats with us and makes me a cucumber thing with a solid block of ice and a plastic straw.  Oh thank god.  It's sweet, and goes down fast.   I like it.  

While all of this drinking was going down we were looking at the food menu.  I use that term liberally because the only menu is actually a "bar snacks" list consisting of things like Pickled Eggs, Steam Buns and Oysters.    I was super disappointed in the food choices, but I knew that going in I wasn't likely to eat much, if anything.   I agreed to try the steam buns and he had two pickled eggs.   It is pork belly on a steam bun with cilantro, shrimp mayo, peanuts and kimchi.   My only real problem with this was the kimchi.  That's a Korean preparation of cabbage, pickled and spiced.  I've always thought it was more spicy than pickled, but this was the opposite actually.  Still, glad I pushed it off to the side.  M ate it and confirmed that I would have hated it.  But he did say he was proud of me for eating half of this steam bun.  I even confessed that it was tasty, and I'd eat 15 of them, if it was only meat and shrimp mayo on bun.   Leave off the kimchi, the cucumber(? strange julienne'd green veg with no flavour) and cilantro and it would be great.    I was surprised by the pickled egg, to be honest.  I expected a much more pickled taste.  Maybe this one hasn't set long enough?   It truly was a hard boiled egg, with a hint of pickling and splash of paprika.   Glad they weren't expensive I guess? 

By the time we are finished our third round, we were running out of time.  I was in desperate need of food that I enjoy and a pint of beer that doesn't take 8 minutes to create.  We still needed to drive up north to fetch the kidlet (even though Grandma probably wasn't done playing with her).  We had just enough time to go kiddy-corner to the neighbourhood pub.  A pint of Keiths and a beef dip was the perfect ending to our date afternoon.  We've been to this pub before, and they win my "'we'll be back" award.  One of the best beef dips in the city.   Oh, so good.   

As for Pr%f, we'll likely come back.  If not me, then definitely M, for the after work drinks with the hipsters in his office.  

One last hurrah.

I'm going to miss this.   The dull chatter of other guests; the dim music in the background; the crashing of pots and pans from the kitchen.  Servers yelling “Kitchen, may I?” The clink of cutlery on the dining room tables.     I could be describing any day at work, but I've been off on Maternity Leave for three weeks now and I've gotten used to being at home all day so it’s not work I’m going to miss.  I can cook a damn tasty breakfast but my own kitchen just doesn't have the same atmosphere.

What I'm actually describing is a busy breakfast spot, not the one I work at, but one in my neighborhood.  And what I'm going to miss is the being alone.  I am very excited to start this next chapter and cannot wait to meet Baby H.  But the days of me lounging around writing my blog and eating breakfast are just about up.  I have a week left before I'm due and I'm feeling a little morose.  I don't want this entry to be a bummer, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that it's not only me anymore.     I am going to try to find time to write about being a first-time mom (FTM for you folks that don't 'internet' all day) because I think that will be cathartic for me and humorous for you.  There are so many times lately that M and I say to each other "the last time before the baby comes"  or  "we aren't going to get to do this once baby is here" and so we've filled the last two weeks or so with activities or date nights.  Simple things even like going to the movies, or a drive out to Cochrane for ice cream.  But my favourite has been Valentine's Day.  One last date night before the baby... one last splurge before we hunker down... one last hurrah.

Alloy is... interesting to say the least.  But it currently reigns as my favourite restaurant in the city for so many reasons.   I was first introduced to it about three years ago from an old job.  Boss man had taken us there for a work lunch one day and we didn't have a great experience.  I had mentioned that I'd been there to a friend of mine who happened to know two employees.  She told them about my experience and I was offered a dinner on the house (that's the very short version of the story).   We went back for our dinner a few weeks after that and I had the second best meal of my life.  The short rib entree was to die for.  I'm not going to go into detail other than that because this visit was about Valentine's Day.  I had put my foot down earlier in January and said that I wanted to go out for Valentine's this year.   It's unlikely we'll get to go out next year and the past five years or so I've been working (yay restaurant industry!).  So we're going out!

