Lunch – Page 7 – Elsie Hui

December 26, 2018December 31, 2018

Xu Hue – Edmonton, Alberta

We were driving home from Cold Lake, Alberta and wanted to take a stop in Edmonton for lunch and something lighter as we still had a few hours to go before we returned home. We decided to try a Vietnamese restaurant for some soupy pho and found ourselves at Xu Hue, where we found some street parking on the streets behind.

I sat down and wanted something hot and spicy as it was a rainy day and it rained on us on and off at Cold Lake for the airshow. I decided I wanted my favourite dish, Bun Bo Hue and I asked for it “not so spicy” so I wouldn’t get a tummy ache during the adventure home.

This restaurant had some very unique items that we’ve never seen on a Vietnamese restaurant menu and I wish we had the opportunity to try more, but there’s always next time. We asked the manager what Duck Congee was and his face lit up when explaining it. It was really different so I’m glad it’s something we tried. The item came in 2 portions, the first section was the congee which was a great congee base with lots of flavour. It was far from boring and if this was all we got, we would have been very satisfied.

Almost immediately after came what the manager called Duck Salad, and that was a plate of duck! It was really odd! This salad had lots of greens and toppings on and we weren’t actually sure how to eat it. The manager told us to put the salad in the congee or eat it on the side. So, we did both. It was amazing! It was light, it wasn’t heavy, it was sort of refreshing. We really enjoyed this!

This experience was extremely memorable. We eat out for Vietnamese all the time and this one just stuck in my head. Last week, we were in Edmonton and when we drove by, I made the comment of the “duck congee”, so it’s great it’s on my radar!

Xu Hue

10548-97 Street,
Edmonton, AB
(780) 426-7775

December 26, 2018December 31, 2018

Bear Street Tavern – Banff, Alberta

I’ve walked through Banff a million times and it was a coworker I worked with (even if we’re in different companies) told me to try Bear Street Tavern as he often enjoyed his pizza here and loves bringing his family here to eat.

We came on a busy summers afternoon, and the wait wasn’t too ridiculous. We asked for a table on the patio which helped with the waiting time as it was a super hot day. We had a nice drink and then came some oil and vinegar which was for dipping our pizza crust.

My coworker did tell me about this and that it was his favourite part so I was excited to try this with my pizza. We ordered their special, the Maui Wowie Pizza which is their spicy Hawaiian pizza. The food pizza was amazing and the dips for crust really elevated this “pizza eating experience”!

Our overall experience was one to remember and now everytime I walk past here, I make the comment of “I love the pizza’s here!” I’m thankful I got introduced to this little gem off main street!

Beat Street Tavern

211 Bear Street,
Banff, AB
(403) 762-2021

November 11, 2018November 11, 2018

Redwater Rustic Grille – Calgary, Alberta

I received a gift card for the Redwater Rustic Grille, so naturally I had to use it! I’ve been to this restaurant and this location a gazillion times as I use to work within walking distance to here, but I’ve never once did anything with this location besides “business meeting” here. Well, now that I’m here for a personal experience, I decided it’s finally ok to do it! Luckily for me, the late afternoon visit, I knew no one here so it was truly a customer experience now!

We started our dining experience with Crispy Calamari, a generous portion size of calamari arrived at our table, and it wasn’t as crispy as I would like it but it was extremely tender without losing the texture of calamari. It was very delicious especially dipped in their Cucumber Cumin Yogurt sauce with a squeeze of lemon.

As this was a meal that wasn’t either lunch or dinner, I decided to order their Chorizo Rigatoni, which is a plate of their awesome house made sausage with peppers and tomato, with tomato sauce over rigatoni! I ordered their half portion and it was still extremely filling. The sausages were amazing and had tons of flavour, the casing wasn’t tough, and everything was perfect.

We also had to order some meat. I need meat otherwise, I don’t get full. So, we had ordered a Braised Pork Shank which sounds absolutely ridiculous, and it was! Ridiculously amazing! It was just what it says it was, and it was fall off the bone, tender, juicy, and massive! It was only $25 as well!!

Overall, the experience here was fun! The staff was great, the food was amazing, the prices were extremely reasonable! It’s no wonder why we use to come here for business so much!

Redwater Rustic Grille

9223 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, AB
403-253-4266

November 5, 2018

The Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar – Seattle, Washington

We took a daytrip to Seattle, Washington just to walk around the Pike Place market and try to eat at the chowder place. We didn’t make it there as the wait time was ridiculous! We walked a few blocks and found ourselves at The Fisherman’s Restaurant which is located right on the pier. It’s got a lot of dining space so the wait wasn’t bad at all.

Once we sat down, we felt like we wanted to enjoy as much seafood as possible. I absolutely love a good Clam Chowder so I felt like we had to try it from here. We really can’t get closer to the water here than this, and I’m glad we did try this amazing soup! They had a generous amount of hearty clams, tender vegetables and sweet cream

For lunch, we shared a platter and this platter was called Crab Boil! What an amazing experience this was! This Crab Boil consists of snow crab, king crab, dungeness crab with some corn and potatoes. The portion was huge and it was a good idea we ordered this to share. Everything was so fresh and the shell of the crab cracked like a rock! Super strong and brittle. All the crab was sweet and delicious!

This lunch location was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone! It was fun, messy and delicious!

Fishermans’s Restaurant

Pier 57, 1301 Alaskan Way,
Seattle, Washington
206-623-3500

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018

Beet and Basil – Sandpoint, Idaho

We went to Sandpoint, Idaho for their 50’s carshow and by the time we drove into town, I was starving! We scoped out the location of the carshow, parked and decided to walk around trying to find some food. We just walked right into Beet and Basil, and I was really unsure if this was where I wanted to eat… but I needed to eat!

I didn’t know what to order, so I decided I would order their Chicken Ramen, I know, I know.. but it was kind of the only thing that interested me on the menu! This was a very interesting take on a ramen, as it wasn’t actual ramen noodles. The used an egg noodle which was a neat take on the noodle soup! It was full of vegetables and flavour. The broth and toppings was delicious.

My hubby knew he wanted to order something with Potatoes, and was wanting Idaho potatoes, so he ordered Lomo Saltado, a stirfry of top sirloin beef with shishito and bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, and crispy fingerling potatoes in a spicy aji amarillo sauce. This was actually really good! The sirloin was super tender and delicious and everything in the sauce made it absolutely amazing!

Overall, we really enjoyed our time here. We got changed into our 50’s gear from here and walked out and no one blinked an eye at us. Others must do that here as it almost felt like it was normal!

Beet and Basil at the Creek

105 S 1st Ave
Sandpoint, ID
208-920-6144