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Starlite Diner Car – Bowden, AB

I love looking for hidden jems in the middle of nowhere, and I can definitely say I found one in Bowden, Alberta. We made this stop just before our stop to Red Deer from Calgary just to try this diner car out. Situated just off the highway is Starlight Diner Car which is a diner car decorated to look like an old school diner – with extra terrestrial and alien decoration inside!

Just going inside puts a smile on anyone’s face and this was no different! It was just a wonderful place to experience and the service here was wonderful!

Once we sat down, we ordered a coffee each as it was early in the morning. I ordered their Starlite Breakfast which was a large breakfast with sausage, toast, eggs and hashbrowns. They had a generous portion size which was perfect for a long day ahead for me! The sausages were split in half, but you don’t normally get 4 sausages! It was delicious!

My husband ordered their Sirloin Steak and Eggs breakfast which was quite a large piece of sirloin steak, well seasoned and cooked to perfection. With the steak and eggs, it came with some toast, which was also a large breakfast

Overall, we really enjoyed this place and has recommended it to a few friends and family members — with strange looks on their faces as we tell them about here! But, it’s just fun and a great way to start off a weekend!

Starlite Diner Car on Urbanspoon

Starlite Diner Car

1-3 Heritage Dr
Bowden, AB
(403) 657-3503

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Bistro Praha – Edmonton, Alberta

I was recently in Edmonton to celebrate my birthday and we stumbled to Bistro Praha as it was walking distance from our hotel located in downtown Edmonton. I recognized “Praha” from my travels to Czech a few years ago, so I figured it was European food here – which I loved! We went inside and it was quite busy but they had a table for two, just for us!

We wanted to start the dinner off with some appetizers and we picked some out on the menu – until I found in the soup section some Bistro Beef Goulash “Zhorelec” which was basically a beef stew with some Czech bread, which is known as dumplings. This dish offered tender and juicy pieces of beef flank and with their Czech bread to soak up the sauce, it was almost a meal on it’s own!

For dinner, I ordered the Wiener Schnitzel which came with a salad. The salad was really large and I asked for their green garden salad which the dressing was an interesting vinaigrette! It was light and refreshing, and actually quite tasty!

The Wiener Schnitzel was amazing! A tender piece of veal perfectly tender and juicy – pounded thin with a crunchy crust! Although this is a Vienna specialty, they seemed to have mastered it! It did taste as good as the Schnitzels I had in Vienna! This dish I would recommend to anyone as it was just delicious!

The other dinner entree picked by my husband was their Smoked Boned Pork Hock which I should start by saying I absolutely love ham, and smoked ham tops off my list. Here, they serve this generous portion of ham with some Czech bread and mustard and it was divine! The pork was fall of the bone tender and extremely juicy!

With this entree, we got the tomato salad which was much more interesting than it looks! It was both sweet and tangy and very refreshing! A perfect salad to a hot day!

Overall, this was an amazing place to celebrate my birthday dinner and I would recommend it to anyone for any reason! The food was amazing, service was great and the prices were decent – well worth it for a taste of Eastern Europe!

Bistro Praha

10117 101 St NW
Edmonton, AB
(780) 424-4218

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Bernie & the Boys Bistro – Drumheller, Alberta

We actually didn’t know what to do one weekend and we were in the North end of Calgary when we suddenly remembered John Catucci on You Gotta Eat Here featured a place in Drumheller called Bernie & the Boys Bistro, so we decided to drive out there just for lunch! We got there and it’s on the side of downtown Drumheller where we’ve never ventured off to, so we’re glad this gave us an excuse to go to this side!

Once we got in, I knew immediately I wanted a Strawberry Milkshake, so I ordered one and my husband ordered an Almond Milkshake! Their milkshakes are awesome and made the good old school way! Thick and creamy and loaded with flavour! It brings me back to the past with such milkshakes!

We ordered some wings to share and we decided to try their Smokin’ Wings and it was smokin’ hot! For some reason my husband thought the hot wings are the “screaming or liquid magma or even their blair wing project”. I honestly think it’s hotter than their “hot” wings! It wasn’t just hot tasting either which made these wings awesome. They were spicy and extremely flavourful! They were so good – we ate it all up, even though our mouths couldn’t handle it!

