Market Cafe Vdara – Las Vegas

We were staying at Vdara and I needed to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport – so we just ate at the cafe downstairs called Market Cafe Vdara.

Once I saw the menu, I knew what I wanted! I wanted their Pacific Coast Bennies which is their salmon eggs benedict! It came complete with hashbrowns and asparagus! The salmon wasn’t bad at all and the hollandise sauce was really good. Overall, I still love my favourite breakfast!

Sticking with the salmon mode, we also ordered the Smoked Salmon Bagel which again was delicious! You can top your bagel with whatever toppings you wanted and how much you wanted as well – as it came on the side. Everything wa so fresh and delicious, it was a good time!

Overall, it was a great place to stop for food. However, be prepared for a long wait as there are tons of people grabbing take out and what not! It is worth the wait though!

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Market Cafe Vdara

2600 West Harmon Ave
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 590-2111

Primrose Restaurant – Rimrock Resort Banff

It was our anniversary and we knew we wanted to celebrate by going to Banff – so we did and had dinner inside the Rimrock Resort at one of their dining rooms called Primrose Restaurant. The service was excellent here, and the servers attention to detail was spectacular!

Once we sat down and ordered our drinks, a bread basket came out with some neat butters and dips! I actually forgot what they were, but I believe it was something like a mint butter, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and the last was like a blueberry butter. Regardless of what the butters were, they were very tasty!

We only ordered one starter as I prefer a dessert instead of an appetizer – my husband is the opposite! So, he ordered a bowl of Local Beef Barley Soup which was really a nice soup, tons of flavour and just enough barley to be nice!

For my entree, I chose their Lobster Pappardelle which was as pasta with tons of seafood consisting of lobster, salmon and crab with a Creamy Mascarpone Reduction with Egg Noodles. This dish was actually the winner of the 2012 Food and Wine Festival, which was one of the reason why I had to try it! And, it was a winner in my books as well as everything was perfectly cooked and delicious! Generous portions of both the egg noodles and the seafood!

My husband ordered their Cowboy Pan which was a delicious mixture of Beef & Lamb, Marinated with Smoky Herbs & Spices, with some vegetables. The meat was topped with an onion garlic yoghurt, which was really a great balance with the meat! All the meat was tender and juicy and cooked to perfection! It was a great pan!

My dessert was their Milk Chocolate Creme Brulee which is a chocolate creme brulee (obviously) with toasted coconut meringue and sour cherry compote. It was great as the sour cherry compote really helps to cut the richness of the chocolate brulee!

Overall, we had a wonderful time! Parking can be tricky as there wasn’t too many… they have guest parking but if you’re a guest, you need to park on the street and walk on over! The prices were within reason, ranging from $20 o $25 per entree, but they were large and tasty!

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Primrose Restaurant

198 Mountain Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-1865

Yogurty’s Froyo – South Calgary

Frozen Yogurt seems seems to be very popular right now, and it’s creeping up everywhere around the city! Recently, Yogurtys Froyo has opened in the southeast end of Calgary – which is the first in the West! This is a chain primarily from Ontario, so it’s an honour to have them here! This location is located just off of High Street close to the Fitness gym, and it’s probably there for a reason!

We walked inside this storefront and was greeted by lots of super friendly staff! You begin by going to the back and picking a size of cup you would like, and filling it with your favourite frozen yogurt! When you got that, you’ll go around the corner to where there is a ton of topping selection. It ranges from candies, to mochies, nuts and syrups! Then, when you’re done, just turn around, get your goodies weighed and enjoy!

My simple creation during this visit consisted of Strawberry, Chocolate and Espresso. I then topped it with some boba with exploding juices in them, fun chips, mochi and some milk chocolate crunch. The frozen yogurt here was smooth and creamy and wasn’t filled with ice crystals. The flavours tasted like what they are suppose to, so it’s a lot of fun here!

