Travel – Page 82 – Elsie Hui

July 11, 2012December 31, 2018

Vasili Food Truck – Calgary

Canada Day this year was exciting as we went down to Prince’s Island Park for some festivities, dinner and fireworks! On top of all that, it was cold and rainy (on and off), but it was made better after visiting Vasili’s Food Truck which was parked on the East side of Centre Street bridge.

We walked by and saw the food truck, and knew that was going to be our dinner!! I ordered the Twisted Pig which really was marinated pork wrapped in pita with some fresh vegetables and topped with tzatziki sauce and feta cheese. This was my favourite from the 2 items we ordered. The meat was tender, juicy and full of flavour. Then, you put it with pita, fresh veggies and tzatziki sauce… what’s not to like?

We also ordered their Zeus Sub which essentially was meatballs on a sub bun topped with feta, sweet peppers arugula and aioli. The meatball was huge, so there was tons of meat in the sub! It’s a really cook take on the classic “meatball sub”, and I can say I like this one more!

Overall, it was a really nice experience eating from Vasili’s! The food was fresh, and the balance of flavours was great! Each of the items we purchased for dinner was $8, which isn’t bad at all! Where else are you going to get something for around that price!? I enjoyed it thoroughly!

July 10, 2012December 31, 2018

Spud Mobeel Food Truck – Calgary

We were hunting for a food truck that I haven’t tried before and saw that Spud Mobeel was going to be at Casel Marche, which we didn’t think too much about… until we got there. I must say, I hate this location for a food truck – which I then realize lots of food trucks go there occasionally… oh well, I’ll stick to the Deerfoot Meadows locations. Anyway, enough with me rambling on about location – which ultimately doesn’t matter, as they are mobile! We weren’t hungry at all when we came by this truck, but still wanted to experience it so, I just ordered a small snack anyway.

I ended up ordering their Spiral Dog with Cheese which was excellent! It was a hot dog wrapped in a potato cut into a nice spiral that was placed around the dog… and then deep fried to a perfect crisp! And, since I got the one with cheese, a perfect cheese sauce was drizzled on top making a great snack!

As for the prices, I think it was a little high for what it was, but it isn’t completely out of this world. The spiral dog was $6, and then to add the cheese, it was an extra $1! It wasn’t the best, but it isn’t something you get all the time, so it justifies for itself! Nice thing about this food truck, all their menu items are gluten free – if it’s a concern for you!

July 6, 2012December 31, 2018

Milestones – Top Chef Inspired Menu – Calgary

Last year, we watched Top Chef Canada which is a featured program on Food Network Canada. Last year when it was on, they had a competition throughout the series where some of the winning chefs dishes get features at Milestones. This year, we did the same and it was great!

The menu for the Top Chef Canada feature this year wasn’t really a “choice” option. It featured 1 appetizer, 1 main course and 1 dessert. Me being me, I ordered the entire meal, and started off with Tomato Gazpacho served with mini bacon, cucumber and tomato sandwich. It was pretty refreshing as it’s a chilled soup with a mini sandwich!

The main course was a European Seabass, which wasn’t bad. It was a piece of seabass that sat on a bed or rice, with roasted fennel and orange glazed radish. The lemon slices was really refreshing. Overall, this was a good dish, except for the rice on the bottom. It was really hard, and gooey rice, which isn’t the best rice.

Finally, the dessert that I enjoyed was the Apple Bacon Tart which was a warm apple tart with crispy bacon in walnut crust – topped with blue cream cheese and basil

Overall, the meal was a decent one. I can’t say I loved it, but it was still quite delicious!

Milestones – SouthCentre

90 Anderson Rd SE
Calgary, AB T2J
(403) 225-1150

July 3, 2012December 31, 2018

Aglio E Olio Food Truck – Calgary

As you can all tell now, I really like food trucks, and when they’re at Deerfoot Meadows on Saturdays, I’m most likely going to visit them. This one particular Saturday, Aglio E Olio was there, and it was my first time seeing them! They offer pasta from a truck, and the portion sizes are huge for only $10! It is a little more costly than other food trucks, but the amount of pasta you get, it’s incredible!

