The last time I visited this location, it used to be AKA Winebar. The food was really good there, too bad it closed. In its place, Carino. I was curious as to what Japanese Italian fusion meant. I certainly found out this evening.
I ordered two appetizers; the beef tongue and the ramen. The beef tongue was nice and thinly sliced, it definitely didn’t taste like the beef tongue of my childhood. Which is a good thing. The peppery arugula and splash of lemon perfectly complimented the beef. I really enjoyed the ramen – it was obviously not the kind out of the package. The noodles were chewy and the boccocini and tomato salad went well with the dish.
I tasted bits of hubby’s dish. I really enjoyed the gnocchi and mushrooms. The lamb was fall of the bone tender. For dessert I had this lovely custard tart with fruit. The chocolate ganache was out of this world.
Service was quick and polite. I am definitely coming back.
Yuzzu tart with fruitChocolate ganache with crispy banana and ice creamLamb Ribs Cacciatoria Sauteed mushroom and crispy gnocchiRamen Salad Arugula, prosciutto, bocconcini cheese, Gull Valley tomato and shisho pestoCalamari Fritter Yuzu zest and spicy aioliFrench Kiss Grilled, sliced, organic beef tongueI like choice.
Mmm… Korean fried chicken. The last time I had something similar, it was from Fritou’s in Skyview Ranch. Their chicken was pretty good. On my way home from yoga, I decided to pick up a little dinner. Olive Chicken is a small place in the Korean strip mall on 10th Ave. I’m guessing they are mainly a takeout joint as there are only a few tables of two to sit at. Menu is straightforward. Fried chicken. Hot and sweet. Or regular. And combos.
I ordered the small, which deceivingly, is enough to feed two people. The chicken was fried in popcorn, I think. If not, it was very similar in texture. It stayed crunchy, even though it was drenched in hot and sweet sauce. But that is the best part. It was freshly fried right in front of me. It was quick, it only took about five minutes from order to takeout. They wrapped it in foil, so it stayed warm for the 20 minute bike ride home. This could be strangely addictive.
I love ramen. Not the stuff that comes in the packages from the grocery store, but freshly made noodles. It’s hard to find good ramen in Calgary. I think I have finally found some.
We started off with the deep fried gyoza. It was good, but I prefer the pan fried. My friend had the vegetable ramen in miso soup. I had a taste, it was good. I had the curry ramen with cha shu. I like Japanese curry for its mild flavor. The ramen noodles were nice and chewy. I am definitely returning; I could probably eat here every week.
The service was quick and the dishes were presently nicely. My idea of fast food.
Age gyoza (deep fried)Vegetable ramen with miso soup, tomato, green onion, bean sprout, corn, kan-pyo, carrot, onion, spinach and noriCurry ramen with bean sprouts, soft boiled egg, cha shu, Kan-pyo, nori and corn
It’s that time of year again, time for the Calgary Stampede. Hubby and I went to the grounds on Friday to take in the evening show and the food. Since it was raining, I didn’t take any pictures of the food. I decided on a Thai chili lime noodle box. I don’t come to Stampede to eat healthy food, but I thought I’d give it a try. The noodles were drowning in sauce. If it had less sauce, it would have been good. Hubby had a donair, he didn’t have much to say about it. For dessert we tried the chocolate covered bacon which was surprisingly good. The deep fried cheesecake was interesting in its own way. I suppose I would have tried the deep fried butter if I actually found it. Our our way to the show after dinner, we saw the food trucks. We would have preferred to have had dinner there instead. Oh well.
There’s going to be all sorts of Stampede breakfasts this week, but none so far fit my schedule. So I made my own.
Today I decided to go to High River. I headed out with a group of volunteers coordinated by JH Innovations. The company did our renovations a couple of years ago and they are a class act.
The Sunshine neighborhood is a victim of some serious traffic congestion. Between all the commercial vehicles in to help and all the volunteers and trash, it was a zoo. Faster to walk than to drive.
These guys are awesome. They brought a ton of food and supplies. We setup our home base in a park and donned our lovely coveralls.
Our first assignment was mucking out a basement. Looked pretty much the same as what I did last week, except for one difference. Mould. These basements have been sitting in the water for over two weeks in some cases. The entire town had an odour that smelled not so nice. I made sure that I got a proper respirator rather than a N95 mask.
A couple of us went to the house next door, which wasn’t too bad, as they were mostly done, just taking down the drywall and insulation.
The third house was really bad. Black mould had permeated almost all of the insulation in the basement.
The fourth house was difficult as we did not have lighting and few had headlamps. I couldn’t see the mould.
We went back to house one to disinfect with bleach. What a difference! I am actually liking the smell of bleach.
It was very sobering to see the amount of damage in this community. They truly need all the help that they can get. If you go, please bring proper protective equipment. Safety glasses. Yours truly had bits of dry drywall fall over her eyes. A proper respirator with replaceable filters. Suitable for painting. The smell will get to you after a while and this will give you healthier air to breathe. Long sleeves and long pants. Clothes that you can throw away. And rubber boots! Who knows what is in that water.
I made a few more new friends today, Hopefully we can stay in touch. The generosity of Calgarians and Albertans in general amazes me. As long as there is a need, I will try to help.