We had been keeping on top of the website as they only do a fixed menu for this day of the year and they post it online ahead of time.  I had my fingers crossed that I'd eat everything on it and M had his fingers crossed that it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.   Well, I lucked out, M not so much! Haha.  I said it's my favourite, I never said it’s the cheapest.

When you Google the address you usually assume it's wrong.  They are located northeast of Chinook Mall, but way back in the industrial area.  You could literally drive past it two or three times before you see it.  A tiny sign out front and the building is nondescript and fades into the treed background.  They've done a nice job redecorating the inside, because it was originally built to be an accounting firm, or something white collar, in the 80's.  You know that glass block wall?   Yup, it's got those.  A lot of round, white leather booths, which lend a little to the 80's flair, but this is the kind of restaurant that updated its look just enough that you don't care.  (The patio ranks in the top spots in yearly Calgary reviews, we haven’t tried it yet though).   You're here for the food.   The chef is Colombian we learned and it reflects in his dishes.   This menu shows his roots, his vision and his flare.   It started with an amuse bouche of tuna tarter with chimichurri and marinated tomato and fell right into dinner:

First 

textures of carrots | maple & dijon roasted heirloom carrots . carrot foam. carrot chips . carrot sorbet 

Second 

lobster duo | butter poached lobster . potato salad . orange fennel & lemon dressing . lobster crêpe noir . brie cream 

Third 

risotto | truffle & cauliflower . basil oil . grana padano . micro basil 

Fourth 

sous vide bison striploin | celeriac purée . brussels sprout . blackberry demi glace 

Dessert 

flourless dark chocolate cake | nutella gelato . pistachio meringue . vanilla anglaise . white chocolate flakes

And I ate every single drop. I promised M that I would eat everything I was served, no bitching, no picking anything out.  I may have picked out like, 3 slices of onion out of the risotto.  That's it.   I am proud of me :).

The amuse bouche was delicious, the tuna prepared perfectly, and the chimichurri gave it some heat, but nothing I couldn't handle.   Ha, this is me we're talking about...it was totally spicy.  But I ate it anyway, and took one small step towards tolerating spice.

The first course, trio of carrots was insane!  The carrot chips were my favourite part, crispy and with a black sesame garnish, and M raved about the carrot sorbet.  Raved!  He still talks about it.   For me, I was less impressed.  Sure you don't usually see carrots in a cold sweet ice cream style, but all I could taste was baby food.   I didn't have the heart to tell him that when we were eating, but yup that's what jarred carrots taste like - you'll experience it soon enough dear ;).

Second course of butter poached lobster was my second favourite dish of the night.  The lobster crepe noir would throw some people off I think, but I knew that it was dyed with cuttlefish ink, which gives colour but no flavour.  It was a striking contrast on the plate, but the inside actually resembled more of a crab cake than a lobster stuffing.  No matter - I still ate all of it.  The potato salad was the best part of this dish for me, it was deconstructed, let’s say, and I could have eaten an entire plate of it.  M didn't like the lobster as much, he felt for ‘butter poached’ it should have been softer and more…uhh…buttery.  I couldn't really say that he was right, or wrong, I'm not sure I’ve ever had a butter poached lobster to compare it to.  So I say it was just fine.

Truffle and cauliflower risotto was next to arrive and I was most excited about this dish.  The first few bites stood out for me.  The buttery texture, the crispy cauliflower- everything was delicious.  But oddly, after five or six bites, I was over it.  I have to admit a few things at this point.   I don't really love risotto, or rice for that matter, so why was I most looking forward to this one?   I also don't like truffles.   And this was a bigger portion than the first two dishes.  In my 37th week of pregnancy, I didn't trust that my stomach would be able to handle this whole bowl plus the next two courses.  I had to call it quits.    And I'm soooo glad I did.

The Bison.  The bison, bison, bison.  If I didn't already have a favourite dish here (the short ribs, remember?) then this would be it.   There wasn't a drop left on my plate when I was finished.  Nor on M's plate either and oddly enough, we loved different things.  I really thought that he would love the bison the best, but he was into the celeriac puree.  This creamy, root vegetable, similar to a turnip, was pureed so fine it was almost a sauce.   He'd have eaten a whole bowl of it had you offered it to him.   I loved it too, a great change of scenery from the usual starch.  But my bison was incredible.  It was cooked perfectly, sous vide - which is very had to screw up - and had minimal seasoning.  I mention that because it’s key.  The meat is so tender and flavourful on its own that a sprinkle of s&p is all it needs.   If you put steak spice on this you should just go jump off a bridge.    The brussels sprouts are crispy and golden.   The blackberry sauce is not overpowering and works well with the protein.  Wow.  I am a happy camper.

