I like a little fusion with my Italian; it keeps things interesting. On a Thursday night, the place was just about empty. Given that, parking was still a challenge. Avoid the $15 Stampede lots south of the restaurant. Instead, as advertised on their webpage, try NW of the location around 10th Ave. We parked just down the street from Village Ice Cream. Convenient dessert.
I like the decor. It is in an historical building, called the Dafoe Terrace, built in 1910. The interior is cozy with a modern touch.
I started with the minestrone. It came out piping hot. I had to give it a moment to cool before I wet my whistle. It was fresh tasting and had a rich tomato flavor. I ordered the Nero linguine for my main. I was surprised that the pasta was made from squid ink. It was piping hot like the previous dish and delightful. The seafood was cooked to a turn; the scallops and prawns were still juicy. Hubby enjoyed his gnocchi.
The service was top notch and quick. Definitely worth a return visit.
NERO LINGUINI scallops, prawns, mussels, tomato, onion, garlic, basil, tomato sauceGNOCCHI house made ricotta and potato gnocchi, double smoked bacon, red onion, tomato, basil, red chili, tomato sauce
This restaurant has been on my wishlist as I was curious about it. Curiosity has been more than satisfied. I realize that large groups perhaps are not the appropriate setting for spectacular service, but ours could really use some improvement. We had at least 20 people in our party. The evening started out good; our server was on top of our drink orders. Unfortunately, as the evening progressed, the restaurant filled and our service got progressively worse. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except we were stuck with a mandatory 18% gratuity for large groups. No incentive for good service. Amongst the faux pas: the doneness of hubby’s steak was incorrect, the server mixed up a couple of the orders, and was slow in general.
The food was for the most part, average. Many who ordered steaks had the incorrect doneness. My beef skewers were dry. The salad and shrimp I had weren’t bad and the dessert was the highlight for me.
The overall volume was loud; even before the live band started playing. Halfway through our speeches, they finally turned the music down.
I was so busy socializing that I forgot to take pictures, except for the dessert. Sorry guys, there will be no next time.
Milhojas con Arequipe Dulce de Leche Custard/ Mille-Feuille
This is a recipe that I’ve been meaning to post for some time, and have finally gotten around to it. The burgers come out nice and moist. It is a summer staple on my grill. You can’t have just one!
Thai Pork Burgers
1 lb ground pork, regular not lean
1 heaping tsp pureed ginger
1 heaping tsp pureed garlic
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 egg, beaten
1 tbs or more to taste Dried Thai basil
1 tbs or more to taste chopped fresh or dried cilantro
Handful bread crumbs for consistency
Dash black pepper
Combine all ingredients except for bread crumbs. Add bread crumbs just enough to get the mixture to hold together. Use ¼-1/3 cup to make large meatballs. Slightly squish onto cookie sheet. The burgers should be slider size. Ensure the burgers are at room temperature before heating; otherwise they will stick. Preheat grill on high. Grill for 5 minutes at 350F, flip and grill for another 6 min.
Serve with your choice of dinner roll. They are the perfect slider size. I served them with flax seed buns as pictured below. It doesn’t need condiments, but a dab of sriracha, or sweet chili sauce will liven it up. Ketchup, relish and grainy mustard are all good too.
Slider sized burgsSlider with strawberries, blueberries and spring greens with chili balasmic dressing
One year after the day the floods struck Calgary, June 21 has been declared Neighbour Day by Mayor Nenshi. It is a day to celebrate and get to know your neighbours. For those flood stricken neighborhoods, a day to thank the volunteers properly. I chose to go to the Bowness Boots and Hearts celebration because I spent two full days volunteering there. I was also invited to a party by my coworker, who was away in Europe while volunteers cleaned out his basement.
I got off the bus, near where it used to be Mary’s corner store. The irony is that, the store is now torn down and a new house is going up next to it. But the lot for the store sits empty. I headed towards Bow Crescent where it was ground zero for the flood in that community. Streets were blocked off and a private security guard was manning each blockade. A little extreme perhaps, for the mood of the day? Compare that to police manning blockades a year ago and first responders everywhere.
I walked a few blocks on the crescent, just to take in the festivities. Every house had signage, of which many were large bristol board hearts, with messages of thanks and positivity on them. Nearly every second house had free food on the table for passers by. Ironically, there was a similar situation last year. There were signs on the properties, indicating no power, help needed, or thanking volunteers. The food stands then were run by the volunteers. The roads were closed then.