Before we get dirtyTypical street complete with traffic jamFeeding the volunteersOh yeah, bring it on! Bonny is ready to do battle with the mucky basements!Someone must have said something funny.Enjoying the mid afternoon sunshineMud is a badge of honour
After a short, flood diverted hiatus, I am back to the business of food. Hubby and and went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago. This would be our second time at Brasserie Kensington, and I enjoyed it as much as the first.
We shared the moules frites flavoured with a green curry sauce. The fries were nice and crisp and the mussels danced in the melody of the Thai spices. I quite enjoyed my ahi tuna salad. It was just a tad heavy handed with the capers, but had the flavors of a good Mediterranean salad. Hubby’s lamb shank looked delish.
I’m not a wine drinker, but the food is certainly good enough on its own. It wasn’t too busy, and the service was attentive, but not intrusive. This won’t be our last visit.
I had set out with the intention of looking for some more manual labour type work today. But I think this past week and the heat has caught up to me. So I decided to check out Stanley Park. I packed my cooler full of popsicles, mandarin oranges and grapes. It was a hot day out there, 34C to be exact.
On the way there, I walked by a pedestrian bridge that used to go over the Elbow. I remember how rickety it was. I guess it needed to be replaced anyway.
The community is still quite a mess. Generators were going and there were a lot of contractors coming and going. Didn’t see as many people out though. Just the homeowners and contractors. Maybe volunteers were back to work? Once the dumpsters are out of the way, the streets could use a sweep.
I walked by a park and sat at a picnic table. The ground still gave a little, even though we haven’t had rain in a week. The grass was mud covered, but still enough to stick to my sandals.
Highlights of my visit:
I offered a homeowner a snack, which she gratefully accepted. I then asked if she would like to take some for her work crew. Her response was, “They’re paid workers”. I said, “That’s ok, I feed everybody.”
I met a Postie delivering the mail and he didn’t look like he had any water with him in the sweltering sun. He was very happy to get some grapes.
The Farm Girls truck was parked in the community and offering free food. I think the owner’s house was condemned but they are nice enough to keep on feeding volunteers.
Keep up the good work, Calgary!
Wooden bridge to Rideau Park that is no moreElbow River path used to go hereWhat used to be the entrance to the wooden bridgeMissing chunk of pathwayEvery house had a dumpster out front
It’ s hot out today. 28C at COP and hotter on the street. What could be better than freezies? I took the ctrain and my bike down to Mission/Rideau Park today. I saw a few volunteers with their buggies and coolers handing out food and drink. But not in the numbers that were on Bow Crescent. Downtown was bustling with people celebrating Canada Day. I think everyone took Mayor Nenshi seriously when he said to take the day off.
I also saw what I thought were houses under construction… but instead thought that maybe everything was ripped down to the studs.
Highlights for today:
Handing out freezies indiscriminately to the parking cop controlling traffic, city inspection workers and anyone walking down the street. I think the construction workers were the most appreciative.
Seeing every house with a full dumpster on the street. No street parking here.
Stopping by a couple girls armed with super soakers keeping watch on my street. They said “You’re lucky.” I said, “spray me!” And they did.
Volunteers hanfing out food in MissionLooking west on Elbow Dr and 26 AveEdmonton firefighters. They like freezies too.One of the many thank you signs in Rideau ParkI wasn’t kidding about the full dumpsters…
Debris on the ElbowGround zero in Mission, the Safeway on 4th St
Yesterday, I headed back to Bowness to help along with a few friends. Bow Crescent, I can’t wait it see it when it’s back to normal. The house I was working at, already had the basement gutted. The guys were hauling stuff out of the garage and cleaning it. The gals were cleaning and disinfecting inside the house.
I still can’t get over how many people dropped by the house and offered us food!
That part of Bow Crescent is very dusty as the street was gravel before the flood. But the street sweeper came by! And the garbage trucks came by multiple times. Also a house a few doors down is probably going to be condemned.
Calgary, thank you for showing your community spirit again. I do hope it will stick around, long after the last cleanup is done.
Start by parking your car where you can find space in the neighborhood.
Sprint to the Community Support Centre to pick up your supplies (gloves, mask) before they run out
Run to the address that you’ve been given. It’s probably about a kilometer away.
Try to find the homeowner. If they are not there, continue to the next house that could be in need of help.
Obstacle 1: Slip, sliding, away. Head down to the basement filled with 3 inches of water. No matter that you forgot your headlamp.
Start peeling off completely soaked drywall and throw in basket. Haul up to open window. Empty, repeat.
Obstacle 2: To the dump, dump, dump. You have been relieved of drywall duty. Head upstairs and out to the window. Bag wet drywall bits and insulation. Throw into wheelbarrow and cart out front. Dispose of in dumpster.
Detour! Run to find the nearest porta pottie down the street.
Run back to house and homeowner thanks you for you help and sends you off with a cookie.
Go back to Community Support Station and get another address.
Run a kilometer in the other direction to find building.
Obstacle 3: Dry wall destruction. Go down to the basement of condo building with sewer backup. Hold nose. Score and hammer drywall. Remove. Repeat. Haul full bin up the stairs. Breathe fresh air.
Walk back to car. Being muddy is a badge of honour. Since the City wants you to conserve water, skip the shower and do it all again tomorrow.
You’ve won the race in the minds of the people that you have helped today.
