eating out

edgewater grill (san diego)

January 23, 2013 By Fareen Leave a Comment

We were happy to find a few places open on Christmas Day in San Diego. To find breakfast, we walked along the marina and came upon Edgewater Grill. The menu outside tempted us in with smoked salmon bennies and crab omelets. When eating by the water, seafood just makes sense.

For maximum satisfaction, hubby and I ordered both and shared. The smoked salmon benedict had a good sized piece of salmon on an english muffin, topped with a perfectly poached egg, hollandaise sauce and capers. The salmon was perfect and I enjoyed the large chunks with my runny egg. The only disppointment was the hollandaise sauce which was too vinegary.

The crab and asparagus omelet was the real winner. The omelet enveloped fresh blue crab with stalks of asparagus and melted jack cheese. It was comfort and decadence all in one bite.

It was a good place to fill our bellies while enjoying the beautiful view.

rama thai (san diego)

January 15, 2013 By Fareen Leave a Comment

We spent three days running around San Diego trying to see all the sights and keep our little guy entertained. We went to Legoland, Sea World, the Safari Park, saw a museum and did a harbour tour. It was fun but exhausting. I’m glad we had the foresight to book a chill day before heading back home. We moved to a hotel by the marina and enjoyed the water, leisurely walking on the boardwalk and eating good food.

For Christmas eve, we checked out a local thai restaurant, Rama Thai. It was a busy place and we were lucky to get in. We sat on the covered sidewalk which gave us a chance to enjoy the nice weather, knowing that people back home were facing temperatures in the minus twenties.

Not wanting to eat too much, we ordered one appetizer and one main, which actually was more than enough for the three of us. At Q’s request, we started with the calamari. The fresh calamari was breaded in panko and served with a sweet dipping sauce. The coating was crispy and the calamari was cooked to perfection.

For our main, we had one of our favourites, Panang Curry. We had ours with chicken and shrimp and ladled it over steamed rice. The aromatic curry had chunks of chicken, good sized shrimp and loads of vegetables, including crinkle cut carrots. The spicy broth had a hint of sweetness and it was delicious.

We ended our meal with a scoop of pineappe and coconut ice cream. It was a great combination and cooled our tongues.

As we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed a couple at another table enjoying some prawns wrapped in noodles and deep fried. I will definitely have to try that the next time.

otto (las vegas)

January 4, 2013 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Mention Mario to most kids, the Mario brothers immediately come to mind. Mention Mario to my 4 year old, and he talks about the chef that he sees on tv. I love this kid!

While spending some time at the Venetian on our recent trip to Vegas, we saw one of Mario Batali’s restaurants, Otto, and thought it was the perfect place to grab a bite after our indoor gondola ride. We took a seat “outdoors” and enjoyed the painted sky ceiling while enjoying the entertainment in St. Mark’s Square.

While we were checking out the menu, Q asked one of the waiters, “Where’s Mario?”. We discovered we had missed him by a week! Bread and breadsticks were brought to the table and they happily obliged when we asked for some oil and vinegar.

As a starter, we tried the Ricotta Fritters. These were morsels of fried goodness! Ricotta cheese and red pepper balls rolled in bread crumbs and fried. The cheese oozed out as we took a bite. Definitely a huge hit with all of us.

We also ordered a couple of entrees – the Grilled Tuna and the Maccherona. Both dishes were great and super tasty.
The tuna was cooked to perfection and served with a sicilian pesto. I really loved this version of pesto and couldn’t get enough of it. Red in colour, it was made with tomatoes, almonds and garlic. So good!
The pasta dish was great as well. With roasted peppers and chilis, it was cooked perfectly.

The dessert menu looked great but sadly we were so stuffed, there was just no room. Definitely a great meal!

serendipity 3 (las vegas)

December 28, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

After Q and I spent a week in Texas, we met hubby in Vegas for a few days. It was fun for Q to see the lights and he was pretty great when it came time to outlet shopping. When driving the Strip, I noticed Serendipity 3 outside the Caesar’s Hotel. I had always wanted to go to the original in NYC, but knowing I wasn’t going there anytime soon, I had to go while in Vegas.

Made famous in the movie Serendipity, and then even more so by Oprah, I knew I had to try the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. The place was packed and we had a bit of a wait but it was worth it.

We ordered the drink for two and it was huge! The three of us shared but we could have easily shared with three more. It was a chocolatey blend of icy goodness topped with whipping cream. So good! As we sipped the yummy concoction, we got chunks of chocolate shavings while we sipped.

Would I go back for more? Most definitely!

tony thai (houston)

December 27, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

During our recent trip to Dallas, we squeezed in a quick one day visit to Houston to visit family. It had been years since I had seen my cousins and I had never met their kids. With them being so close in age to Q, I really wanted to get them together and meet. It didn’t take long for them to form a bond, and in no time, they were playing with trains and drawing on their ipads.

