alberta – Page 37

July 21, 2013

Melissa’s Missteak Restaurant – Banff, AB

Finding breakfast isn’t hard in Banff, but choosing one is tougher because there’s quite a bit of options. We picked Melissa’s Missteak Restaurant located right on Lynx Street with tons of street parking (but it fills up fast!).

I love smoked salmon with bagel, and when I see it on a menu, that’s usually what I go for, and on this menu, it’s called Lox and Bagel which is an opened faced smoked salmon bagel topped with capers, red onions and cream cheese! They are extremely generous with the cream cheese – in fact, I think they were too generous with that!

My other half ordered their Mixed Grill which was a plate of hashbrowns, Two eggs, Two sausages, Two strips of bacon and toast. This breakfast is definitely for those who love breakfasts or is very hungry! I think in this case, it was a little of both! 🙂

We really enjoyed our breakfast experience here! The service is wonderful, fast and efficinet. The food tastes wonderful and their prices are well within reason! This place is also opened for lunch and dinner – so I’m sure we will be back to give it a shot!

Melissa’s Missteak Restaurant

218 Lynx Street
Banff, AB
(403) 762-5511

July 14, 2013

IHOP Restaurant – Calgary

I’ve been wanting to go to IHOP – International House of Pancakes in Calgary since the day it opened. Usually, every time we drive by to want to try, it’s packed. This time, we got up extra early and finally got to enjoy this restaurant! The parking lot can become a bit messy and there’s not that many spots – however, it is located in an area with lots of other spaces, which I’m sure you can use.

We were greeted by really friendly staff immediately, and everyone was in a good mood! We were seated at a table, and the first thing they asked us was what we wanted to drink. I ordered a hot tea, even though every table had a canister for coffee – I wanted tea! It came in a pretty large pot, and I loved that the cup has its logo on it.

I ordered the Pancake Platter and I opted for the double blueberry pancake, with sausage links. The pancakes was quite a decent size, and they had 3 of them, topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream! And, around the pancakes was 4 links of sausage. I drizzled their butter pecan syrup on my pancakes and was super satisfied! The sausage had a soft casing and tons of flavour, and the pancakes was light and fluffy, with the right amount of blueberries!!

We also ordered a plate of Big Steak Omelette and it was a big plate for sure! We were never expecting such a large omelette, but was happy to see it! This meal, we even ordered a hashbrown on the side, which was really nice and crispy on the outside. Instead of toast, they give you pancakes, which was also perfectly executed! There was tons of steak and hashbrowns in the omelette with cheese and other vegetables.

Overall, we loved this breakfast dining experience. With average pricnig, you sure get a lot of food! The dining room was really clean, servers were fast and friendly, and the food tasted great! We’re tempted to go back already, which is a great sign!

IHOP Restaurant

500-70 Shawville Blvd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 873-9102

June 29, 2013

Boston Pizza – Crossiron Mills

We deiced to have dinner at Boston Pizza inside Crossiron Mills while shopping one evening and we were shocked that it was so quiet. We found a seat outside on the patio, and from there, we waited a good 10 minutes before anyone came out to give us menus. The server was really nice, but I don’t know where she was most of the time.

We ordered our drinks to start with and I decided to go for the Virgin Caesars which was a pretty good mix here! But, for the main meal, I ordered their new Jalapeno and Crispy Onion Prime Rib Burger which sounded absolutely delicious from the name alone. It was a half pound or prime rib burger topped with jalapenos and crispy onion rings. It was quite good as a burger, but I found the crispy onions were too thin or something – you don’t actually get the texture of the crispiness while eating. The jalapenos weren’t spicy at all… so, it was just a good burger at the end of the day!

As it was the rib event going on at Boston Pizza, we decided we would order their Full Rack Slow Roasted Pork Back Ribs and these were fall of the bone deliciousness! The ribs had tons of flavour and just the right amount of sauce. The meat was juicy and tender – it was really good! We got it in their Signature BBQ flavour! These, we will definitely have again!