Seriously, there’s one more course still?   I'm working at a decreased capacity here people - I don't know if I can do it!?

Of course I did it.  It was painful walking to the car after, but I was not leaving this amazing dinner without eating dessert.    I'm not much of a chocolate fan to be honest, but I gave this my best effort.  We sort of joked about why the cake was flourless, but thinking of the rest of the menu there wasn't any other (obvious) gluten in the dishes.  So maybe the chef did a GF cake so that everyone could eat it?   Or was he just trying to be trendy?  Either way, it was good.  It was more dense and moist than a flour cake.  The Nutella gelato was just fine, tasted like chocolate to me, but we both favoured the pistachio meringue.  The crunchy sweet bits were a great reaction to the softness of the rest of the components. 

Whew.  I did it.  I waddled out of there at a very slow speed, but with a smile on my face.  I know it's not the last fancy dinner we'll have together but it was still symbolic to me.  It's the end of an era, the beginning of a new course in life.  I am grateful for my husband and everything he does for me and our growing family.   I am thankful that he gave in to my demands for one last hurrah.  Maybe next year I'll let him pick the restaurant.  Maybe not though, not when Alloy is still around ;).    

We are now taking applications for who wants to babysit next year?!

I miss your face.

The countdown is on.  Seven weeks until baby's due date and I'm starting to feel the pinch.   Literally.   This baby is resting on my bladder in such away that I'm putting the Charmin kids through college.  I just looked back at my last entry and it was when I was 22 weeks along.  This Sunday coming marks my 33rd week and time is flying by!!    Christmas in our house was a very different experience this year too.  Where we normally would be drinking Chupacabra's on the Las Vegas strip we instead were at home, hunkered down in the snow having family over.   It was a nice time, and we are excited for what next Christmas is going to bring, having an eight month old!

But after Christmas and New Years passed, we settled back down into our routine.  And that means M works during the day and I work nights.  My days are usually spent watching TV, pissing around the house, starting my 'nesting' phase and waiting for 5 pm to go to work.   I talk to M all day long on Skype but 5 out of 7 days we don't see each other.  He's in bed by the time I get home, and even though he should be sleeping, he's not.  Then he bitches about how tired he is at 6am.    Muffin...tell me all about being tired.  I dare you. ;P

So, now that the baby is approaching its exodus I'm reducing my work hours.  My days off aren't Saturday and Sunday every week, but at least I have an extra night off during the week that I can see M.   We were feeling rather absent from each other and we needed to rekindle our Thursday night Date Nights.    A new pub he saw on the way home the other day and a message that simply said "I miss your face" was all I needed to hear.   I put on my stretchiest pair of maternity pants, a low cut top and off we went.   Because damn right I'm gonna take advantage of these new mammaries.

Browns Social House opened back in the summer, on Elbow Drive and 51st Ave SW.  It's a bit off the main roads and the parking situation is absolutely terrible.  But if you can get over that, good.  Walking in, your first impression is that it's a bit small.  Swanky too, very dimly lit and that old school Edison type lighting, but small.  Nine booths, probably the same amount of high top tables and a smaller section of low rise tables.  The space just doesn't feel very large.  But for a Thursday night at dinner time, the restaurant never filled, so maybe it doesn't need to have any extra seating.  It is going for a classy pub/Asian vibe which was pretty intriguing to us.  I am more the poutine and a burger girl whereas M was much more into the Asian influence and enjoyed the fact that he could chose something I normally wouldn't go for.     There's a handful of dishes like Shrimp & Chicken Pad Thai, or #28 Dragon Bowl.  There's a lot of nope in that for me, so I'm happy that he gets to eat something ethnic while I get what I want.  Best of both worlds :).