I kept all the addresses I helped out at, meaning to get to each of them. I only got to one, and the homeowner remembered me! It was a surreal moment. I signed her sign that she hung on her garage door. She is doing well, but has not rebuilt her basement.
I didn’t get as far as the stage, or the park set up for family fun day. I did stop by on Bowwater Crescent to talk to a gentleman with signs on his lawn handing out ice cream. I took up on his offer of an ice cold treat and listened to his story. This truly what today is all about, recalling the stories of last year and seeing how people have moved on with their lives. And thanking the volunteers.
I finally arrived at my coworkers house. There were already a few people there, all of whom I work with. It was a small gathering, but there was plenty of food. Plenty of stories and friendship. This is what I came for.
Calgary, yet again you have impressed me. I am a proud to be a citizen of this fine city. Bowness wears its heart on its fence.
Crowds on Bow CrescentThank you and love you volunteers!Love the custom no parking signs!Crowds on Bow CrescentDo not give up, the beginning is always the hardest. Home is where the heart is. Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.
I was in the mood for some traditional sushi. I love finding the small hole in the wall places like Sushi-Bar Miki. It was definitely small, but it was busy for dinner. I decided on the pan fried mackerel to start. I love the strong taste of the fish ever since my Mom pan fried them for me. It was done nicely and was big enough for two as an appetizer.
Hubby had the dynamite roll for his appy, followed by a set dinner. The tempura was part of his set dinner. He thought the food was ok, but he tends to prefer fusion style sushi.
All the food was very nicely presented. The Chirashi sushi was beautiful and it tasted good too. Yes, I will come back if I’m in the area.
Dynamite Roll (shrimp tempura)Saba ShioyakiTempuraChirashi Sushi
After trying to get into Red’s Diner and Jimmy’s on 4th, we finally managed to find a seat at the Boxwood Cafe. I’ve always been curious about this restaurant since I saw it on You Gotta Eat Here! We got in just in time as the skies opened up and the rain poured down on us. The location is really neat, it’s in a park in the middle of the city.
To start, I had the Kale Aid which tasted like kale, cucumber and ginger. It was refreshing. I really enjoyed hubby’s roasted potatoes with salsa verde that tastes like chimichurri sauce. The sauce was delicious.
My main, on the other hand fell short of expectations. The chicken didn’t have much flavour and the piri piri aioli had a funny taste. It had no garlic flavour whatsoever. One of my friends also ordered it, and agreed that the flavour was not quite right. The menu did seem pricey for the serving size. We were famished after running the races at the Calgary Marathon.
I was so hungry that I ordered the Fiasco gelato sandwich for dessert. It was lemon and strawberry gelato in a sugar cookie if I remember correctly. It was very average. They ran out of the sea salted chocolate caramel which I would have preferred.
The atmosphere is nice, but the food could use some improvement.
Rotisserie Roasted Potatoes with Salsa Verde and Spragg Farm Roasted Porchetta with Clilantro Salsa Verde, Arugula and CracklingsMountain View Rotisserie Chicken Piri Piri Aoli, Greens
After trying to get into Red’s Diner and Jimmy’s on 4th, we finally managed to find a seat at the Boxwood Cafe. I’ve always been curious about this restaurant since I saw it on You Gotta Eat Here! We got in just in time as the skies opened up and the rain poured down on us. The location is really neat, it’s in a park in the middle of the city.
To start, I had the Kale Aid which tasted like kale, cucumber and ginger. It was refreshing. I really enjoyed hubby’s roasted potatoes with salsa verde that tastes like chimichurri sauce. The sauce was delicious.
My main, on the other hand fell short of expectations. The chicken didn’t have much flavour and the piri piri aioli had a funny taste. It had no garlic flavour whatsoever. One of my friends also ordered it, and agreed that the flavour was not quite right. The menu did seem pricey for the serving size. We were famished after running the races at the Calgary Marathon.
I was so hungry that I ordered the Fiasco gelato sandwich for dessert. It was lemon and strawberry gelato in a sugar cookie if I remember correctly. It was very average. They ran out of the sea salted chocolate caramel which I would have preferred.
The atmosphere is nice, but the food could use some improvement.
Rotisserie Roasted Potatoes with Salsa Verde and Spragg Farm Roasted Porchetta with Clilantro Salsa Verde, Arugula and CracklingsMountain View Rotisserie Chicken Piri Piri Aoli, Greens
