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Murrieta’s Bar & Grill – Canmore, Alberta

We went for a nice day trip to Canmore, Alberta and took a walk around the Bow River walk around Riverside Park. It was just a quick walk as it was really cold outside! We finished our walk and made it to downtown Canmore around 10:40AM, so we walked up and down the main street to see what we could eat for lunch. We ended up at Murrieta’s Bar & Grill as we wanted some food soon and to warm up – and they were opened at 11AM.

This restaurant is located on the second floor of a corner building right at Main Street. We were immediately greeted by really friendly staff, and it’s always funny when the staff ask where we’re from – “we’re only from Calgary!” but, it’s such a nice getaway it seems like we went faraway! We started off with some hot tea, as we were freezing! I ordered a Green Tea and my husband had a Earl Grey Lavender Tea. These packs of teas are really fancy, and full of flavour. The first cup wasn’t over powering and the second cup wasn’t super diluted!

We started off our lunch with an appetizer called Tempura Flour Crusted Calamari with this delicious Chipotle Mint Yogurt as a dipping sauce on the side. The calamari was so delicious on it’s own that you don’t “need” anything on the side. The calamari was super crispy on the outside with the nice thin batter that actually stayed on the calamari! Just a squeeze of fresh lemon really made the appetizer!

We both ordered sandwiches for lunch, and I had the delicious Grilled Chicken Sandwich which is a sandwich with
Sundried Tomato Tapenade, Vine Ripened Tomato, Lettuce, all stuffed between Olive Sourdough bread! I got my sandwich with a side of fries that were perfectly fried – and I couldn’t stop eating the fries! Even stuffed with fries, I was able to inhale my entire lunch! It was perfect!

The chicken sandwich actually had a really nice smokiness spread on the bread and it added tons of flavour to the sandwich. The chicken itself didn’t have too much flavour, but it wasn’t dry – which is very important to me! It’s kind of like their take on a “pulled chicken sandwich”!

We actually cut of meals in half and switched a half so we could taste what we both ordered. My husband ordered the 6oz House Made Beef Burger with a side of house salad. This classic burger is built with
White Cheddar, Horseradish Aioli, Lettuce, Vine Ripened Tomato, inside the Grilled Classic Burger Bun, topped with a Dill Pickle!

The beef burger was cooked to perfection – still a little pink inside with delicious beef juices running out! The burger was smoky, and it seemed like it was made on a grill. The vegetables in the burger was extremely fresh, which added a great crisp element to the sandwich. This could be one of my favourite burgers I’ve had in awhile!

At the end, I was sitting there already thinking about dessert. I was absolutely stuffed, but I decided I really wanted something sweet. We ordered the Cheesecake Souffle which is a neat plate with Cheesecake Souffle – poached pears, house made cookie, honey mint jelly! I must be honest, I was worried that the mint jelly would be overpowering, but it was a perfect compliment to the dessert making this the perfect dessert and very memorable!

Overall, this place was quite amazing! The food was really delicious, the service was great, and the prices was reasonable! All prices in Canmore seems to be set a little higher, but they all have the quality to back it up – which means I can go there expecting nothing but deliciousness!

Murrieta’s Bar & Grill

737 Main St
Canmore, AB T1W2B6
(403) 609-9500

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O’Cup Calgary

There’s this one day, I just went to Chinatown, and noticed a new restaurant/cafe – so I called up a few friends and advised them something called O’Cup was opened. We made the effort to go down. It’s in the former location of Bubble Station (former location of original Dessert House). This little place has really odd hours which doesn’t make me feel like it’s very convenient. We got in at 8pm as a few of us got off work around then, and right away they told us it was last call. Regardless, we asked for a few more minutes as the rest of the party arrives – and they were really accommodating in that aspect! At the end, when we were about to leave, there were a lot of tables that did come in for drinks, so I think it’s okay if you actually make it in before 9PM.

Their menus are really interesting as they put lamination on the menu and you check off what you want with a white pen. We ordered some Milk Tea, and it says it can come “hot”, and we ordered 2 drinks from that section. One of them came hot, and the other was cold. We didn’t specify, as we assumed it would be “cold” unless we asked them for a hot drink. Regardless, it was a very decent. The drinks did come out one at a time, so it was like they only had 1 drink maker. We got the Almond Milk Tea and that came out hot and it tasted quite delicious!

