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When I think back to my trips to Europe, especially France, my most favourite part are the bakeries with their fresh breads and croissants and crepes.  I’m so happy to have discovered a little piece of Europe right here in Calgary at La Boulangerie.  I had passed by a few times but I finally made it there last weekend…and again this weekend.  I think it’s my new favourite place!

Both times that we went to the bakery, it was busy! It didn’t take long though to have our orders and bellies filled.  Our order was being filled and delivered by the owner himself, Navot, who was trained at the Cordon Bleu in France.  La Boulangerie aka La Creperie has another location at the Kingsland Farmer’s Market.

La Boulangerie is a small place and is filled with the most amazing baked goods and crepes.  The smells are amazing!  Last weekend, we tried the smoked salmon crepe which was light and filling.  We also had to have the nutella and banana crepe which can fulfill anyone’s need for chocolate. I’m sure they used half a bottle of nutella in there – yum!  Q had the chocolate croissant which he devoured.

This weekend, we met hubby’s boss and family for breakfast back at the bakery.  We had the smoked salmon crepe again because it was just too delicious not to.  This time, we also tried the brie with roasted peppers which was really amazing too.  The cheese made the crepe really filling and the red peppers added a nice sweetness.

We also tried a couple of croissants between all of us, the almond and the pistachio. I think these may have even been better than the chocolate!  These were very rich but very tasty.

I am looking forward to taking my dad who loves bakeries as much as I do.  Any excuse to go back!

*Collages made with the Diptic app.

 

We had a great evening tonight celebrating a few birthdays at Calypso Taverna.  Our friend had celebrated an anniversary there before and loved it, so we were excited to try something new.

From the outside, the restaurant is nothing special. It’s probably a place that I would not notice and would just drive by.  The inside though is warm and cozy and a great place for a celebration. The place was also packed so we knew it was going to be good.  There was a belly dancer for a short time providing entertainment, especially when she got some of our table dancing with her. 

Our friends had ordered the trio of dips with pita for the table.  The dips included the Tzatziki, Hummus and the Tirokafteri.  I think I loved the third one the best.  It was a mixture of salty feta cheese and hot peppers.  It was great served with the warm pita.

Hubby and I weren’t too hungry so we decided to share an appetizer and an entree.   For the appetizer, we decided on the stuffed calamari. This was a whole calamari stuffed with lean ground chicken and pine nuts.  It was served in a buttery cayenne champage sauce.  Although not the prettiest dish, it was delicious.  The combination of the squid with the seasoned chicken was really tasty.

For our main, we shared the Paidakia – lamb chops!

Our medium grilled lamb was cooked perfectly and the seasoned chops were the perfect greek dish. It didn’t have that strong lamb smell that sometimes turns hubby off, always a good thing. This was served with rice, potatoes and a greek salad.

Everyone’s dishes looked great, from the chicken souvlaki, the moussaka and the special of the day, the halibut.

We all shared 3 different desserts which were all delicious.  The baklava was nutty and sweet, and the bougatsa was great with a warm apple filling inside some phyllo.  My favourite though was a custard with a meringue topping. So good!

You can pay a little bit more and get the full plate throwing experience.  It was so fun (and a great stress reliever) just tossing a plate – OPA! It was a great night and I look forward to going there again.

Back in July, Julie mentioned the amazing salted caramel ice cream she had had at Village Ice Cream.  Located in Victoria Park, Village Ice Cream offers hand-crafted all natural ice cream. Of course we had to go to and check it out for ourselves and she was right.  The salted caramel ice cream was amazing!

This evening, we went back for more, and took our friends!  We enjoyed some ice cream and took over their outside seating area.

I decided to try something different this time, the toasted coconut, and it was amazing.  The shreds of coconut provided a great texture in the creamy ice cream. This time, I made sure to try the homemade waffle cones, which I regretted not trying the first time, and I’m so glad I did!  The cones were crisp and fresh and so delicious!  Hubby tried the cardamom ice cream which he throughly enjoyed, especially since it reminded him of chai.

Q decided to try the Guide’s Mint and he loved it. Of course I had to have a taste. The minty ice cream with chunks of chocolate cookies was amazing, no wonder he loved it. His taste is totally like his mamma’s!

It was a great evening with friends and some yummy ice cream. Looking forward to going back before summer ends.