We were in no rush at all so we lingered over our drinks for a long time before even ordering an appetizer.   Poor server probably got tired of asking us if we were ready yet.    We got caught up on our lives, the baby, work and family stuff.  I nursed my Coke (Yes!  They get bonus points for serving Coke) and he enjoyed a Social Ice (a house brand lager and Bellini slush) or two while we people watched.   When I finally decided on some food I went straight for the poutine.  Hey, I didn't really need to compromise with him, he had his own to choose from.  His final decision on a Dynamite Roll proved to be just okay.   The rice was overdone, so it made the roll almost too sticky.   The tempura was well cooked, but it could have used more wasabi.   I don't think he'd order it again but it tied him over until we ordered our entrees.   My poutine on the other hand was delicious.    They call their gravy "Alaska Highway Gravy" and there's a rather large part of me that doesn't want to google that term.  It just doesn't give off a...safe?...clean?...appetizing vibe.   The fries are HCDC.   I mean, come'on, you all know that term.   I've been saying it for years!    Uhhhh.  Okay, you're right.  What the hell does that mean?  It took us a few minutes to find it on the menu but it means Hand Cut Double Cooked.   Duh.   Fries were done perfectly, the gravy was piping hot, my only tiny complaint was that the cheese curds hadn't melted.   Now, some poutine perfectionists will say they should stay as curds, but i like when they are half melty-half curdy.

Dinner was quite a while later, as we had filled up on our appetizer round, and I struggled with my choice.  I had it narrowed down to a few choices and it was a game time decision.  I went for the steak sandwich in the end, but not after a serious amount of debate.   Normally I'd never fret over this meal but it was a 5 oz cut, so quite tiny, and it was 25 dollars!   Holy Shit!   That's the most expensive sandwich I've ever had.   To be totally fair, I would have been okay with the price, if it was an 8 oz cut of meat, or if it had truffles on it.  But seriously?   Twenty five dollars can get you a whole steak dinner in a lot of restaurants.    Risky gamble this was.   And it kind of paid off.  It was a good cut of meat, very little marbling, and no fat cap or gristly pieces.  But, it was over done... closer even to medium well than the medium rare I'd ordered.   The one onion ring was good, the fries (HCDC don't you remember?) are still good (and yes, I was thisclose to ordering them done up as poutine, but I thought that might be overkill) but the slaw on the side was confusing.   I could visually identify green onions, parsley, maybe some cilantro and white.  That's all, white.   I'm sure it was the cabbage, but there wasn't a hint of colour on it and it had no flavour.    When I ate a bite of it, I tasted grass.    Now, maybe that floats your boat, it doesn't float mine.   They really could do with leaving that off the dish and giving up an extra onion ring or two.   And because I didn't eat my slaw-garnish, I should have had my fries as poutine.  Hindsight :/   But I was saving room for dessert!

M surprised me a bit here at our main course and he chose the chicken meatball spaghetti.  And I'm only surprised because he finally could have had something I consider "weird" and then he went all normal.   No matter the spaghetti was really good.   Noodles were cooked well, the sauce had a faint spice to it so it wasn't bland, and garlic toast points.  So far so good.  The meatballs were a tad bit disappointing.  If you've ever made a chicken meatball you'll know they are tricky.  The protein is so lean that when its cooked it dries out, and here was no exception.   There needed to be another wet, binding ingredient.  I really can't even pinpoint what that should have been, but they were dry.   The sauce from the noodles helped, but chicken just isn't the best route to go with spaghetti.  Now, that dish was on the specials menu, so it's unlikely that we'll see it again, but overall we both had good main courses.  Not great, but enough that we're full and content.

I'd been holding out for dessert for like 2 hours at this point and finally I get to order it!   Sticky Toffee Pudding is my go-to dessert.  I don't even really like dessert, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.  Except for STP.   The trouble with this is that my be-all end-all, none will ever taste better than this one, is the one made at the Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill in Las Vegas.    Because we aren't loaded, I only get that one twice a year.  So any of them here are just fillers.   And this one put up a good fight.  Fresh out of the oven (microwave, whichever) and topped with vanilla ice cream and crushed up toffee bits it did a solid job.  It was definitely lacking in a sauce though.   There was a small layer of whipped cream in between the pudding and ice cream that wasn't necessary.  Take that out and do a drizzle of a sweet glaze or sauce and it would have been even better.   Unfortunately the dish is only on that same specials' menu so I'm not sure if it's there permanently, or just right now.