I ordered the Hazelnut Milk Tea and it came out cold. It tasted really good, but there was a ton of ice cubes.

As a little snack, I ordered my favourite Condensed Milk Waffles. I love condensed milk, and I am convinced that if you put it on anything, everything tastes good! The condensed milk was delicious, but the waffles was just a little weird. It was really dry and dense and not my favourite.

We also got another sweet waffle, and we tried the Oreo Cookie Waffle which was good, except for the texture of the waffle – so I think it’s their batter that hasn’t been perfected… otherwise, it’s just a different type which I’m not a fan of! I am sure there are lots out there who would like it. I just like the ones with a crispy exterior and a light and fluffy interior.

We also had some Popcorn Chicken which comes in a little bowl and some mustard mayonnaise as a dip. It was fried to a nice colour with a huge crisp! I really enjoyed their popcorn chicken and I’m sure I’ll get it again!

We all shared another deep fried item called the Taiwanese Fried Chicken which are small pieces of chicken slices, seasoned with a seasoning very much like salt & pepper chicken. Again, it was really crispy and tasty and the chicken wasn’t too dry!

Finally, our last little treat that we ordered was the Curry Fish Balls, and it was interesting as it wasn’t actually all fish balls. They have pieces of lo bak (daikon) in it – and just a few fish balls. So, we were just a little mis-lead, but it tasted good anyway! But again, you really can’t goof up something like this!

Overall, I did enjoy the “deep” fried food and the drinks from here. So, now, we got another little place where we don’t mind going to on a Saturday or Sunday, as the hours work best for us there!

O'Cup on Urbanspoon

O’Cup

2-110 2 Ave SE
Calgary, AB T2G
(403) 452-2606

Hours of Operation:
Mon – Thurs 11AM – 9PM
Fri-Sat 11AM – 11PM
sun 11AM – 6PM

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Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria – McKenzie Towne Calgary

I’ve always wondered what the empty spaces on High Street in McKenzie Towne would turn out to be as 2 prime locations recently closed for whatever reason. I’m happy to say that a Day Spa has now turned into Famoso Neapolitian Pizzeria which has been a location where I’ve been trying to put on the top of my priority list since it opened. My co-workers can’t stop raving about it, and of course, I went during the coldest days of autumn – and I’m happy to say there was still a line out the door. It was a little cold for me as it was around 8:30PM on a Friday night, so I figured I would go during lunch on the Saturday – which I did! When I entered the pizzeria, we were immediately greeted by friendly staff asking if we’ve dined there before. We said no, and thank goodness we did as you write your order down and go up to the counter to order/pay.

I ordered a Gelato Float as I love floats. I have no idea how you’re suppose to order it as the menu only says “Gelato Float”, but I got my husband to order it, and I got the most disgusting float! I guess my husband wanted just a fountain drink of “Iced Tea”, and he must of gotten confused when ordering my float. I ended up with a Chai Tea Latte Gelato with Iced Tea, which is something I would HIGLHY NOT recommend! hahaha! Usually, I know floats with a sweet fountain drink like Grape or Root Beer with a vanilla ice cream… ah well, there’s always a first for everything!

We ordered an appetizer and a pizza, as this was a lunch – we ordered Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Balls which was a platter with fresh mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto baked in Campania tomato sauce served with flatbread. I just scooped out a mozzarella ball onto my plate and dissected it and covered it with the delicious tomato sauce with a bit of flat bread!

The pizza that we ordered was Abruzzo Pizza which was a pizza topped with Oven-roasted Italian sausage, onion, mushroom, fennel seeds and smoked mozzarella. It was a pizza that said it’s new for the Fall & Winter season, which was a good idea as the combination of the Italian sausage and smoked mozzarella was a such a delicious combination. The pizza crust was really something special! It wasn’t greasy at all, and the texture was amazing! There’s a place in my heart for greasy pizza crusts, but for ones that aren’t too greasy – this is a great alternative!

I love the location, and the environment! The service was excellent, and the food was exceptional! Now that I’ve finally tried the pizza here, my co-workers won’t stop talking about their desserts… so, needless to say, I will be back!

