New Blog

So as you can see, I've been 1.5 years delinquent in updating this blog. I have actually started a new food blog about cooking, dining, and entertaining so will be retiring this one. If you've enjoyed this blog and want to here more about my food adventures, please find me at http://eattyangie.wordpress.com/

White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

I tried the new White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl ice cream at Marble Slab Creamery. Soooo good. It's basically white chocolate ice cream mixed with raspberries, almonds, and caramel sauce. I was a little worried it might be too sweet for me but the tartness of the raspberries offset the sweetness of the caramel and ice cream and was just perfect. I haven't enjoyed ice cream so much since my first taste of Baskin Robbin's Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream and Marble Slab's Raspberry Cheesecake ice cream.

*sigh*... still though, forking out $7-8 for a single serving of ice cream really does hurt the wallet.

SanRemo Ristorante

So a third SanRemo has just opened in Calgary, and this time, it’s conveniently located in McKenzie Towne! SanRemo is a small, upscale Italian restaurant that serves contemporary Italian cuisine. I’ve been anticipating the opening of a decent Italian restaurant in this community for a little while now and finally, one has arrived. The environment is cozy and modern and the food is well-prepared and very tasty.

Our meal started off with some bread with a sun-dried tomato butter.

For appetizer we had the soup of the day which was a gorgonzola and sage chowder. The soup was rich and savory, without being too heavy. A nice appetizer.

For our second appetizer we had the goat cheese tart with poached pear & sliced proscuitto, finished with a black pepper port glaze ($13) which was absolutely amazing. Once in a while, I will try a dish at a restaurant that will just blow my mind and this dish did just that. It had the perfect combination of texture and balance of sweet and savory. I thought the huge slice of goat cheese tart would be too strong and rich for me to have more than a few nibbles, but it was surprisingly not. The smooth, creamy cheese really complimented the sweetness of the delicately poached pear and saltiness of the cured Italian ham. This really was a simple, clean dish that was very well put together and just delightful to eat.

For main entrée, Jason tried the black pepper and rosemary crusted, full rack of lamb with a sour cherry port reduction ($38). The crust was flavorful and the lamb was delicious. I found the meat itself to be a little gamier than I would prefer, but it was still a nice dish.

My sister tried the sweet pear, snow crab and cherry tomato pasta served with a lemon pesto white wine butter sauce ($19). My sister quite enjoyed the pasta but I found the snow crab was quite muted and almost dismissible in the pasta (probably because it’s such a delicately flavored ingredient). We also thought the sauce was a little bland and could have used a little more flavor and definitely more salt.

I had the pan seared duck breast with blackberry compote and roasted vegetables ($28). This dish was only ok for me. Usually, the duck skin is my favorite part of the duck but found the skin to be too fatty and lacking favor. However, I quite enjoyed the medley of sweet, roasted vegetables that came with the meat.

For dessert we tried the crème brulee trio (consisting of chocolate with raspberry sauce, vanilla bean with mint sauce, and caffe latte flavored crème brulees) ($8). This dessert was very nice and great twist on the tradition custard you get everywhere else. I recommend this dish for sharing with two or three other friends, because it does get very sugary to eat toward the end given that there are three burnt sugar toppings to eat through.

We also had the deep-fried apple ravioli stuffed with pureed apple and mascarpone cheese ($8). I liked the sound of this dish on the menu but when I tasted it, I found the apple filling in this dessert to be a little too tart (especially eaten alongside any other dessert).

Overall, I really enjoyed me meal at SanRemo and will definitely return to try some of the other dishes. This restaurant really has great potential in the community and I will definitely be recommending it to my friends in the area.

Overall rating: 8.5 / 10

Locations:

McKenzie Towne *new*
500, 26 McKenzie Towne Gate SE
Calgary, AB T2Z 0N2
phone: 403.251.0998

Oak Bay Plaza
2515 - 90 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2V 0L8
phone: 403.281.2482

Garrison Woods
3574 Garrison Gate SW
Calgary, AB T2T 6N1
phone: 403.685.5727

Namskar Fine East Indian Cuisine

Tried Namskar’s East Indian lunch buffet for the first time a week ago and it was yummy! Namkar’s lunch buffet runs Sunday thru Friday 11:30am to 2:00pm. I find the lunch buffet is a little pricey (at $16.95 per person), but I think they offer the greatest variety of curries for a lunch buffet. I especially like the lamb curry.

I love how their naan bread is baked fresh and brought to your table when you sit down. Namskar also has some great vegetarian options. I love their dahl (a creamy, pureed lentil dish). It's perfectly spiced and it is the best I've had at an East Indian restaurant. I like to eat dahl poured over my basmati rice or dipped with naan bread. I look forward to returning to Namskar again.

Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10

Location: 202, 16 Ave. N.E.
Phone: (403) 230-4447

Van's Pizza and Steak House

Van's is my favorite place for pizza. Don't let the run-down exterior deter you- this Greek-style pizzaria has been around for a long time and for good reason. Their pizzas are very cheesy and goood.

When you order pizza from Van's (take-out or dine-in), be sure to ask for the cheese to be slightly browned. That way, the cheese will be slightly crispy on top, but still gooey-awesome underneath. You can also order a half and half pizza and sample two different varieties of pizza at the same time.