I should have had a poutine as an appetizer, a poutine and a STP as main course, then a STP as dessert.  And I will not tell if that's a pregnancy craving or just me being a bit of a fatty.   You make your own assumption.

We'll be back for sure, it was a lovely date night, and a lovely restaurant.  I hope we can get a few more of these in before baby gets here!

Hello again!! It's been a long time since I've written a post and with good reason. My last post was back on May 31st and since then we've had a bit of a change in our lives. That was the day my mom came to stay with us while she got her Alberta roots set up. June was a CRAZY month! Having my mom here cooking us dinner was great. Home-cooked meals almost every night, good company, lots of laughs. At one point M even commented on how we'd stayed home more with Mom here than we had in weeks! Because she was here and we were well fed we even saved money by not being at the pub 4 nights a week! Unbeknownst to us the staying home phase would actually prepare us for the next big change.

On June 31st we found out that we are expecting! No more beer for me :( That's not to say that we didn't go out to eat, because we still do, but my morning sickness took over at dinner time from weeks six through twelve. I was not in any mood to go out for food so home we stayed. A lot. Poor guy, I think M missed our pub nights. Now that I'm further along, 22 weeks (almost 6 months) I'm way past the sickness stage and I'm good for food most any time. Which leads me to our latest date night dinner...

 17th avenue is filled with restaurants. Literally on every corner, in every strip mall, some right out in the open, some tucked away a bit. This Monday evening was a surprise for me as it was M's turn to do date night. As we are walking down 17th ave on a warm October evening we approach a Mexican restaurant and I'm sold. Yup, I could eat tacos. But M steers me away from Mexican to offer me a bit of a fancier meal! 80th & Ivy has been on 17th ave longer than I expected honestly, its towards the west end where its not quite as busy. Its facade is sort of covered by its street facing patio, but its almost hidden by its very large heaters and the Mexican patio almost hides the entrance.

 In we go and it's very different than I imagined. the foyer opens right into a large lounge, high top tables and TV's all around. Not busy at all, clearly Monday is not the money shift. Seems a little strange to me, being on 17th ave and all, but it's okay, I wasn't in the mood for a loud raucous crowd. Up the stairs to the back dining room and its a very different vibe. Low tables, and only 12 of them at that, so a much more relaxed vibe. Its got a great viewing area from the whole dining room of its open concept kitchen. As a restaurant manager (oh yeah, and in the past six months I've left one job and added more hours in the restaurant as a manger) I see the pros and the cons to open kitchen. Pro in this case, as a bit of a foodie I'm always watching the chefs and seeing their systems. Con, I watched the head chef pull out his phone and start texting away, while on line. (Com'on dude, I know it's not a Friday night, but no phones on the floor!). The main reason we were there was they do a weekly special of buck-a-shuck oysters. Since I've been pregnant I'm not supposed to eat them so M has been missing out. Its a bit of a treat in a way because we don't have them often but any time he'd try to suggest somewhere with them my stomach took over with a resounding NOPE. I did't even want to be around seafood for a few weeks. Am I ever glad that's over with!

 As we're seated and waiting for our server we go over any appetizers that catch our eye. Nothing is really grabbing me, the selection is a bit more...Asian/spicy/meaty? That's a terrible way to describe it, but I just can't explain it. Regardless I wasn't into an appetizer. We decided that dinner would be filling enough that we didn't need one anyway. Sorry, correction - I didn't need one. M was still having his oysters, its 95% of the reason we came here. Our server seemed to be new, we'd ask him questions and he wouldn't know or he'd hum and haw. That's cool, I get being new but simple things like if you serve Coke or Pepsi should be learned on day one. So M asked for 10 oysters half and half. (That just means half from the east coast half from the west coast for you non seafood lovers). Johnny boy, because I don't know his actual name, explained that it's served in 6 or 12 and M asked for 6. Twelve came out to the table. Sorry babe, can't help ya eat 'em, you're on your own.

