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Haru Sushi & Grill – Calgary, Alberta

Recently opened in McKenzie Towne is Haru Sushi & Grill and after I realized it was opened, I knew I had to try it sooner than later! So, soon it was!

The decoration was really modern, the chairs were big and comfortable, it was well light, and overall great ambiance! It is very clean, and no harsh edges anywhere, everything just flowed, which was a really nice design concept they had!

We ate lots at Haru Sushi – just to get a good sample. We’ll have to go back for other things such as teriyaki, or udon or things like that! I love soup noodles such as udon, so I’ll be there to at least try it out some other time!

We ordered gyoza’s to start with, and when they came, the skin was really thin and the meat filling was really well seasoned. These delicate gyozas was cooked/pan-fried to perfection! If I was to make it myself with skin so thin I’m sure I wont have much of the skin left as it would have been stuck to the bottom of my pan!

Afterwards, we had our Haru Platter which consisted of 4 salmon sushi, 4 tuna sushi, 4 shrimp (ebi) sushi, dynamite roll, and spicy crunchy tuna roll.

It also came with an assorted tempura which was a nice surprise! I didn’t read the menu, so I was shocked when we got tempura! The salmon, tuna and shrimp was really quite nice quality, and large portions as well! Both the salmon and tuna was a thick piece and quite large as it draped over a ball of rice really nicely!

To top it all off, just in case we weren’t full, we also had a order of Spicy Prawn Roll which was a huge plate of their special rolls. It was really good, and quite spicy from the Sriracha sauce. It was really nice and crispy and just a good choice for a special roll! It’s got prawn tempura and yam tempura wrapped with steamed prawn, avocado and tobico! It’s also got this crispy layer in it, which I think is backed wonton wrappers or something of that nature! It added a lovely crunch to the sushi roll.

This is a great place, and I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for some good sushi in the South. It feels like there are still a few wrinkles they need to iron out as it’s still very new, but I’m sure it’ll become a great place! The service was pretty good, considering they were packed – even before 7pm, keeping in mind there weren’t THAT many tables inside. They were still able to accommodate everyone in a timely manner which was really good! At least the seafood was fresh, which is extremely important in a sushi restaurant!

HARU Sushi & Grill

150, 35 McKenzie Towne Ave. SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-5881

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Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

We were in search of something different, and we found something different a Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon! The place was huge, with lots of seating areas! We must’ve went at a quiet time, as there weren’t a lot of customers yet. When we left though, the place was starting to fill up!

I tried the Elk Burger and it was actually a toss up between 2 items that I really wanted to try. I ended up with the elk burger as it’s a little more special. The elk patty was thick, and in the middle of the patty was some smoked gouda. It was really good!

We also ordered the Low n’ Slow Beef Ribs and it was fall off the bone tender! It was really juicy and succulent, and something I would recommend if you’re fine with getting your hands dirty! It is a place for customers over the age of minority (18 years old) as they do serve alcoholic beverages — so, this is not a family restaurant!

Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

201 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0333

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Cravings Market – Calgary, Alberta

Cravings Market is truly a unique experience. It’s almost like an upscale fast food cafeteria, or food court. I’ve been here a few times for lunch, and it is really packed all the time. It’s got a huge variety of food stations where you pick what you’d like to eat, and they’d charge you by swiping it onto a card that you’re holding. When you’re done with your meal, you pay the balance on your card either individually or by table – as the table you sit at, you would all get the same table card, and then they are numbered for an individual card basis. It is a great idea, and avoid problems when customers from local business would like to “split the bill”.

For breakfast, I ordered an Open Sea Panini which was a panini sandwich with smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, red onions and capers. The sandwich was extremely tasty, but I think the chef forgot that capers were salty. So, overall, the panini was too salty. I didn’t return it back to the kitchen as it was bearable, but would have been a better experience if that wasn’t the case. You really got the smoke salmon taste, and that really made it the reason why I still loved it.