We also got a cup for my husband, and his was filled with Green tea and French Vanilla, topped with boba, mochi and chopped peanuts! We love that there are nut toppings to enhance the flavour and texture – but can see potential problems because of the peanuts. I’m glad it’s not a peanut-free location though!

Overall, I know I will be back! I’ve already joined their Loyality program and I have a bad feeling that I will become a VIP before I know it!

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Yogurty’s

26 McKenzie Towne Gate Southeast
Calgary, AB
(403) 123-4567

Holy Smoke BBQ – Calgary

I love smoked food, and I have been to their South location before. They’re not opened on Sundays, so we decided to go to Holy Smoke BBQ on 16th Avenue, as they’re opened! The parking lot is quite a hassle to get in, there’s only 1 driveway in, and not enough spaces, so be prepared! Once you go inside, there’s a long counter where you get food and along the window, there’s some seating for you to enjoy your food! Along the exit side of the restaurant, there is a huge selection of sauces that you can pick from! They do recommend which sauce would go with what you’ve ordered, and that’s helpful!

The moment I walked in, I was expecting to be greeted by a strong smell of smoke – like their South location, and it wasn’t a strong smell of smoke at all from here. Regardless, I ordered myself a Smoke Chicken Sandwich as I’ve never tried their chicken. I honestly forgot what they recommended to me that goes well with this smoked chicken sandwich. I can’t remember if it’s their Honey Garlic sauce or Sweet Apple sauce, but I ended up trying it with their Honey Garlic sauce. The sauces are amazing here, and I’m sure I’ll be ordering the same thing to try it with all the sauces!

We also ordered their Pork Ribs which is ordered by the rib. It’s $1/bone, and it works out to be an excellent deal as they’re pretty large in size. They’re very flavourful as is, with a hint of spiciness. The sauce we used for this was their Mesquite sauce and their Jack Daniels sauce. I didn’t care for their Jack Daniels sauce much as it was too bitter for my liking.

The ribs was absolutely delicious. It’s not “fall off the bone”, but you can definitely clean the bones really well. The flaovurs was awesome, and you know it was made with lots of love. We ordered some potato salad with the ribs, and it was made with nice chunky slices of potatoes. It was tender and not over cooked, and quite a great side! We loved the ribs so much we went back and ordered another 6 ribs after we were done! Below is a picture of the selection of sauces Holy Smoke BBQ has to offer!

For a drink, we got a Strawberry Milkshake to split. They do it the good old fashion way with strawberry ice cream and milk – then “shake” or blend it together! It tasted great and it brought back great childhood memories for me.

Overall, we love this place! The only thing we really didn’t like is the parking lot as you can get stuck in the parking lot if you’re trying to leave and someone else just got in. Make sure you bring your driving skills and some patience when you go! There’s about 4 spots for their guests only!

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Holy Smoke BBQ

420 16 Avenue NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-4659

Le Petit Mousse – Calgary Farmers Market

I found myself over at Calgary Farmers Market one morning and I was getting hungry, so I decided to make a little stop for a savoury crepe and I found Le Petit Mousse which was a little neat as it was all Asians working there.

I ordered their Merguez Lamb Sausage Crepe which was on what I believe buckwheat crepe which is gluten free. It didn’t leave the nice soft texture of crepes that I’m use to as this one wasn’t too smooth and it left holes in it.

This crepe came with some mustard as well as an odd coleslaw or almost sauerkraut, which I never used. I did like the mustard with the lamb sausages and there was quite a few pieces of the sausage. It was packed with flavour and a hint of spiciness! There was quite a bit of filling, but for $10, I haven’t convinced myself it’s a great deal yet.

Overall, I think I would’ve enjoyed their sweet crepes more due to the texture of the crepe. I’m sure I’ll try it one day! The crepe in general wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t good either. It was just the lamb sausage that I really liked.

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Le Petit Mousse

510 77th Avenue SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 514-0555