 Once M is done on the oysters we go all out on our main course. We order the Butcher Block for 2. It's literally three different proteins on a huge slab of butcher block. You chose two side dishes and get to stuffin' your face. Steelhead Trout, 1/2 a rotisserie chicken and a 8 oz NY striploin. This kind of dish works perfectly for the two of us because he'll eat more trout, I'll eat more steak and we split the chicken. It was served with broccolini (my choice) and roasted fingerling potatoes (also my choice, don't kid yourself) and a trio of dips. Broccolini was on point. Man that was delicious, I haven't had veg that good in a long time. Potatoes were also delicious, with a ton of butter and herbs, crispy edges and fluffy inside. Mama is a happy lady!

 We've gotten our fingers messy ripping up half a chicken when I cut into the steak and it's almost well done. Now, I'm not the kind of pregnant lady who has changed her diet drastically. I'll still eat a medium rare steak and I still eat hot dogs. So when our steak is super over done we've got to find Johnny Boy. He graciously removes it, shows the chef and then they walk out of our line of sight. I know that trick-you don't want your guest seeing one of two things: 1) you and the chef talking badly about us and mocking me for sending it back or 2) you and chef are going to eat it. Frankly I don't care what you're doing I just want a new one out that isn't overdone. Second time around, chef nailed it. Now truly I hate a NY Striploin. I think the fat cap is too much, there isn't enough marbling in the steak, its tougher than any other steak and usually overcooked because of how thin they are. The second attempt redeemed itself and was cooked perfectly. Good :)

After polishing this platter off we debated on dessert. 3 kinds of gelato sounded right up my alley. But after letting all that food settle I decided I didn't have an ounce of room left. Granted, none of the three flavours sounded all that appealing to me but I passed anyway. If I recall correctly the gelato flavours rotate every so often too. We'll save that for the next visit.

 If you're looking for somewhere new to go and you've put on just enough make up that you're feeling fancier than a pub I'd suggest 80th and Ivy. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere is warm and romantic. A great spot for date night. Once I can eat oysters again we will go back, for buck-a-shuck and gelato :)

We gettin' fancy up in here!

I love surprises. I like being surprised, and surprising others. In this case M surprised me with a new place to try and I was very excited! He had only given me a few hints, things like: it’s a bit classy but not a full dress up type place. Jeans and a nice shirt will be fine. I asked if I’d ever heard of it, or seen it and he was confident that I hadn’t. He learned about it after reading a Reddit post on Calgary’s favourite places to eat. He read some reviews, checked out the website and made the plan. The day we went was beautiful, warm and sunny, and when we arrived the first thing M noticed was the patio.

M: We have to come here in the summer… on a night off when its hot out and just drink on the patio all night.
T: Are you feeling okay? You don’t normally like patios.
M: I do like them if its night time and it’s here.

Here is Cannibale. Newly opened in Bridgeland it’s not that easy to spot actually. We passed it the first time by but found it once we were heading westbound. It’s a small building on the corner lot and the signage outside isn’t obvious. You enter off the street through the patio and it opens up into the bar portion of this restaurant. I use that term loosely though. It’s very small inside. Maybe eight chairs at the bar, three two person tables and then maybe eight more tables on the lower level across from the barber shop. Yup, you heard me right. There is a barber shop as the street-facing store front. I honestly don’t know if I understand why. It gives the vibe of a Mad Men-ish era, the fifties even: get a shave and a haircut then stop over for a tumbler of whiskey. (Is that even a thing? A tumbler seems like that would be a lot of whiskey). Regardless. There’s a barbershop inside, and I find that strange.

Sitting at the bar, we are greeted right away by a young bartender who seems a bit disinterested. Maybe it’s just because we were the first table there for the day (it opens at 4 everyday) and he wasn’t done prepping his lemon wedges and orange twists? Once was had a look through the menu and started asking him questions he opened right up. M’s first drink was a beer (which I thought was cheating) but it was one he hadn’t tried before: CoCoNut Porter, Maui brewing Co. He has raved about this beer since we left that day and sadly, we haven’t’ been able to find it in stores. Which might be a good thing really. He could drink the store dry of their stock!