We went out for dinner later in the evening to their favourite thai restaurants, Tony Thai. We got there just before they were going to close but they welcomed us in for a quick bite.

We started with soup, Tom Yum. The spicy broth with all kinds of seafood was delicious. We also had some Thai wings as a starter which were the most delicious wings I had tasted. The breaded wings had a sweet and spicy sauce that we just couldn’t get enough of. They were a huge hit and we had to order another round.

The fried rice was tasty with chunks of chicken and loaded with veggies. This went perfectly with the chicken in red curry, a spicy sauce fragranced with coconut milk. The greens were delicious as well, with lemongrass and garlic – a tasty way to eat your veggies.

We ended the meal off with a delicious creme brulee. Although there for just a day, it was wonderful to spend time with family.

bombay chopstix (dallas)

December 23, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

I was really excited to finally make a visit to Dallas. Q and I tagged
along with my parents to spend some time celebrating my aunt’s huge
accomplishment in obtaining her masters degree (her second!). It was so great spending time with her and
her husband and finally meeting my cousins.
Though a lot younger than me, we had a great time bonding, especially
over burgers at In and Out

No celebration is complete without a meal so we grabbed a
quick bite at one of their favourite places, Bombay Chopstix. Tucked away in a strip mall, they served
Indian Chinese food. This is the type of
food we had a few times in India and it definitely reminded me of past trips. Chinese dishes with indian influences and
spices.

We started our meal with soup, Corn and Hot and
Sour. Knowing that most of the meal would be spicy, I opted to stick to the
mild corn soup. The corn was sweet and
it was a fantastic way to start the meal.
Everyone else at the table loved spice, all adding some hot chilis to
the already spicy food. I was definitely
the spice weakling of the group.

This was followed by the Chicken Lollipops. Pieces of chicken drumsticks with the meat
pulled up, making it into a chop. I think this was my favourite part of the
meal. The breaded chicken was tossed in a spicy szechuan sauce – so good. My second favourite part of the meal was the Pepper Salt Shrimp. Breaded and seasoned with
chilis and garlic, it was gone in no time.

We also had some Chili Chicken which was super spicy. Thank goodness for the rice which absorbed
some of the heat.

All in all, it was a great place with good food, reasonable prices and great service.

model milk

November 17, 2012 By Fareen 1 Comment

I had been wanting to check out Model Milk for quite some time and a
friends birthday seemed the perfect occasion. We ventured out in the
snow and found the place on 17th avenue quite easily with the big white cow
head above its doors. It’s a good thing we made reservations because
the place was packed!

With service being a huge deal for me, I was thrilled with the awesome
service we got from Andrew. He took the time to explain things and make
recommendations.

We started with the cheese and chive fries which were perfect for
munching on while we waited for the main course. The manchego cheese
that topped the crispy fries added just enough saltiness.

For our main course, we had the Maple Hill fried chicken and waffles. We
saw a few tables enjoying it as we walked in and we just had to try it
for ourselves. The large format item for two was perfect for the three of us
to share. With six pieces of chicken, it was easily dividable and was so
filling. The chicken, cooked sous-vide style, was perfect. The outside
was light and crispy, the inside was tender and juicy. The rosemary
waffles paired well with the syrup covered chicken and the large plate of
greens balanced out the meal.

Although we were stuffed, we had to try the dessert. We ordered the
peanut butter ice cream sandwich. The ice cream was creamy and the
praline topping was the perfect crunch. So good!

All in all, it was a great evening. I look forward to going back!

ghost peppers at mucho burrito

October 23, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Since we first tried mucho burrito, we have loved it. Put anything on nachos and q will just eat it up.

Last night, we decided to go in and try their ghost pepper burritos. Being the wimp that I am when it comes to spice, I probably should have skipped it. It’s a good thing I didn’t see this spice diagram before I ordered!

The ghost pepper burritos could be ordered two different ways – Hotter Than Hell and Wimpy. Wimpy didn’t sound so bad so I decided to give it a try. The red tortilla was smothered in a fig marmalade then topped with rice, veggies, salsa, beans and meat. The Hotter Than Hell had the addition of a splash of pure ghost pepper sauce. Yikes! Both versions came with ghost pepper bacon which we didn’t get added on.

After one bite, my mouth was on fire! It was so good though that I didn’t want to leave it. The best part was the fig marmalade, and of course that’s where all the heat was coming from. The marmalade was infused with the ghost peppers. With extra sour cream, I was able to finish most of it. I know a few people who can take the heat, like my mom, would really love this.

Anyone who loves some spice should try it out. There’s one week left to give it a try. Ghost pepper burritos are only here until Halloween.

Disclosure – Mucho Burrito’s PR Company sent me a gift card to try out the ghost pepper burritos. Opinions are my own.

la boulangerie

September 23, 2012 By Fareen 1 Comment

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.

calypso taverna

September 9, 2012 By Fareen 1 Comment

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.