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The Eddie Burger & Bar – Banff, Alberta

I’m in Banff a lot as it’s a wonderful place to go. I’ve see an Eddie Burger car that is usually parked on the side street which is quite unusal for of marketing. But, I must say – it works! It brought me in after a few visits in Banff. One thing that really pushed me in the doors was the fact they were reviewd by Food Network Canada, so I knew it was a special place and I had to go visit.

I was definitely not hungry when I arrived at Eddie Burger, we made it into Banff rather spontaneously, right after a Stampede Breakfast. So, we ordered the Eddie Classic Burger made with a giant Alberta beef patty and topped with aged cheddar, double smoked bacon, grilled red onion, dill pickle, mayo, green leaf lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun.

We got Onion Strings on the side as I’ve been wanting onion rings for a very long time. This burger is huge, and very delicious!! The beef patty is juicy and tender – which makes or breaks a burger (in this case it MAKES the burger so special!)

We had an order of Chili Cheese Fries which was a huge bowl of french fries topped with white cheddar cheese curds and home-style veggie chili. It was really good, and I’m sure I could have ordered it on it’s own. Needless to say, the meal was not finished. But, even though we were extremely stuffed, we managed to finish the delicious burger!

The Eddie Burger & Bar

137 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-2230

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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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Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

I’ve been going to Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine for about 11 years now, of course with about 7 years in between when we stopped going – as we weren’t going to Chinatown as much. We went back, and there’s still a line up outside — just as we remembered the good old days! It’s the same owner and his wife, and now with someone else as well. The line does seem to move faster, no matter how big of an order ahead of us placed. It is often that a representative from a company or something would put in a huge order of 10+ subs right in front of you! Everyone knows this is a great place to go if you’re willing to wait outside.

The prices are still very reasonable and competitive to other submarine locations, Vietnamese subs or not. I got my peppered chicken for $6.50, which seems less than I recalled, which is a good thing!

I had the Peppered Chicken which has always been my all time favourite from Thi Thi. Yes, the amount of chicken has seemed to reduce, and it’s not nearly as peppery as it use to be. But it still tastes wonderful!! The pickled carrots are really tasty unlike some other Vietnamese locations that seem to just use normal matchstick carrots. The sauce was really tasty, the meat was tender and juicy!

The subs from Thi Thi quite big and full of flavor!! The bun is toasted nicely, crispy on the outside, but still soft in the inside. The cheese is melted perfectly! I don’t know how they do it, but they sure mastered the art of Vietnamese submarines.

I think over so many years, this place hasn’t changed, and it’s a great thing! I will be back, and hopefully it won’t take me another 5 years to return! 🙂 This location is a take-out only location, and cash only! Such a small & great place!

Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

209 1st St SE
Calgary, AB T2G2G3
(403) 265-5452

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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