I really was torn. The drink menu is very large, very cocktail focused and labour intensive. I asked for a recommendation, which I usually regret. Only because I will offer up the suggestion of, let’s say, a gin based drink, not sour, not spicy. Giving free reign to the bartender who will do their best, it’s always a bit tart, or made with a juice I don’t like (pineapple) for example. I certainly don’t blame them though, and frankly typing this out has made me realize that I should be way more specific when I’m ordering. Next time I will say, gin based, sweet flavours, no pulp juice. I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up drinking a lot of gin and gingerales :/. Today though I went for the: MALACHI CRUNCH Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Giffard Pamplemousse, Lime. Gin, good. Cachaça, wtf is that? Grapefruit and Lime, sour. Overall, probably not a great choice for me, but granted he did a great job of making it. Half the fun in a place like this is sitting at the bar (which I usually bitch about) and watching the bartender create. The effort and care that goes into each drink is fabulous to see. In our daily pub adventures the most effort we get out of the bar staff is throwing an orange slice on a pint of Shocktop.

My second drink was a Pimmy Gibbler. Pimm’s No. 1, Oloroso Sherry, Lime, Angostura Bitters, Apple Cider. There are a very small group of people that will understand that reference, and if you do then you know the reason why I chose that drink. This drink was better than my first, much less sour. It was good enough that I recall commenting “I should have had this first, it was my gut instinct” and “Are we staying for more because I could keep drinking these”.

The food menu here is…small. And that’s okay, it truly is going for the drinks vibe, not so much a 3 course meal type atmosphere. Once we were happily drinking we browsed the food options. Because it was early in the day, and M had already looked at the menu online, he gave me an out.

M: If you don’t like any of the food here, that’s okay we can just drink and then go on our way.
T: No, no. That’s not fair! You went to the trouble of finding this place so we should try something! It’s fine, there’s quite a few things that I would have.

I settled on the beef carpaccio. I love beef. I love all of these things combined (except the pickles): SILVER SAGE BEEF CARPACCIO Hickory Smoked Tenderloin, Mustard Aioli, Cured Yolk, Garlic Chips, House Pickles, Smoked Salt, Crostini and it was delicious. The best carpaccio I’ve had. And surprisingly, a very large portion. (I suppose I thought for eighteen bucks in a joint like this that it would be tiny). The garlic chips were outstanding. So thinly sliced and just crispy enough. Might be my love of garlic talking there. If I did have one critique it’s the toast serviced with it. Don’t get me wrong, I know what crostini is. This however was not crostini. This was hockey puck sliced up. Could have even been a rock. What it should have been was not served. I have read other reviews that ditto my sentiment. It’s actually inedible. So after cutting the roof of my mouth all open on the bread I gave up on it and just ate slice after slice of the best beef I’ve had in a long time.

M’s appetizer was the PEASANT CHEESE BOARD A Carefully Curated Selection of World Cheeses, Appropriate Accompaniments, Rosebud Honey, Crostini. Oh look, more crostini. My husband loves cheese boards, and I think secretly he’s glad that I don’t, this way he doesn’t have to share with me! As I glance over at his plate of triangles and squares he offers me a bit that I quickly decline. I do appreciate the offer but I know that I’m not into it and I won’t enjoy it. I’d rather him enjoy his and I enjoy mine. (That’s code for me not sharing). His second round drink was the WIL WHEATON Village Wit (10 oz) & Maker’s Mark. A beer and a shot, a very common combination, but in this case he “may” have chosen it due to the Star Trek actors name in the title. Hey, look at that! I didn’t screw up Star Wars & Star Trek! See babe, I pay attention.

Looking at the rest of the menu, nothing else was catching my eye. We contemplated another round of drinks but really, I just wanted a regular pint of beer (there’s no pints of Canadian or anything). I can only drink so many girly fruity drinks before I start wearing fake eyelashes and taking my dog for pedicures.