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

Southeast
5 High St SE
Calgary, AB
(587) 352-5566

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Chili’s Texas Grill (Southcentre Mall)

I’ve never been to Chili’s and to be honest, we went there because we heard about a fantastic promotion they have going on… it’s the 2 for $25 which was one appetizer to share and 2 full sized entrees! Even if they didn’t do a full size entree, it’s still a fantastic deal! We visit the Chili’s location at South Centre mall, which is located outside of the mall, towards SportsChek. We went during mid-week evening, and thinking there wouldn’t be a line up, there was! It was exciting to see so many guests, it makes me think the place is always good!

We got inside and they took our name and they advised us it would be about 45 minute wait for a table. We said that’s fine and we sat down to wait. Not long after we sat down, they came out with some appetizers for their waiting guest – which was a really nice touch! They were bringing out Jalapeno Cheese Bites which was a delicious jalapeno cheddar that is breaded in panko and deep fried to perfection!

When we sat down, we flipped through the menu, and figured we wanted to upgrade our dinner to the other special 2 for $30 special, which is the same deal, but the food sounded more appetizing for us! We ordered a Texas Dry Ribs for our appetizer to share. It was a huge portion and it was delicious whether we took it as is, or splashed some lemon juice on it!

I ordered the Classic Chicken Fajita which is something I really like! I love eating with my hands, and with fajitas coming out on a sizzling plate with caramelized veggies, this was a fun meal for me! The chicken was delicious and it was truly a full sized entree. There was only 3 tortilla wraps, but it’s alright, I just ate the entire thing off the sizzling with the condiments poured on top! It was really enjoyable and memorable!

The other entree that we ordered was the Chicken Enchilada Pasta which is a huge bowl of penne with some grilled chicken, corn, mushrooms and onions in a rich enchilada sauce with melted mixed cheese. It was a hearty meal and cheesy too!

We really enjoyed our time at Chili’s and we’ve been thinking about returning – especially during the spring/summer months and enjoy their patio too! Regular meals are reasonably priced, and the service was exceptional. To top it off, the food was spectacular and very pleasant to eat! We’ve just selected Chili’s as a location we will add to our circulation of places to go for dinner now!

Chili's Texas Grill (Southcentre Mall) on Urbanspoon

Chili’s Texas Grill

282 100 Anderson Rd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 225-2150

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Saigon Annam Vietnamese Cuisine

I love eating Vietnamese food, especially during cold winter evenings when I don’t want to cook. This usually happens during weekends, and my favourite Vietnamese restaurant doesn’t open on Sundays, so I was out on a hunt looking for a new Vietnamese cuisine that was opened! I found one, and I like it! It’s Saigon Annam Vietnamese Cuisine which is opened daily from 11:00 to 9:00PM. This business is located on 24th Street SE just off Deerfoot Trail and Douglasdale Blvd/24th Street exit. It’s at the same area as Sobeys plaza, but further west. It is a stand-alone building.

We started our meal with their Prawn Salad Rolls which came on a plate with 4 salad rolls, which was decent in size, for $6.50, I wouldn’t expect it to be small. The shrimp was quite fresh, which is always a delight! The worse thing is having soggy shrimp with a fishy smell/taste! But, thankfully this little restaurant doesn’t server stuff like that!

We wanted a good satay noodle, as the last time we had one, it was nothing but chili oil in the soup – which isn’t “satay” flavour. So, we ordered a bowl of Satay Beef Noodle Soup, and we love it! It was actually a bit spicy and it offered some great satay flavour! There was a lot of noodles and beef in the bowl, and for a price of $9.50, it ranks in on the high end of regular Vietnamese noodle prices. I really like the portion sizes that justifies the price tag!

As the temperatures get colder and colder, all I want is spice! So, I ordered a bowl of Bun Bo Hue which is something I order a lot, but with caution since a lot of times, it just turns into a bowl of SUPER spicy noodles with again, no taste. I am happy to say it was really good here, and the texture of their noodles was perfect! It was just a great bowl of Bun Bo Hue – and now I’m thinking about ordering another bowl for take-out tonight!

Overall, I really like this place. The service is great, fast and friendly. The cost is really decent for the amount of food you get (even though it’s Asian food), and it’s not too far from home! I’m sure I’ll be back, and I know I would love to thy their Vietnamese submarines, as I haven’t had a delicious one in a long time!

Saigon Annam Vietnamese Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Saigon Annam Vietnamese Cuisine

11566 24 St SE
Calgary, AB T2Z3J3
(403) 457-3885