Overall Rating: 8/10

Location: 2701 17th Avenue SW
Phone: (403) 246-4444

Catch Restaurant and Oyster Bar

So went to Catch Restaurant & Oyster Bar and have a pretty good meal there. The seafood is very fresh, albeit, pricey. I ordered the Two-Level "Tower of Lesser Power" for 2-4 seafood lovers ($80.00). The platter came with a whole chilled dungeness crab, raw oysters on the half shell, cooked clams and mussels, huge pan-seared scallops and shrimps on mixed greens, and dipping sauces. Jason and I finished the entire platter and still had room for dessert (so I wouldn't recommend it for more than 2 people). We loved the freshness of the seafood, I mean, really, how can you possibly go wrong with seafood? It's so easy to make and most seafoods already have natural salts that give it flavour.

Two things that boggled my mind though: We had to ask for Tabasco to go with the raw oysters and some melted butter to go with the Crab (which was otherwise very plain). Isn't that supposed to be standard at a seafood restaurant? It's like giving someone a plate of fries and not automatically giving them ketchup or gravy to go with it.

Since we sat at the Oyster Bar, we thought about ordering some extra oysters but at the price of $3.50 each, we decided it wasn't worth it. If you're craving oysters, I recommend you go to Embarcadero instead. Much better value for your money, the oysters are just as fresh, you still get the variety and also better condiments (cost ranges from $0.99 - $2.79 per oyster).

I would probably return to Catch again to try some other dishes. The platter we had really didn't showcase the chef's food preparation/seasoning skills since it was mainly steamed seafood. Still, at that price, I'm in no hurry.

Overall Rating: 7.5 / 10

Location: 100, 8th Ave SE (Stephen Avenue)
(403) 206-0000

My Favorites!!

Alight, I’ve been meaning to make this list for some time now. Here it is:


FAVORITE...

East Indian – Taj Mahal (great cultural dining experience, authentic and flavorful East Indian cuisine), Glory of India (high quality, tasty lunch buffet for those working downtown.)

Greek – Santorini (love this place, food is authentic and flavorful, about a hundred times better than the Broken Plate which is, by the way, is the worst Greek restaurant ever but sadly, seems to be the only exposure many Calgarians have had to Greek food)

Italian – Capo (my favorite high end restaurant in Calgary, dishes are thoughtfully prepared and made with high quality ingredients. If you don' t know what all the fuss is about when chef's like Jamie Oliver talk about high quality fruits and vegetables, you will definitely understand when you try this restaurant...), La Vienna (best place for casual Italian dining and pasta… similar to Chianti’s but way better flavors and fresher pasta)

French – La Chaumiere (still my favorite, classic French restaurant. The foods just great. Perfect balance of flavors. The only thing worse than under-seasoned food is over-seasoned food, which is often the case in other French restaurants I've tried in Calgary. This restaurant has mastered that balance perfectly)

Moroccan – Moroccan Castle (I'm not sure who copied who, but the dishes are very similar to another Moroccan restaurant in Calgary-- the Sultan's Tent. I really like Sultan's Tent but I find Moroccan Castle has a slightly better variety of textures and flavors in their dishes. Sooo good).

Japanese – Globefish (creative/unique sushi rolls, great care in their food preparation, very nice presentation, and other dishes are also very good... I'm a huge fan of tuna so I love the Crazy Buster Roll. I also love their fried Kimchi Udon); Shikiji (excellent lunch specials and delicious noodle soups)

Korean – Bow Bulgogi House (awesome everything… try the BBQ Pork Bulgogi and the Spicy Beef Stew, also known as Yu ke Jang)

Chinese – Central Grand (best sit down, formal Chinese dinner, well prepared dishes and good service)

Vietnamese – Pho Dau Bo (best Pho in town, other dishes are also good)
*update* I heard from a friend that they recently changed ownership and the food's not as good.

Thai – Thai Saon (wonderful appetizers and yummy curries), Rose Garden (great value, high quality and tasty lunch buffet)

Steakhouse - Saltlik (their steaks are always cooked to perfection and an added bonus... their appetizers, side dishes, and desserts all taste awesome as well. Best all-around steakhouse and great value for your money)

Food Bar/Lounge – Raw Bar (has a stylish and classy lounge environment offering an excellent variety of cocktails and food items. The food is tasty and has a contemporary, Asian fusion element to it)

Place for Wings – Bubblemania (this is an Asian dessert house and while I'm not a huge fan of the environment, it's my favorite place for wings. Nothing's worse than tiny, dried, deep-fried-to-death chicken wings found at most pubs. Good thing you won't find that at Bubblemania. I especially love their salt and pepper wings... so large, juicy, and succulent... my mouth is watering just thinking about it).

Place for Pizza - Van's pizza (awesome pizzaria. Make sure you ask for the cheese to be slightly browned for slightly crispy but still very gooey cheese).

Place for Breakfast – Village Cantina (cozy environment, breakfast with a Mexican flair, yum!); Deluxe Dinner (best Eggs Benedict in Calgary)

Coffee Shop – Caffe Beano (best Café Mocca and specialty coffees in town)

Deli - Marcello's (I know Sunterra's huge right now, but I love and prefer this downtown deli by my work place. The food is fresh, healthy and flavorful. The deli's not as large and vast as Sunterra but the food tastes better and is reasonably priced).

Pies - Simple Simon's Pies located in the Farmer's Market by the Currie Barracks (awesome selection of dessert pies and meat pies. The curry meat pies are soooo good. Ask for free samples).

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Let me know if anyone has suggestions for good places for dessert. I have yet to find one. I wish we had something like a Chok'lit Shop in Calgary...*sigh*... I guess only in comics.