The more I think about it, the more he’s right. We do need a patio night there. And coming up to the summer months, it’s going to happen sooner than later. I can’t wait to go back!! :)

The way to my heart is through my stomach.  That should be no surprise to anyone who knows me, and certainly something that M knows well.  I've told you before how much I love breakfast, and also how grumpy I get when I am hungry.  Well imagine my attitude when the plan was to go for breakfast before Costco one morning, but by the time the morning came M only wanted coffee.  I’m sure I was happy.  I mean, I would have suffered through a Costco hot dog and poutine for brunch after shopping, but I really wanted a big breaky.  Much to my chagrin, M turned the opposite way of Costco and my attitude was adjusted real quick.


We arrive at Humpty’s Classic Café and I’m so excited.  Not only is it a true greasy-spoon type spot but I've been wanting to go there for a while. Now this isn't your regular Humpty's restaurant (it's unlikely I'd write a blog about one of those). This location is straight up classic diner style; imagine sock hops and poodle skirts.  This very tiny building is just north of all the retail shopping in the area of Deerfoot Meadows.  It’s in the middle of the parking lot and is styled in the exact fashion of a ‘50s café, from the aluminum/tin outside to the red leather booths and stools along the counter.  When we walk in the first thing we notice is how big it is inside.  Looks are deceiving from the road, it holds a fair number of people.  The second thing I noticed is how at 945 on a Sunday morning the place isn't quite half full.  That to me is worth every penny.  I am always on the hunt for a wicked new spot, but I HATE lining up for breakfast.   The trendy restaurants here always have a 30-45 minute wait on weekends during peak times.  I just can’t get behind that.  The third thing I noticed is that the servers all look like they've been there since the place opened.  I giggled to myself as the two ladies up front instructed us to sit where ever we’d like.  I chose the bar, unusual for me yes, but I feel like it added to the ambiance of it all.  Looking around I see that it’s a lot of families, young parents with young kids or old people.  We are the odd balls out here, DINK’s if you will, but no one is paying attention to us.  There’s no hipster vibe, or ‘I-have-to-dress-up’ for this feeling.  It’s just bacon and eggs and coffee.  And a jukebox at your booth if you want to get really nostalgic.  I feel like that’s a big hit for the kids, and if nothing else it’s entertaining for them. Maybe Mom and Dad can read the paper for a few minutes while Ambrosia or Jaaissonn (yes I made fun of stupid names there) figures out how to use it.


T: Are you even very hungry?
M: Nope, I'll have coffee and toast.
T: Pfft, sure. You're missing out.


Our server came over right away and M ordered his black coffee.  Not this girl.   I love me some chocolate milk.  Love.  It's pretty much a staple in my life, especially at breakfast.  Now the problem I have is when I ask for a large glass I mean a LARGE glass.  Not that mini cup, you know, with the vertical lines and its plastic, and you probably learned to drink on it when you were 2?   Fuck those cups.  I want a substantial glass, something that will last me through the entire meal.  I tell servers this, and I'll gladly pay.  You can charge me for 3 glasses if that's what you think is fair.  Seventy percent of the time I get a small-ish cup no matter my pleading with my server.  But here, different story.  Its like she understood me.  I got a huge glass.  It was probably a whole liter.  It lasted me until I was finished my meal, and it was only 3 bucks.  Amazing.


Oh, right.  Food, that's why I'm here.  I never really branch out too much on breakfast fare, I stick to my usual bacon, eggs, toast and hashbrowns.  At home my repertoire expands greatly, but I really do enjoy the traditional when we are out.  I felt like it took a little while to come out, considering the roughly half full restaurant but that's fine.  I was preoccupied with looking at all the old school features and doing some people watching.  The gentleman at the end of the bar was clearly a regular, and I like to see that.  It bodes well for an establishment to have a loyal guest following.   When breakfast arrived I was perfectly content :).  The eggs were cooked right to over-easy, the bacon was crispy (actually a tad salty) and the hashbrowns are excellent.  Fluffy on the inside, very crispy on the outside, and the seasoning is bang on.  I'm sure M's toast was wonderful as well, but it's toast.  Is it burnt? Send it back. It's not burnt? Good, eat it :).

Leaving Humpty's that morning I was a happy camper; I was filled up on bacon and hasbrowns!  I know for sure we will be back and I'll try something new next time, as long as it comes with a large glass of chocolate milk!

By the time breakfast was over it was almost noon (on a Sunday)...we should have skipped Costco :(.