From this truck, we didn’t know how big the portions were until after we received our order. We actually got a pasta each, which was fine – we just had a smaller dinner! 🙂 I love Gnocchi when they’re done right, as they transform potatoes into pillows of light and softness! So, I ordered their Gnocchi Bolognese which was of course gnocchi with a spicy pomodoro meat sauce!! It was a wonderful and filling lunch, and I was satisfied to no end! On top of the great gnocchi, it had a huge piece of garlic toast, and I have been in love with garlic toast since I was really young!

The other plate of pasta that we ordered was their Penne Arrabiata, which was a plate of penne – which we love!! It is topped with with sausage and pomodoro sauce which in a way is similiar to the gnocchi, but the use of sausages instead of the ground meat changes everything!

This was a great truck to visit! I really enjoyed the Gnocchi with the Meat sauce – so if you’re looking for some starch, and some delicious topping, nothing really beats their Gnocchi Bolognese! I hope it’s there next time I run into this food truck!

June 28, 2012July 3, 2012

Rustica – Silvertip Resort Canmore

Alright, it’s been a month of eating out and I love it! We went for a fancy dinner at Rustica in Canmore, Alberta – at the Silvertip Resort. From Calgary, going towards Banff (Highway 1 West) and take the Canmore Town Centre exit. Take a right at the stop sign and a left at the Holiday Inn hotel. Take Silvertip Trail up the mountain (5 minutes) to its termination at the Timbers Clubhouse. We actually asked for some directions as we got to the resort as the restaurant isn’t really marked well.

This restaurant is really nice, and the ambience is just fantastic! I can see this location being really popular in the winter as well as the summer. The real wood/log burning fireplace really set the mood for me! Rustica is known for it’s beef, so we knew we’ll order beef! Right after we put in our orders, a fantastic array of breads came to the table! The bread was fresh and delicious – and it tasted great even without the dipping sauce (Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar).

We were a table of 4, and we actually shared most of our food. The first appetizer that came to our table was Caribbean Crab Cakes which was a loose crab cake (not dense at all) that was crusted with coconut, and had some spicy mayo on the side adding tons of flavour to the crab cakes.

From there, we had a bowl for their soup of the day – which was Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with truffle and it was a really creamy soup that wasn’t overly fatty… leaving you feeling kind of bloated! The freshness of the soup was really delicious.

Then, our last appetizer was Tequila lime Scallop Ceviche, which was a ceviche made of bay scallops guacamole, mixed with a fresh salsa fresco. As a serving vehicle, it was served with grilled tortillas! It was a refreshing and very fresh ceviche, and to be honest, I had a better time eating the ceviche alone – I didn’t need the tortillas!

Mom and dad shared a large piece of Filet Mignon which was extremely tender and juicy! This piece of meat was cooked to perfection, and flavoured perfectly!

I ordered the Mixed Grill which was a fantastic combination of all the best offerings (in my opinion!) It had a 4oz piece of tenderloin, half a rack of ribs and some prawns!

My husband ordered the New York Steak which was remarkably tender making this an exceptional beef steak!

The 4 of us ordered a bunch of side dishes to share, and it was also tasty! We ordered baked truffle penne, and garlic fingerling potatoes! We were so satisfied with our main meal, we decided to get some desserts to split and to stuff ourselves to the max! We ordered Cheesecake Spring Rolls which was deep fried cheese cake, berry coulis, caramel sauce

Then, the final dessert we ordered was the Lemon Tart which was a refreshing lemon tart with whipped cream and candied lemon!

This restaurant makes delicious food, and presents it in a sexy way! The price was competitively priced, especially for the Canmore region. Canmore offers lots of fantastic offerings and this is a place you should try!

Rustica

2000 Silvertip Trail
Canmore, AB T1W3A6
(403) 609-6599