I ordered their Hawaiian Burger which was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! It was juicy and delightful! Tons of toppings but didn’t take away from the burger taste or experience. It was like a Hawaiian Pizza in a burger, with ham, pineapple and cheese with some pizza sauce! It was a great experience!

My husband ordered the NY Steak Sandwich which was very tender piece of steak, cooked to perfection and seasoned well. There’s nothing we can find to say negatively about this – so it was a great experience!

We love this place and like John Catucci says, “You Gotta Eat Here!”!! Even if you just stop in for a milkshake or just wings or something, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Bernie & the Boys Bistro

305 4 St W
Drumheller, AB
(403) 823-3318

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Manuel Latruwe Belgian Patisserie & Bread Shop – Calgary, AB

Bakeries and patisseries and anything baked is still my favourite type of food to eat as I’m not good with baking things in general. So, it always seems like I’m looking for bakeries and what not. I made a trip to Manuel Latruwe one afternoon for lunch and I’m quite happy I did! The location is quite small, and it is busy!!

We ordered signature haute chocolate, pot for 2 with their callebaut chocolate as it’s got the lowest cocoa percentage! I’m not a fan of bitter chocolate and I’ve always been a fan of Callebaut Chocolates! It’s a nice teapot of hot chocolate that you pour into a cup with cocoa powder. It’s a warm and delicious drink!

From our drinks, we went to croissants! Another of my favourites is the Hazelnut Croissant. My husband loves Plain Croissant, so we ordered some of these as well! The croissants were light and flaky, buttery and delicious! We loved the Hazelnut twist as it was full of flavour, not too sweet at all – it was perfect!

My lunch item was their pain de campagne baguette which was their fresh baguette stuffed with salmon, cheese, tomato confit, hard boiled egg! It was a nice sandwich on a delicious baguette. This sandwich was fresh and surprisingly refreshing.

My husband ordered the Sourdough Sandwich as he loves no bread more than the sourdough! This sandwich has calabrese salami, Gruyere cheese, tomato confit and black olives in between sourdough. This was a delicious Italian inspired sandwich, and the bread definitely had a hint of sour! It was a delightful sandwich!

We shared their soup of the day, which was a Potato Onion Bacon Soup and this soup was full of flavour, hot and super tasty! We really enjoyed the soup, full of flavour, and the texture was divine! The soup doesn’t look like it was great, but it was almost a highlight of this visit! Nothing was more delicious than my hazelnut twist! 🙂

Overall, this was a great place to sit down to eat a great lunch. It is a little costly but well worth it if you’re looking for a great quality sandwich or treats!

Manuel Latruwe Belgian Patisserie & Bread Shop on Urbanspoon

Manuel Latruwe Belgian Patisserie & Bread Shop

1333 1 St SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 261-1092

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Woody’s Taphouse – Calgary, Alberta

I’m always looking for a new hang out place after work or whatever for a casual drink and appetizers. I stumbled into Woody’s Taphouse as I wanted some wings! Wing they have here and they’re pretty good!

We sat down and ordered a drink and I actually opt’ed for a non-alcoholic drink that was girly – called Shirley Temple! I know, I was probably drunk to begin with to order something like that, but it was a delicious fruit drink!

We ordered wings as it was wing night, and I really enjoy Lemon Peppered Wings lately as my favourite wing place has tons of delicious options such as lemon pepper. These wings were well seasoned and has crispy skin and juicy meat. It’s not a meaty wing, but they are good!

We also tried a saucy wing, their Honey Hot Wings and it was saucy. It’s defintely a tad more “sweet” than “heat” but it’s a nice sauce. It’s more like Franks with honey – not the best not the worst! But, for it’s price during wing nights, it’s a great deal! I love their wings as they’re so crispy, so I don’t think I’d choose this flavour again… but there’s other options to pick from!

Overall, the prices are right and it’s a nice casual atmosphere for whatever you may be in the mood for. Their specials are great – so be sure to check their featured menu prior to going! It’s a great deal!

Woody's Taphouse on Urbanspoon

Woody’s Taphouse

4307 130 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 257-1666