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The Eddie Burger & Bar – Banff, Alberta

I’m in Banff a lot as it’s a wonderful place to go. I’ve see an Eddie Burger car that is usually parked on the side street which is quite unusal for of marketing. But, I must say – it works! It brought me in after a few visits in Banff. One thing that really pushed me in the doors was the fact they were reviewd by Food Network Canada, so I knew it was a special place and I had to go visit.

I was definitely not hungry when I arrived at Eddie Burger, we made it into Banff rather spontaneously, right after a Stampede Breakfast. So, we ordered the Eddie Classic Burger made with a giant Alberta beef patty and topped with aged cheddar, double smoked bacon, grilled red onion, dill pickle, mayo, green leaf lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun.

We got Onion Strings on the side as I’ve been wanting onion rings for a very long time. This burger is huge, and very delicious!! The beef patty is juicy and tender – which makes or breaks a burger (in this case it MAKES the burger so special!)

We had an order of Chili Cheese Fries which was a huge bowl of french fries topped with white cheddar cheese curds and home-style veggie chili. It was really good, and I’m sure I could have ordered it on it’s own. Needless to say, the meal was not finished. But, even though we were extremely stuffed, we managed to finish the delicious burger!

The Eddie Burger & Bar

137 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-2230

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Evelyn’s Again Coffee Bar – Banff, Alberta

I was looking for a nice place to sit down and relax with a nice cup of coffee, away from the usual chains, and found myself sitting outside on the patio of Evelyn’s Again Coffee Bar right on Banff Avenue. It’s a nice little coffee shop which offers really good lattes and mocha’s at a reasonable rate.

We sat there and watched the hussle of Banff start to fill up during the afternoon hours on a busy weekend. It was fun to watch the world go by and see all the tourists who are so excited to be there! It truly is an exciting place!

We ordered a latte and a mocha and both were extremely delicious, and topped with foam art which I appreciate so much!

So next time you’re in Banff, slow down and have a seat outside of Evelyn’s Again Coffee Bar and enjoy yourself for a little while! It’s a wonderful place with a wonderful view!

Evelyn’s Again Coffee Bar

119 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 760-2907

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Haru Sushi & Grill – Calgary, Alberta

Recently opened in McKenzie Towne is Haru Sushi & Grill and after I realized it was opened, I knew I had to try it sooner than later! So, soon it was!

The decoration was really modern, the chairs were big and comfortable, it was well light, and overall great ambiance! It is very clean, and no harsh edges anywhere, everything just flowed, which was a really nice design concept they had!

We ate lots at Haru Sushi – just to get a good sample. We’ll have to go back for other things such as teriyaki, or udon or things like that! I love soup noodles such as udon, so I’ll be there to at least try it out some other time!

We ordered gyoza’s to start with, and when they came, the skin was really thin and the meat filling was really well seasoned. These delicate gyozas was cooked/pan-fried to perfection! If I was to make it myself with skin so thin I’m sure I wont have much of the skin left as it would have been stuck to the bottom of my pan!

Afterwards, we had our Haru Platter which consisted of 4 salmon sushi, 4 tuna sushi, 4 shrimp (ebi) sushi, dynamite roll, and spicy crunchy tuna roll.

It also came with an assorted tempura which was a nice surprise! I didn’t read the menu, so I was shocked when we got tempura! The salmon, tuna and shrimp was really quite nice quality, and large portions as well! Both the salmon and tuna was a thick piece and quite large as it draped over a ball of rice really nicely!

To top it all off, just in case we weren’t full, we also had a order of Spicy Prawn Roll which was a huge plate of their special rolls. It was really good, and quite spicy from the Sriracha sauce. It was really nice and crispy and just a good choice for a special roll! It’s got prawn tempura and yam tempura wrapped with steamed prawn, avocado and tobico! It’s also got this crispy layer in it, which I think is backed wonton wrappers or something of that nature! It added a lovely crunch to the sushi roll.

This is a great place, and I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for some good sushi in the South. It feels like there are still a few wrinkles they need to iron out as it’s still very new, but I’m sure it’ll become a great place! The service was pretty good, considering they were packed – even before 7pm, keeping in mind there weren’t THAT many tables inside. They were still able to accommodate everyone in a timely manner which was really good! At least the seafood was fresh, which is extremely important in a sushi restaurant!

HARU Sushi & Grill

150, 35 McKenzie Towne Ave. SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-5881

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deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries – Calgary, Alberta

I was wanting a nice cup of coffee, and I’ve always recalled seeing a sign for Krups Cup of Excellence, and when I looked it up, deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries was the 2010 recipient of this award! Knowing just that information alone, I knew I would have to go and try their coffees, and enjoy my favourite – foam art!

Located right at the intersection of 7th Ave, SW and Centre Street on the second floor gave this location really quite spectacular of a view! Depending where you sit, you can get a great view of the new Bow Building and the Calgary Tower! The hours for deVille claims they open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays. We went there after work one evening, and got there around 6:15pm. It was all fine and dandy, until I looked over at around 6:30pm, and the gates were already pulled. The barista actually closed the door on over 8 guests early!! Some potential customers even tried to ask her where would be the next closest coffee shop – and she actually sent them away! I was really disappointed in that type of customer service. For poor customer service, it made me not enjoy myself, so I do not think I will be back – as I don’t know if I travel all the way there to see the “CLOSED” sign up early.

Regardless, we did order our lattes before this early closing. I enjoyed a cup of Nutella Latte, which actually was quite delicious! The coffee wasn’t burnt or anything, and it did have a subtle taste of nutella. I did put in a pack of sugar into my coffee, and to my excitement, they use Cane Sugar instead of the usual. I really enjoyed my cup of nutella latte!

We also had a cup of Chocolate Latte and my better half really enjoyed it! He loves his coffee dark, and his chocolate dark, and this was a perfect marriage of the 2 for him! It was thick, yet creamy – so the coffees from deVille did satisfy us!

The prices of the coffee from deVille was very reasonable as well. For a downtown location, I would expect it to be much higher, and it’s setting is such an ideal location, it’s very modern and comfortable. It is quite a spectacular location for sure! I do recommend trying, but go early!

deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries

807 1 St SW
Calgary, AB T2P1N3
(403) 263-0884

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Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

We were in search of something different, and we found something different a Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon! The place was huge, with lots of seating areas! We must’ve went at a quiet time, as there weren’t a lot of customers yet. When we left though, the place was starting to fill up!

I tried the Elk Burger and it was actually a toss up between 2 items that I really wanted to try. I ended up with the elk burger as it’s a little more special. The elk patty was thick, and in the middle of the patty was some smoked gouda. It was really good!

We also ordered the Low n’ Slow Beef Ribs and it was fall off the bone tender! It was really juicy and succulent, and something I would recommend if you’re fine with getting your hands dirty! It is a place for customers over the age of minority (18 years old) as they do serve alcoholic beverages — so, this is not a family restaurant!

Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon

201 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0333