Posted on

Blondes Diner – Calgary 4th Street

The most wonderful meal for me is breakfast – and my favourite place to enjoy breakfasts are at diners. I love them, old style, new style or even no style! I first heard about Blondes Diner from watching TV actually… on Top Chef Canada, they have a chef that’s a contestant on the show. Right away, I knew I had to try this diner! The location of this diner is right on 4th street and I believe it use to be a Greek restaurant at this location. It’s easy to find and quite spacious inside. Parking is a little trickier, but that’s the area!

We went in on a Sunday, relatively late in the afternoon – for sure past noon. There was still a line up for a table which is a good sign! The service was casual, but it wasn’t slow! By the time we got to our table, our waitress came right away. It was a awful weather outside, so I decided to have a nice cup of Hot Chocolate which I enjoyed thoroughly! I wish it was a tad bigger because I was almost done my hot chocolate by the time my lunch got to the table. Well, maybe I was just enjoying it too much! 🙂

Looking around the restaurant, it was really clean and modern. There were seats with plastic chairs and some cozy chairs! I was fortunate enough to sit by the window in the cozy chairs! It was a really relaxing experience at Blondes, and that’s something I love!

I love coconut, and so when I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to try their Crispy Crepe which the menu describes it as coconut frangipane, seasonal compote, whipped creme fraiche! It turns out as a delicious thin crepe with shredded coconut filling inside, and topped with pineapple compote! Wow, this was such a delight to have and something I wouldn’t mind having again and again!

We didn’t know what else to order, and thankfully they had a delicious sounding featured breakfast! This breakfast was a hot beef sandwich with a side of chickpea salad. The hot beef was full of flavour and it sat on a nice thick toast with tons of gravy on top. The chickpea salad was so refreshing and would be an awesome side for a summers night!

Overall, we had a great time here! It was fun and exiting and a nice modern take on a diner and more upscale. With that said, it’s just a nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place instead of a diner! But, worth it was worth the visit!

Blondes Diner on Urbanspoon

Blondes Diner

2005 B 4th St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 474-3867

Posted on

Homemade Pizza

I just made a bunch of ham and what I really wanted was a ham pizza. So, instead of going to the grocery store and purchasing a premade crust, I figured I would try my hand at making one.

Ingredients: (makes 1 medium or 2 small)
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 cups of water
1 package of yeast (traditional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

The first thing you need to do is activate your yeast. I poured my yeast into a little bowl and put 1/4 cup of warm water to dissolve the yeast. Then, I added my teaspoon of sugar. Just leave it for about 10 minutes and it should have expanded and almost doubled in size.

From here, I mix together the flour and salt and the yeast mixture. Then I slowly combine with the rest of the water in stages. I keep mixing until a ball of dough forms. My dough ball here was much more sticky than it probably should have been, but I left it anyway. Just knead it for a few minutes and when you’re ready, let it sit to rise and rest. I put saran wrap on top and left it for about 45 minutes.

After the ball of dough has doubled in size, you can knead it out on a floured surface to the crust shape you like. I didn’t use a pizza tray or anything as I like it kind of rustic, so I just rolled out a thick crust of a random shape on my silicon mat.

After I got my crust ready, I now preheat my oven to 425F and I start decorating my pizza with toppings. I do this rather gently as I’m probably letting it rise again for the second time as I wanted my crust more bread like.

When your pizza is topped with all the goodies you would like, pop it into the oven for about 25 minutes. It comes out delicious, kind of like a pizza bread! 🙂 You could have brushed the crust with butter or oil or even egg wash if you like a prettier crust. I just left mine as is.

Now, after the cooking period, take the pizza out of the oven, and slice it if you want – but you’re ready to enjoy a simple and delicious home made pizza!

Posted on

Schneiders Pepperettes – Smokey Bacon

I was wandering around the grocery store and I decided I would really like some pepperoni sticks. I walked by and found my favourite brand Schneiders Pepperettes and of course a new flavour! This flavour was the Smokey Bacon so I was delighted to bring it home to try.

