Hey seafood lovers – check out the new curated menu at Modern Ocean.
eating out
Pat and Betty’s
We checked out Pat and Betty’s, located in Victoria Park. Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed.
Lemon Pudding 
Lamb 
Crab Stuffed Morel Mushrooms 
Octopus 
Marinated Beets 
Seared Fois Gras 
Major Tom
The Wilde at The Dorian
Hubby and I checked out The Wilde at the new Dorian Hotel in Calgary. Check out what we ate!
5 Non-Pork Dim Sum Dishes
One of our favourite things to go out for is dim sum. We just can’t get enough! Whether it be for breakfast or lunch, there’s lots to love about it. Like the small plates that make it easy to share. The affordability so you can try many dishes. And let’s not forget the most important – the tasty food.
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trunch at pampa
Looking for something a little different than the traditional Mother’s Day lunch? How about Trunch? Available at Pampa Brazilian Restaurant, Trunch is the perfect blend of brunch, lunch and tea.
I was invited to Pampa to check out what they were cooking up. This is no ordinary brunch!
Pampa has an amazing salad bar featuring fruit and charcuterie platters, fresh house breads with jams and cheeses along with 40 salads, dressings and sauces. I loved the beef carpaccio and the fresh mint dressing was amazing. I may have used that with my meat.
They also have some hot selections like french toast, brazilian crepes and eggs. Meat is carved tableside, and you can enjoy a limitless amount. For Trunch, you can enjoy Pampa sausage, leg of lamb, chicken, marinated pork loin, barbecued pork belly and my favourite, Picanha or the rumpstake. Your delicious meal will be followed by freshly brewed House Apple tea.
This is a unique experience to celebrate with the people you love. My 7 year old loved everything about Pampa, enjoying every juicy bite of meat and even eating some vegetables.
Trunch is offered every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning with a special Mother’s Day Trunch on May 7th and 8th, which will include a surprise gift for each mom. Pampa is also offering a Victoria Day Trunch on Sunday, May 22nd and on Monday, May 23rd, which will feature a unique cheese bread-making demonstration at noon. Don’t worry dads, a special Father’s Day Trunch will be served on Sunday, June 19th. Adults can enjoy Trunch for $29.50 per guest while children aged 12 and under can dine for only $15.95 per child. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling (587) 354-3441.
Cheers to all the fabulous mothers!
via cibo
Via Cibo has opened it’s second location in Calgary. Having heard great reviews about the first Calgary location in Deerfoot Meadows, I was excited to see what the Italian restaurant had in store.
Inspired by Italian street food, Via Cibo is a chef-driven fast food restaurant, meaning high quality food but fast casual service. You order and pay at the counter but your made to order food is brought to you. From salads and sandwiches to pasta and pizza, there is something for everyone.
The Tuscan Fries sounded very tempting and I just couldn’t resist. With rosemary sea salt, truffle oil and shaved grana padano cheese, they were decadent and perfect for sharing.
For the main, I tried the Pasta Al Ragu Di Ossobuco. The penne was served with a braised veal ragu and cheese and a side of garlic bread. Comfort food at it’s best!
If you’re looking for a sweet ending, Via Cibo has an assortment of gelato. The Nutella with the coconut sorbet was the perfect combination.
I definitely will be coming back to Via Cibo to try their other offerings.
modern steak
Modern Steak has been on my list of places to go for a really long time. Everyone had raved about the food and I couldn’t wait to check it out for myself. I finally had a chance to go yesterday to celebrate an early birthday with friends. Since The Big Taste was going on, we decided to do that menu. It was amazing!
We started out with the best server who was very attentive all through dinner. Our meal began with truffle popcorn which was a fantastic treat. I love truffle oil and paired with popcorn, well, it was delish.
The first course was the Prawn Bong – grilled spicy prawns served with a cooling mint creme fraiche. The prawns were cooked to perfection and paired well with the creme fraiche. It took a lot of will power for me to not drink the minty sauce.
Our second course was the Brant Lake Wagyu. The petite tender steak was sliced and served with chimichurri on top of mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans and topped with crispy fried onions. The steak was cooked to medium rare and was so tender and flavourful. The potatoes were creamy and the beans were crisp – it was a delicious main course.
The meal was rounded out with a bowl of gelato. Great food and great friends – it was the perfect evening.
If you haven’t been to Modern Steak, it is definitely worth checking out. Owned by Stephen Deere, the restaurant has been rated the top steak place in Calgary, and now I know why. I can’t wait to go back soon!
sky 360 and the big taste calgary
It’s time for The Big Taste in Calgary – every foodie’s favourite week! Hubby and I checked out Sky 360 for lunch last weekend and it was great. It had been years since I’ve been to the Calgary Tower and this was a nice treat. As we lunched on our 3 course, $25 menu, the floor of the restaurant rotated and we got an amazing view of our city.
The first course for The Big Taste was either a soup or a salad. We both went with the Greens Salad which contained carrot chips, cucumbers, shave radish and topped with a pomegranate and pink peppercorn vinaigrette.
For the second course, I went with the Grilled Blackened Chicken sandwich which was served on fresh focaccia. The bread was so good and the chicken had a nice kick to it. The fries that were served on the side were cooked to perfection. Hubby went with the burger which was also very good.
We ended our meal with a cream cheese gelato served with strawberries.
After the meal, we were able to enjoy the tower from the observation deck. The glass floor was kind of scary – I had to not look down in order to take this picture.
It was a great meal, definitely worth a visit. Considering a trip to the top is $18, the lunch during The Big Taste is a great deal!
al’s grill at amato gelato (chestermere)
As great as it was to escape to paradise, it was nice to come home on the weekend. Sure we came back to a little cold and snow but there’s no place like home.
Since we hardly slept on the way home, we were exhausted and all of us had a nice long nap. We were starving when we woke up but had no desire to cook. Amato Gelato to the rescue!
Amato Gelato in Chestermere has opened a side business in their gelato shop, Al’s Grill. Al’s Grill features East African specialties like fried cassava, pili pili fries and chicken poussin.
We ordered the mishkaki chicken combo which came with 3 skewers of marinated chicken, salad, fries and naan. It was delicious! The chicken was flavourful and moist and I loved the skinny fries that it came with. The best part was that Z, who had refused to eat anything for a few meals, loved the chicken and devoured a couple of sticks of chicken. Made this mamma very happy!
We also had the fried cassava which was cooked to perfection. It was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfect with the tamarind chutney that it came with.
We can’t wait to go back and enjoy some more of their delicious food. Next time, we will have to leave room for dessert! We are definitely lucky to have this gem in Chestermere. With great service and friendly owners, it’s definitely a business that deserves support.