Evelyn’s Coffee Bar – Banff, Alberta

We were walking around along Banff Avenue when I decided I wanted to stop into a coffee shop and wanderied into Evelyn’s Coffee Bar right on Banff Avenue, north of Caribou Street. The location is really easy to find and the tables outside will help you find it!

This is a coffee company that seems to have re-branded itself or renamed it for whatever reason. But, on their own website, it’s now called Evelyn’s Coffee Bar. I went in and ordered their Pumpkin Spice Latte which is one of my favourite fall drinks. This one not only had a latte art but it smelled wonderful! I think I will order it extra hot next time, or I took too long before I started drinking it – it wasn’t too hot. It tasted great and it made me really happy.

We also ordered a Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Frappe which I thought my husband was silly – it was a relatively cool afternoon, but whatever he wanted. It tasted really chocolatey and delicious. The nice thing about this frappe was it wasn’t filled with ice so you’re able to enjoy a lot more of this drink.

I really enjoy this location as it’s busy, yet you’re able to find a table to sit and enjoy the drink. You never feel rushed or anything. It’s a great place to sit down and watch the world pass you as you’re right on the busy street of Banff.

Evelyn's Coffee Bar on Urbanspoon

Evelyn’s Coffee Bar

215 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0352

Wendy’s Pulled Pork Sandwich & Poutine Review

I had the opportunity to try Pulled Pork at Wendy’s as it’s their promotion that is going on. I knew for sure I wanted to try their Pulled Pork Sandwich as I love pulled pork sandwiches as they’re usually very messy and delicious. This one was definitely messy and it was quite delicious, although the pork itself could’ve been a bit warmer in temperature.

The sandwich is topped with the sauce of your choice, either smoky, sweet or spicy. We choose the smoky because it’s more “authentic” in our eyes. It was a nice sauce with tons of flavour – but it was kind of like bbq sauce. The coleslaw wasn’t very marinated yet and it was crisp and fresh though. It added nice texture to the sandwich. The bun was a brioche bun which was an excellent choice as it stood up the the sloppiness of this sandwich – the bun held up the entire time, although pork was falling out.

We also ordered their Pulled Pork Poutine as we wanted some fries. Poutine usually has gravy and cheese curds on top, and semi melted. Here, the pulled pork wasn’t hot enough for whatever reason was what we figured out, so the cheese was still really cold, instead of soft or gooey. The flavours was awesome though, we really enjoyed it and we would have enjoyed it a lot more with it being hotter. I did find there was too much onions on top – so I did fling some aside to make it more enjoyable of a side dish.

Overall, it was a fantastic dining experience and we thoroughly enjoyed the pulled pork from Wendys. I probably won’t change anything at all as it was really quite tasty. I’m sure we’ll be getting the poutine again – and it seems like some people call them cheese fries! Which ever they’re called, they’re delicious and would be spectacular if actually hot in temperature!

Starbucks (17 Avenue) – Calgary, Alberta

We found ourselves wandering around 17th Avenue when we decided to stop into Starbucks for some coffee. Located right on 17th Avenue where there’s a lot of traffic and foot traffic – and near a high school, it was busy as expected.

It was fall and I decided I was going to have a Maple Latte which is one of my fall favorites. The coffee wasn’t bad at all, but you can’t go wrong with anything with maple syprup!

We also ordered a Cheese Croissant and honestly it wasn’t that great. It was dry and it seemed old – which was weird as they’re so busy! Perhaps it was just coffee people were getting and not snacks/treats.

Overall, it was a nice place to sit and window watch with a nice cup of java (or alternative). The location is ideal but there are a lot of other coffee shops along the same street!

Starbucks on Urbanspoon

Starbucks – 17 Avenue SW

715 – 17th Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 209-2888

Tumbleweed Coffee House – Nanton, Alberta

I really love going to Nanton, Alberta to look at antiques and just exploring this little town. We decided to grab a quick java stop at Tumbleweed Coffee House right on Highway 2 (Northbound) and it’s located right next to the Chinese restaurant.

We just stopped in for a cup of Chai Tea which was very nice and perfectly spiced. It was the perfect cup of chai for a cold day!

Then, we also order a cup of London Fog that came in a really nice cup! It was once of the nicest cups of London Fog we’ve had, so it was delicious.

We also shared a bagel sandwich, and I believe this one was a Egg and Tomato Bagel which was decent. It was an odd afternoon where they weren’t expecting as much customers as they did so they were all sold out of a lot of their goodies.

Overall, this was a really nice and relaxing place to go to. Either to wind down or just for a quick bite – it’s a friendly and yummy place to be!

Tumbleweed Coffee House on Urbanspoon

Tumbleweed Coffee House

905 – 20th Avenue (Hwy. 2, northbound lane)
Nanton, Alberta

Days Inn Athabasca – Athabasca, AB

We had a trip going quite North of Alberta – we were trying to get to Fort McMurray for a tour and decided to make a stop at Days Inn Athabasca which turned out to be a really nice stop!

The rooms was quite standard in size and perfect for guests looking for a long term stay. This room has a full size fridge with a freezer and honestly, the microwave sitting on the table was the best one I’d ever seen on Unclutterer, which quite surprised me as I hadn’t expected this in a hotel. The microwave will make it perfect for those who are looking to eat or store food. Our room had a King bed and it wasn’t decent. It didn’t look like the bed was made properly,but it may have just been the blankets that made it look saggy.

The bathroom was typical as well, but it did have quite a bit of counter space, so again, it would make it easy if you’ve got a lot of stuff for a longer term stay. There are tons of oil sand workers in this area and I’m sure a lot of them utilize this hotel.

The overall stay was really nice. It’s got a large parking lot, not far off the highway – yet it was quiet. Also not far from a lot of other amenities such as grocery stores and local bars and restaurants.