I love the texture of pepperettes and the conveniences of them being shorter than the usual pepperoni sticks. The flavours are really good, you don’t get much bacon flavour, but you definitely get the smoke flavour. I really do enjoy this snack, and I’m really glad I got it as it totally fulfills my craving!

Posted on

Wildernest Dream Cafe – Calgary

Breakfast is always a nice treat, and I found myself at Wildernest Dream Cafe one Sunday morning. It was great, it wasn’t super busy, but it was comfortable. There was street parking right outside, and on Sundays, it’s complimentary! The location is like a little house and even the inside, it’s partitioned into little seating areas as well, kind of like a little house. It’s really a unique place to be, as you know it was once someone’s home, and now it’s been recreated to a restaurant/cafe.

Once we were seated, the waitress came up to us not long afterwards and asked us if we knew what we wanted to drink. I ordered their Chai Latte, and it came after quite a long wait. However, it was a good one. It was more on the sweeter side instead of a spicy chai. This is alright with me, since I’m fully aware there are a few kinds of chai.

My other half ordered a Hot Spiced Cider which is typically something I don’t order as it’s normally as it’s normally just heated up apple juice with a cinnamon stick – and it’s no different here. It wasn’t bad, but it’s just nothing special.

I ordered the Salmon Eggs Benedict which has always been one of my “go-to” breakfasts if I see it. This one was done a little differently, as they use what they call “potato latkes” instead of the traditional English Muffin for the base of the eggs Benedict. When I think about potato latkes, I think about light and fluffy potato pancakes, but these ones were just a little different. It wasn’t bad at all, but it was quite different. The Pacific Salmon, they were really generous with the portions of that, and topped with their homemade hollandise sauce. Overall, I loved the plate – and I especially loved their hashbrowns!

My husband ordered the Hawaiian Breakfast Wrap only because that was my second choice, and it is weird of me to order 2 breakfasts sometimes. I love anything with pineapples in it, and this was no exception. We shared the 2 orders, and this wrap was delightful! It was hot with scrambled eggs with pineapples, red and green peppers, bacon and cheese all wrapped up into a large wrap! We even ordered a side of their Chicken Sausage which was like a meatloaf cut into strips. The concept was fantastic and the plate just works!

Overall, we had a fabulous time here. I think during a weekday or Saturday, I would utilize the parking lot right beside the cafe as it would be much simpler. The food is really good, and the prices are quite reasonable. The prices for the sides are a tad costly, but the portions are fairly large too! I think I would be back if I’m in the area. We ended up spending the day at Fort Calgary and then the Calgary Zoo, so the location was fantastic! Another great thing about this cafe, they offer Gluten Free options and tons of it too!

Wildernest Dream Cafe on Urbanspoon

Wildernest Dream Cafe

1309 9 Avenue Southeast
(403) 265-3663

Posted on

Galaxie Diner Calgary

I have always loved diners, and when I heard there was one I haven’t been to before, I knew I had to go there as soon as I can. This is near the beltline, in a residential area – but down this street is historic looking and full of food venues. Once I saw the “diner” sign, I knew I found the place – and I was right!

I sat down and was greeted immediately. I ordered a cup of hot chocolate, and it came in a large mug – which I really liked. It stayed warm for a long time as well, and it was quite tasty.

For the meal, I actually ordered the Galaxie French Toast and it looked delicious. To make it better, it taste even better! It’s a plate with 2 delicious pieces of French Toast with toasted coconut, then topped with grilled banana. This breakfast is really a great treat!

My husband ordered the most delicious breakfast of all! I have never had a better Montreal Smoked Meat Hash yet. This fantastic breakfast has tons of smoked meat mixed with their delicious hashbrown, garlicky mushrooms, sauteed onions, banana peppers and cheese, topped with eggs and toast. I love how this plate of hash has a nice heat (kick) and it’s very memorable.

Overall, this place is a cute little place that does fill up quite quickly. It’s worth the wait if you’re a tad late and they do turn tables really quickly. The food tastes so delicious that you just gobble it up quickly! I will be back here again before some other locations!

Galaxie Diner on Urbanspoon

Galaxie Diner
1413 11 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 228-0001