Overall, we had an enjoyable experience. We didn’t eat dinner as this meal had already taken us over an hour as is… and there was a little more shopping to do. I’m sure we’ll be back, but maybe after all the shopping next time as they do run on a more relaxed time.

Boston Pizza

520 261055 Cross Iron Boulevard
Rocky View, AB
(403) 250-1007

June 23, 2013June 23, 2013

Ceili’s Irish Pub and Restaurant

I was at Macleod Trail South area and was getting hungry. I wasn’t too sure where to go, so we just got out of the car and walked around. We ended up walking by Ceili’s Irish Pub and it caught our attention as they were roasting a pig outside on the patio! Once we saw that, we knew we’re in – even though it wasn’t ready for us to enjoy.

I really didn’t know what to order, so I just found words on the menu that caught my eye. I found their Fish Tacos which was blackened haddock, chipotle mayo, horseradish cream, hot sauce, pineapple salsa, coleslaw, mixed green salad. Now that I look at it, I think they forgot my salad as I didn’t get one! 🙁 The pineapple salsa and the haddock was the highlight, it was delicious and refreshing. The hot sauce was absolutely delicious, and it wasn’t just “hot”, it had lots of flavours in it too.

We also ordered their Chicken Pot Pie made with pulled chicken, light thyme cream, then topped with light and flaky puffed pastry with an organic mixed green salad. Clearly, this meal came with the salad. The filling in this pot pie was really good, and it wasn’t heavy at all.

Overall, we really enjoyed the dining experience here on the patio! We enjoyed watching the pig roast and the food and service was really good. I’m sure we’ll be back one day to see how the pig gets used – and to try it too!

Ceili’s Modern Irish Pub

297-9737 Macleod Trail South
Calgary, AB
(403) 252-2700

June 17, 2013

Giddy Up Cafe – Saskatoon Farm

Recently, it seems like everyone around me has been raving about Saskatoon Farm which I thought was in Saskatoon, so I always said I wasn’t going to go. It turns out, it’s kind of between De Winton and Okotoks, in Alberta! So, I ventured my way to Saskatoon Farm for some famour Saskatoon Berries. The drive going there, you do go on relatively rural roads but it’s actually kind of hard to get lost! Once you get there, you’re greeted by a huge Saskatoon Farm sign and tons of parking. We just walked around the gardens and ventured through the area to see what there was to offer. We then found ourselves sitting at the patio of the Cafe!

We were greeted by super friendly staff and a little bit of wait, but it’s well worth it! We sat down and ordered some drinks! I settled for something hot as it was a little breezy, so I got the Hot Chocolate which tasted great! Even the whipped cream on top was light and delicious!

Of course, my other half was completely opposite and he wanted something cold and I guess kind of refreshing. He ordered the iced latte which was really good! The coffee was perfectly brewed with the right amount of cream and sugar! We don’t expect much as it’s just a iced latte, but we got something just extraordinary!

As we were here during in between times, not lunch, not dinner, we just opted for snacks, and by snacks, I mean dessert! I ordered their famous Saskatoon Pie made with a home made crust and delicious Saskatoon berry filling. This pie wasn’t too sweet at all, in fact it wasn’t sweet! Then, I ordered it with their Saskatoon ice cream which they make and this dessert is to die for! I highly recommend this if you’re here visiting!

Lastly, we ordered their Saskatoon Butter Tart which again wasn’t too sweet. We didn’t like it as much as the pie but it was still divine! Made with the homemade crust and the newly fruit – Saskatoon berries, then in a butter tart, there’s really nothing to complain about!

Overall, we enjoyed our first visit out here so much we have already planned our next trip here to experience the “U-Pick” fruits that are available from late July! So, we decided we will come have lunch and the pick some berries and then head back! It will be a great afternoon for sure!

Giddy Up Cafe
3338 Ave SW (Saskatoon Farm)
Okotoks, AB
(403) 938-6245