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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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Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

I’ve been going to Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine for about 11 years now, of course with about 7 years in between when we stopped going – as we weren’t going to Chinatown as much. We went back, and there’s still a line up outside — just as we remembered the good old days! It’s the same owner and his wife, and now with someone else as well. The line does seem to move faster, no matter how big of an order ahead of us placed. It is often that a representative from a company or something would put in a huge order of 10+ subs right in front of you! Everyone knows this is a great place to go if you’re willing to wait outside.

The prices are still very reasonable and competitive to other submarine locations, Vietnamese subs or not. I got my peppered chicken for $6.50, which seems less than I recalled, which is a good thing!

I had the Peppered Chicken which has always been my all time favourite from Thi Thi. Yes, the amount of chicken has seemed to reduce, and it’s not nearly as peppery as it use to be. But it still tastes wonderful!! The pickled carrots are really tasty unlike some other Vietnamese locations that seem to just use normal matchstick carrots. The sauce was really tasty, the meat was tender and juicy!

The subs from Thi Thi quite big and full of flavor!! The bun is toasted nicely, crispy on the outside, but still soft in the inside. The cheese is melted perfectly! I don’t know how they do it, but they sure mastered the art of Vietnamese submarines.

I think over so many years, this place hasn’t changed, and it’s a great thing! I will be back, and hopefully it won’t take me another 5 years to return! 🙂 This location is a take-out only location, and cash only! Such a small & great place!

Thi Thi Vietnamese Submarine

209 1st St SE
Calgary, AB T2G2G3
(403) 265-5452

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The Maple Leaf – Banff, Alberta

We took kind of a family trip out to Banff during the Canada Day long weekend. It was hard to find places to eat, so I made a reservation for The Maple Leaf for dinner. It was really nice, as we got to sit in the dining room which was on the second story looking out onto Banff Avenue. The atmosphere was really nice, our waitress was really good, and very well mannered & polite. It was a perfect place to end our evening out in Banff.

We sat down, and before long, our waitress came by with really good bread, with a Balsamic and Olive Oil dip. It was really good olive oil and balsamic!! One of the few that wasn’t too strong or too mild! So, immediately, I was already satisfied.

We started the evening with Pan Seared Calamari which was plated really lovely. I must say the portions for this appetizer was a lot smaller than I expected, but it tasted good – which is really what matters! The plate had some olives, spinach, and some toast with tomato bruschetta, chardonnay butter sauce.

we all ordered our own entrees, and we had ordered Braised Lam ShankRoasted root vegetables, olives, harissa, creme fraiche, almond & apricot gremolata.

The Apple Crusted Pork Tenderloin Apple sauce, hero mashed potatoes, mustard jus

Prime New York Beer battered onion ring, garlic mash potatoes, balsamic jus,

Bison Tenderloin Bacon wrapped, Benedictine blue cheese, potato gratin, cucumberland jus

To end the night, we even ordered a dessert, the Chocolate Torte which was beautiful and tasty.

The Maple Leaf

137 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 760-7680

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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

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Caffe Crema – Calgary, Alberta

I really like coffee with foam art and I’ve been searching for a coffee place that isn’t too far from me that offers foam art – as it offers an exceptional experience as we eat with our eyes! Caffe Crema does a wonderful job with their coffees, lattes, macchiatos, and much more! And, the best thing, they do have gorgeous foam art!

I ordered their Macchiato and it has a beautiful latte art and it taste really good!

We also ordered their standard Latte and it was pretty standard. Overall, it was a fun place to be.

Caffe Crema

10-2525 Bridlecrest Way SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-4022