I also ordered a Pina Colada Smoothie which was great! It was packed with pineapple and coconut flavours that you can taste right off the back. The best thing, it wasn’t alcoholic, so I drank the entire glass right away! The portion of the smoothie was quite generous as well, as they filled a milkshake glass to the top!

We also ordered a breakfast in a bowl, and we tried the All Canadian breakfast in a bowl which was a bowl full of pan-fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, green onions and Hollandaise sauce on top. It also came with really good buttered bread on the side.

For a drink, we ordered a large Hot Chocolate which wasn’t anything special of course, but still good!

Cravings Market
7207 Fairmount Dr SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 252-2083

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Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill – Las Vegas, Nevada

We were in Las Vegas celebrating our wedding anniversary, and wanted something nice, but still quite reasonable in price. We heard lots about Mesa Grill from Bobby Flay’s show on Food Network (Throwdown with Bobby Flay) as they use this kitchen as a test kitchen sometimes (their test kitchen is the one in New York though). Regardless, we made reservations to be a guest a Mesa Grill.

We were a tad early, and was seated by the bar as we waited for our table. It wasn’t a long wait at all, before we got seated at our table. The atmosphere in Mesa grill was really quite cozy, yet it was high end, and a tad dark!

As we first got seated, the waiter immediately asked us for our drink orders and brought us a basket of bread, with wonderfully tasting bread – which I believe were: corn bread muffin, jalapeno bread, and a nut bread! I had a piece of each of the breads and my favorite would be the jalapeno bread!

For main, I tried the Ancho Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon which was a perfectly pan seared piece of salmon, topped with spicy black bean sauce & roasted Jalapeno Crema. The crust on the salmon was so good, even until the last bit, it was still a nice crisp! The ancho chile was full of flavor but was not over powering, it was a great balance of textures and flavors.

We also ordered Pan Roasted Venison which is served with Sweet Potato Tamale. The venison was really quite special and it is something most people don’t order by looking around! We really enjoyed both main entrees and have nothing but good to rave about.

For dessert, we enjoyed ourselves so much we thought we would stuff ourselves extra for this special occasion. We ordered both Churros which was deep fried long dough, dusted with Cinnamon Sugar & Star Anise with a Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce. We also had Pineapple Upside-down Cake with a rum caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream on the top. Both desserts were really good, but I must admit, the Churros was much more memorable as it’s not as common of a dessert.

The price of the dinner is higher than your typical dinner, but was reasonable for where you are, and what you’re eating! Bobby Flay is after all a celebrity chef, which a Michelin Star earned in 2008!

Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill

Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
(877) 346-4642

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A Ladybug Bakery and Cafe – Calgary, Alberta

I have always loved strawberry waffles and A Ladybug Bakery and Cafe sure knows how to make them the way I like them! Previous to this experience with Ladybug, I’ve only been to their old location at the Currie Barracks, which has now closed, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to open a new location in the new Calgary Farmers Market

We had a few people that joined us for lunch, and we got pictures and their comments of the dish also! 🙂 But, I did order the Strawberry Waffles and it was as very tasty. The texture of the waffles was amazing with generous toppings!

We had an order of their lasagna and it looked really amazing! The smell of cheese, you could smell it at least a table away! This lasagna was packed with mushrooms, bechamel sauce, ground beef, and tomato sauce, it truly was an awesome choice!

I did enjoy their Chai Tea Latte and I found it was a bit watered down, but the quality of the chai tea was really good. I didn’t mind it was a little more subtle.

We had dessert to complete the meal, and I had a Tiramisu because I wanted a delicious one that I was craving since our trip to Las Vegas. It was a very delicate and delicious tiramisu here.

We also had their Chocolate Eclair which was quite decent! A delicate filling inside a beautiful chocolate donut.

A Ladybug Bakery and Cafe

2132 10 Aspen Stone Blvd
Calgary, AB
(403) 249-5530