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Boston Pizza – Crossiron Mills

We deiced to have dinner at Boston Pizza inside Crossiron Mills while shopping one evening and we were shocked that it was so quiet. We found a seat outside on the patio, and from there, we waited a good 10 minutes before anyone came out to give us menus. The server was really nice, but I don’t know where she was most of the time.

We ordered our drinks to start with and I decided to go for the Virgin Caesars which was a pretty good mix here! But, for the main meal, I ordered their new Jalapeno and Crispy Onion Prime Rib Burger which sounded absolutely delicious from the name alone. It was a half pound or prime rib burger topped with jalapenos and crispy onion rings. It was quite good as a burger, but I found the crispy onions were too thin or something – you don’t actually get the texture of the crispiness while eating. The jalapenos weren’t spicy at all… so, it was just a good burger at the end of the day!

As it was the rib event going on at Boston Pizza, we decided we would order their Full Rack Slow Roasted Pork Back Ribs and these were fall of the bone deliciousness! The ribs had tons of flavour and just the right amount of sauce. The meat was juicy and tender – it was really good! We got it in their Signature BBQ flavour! These, we will definitely have again!

Overall, we had an enjoyable experience. We didn’t eat dinner as this meal had already taken us over an hour as is… and there was a little more shopping to do. I’m sure we’ll be back, but maybe after all the shopping next time as they do run on a more relaxed time.

Boston Pizza on Urbanspoon

Boston Pizza

520 261055 Cross Iron Boulevard
Rocky View, AB
(403) 250-1007

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Earls Kitchen and Bar – Shepards Flats

I’ve been trying out restaurant patios lately and I’ve been loving them! I never know whether or not to wear my hat, but that’s another problem! I’ve found myself at Earls in the south by McKenzie Towne just off 130th Avenue and 52nd Street. It’s very new, quite large and full of friendly staff serving delicious food! We had to wait a little bit for a late lunch on the patio and at the front, they actually took our drink orders while we waited!

For the drink, I decided I was going to have their White Peach Lemonade as I was already feeling dehydrated from the nice heat from summer! It was the perfect drink for a hot summers afternoon with the refreshing lemonade flavoured with white peach, fresh lemon and soda!

As this was a late lunch kind of thing, we just settled on a bunch of snacks. We started with a nice bowl of their Earls famous Clam Chowder which was really delicious! It’s no wonder it’s famous! It’s not like the typical full cream ones as this one has tomatoes in it – which makes it taste lighter. The soup was a little separated but it didn’t matter as it was one of the best clam chowders we’ve had!

Then, we ordered a Prawn & Pesto Pizza and this pizza was served on thin crusted that looked like a wood burning oven from the big burnt bubble on the top and the thinness of the crust to ensure it’s cooked to its entirety. The pizza was really tasty, the shrimp was really fresh and of course with the pesto, it was great!

Finally, we ordered some chicken wings! We ordered their Thai Chicken wings and these wings are done really nicely! It’s fried to a perfect crisp on the outside and tender & juicy chicken! Then, it’s tossed in really great sauce! We’ve been back during their wing nights on Wednesdays afterwards as well as we’ve enjoyed it so much. They only come in 3 flavours, hot, hotter and Thai!

Overall, as you can tell, we love this place! We’ve been back already and I’m sure we’ll be back many more times to come!

Earl's Shepard Flats on Urbanspoon

Earl’s Shepard Flats

200 – 5155 130 Ave Southeast
Calgary, AB
(403) 255-3275

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Lazy Monkey

I was looking for a new place to try for things like Taiwanese bubble tea and other small snacks. I went online and found this place called Lazy Monkey which offered great reviews – but it was located at the other end of town at Norbrent Shopping Centre (across from Churchill High School).

We knew we wanted to have their Milk Tea of some sort. They didn’t have an extensive drink menu, but what they had was pretty good! I had their Jasmine Green Milk Tea which was really good.

We had 5 of us for this evening, so we ordered a bunch of miscellaneous snacks and meals to share. The first that came out was the Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings which was really good. It was really crispy and fried to perfection. A lot of seasoning on each wing, which is always nice.

We also had an order of their Fried Puffy Tofu which really wasn’t anything special. The seasoning tasted like the MSG packages from instant noodles, and the texture was a little chewier than what you’d expect for a puffy tofu. When I think of puffy tofu, I think of it being hollow in the centre. Who knows, maybe that’s how the Taiwanese do it! 🙂

Then, we our order with Fried Squid Tentacles which was fun! They had big pieces of tentacles and they were really soft and tender with lots of flavour. This was a great dish!

Then, we had 2 dishes of their main, one was their Egg wrapped Rice with Curry and I’m not sure what the actual name on their menu was, but it wasn’t bad. It was neat as they made a nice omelette and wrapped it around rice. Then, there was a large section of curry that didn’t carry much flavour or seasoning.

