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Balkan – Greek Restaurant in Banff

It’s been years since we’ve gone back to our favourite Greek Restaurant and it just happens to be in Banff, AB! It’s really nice as they have renovated the space to make it quite inviting – yet warm and intimate. It’s pretty neat, when you first get up the stairs, you’re greeted by beautiful piece of what appears to be a Greek imitation of their art on Ivory.

We came to this restaurant after watching the Santa Claus Parade that was held in Banff. It was quite spectacular as it was a night parade – which you normally don’t see. So, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to return here. This particular even, they were really packed as there were large families and parties going on – but we managed to make a reservation – so the food and service was still really good.

For drinks, I ordered a Virgin Pina Colada as it’s my favourite girly drink. It was really good and not too sweet, as some other places make it extra sweet – or there’s just no alcohol to make it bitter. We also had a bottle of Mythos which is Greek beer and it’s quite light and crisp.

For starters, they give you some nice fresh buns with Balsamic Olive Oil Bread Dip which is really nice! They do use a really nice Greek Olive Oil for this and it’s perfect for this application!

I ordered something I don’t normally, but for some reason, it really stuck in my mind that it was what I was going to get… so, I got it. I ordered the Arni Psito which was roasted lamb. The lamb was fork tender and it fell off the bone as I started eating at my dish. It was so good, I pretty much ate the entire plate before realizing we said we’d switch half-way to experience each others dishes.

The other dish we ordered was Greek Ribs and they were tender as well, lots of flavour and soft. It wasn’t fall of the bone ribs that are tender and juicy, but it sure is a different style.

Then, as stuffed as we were, we knew we wanted dessert from the moment we made a reservation to Balkans. We always order the Galactobouriko which is an amazing dessert that is really light, and not really sweet, warm, custardy with crispy phyllo pastry! To top it off, it’s topped with a decadent honey syrup and cinnamon.

Balkan The Greek Restaurant

120 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 762-3454

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Perogy Boyz Food Truck

I really like perogies, and when I heard about the Perogy Boyz which is a food truck in Calgary – I knew I had to go and try it right away! It was great, the line wasn’t too long, and the cooking time did take awhile, but the guys on the truck made it bearable by talking to the hungry guests waiting for their food!

We weren’t hungry – we were there for the experience and we loved it! We ordered Duck Perogy which sounds awesome on it’s own! What with duck isn’t good? Well, ground duck, Saskatoon berries, and chive ponzu was excellent in the perogies! Ah yummy! Just the thought of it brings back memories!

While we were there, we wanted a drink and was really glad to see The Grizzly Paw drinks. The Grizzly Paw is brewery in Canmore, Alberta that brews their own beers and many other things including making soda. It’s really a great restaurant to go to and it is a family restaurant as well! They have excellent burgers there and I really enjoyed the food and service there. But, because they’re local, I love it! We took a bottle of their Orange Soda and it really is quite different from other brand name soda pops.

Sure, this maybe an expensive food truck – where it kind of defeats the purpose of a food truck (fast, cheap, easy) but it’s something special for sure though – handmade perogies?! I can’t make them that good! Plus, with all the labour costs and fresh ingredients, it’s okay to indulge in them sometimes! I think it’s worth while since it’s a million times better than frozen ones. It just doesn’t compare!

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Los Compadres Calgary Food Truck

I love the food trucks in Calgary, they are unique and they taste pretty good too! Our Mexican Cuisine food truck would be the glorious Los Compadres, and I must say – I get really excited when they or ALL the food trucks come to Deerfoot Meadows because that is the place I’m most likely going to catch them if I want them!

I tried their Bisteck (3 Top Sirloin Tacos), and I loved it! It was a corn tortilla folded around a beef filling, and in this case it was top sirloin tacos. These tacos was topped of with cilantro and onions with salsa on the side. I’ve never tasted a tortilla fresher than these, and the texture was soft and chewy! It was delicious – best of all, the tortilla was strong enough where it didn’t break, but it wasn’t all you tasted. It was a great balance between the ingredients – plenty of meat, fresh ingredients. Fresh tacos from Los Compradres is something I would highly recommend, and it sure beats a lot of fast food locations in food courts!

I’ve also had the opportunity to try their Churro (Regular) on another date during BaconFest in Calgary! It was a fun event, and a lot of the food trucks was at the BaconFest this year! I’ve got to say, I was a little disappointed but I think it’s because of the demand they had to keep up with – since lot of of people who attended this event was holding at least a churro or two — so I think they pre-fried it. It was kind of hard and cold, and it just wasn’t hot, soft, tender and delicious! I think the next time I see Los Compadres, I will have to give it another shot as it was something I really wanted, and wanted it to be the best!

This is an amazing food truck, with great fun owners/server, and fresh, delicious food – it has become one of my top ranking food trucks in Calgary! I think it’s definitely worth a shot especially after lot of improving over the summer months – I’m sure you’ll think it’s extra special as well!

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Graze Restaurant and Grill – Calgary, Alberta

I’ve been going to Graze Grill once a year now for the last 5 years – and we only go on Valentines Day. They put out a really good Valentines Day Buffet at a really great rate! You don’t need to make reservations, but I have been doing it anyway the last 2 years.

The restaurant is located inside of Executive Royal Inn also known as the Royal Inn in Northeast Calgary. It’s really neat because I know that some flight crew that overnights in Calgary stays at this hotel – and sometimes you see them eating at this buffet for V-Day! The prices are really reasonable as well – as all other places really mark up their prices for this day, adults was only $25/adult in 2011. Sure, the selection isn’t HUGE as it is in a smaller hotel and really, how much selection do you need when the food tastes good? My favourite station of course is the carving station! We’ve had from beef roasts to prime rib and it’s always good!

This is a great buffet to go to in Calgary during special occasions because they care about the product of their food and they make it taste really good. The environment is really nice, warm and inviting. I’ve never tried their Sunday Brunch buffet before, but I’ve really never tried that anywhere in Calgary, except for a select few locations. It’s a place I’ll continue to go to annually for the special Valentines Day Buffet!

Overall, I think the buffet is well worth it! It’s got great food, and it’s close to a lot of amenities if you’re looking for something to do or somewhere to go afterwards. The dessert chocolate fountain is always fun too! Their desserts are quite decent as well! definitely hits the spot!

Graze Restaurant and Grill

2828 23 St NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 219-7484

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Mighty Skillet Food Truck – Calgary

One of our newest members to the Food Truck in Calgary would be The Mighty Skillet which recently started hitting the streets in November 2011.

I ordered the Eggs Benny which is their take on the Eggs Benedict. It still was delicious and just by looking at it, you knew it was suppose to be an eggs benedict. This platter of food came with 2 perfectly poached eggs, on top of a slice of ham, and that all sat on top of a bed of hash browns. Along side was a slice of toast. The hashbrowns was different from any other hash brown, as they were not crispy and it was made of what seemed to be a lot of onion shavings with a lot of herbs and spices!

We also ordered the Corn Beef Hash which again used a different type of hashbrown! This time, it wasn’t as “spiced” up, but still very flavourful! This dish was their spin on the regular corned beef hash as well! It was shredded potatoes with pieces of corned beef (deli?) mixed into it! It also had a fantastic egg on top!

Everything from this truck was very flavourful and well worth the wait! We went during a wind storm, and it was actually a lot of fun braving the elements and enjoying some good and hot food! Well worth the visit! These guys know how to prepare really good breakfast food and they’re awesome at making eggs in my opinion! Great work!