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Diner Deluxe – Calgary, Alberta

I really love watching Food Networks You Gotta Eat Here and when I heard that John Catucci got to eat at Diner Deluxe I knew it was a place I would like to visit sometime. I finally made it there right before Christmas, and it was packed! We waited quite a long time for a table, and the service was really quick!

Once were seated, the waitress came to give us the drink specials, and already they had alcoholic specials, which I knew I couldn’t do for a morning drink… so, I just ordered a delicious Hot Chocolate and it tasted as good as it looks!

For the breakfast, I ordered my favourite, Eggs Benedict!! I ordered what they called Canadian Bacon Benny which came with 2 poached eggs on buttermilk biscuits, with basil hollandaise sauce and hash browns. On the actual benny itself, it had large slices of Canadian Bacon, essentially ham! This combination was delicious, and I definitely think about returning to try their Smoked Salmon and Capers Benny! I think that would be a wonderful breakfast at any time!

My other half ordered what he loves to love, the Pulled Pork Hash which was quite feast for him! It consisted of 2 poached eggs, BBQ pulled pork, grainy Brassica Mustard, Caramelized Apples and onions, hash browns and toast.

Overall, it was a perfect way to start the day and I would love to return. The prices wasn’t terrible as the portions are huge. Food tasted great, so I had a wonderful time! Like I said, I would love to return to try other options, and I would love to try what I believe was like a market or bakery right next door. Just as we were leaving, someone was telling us it was good too!

Diner Deluxe

804 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 276-5499

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BLT Burger – Mirage Las Vegas

We arrived into Las Vegas early for one of our trips and we tried to check-in, however, the room they wanted to give to us wasn’t ready, so we decided to grab a quick bite in the hotel. We wandered for a short time before we found BLT Burger where we sat down for lunch.

It’s a cozy and intimate environment, yet casual. It’s a nice place, and the prices are quite reasonable considering we were eating at a famous resort on the Las Vegas strip. However, a cup of coffee seems way to marked up as there was a Starbucks across the way. A cup of coffee was $4, so I would suggest you leave your coffee craving until after you eat! I ordered the BLT Burger as it’s the name of the place – so my expectations was huge!

My burger was huge and delicious, it was a 7oz. Grilled CAB*, Double Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and BLT Burger Sauce. I have never tasted a piece of bacon the way the BLT Burger bacon was! It was like a smoked jerky, but it was tender and still juicy! I’m not sure how to explain it, but it was very memorable. I added a piece of cheese onto my BLT, which was the Pepper Jack cheese, and it really elevated the burger to a new level!

The other burger we ordered was the Lamb Tandoori burger and I have no words to describe this delicious contraction! It definitely tasted like lamb, and it was juicy and delicious, with a nice kick. It’s a messy burger, but the best burgers are messy!

Overall, it was a great dining experience, and there were no regrets walking into this restaurant! The service was good, the food was good, and the prices are still considered reasonable, even though a tad on the high side for what it is.

BLT Burger on Urbanspoon

BLT Burger – Mirage

3400 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 792-7888

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Viet Thai Bistro – Calgary, Alberta

I love looking for little places to eat, especially ethnic food cuisine that I can go to on random lazy days! I’ve found Viet Thai Bistro just off 52nd Ave SE, and I must say, I really like eating here and I look forward to the next time I return.

We’ve dined here twice already, so I’ll put the 2 dining experiences together. The restaurant is a small and intimate place that offers a few tables and mostly caters to the take-out crowd. The prices here are amazing, and I loved their appetizers! I’ve tried their Coconut Shrimp which comes in a plate of 4 shrimps for $3.00, and the shrimps were quite fresh and fried to perfection!

Another appetizer that we tried is their Chicken Wings which comes in a plate of 10 wings, and the wings are perfectly fried. The actual wings doesn’t have much flavour, but they put sweet chili sauce on top which is delicious! They don’t put so much on such that the wings are soggy, and they don’t skimp out by keeping the wings lacking in flavour – so it’s a great balance they do for the wings!

Then, during our first visit, we had more Thai style food, and we loved it! We tried Kaprow Beef which is the Spicy Basil Beef with rice. This was delicious and spicier than I first anticipated! But, as I continued eating, it made me want to order more!

The other dish we tired was the Pad Siew which is made with wide rice noodles, and fried with beef and vegetables. Again, the plate of pad siew was really generous, and the noodles were delicious! Nothing was over cooked and everything was seasoned perfectly!

