Food Review – Page 66

July 14, 2013

IHOP Restaurant – Calgary

I’ve been wanting to go to IHOP – International House of Pancakes in Calgary since the day it opened. Usually, every time we drive by to want to try, it’s packed. This time, we got up extra early and finally got to enjoy this restaurant! The parking lot can become a bit messy and there’s not that many spots – however, it is located in an area with lots of other spaces, which I’m sure you can use.

We were greeted by really friendly staff immediately, and everyone was in a good mood! We were seated at a table, and the first thing they asked us was what we wanted to drink. I ordered a hot tea, even though every table had a canister for coffee – I wanted tea! It came in a pretty large pot, and I loved that the cup has its logo on it.

I ordered the Pancake Platter and I opted for the double blueberry pancake, with sausage links. The pancakes was quite a decent size, and they had 3 of them, topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream! And, around the pancakes was 4 links of sausage. I drizzled their butter pecan syrup on my pancakes and was super satisfied! The sausage had a soft casing and tons of flavour, and the pancakes was light and fluffy, with the right amount of blueberries!!

We also ordered a plate of Big Steak Omelette and it was a big plate for sure! We were never expecting such a large omelette, but was happy to see it! This meal, we even ordered a hashbrown on the side, which was really nice and crispy on the outside. Instead of toast, they give you pancakes, which was also perfectly executed! There was tons of steak and hashbrowns in the omelette with cheese and other vegetables.

Overall, we loved this breakfast dining experience. With average pricnig, you sure get a lot of food! The dining room was really clean, servers were fast and friendly, and the food tasted great! We’re tempted to go back already, which is a great sign!

IHOP Restaurant

500-70 Shawville Blvd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 873-9102

June 29, 2013July 3, 2013

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.

Le Petit Mousse

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

June 29, 2013

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

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

June 26, 2013

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

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

June 23, 2013June 23, 2013

Ceili’s Irish Pub and Restaurant

I was at Macleod Trail South area and was getting hungry. I wasn’t too sure where to go, so we just got out of the car and walked around. We ended up walking by Ceili’s Irish Pub and it caught our attention as they were roasting a pig outside on the patio! Once we saw that, we knew we’re in – even though it wasn’t ready for us to enjoy.

I really didn’t know what to order, so I just found words on the menu that caught my eye. I found their Fish Tacos which was blackened haddock, chipotle mayo, horseradish cream, hot sauce, pineapple salsa, coleslaw, mixed green salad. Now that I look at it, I think they forgot my salad as I didn’t get one! 🙁 The pineapple salsa and the haddock was the highlight, it was delicious and refreshing. The hot sauce was absolutely delicious, and it wasn’t just “hot”, it had lots of flavours in it too.

We also ordered their Chicken Pot Pie made with pulled chicken, light thyme cream, then topped with light and flaky puffed pastry with an organic mixed green salad. Clearly, this meal came with the salad. The filling in this pot pie was really good, and it wasn’t heavy at all.

Overall, we really enjoyed the dining experience here on the patio! We enjoyed watching the pig roast and the food and service was really good. I’m sure we’ll be back one day to see how the pig gets used – and to try it too!

Ceili’s Modern Irish Pub

297-9737 Macleod Trail South
Calgary, AB
(403) 252-2700