The last thing we ordered was what we think was called Taiwanese Chicken Meal which was a large portion of chicken, with some vegetables and a bowl of rice. It also had a hard boiled egg braised in Chinese soy sauce marinade.

Overall, we had fun and the food wasn’t bad at all. I personally liked their little snacks more than their meals, and I did enjoy their drinks! I’m sure we will be back as we did enjoy it!

Lazy Monkey on Urbanspoon

Lazy Monkey

3616 52 Ave NW, Unit 11
Calgary, AB
(403) 338-2123

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Giddy Up Cafe – Saskatoon Farm

Recently, it seems like everyone around me has been raving about Saskatoon Farm which I thought was in Saskatoon, so I always said I wasn’t going to go. It turns out, it’s kind of between De Winton and Okotoks, in Alberta! So, I ventured my way to Saskatoon Farm for some famour Saskatoon Berries. The drive going there, you do go on relatively rural roads but it’s actually kind of hard to get lost! Once you get there, you’re greeted by a huge Saskatoon Farm sign and tons of parking. We just walked around the gardens and ventured through the area to see what there was to offer. We then found ourselves sitting at the patio of the Cafe!

We were greeted by super friendly staff and a little bit of wait, but it’s well worth it! We sat down and ordered some drinks! I settled for something hot as it was a little breezy, so I got the Hot Chocolate which tasted great! Even the whipped cream on top was light and delicious!

Of course, my other half was completely opposite and he wanted something cold and I guess kind of refreshing. He ordered the iced latte which was really good! The coffee was perfectly brewed with the right amount of cream and sugar! We don’t expect much as it’s just a iced latte, but we got something just extraordinary!

As we were here during in between times, not lunch, not dinner, we just opted for snacks, and by snacks, I mean dessert! I ordered their famous Saskatoon Pie made with a home made crust and delicious Saskatoon berry filling. This pie wasn’t too sweet at all, in fact it wasn’t sweet! Then, I ordered it with their Saskatoon ice cream which they make and this dessert is to die for! I highly recommend this if you’re here visiting!

Lastly, we ordered their Saskatoon Butter Tart which again wasn’t too sweet. We didn’t like it as much as the pie but it was still divine! Made with the homemade crust and the newly fruit – Saskatoon berries, then in a butter tart, there’s really nothing to complain about!

Overall, we enjoyed our first visit out here so much we have already planned our next trip here to experience the “U-Pick” fruits that are available from late July! So, we decided we will come have lunch and the pick some berries and then head back! It will be a great afternoon for sure!

Giddy Up Cafe on Urbanspoon

Giddy Up Cafe
3338 Ave SW (Saskatoon Farm)
Okotoks, AB
(403) 938-6245

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Max Brenner :The Forum Shops At Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, Nevada

I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, and I always walk the shops at Caesars Palace. I always find myself looking at this restaurant Max Brenner as it’s also called “Chocolate by the Bald Man” which always seems a bit odd to me. I wanted to go there for sure this one trip and so we went in for a lunch!

During this visit, it was in the winter, so it was actually pouring rain. I knew I wanted something hot, and my favourite go to drink is a hot chocolate. I ended up ordering their Choco-Pops Hot Chocolate which was amazing! It’s a delicious milk hot chocolate with little chocolate wafer balls that floated on top and added a phenomenal crunchy texture while enjoying the hot chocolate!

We also ordered a cold drink, just to add some variety! So, we ordered the Hazelnut Cream Chocolate Milkshake which was very tasty and not overly sweet as you may want to expect. It’s a hazelnut chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate truffle, and topped with whipped cream! This drink was excellent and it was something full of flavour!

As this was a lunch, we ordered their Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes which was a huge stack of giant chocolate pancakes, topped with chocolate truffle cream, chocolate shavings and caramelized bananas! This is the breakfast for those who need sugar to start your day – and the great thing about it was the fact it wasn’t overly sweet at all! In fact, you know it’s chocolate but it’s not overwhelming at all! I absolutely loved the caramelized bananas with these pancakes and I think this is one of their signature meals, so I would recommend it too! 🙂

The last thing we ordered to share was the Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe which as the name implies was a beautiful and delicate crepe filled with chocolate hazelnut spread then topped with strawberries. It also comes with a little flask of milk chocolate ganache!

At the end, we were extremely stuffed! We would never had imagined the chocolate pancakes would be such a large portion. We ate as much as we could but we definitely finished the drinks! Afterwards, we wandered the gift shop and made a few delectable purchase too! I’m sure we will return as this was an experience I’ve been recommending everyone – and I want more!

Max Brenner

3500 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 462-8790