The last time we went, we tried their Vietnamese cuisine, and we ordered one of their popular dishes, the Beef Pho. The bowl of noodles was quite large, however, I did find the soup noodles was rather bland.

One of my favourite foods in the entire world is Vietnamese Submarines, and I ordered the grilled Lemongrass chicken submarine which unfortunately wasn’t to my expectation. There wasn’t a lot of chicken at all, and the bun was kind of burnt, but cold. It wasn’t bad, however, I’ve had better ones in the area. I’m sure I’ll still order one if I had the craving for a Vietnamese submarine though – they’re very convenient and at this price, it’s almost worth it!

Overall, we loved this place, and the prices are extremely fair – and in fact on the cheaper side, especially with the portion sizes! The flavours are amazing, and I think I like the Thai cuisine more than the Vietnamese cuisine from Viet Thai Bistro! Regardless, I know I will be back, and probably become one of their regulars!

Viet Thai Bistro

Suite 511-15566 McIvor Blvd SE
Calgary, AB T2Z
(403) 453-2222

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Aroma Restaurant – Authentic Mexican Cuisine – Canmore

Breakfast time can be tricky in Canmore to find a place to eat – and this time, we found ourselves in a Mexican restaurant called Aroma Restaurant which is just at the intersection of 8th Avenue and 8th Street (Main Street) in Canmore. With extensive hours, Aroma makes it easy for you to casually pop in for any meal of the day!

We went in and I quickly ordered a Mexican Hot Chocolate which has now become one of my favourite drinks for hot chocolate! I already attempted to make one at home, and it’s not as good!

For breakfast, I ordered the Ham and Cheese Burrito which was fantastic! The ingredients used in this burrito was so fresh and the salsa was amazing!

We also ordered the Rancheros which is a breakfast with 2 fired eggs on a tortilla and black beans, then topped with ranchero tomato sauce!

We enjoyed our breakfast so much we actually asked for dessert! What a neat treat – but we ordered a Mango Mousse which was a light cake with tons of mango flavour!

Overall, we really enjoyed our dining experience here, and it was a treat as I don’t usually go into a Mexican restaurant – as I thought it was a cuisine I don’t really enjoy… however, I think this maybe a new category I should start to explore as I loved my meal here!

Aroma on Urbanspoon

Aroma Restaurant – Authentic Mexican Cuisine

837 8 Street
Canmore, AB T1W 2B3
(403) 675-9913

Monday thru Friday
Breakfast & Lunch
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 PM

Saturday & Sunday
Breakfast – 8:00 a.m to 3:30 PM
Lunch – 13:30 a.m. to 3:30 PM

Daily
Dinner – 5:00 p.m to 10:00 PM

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Wood Restaurant & Lounge Canmore

We took walk through Main Street (8 Street) in Canmore, Alberta which is basically one of the only streets in Canmore. We didn’t know where to eat, and found ourselves walking straight through the door of Wood Restaurant & Lounge just as the snow began to fall.

We walked in and was seated in these large cozy chairs right by the fireplace! What a perfect place to be during this snow! I really enjoyed the ambiance here! The only thing that was kind of wierd was the bathrooms, where they are located in the lower levels, and the men and ladies washrooms were in completely different areas!

I started the meal experience by ordering some hot tea. I thought it was strange that the waitress didn’t ask me what kind of tea I would like, but instead, she brought me a plate of awesome tea, which was Revolution Tea brand.

From here, I ordered their special, which they called Chicken Gyros which wouldn’t be the name I would call this dish I ended up receiving! It was awesome, don’t get me wrong – it just wasn’t made with chicken cooked on a vertical spit… at least I think anyway (which is the technical definition of gyros). Regardless, it was a great chicken sandwich in a pita, and I ordered it with a Brisket Soup on the side – which was one of their soup of the day!

We also ordered the Smoked BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich which was made of layers of thinly shaved smoked brisket smothered in BBQ sauce and piled onto a bun! Yes! It was as tasty as it sounds! We loved it! In fact, my brisket soup tasted a lot like this sandwich, only less BBQ sauce flavour and made much more heartier! Kind of like a twist on a borscht!

By the end of this meal, as good as all the food was, we were completely stuffed and saved no room for dessert! It’s quite a bummer as I would have loved to have a dessert from here – since the food was quite delicious!

Wood Restaurant & Lounge on Urbanspoon

Wood Restaurant & Lounge

838 8 St
Canmore, AB T1W2B8
(403) 678-3404