cafe – Page 5 – Elsie Hui

November 1, 2013

Caffe Artigiano – Calgary, Alberta

We were downtown running a few errands this one afternoon, and walked into Caffe Artigiano for a quick bite and some coffee! The cafe was beautiful on the outside and welcoming, so we walked in!

We had ordered a Latte which was not only made to perfection, but they topped it off with foam art. It was really rich, but luckily it wasn’t my cup!

I got to enjoy a cup of Chai Tea Latte which was really good here. It ranks on the top for one of my favourites, although not at the top, it’s still really high up there!

Then, we decided to grab a quick lunch as well, so we ordered their Cranberry Smoked Turkey Panini, or something like that… anyway, they heated up the panini and brought it to our table. It looked and smelled absolutely amazing, and I’m soo glad we ordered this! It had the perfect balance between sweet and savoury!

Our overall experience here was just top notch! The environment was great, service was really awesome, and the location is quite optimal! Best of all, their stuff tasted great! I’m sure when I’m in the area again, I’ll try to stop in for another delicious treat!

Caffe Artigiano
100-332 6 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 699-9855

October 28, 2013

Lazy Loaf & Kettle – Calgary, Alberta

It was a cold and snowy afternoon when I wanted nothing else besides a nice hot soup and sandwich, so we did some research and learned about Lazy Loaf and & Kettle that’s located in the Northwest part of the city, just off Memorial Drive. The actual building is a bit hidden, but it’s not too bad.

We got in, and I was confused, naturally. I guess I was already in line, and right in front of me was a sandwich form where you fill out what you wanted and with what on top. It was pretty cool – after my brain started working. You get one form per person in your party. So, we started off with our sandwich on white bread, Montreal Smoked meat with mustard and pickles! Then, we added a bowl of chicken noodle soup and I was content! The sandwich was really delicious and the soup wasn’t bad either. I wished the soup was hotter on such a cold day, but it might have just been me taking forever in general!

We also ordered their lunch special, which was Pesto Apple Sausage Penne with Garlic Toast and this was very enjoyable! I really enjoyed their Apple Sausage, and I was really lucky as they were really generous with the portions of both pasta and sausage!

We were so stuffed by the end of this meal, but I really wanted to purchase some of their baked goods… but I know I would exploded if I did. I now know I will have to make a return trip to induldge!

Lazy Loaf & Kettle

8 Parkdale Crescent NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 270-7810

July 28, 2013

Cafè Bellagio – Las Vegas

We were staying at the Bellagio and we had to run downstairs for a quick dinner, as we had a show to catch. We found Cafe Bellagio and thought it would be great as it’s a cafe, and it’s opened 24 hours!

We sat down and was welcomed with our menus. We wanted to eat lots as it was a show and figured we’d stuff ourselves. So, we ordered a soup each – where I ordered the Chefs Soup of the Day which was a cream of mushroom soup. It was a decent cream soup and it was nice and thick with lots of flavour to it!

For the soups, we also ordered a French Onion Soup which the top was made to perfection with their melting of cheese! Such a simple soup, so we were expecting nothing but perfection! Here with the soup, they definitely delivered!

My main course was their Grilled Atlantic Salmon which I absolutely loved! It was a good sized piece of grilled salmon with some broccolini, persimmon and papaya salsa. It was a light and tasty dinner even though it was a little over cooked – it came out a little dry. The salsa was delicious and added sweetness and moisture, so it worked out great!

The other main course that we ordered was their Harissa Lamb Chop which was tender, juicy and delicous! It had 3 good sized pieces of lamb chops on a bed of lentils with swiss chard.

Overall, it was a decent enough big meal! The prices was actually really fair, considering the location and the food wasn’t bad at all! We were definitely stuffed leaving Cafe Bellagio!

Cafè Bellagio

3600 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 693-7111

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013

Market Cafe Vdara – Las Vegas

We were staying at Vdara and I needed to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport – so we just ate at the cafe downstairs called Market Cafe Vdara.

Once I saw the menu, I knew what I wanted! I wanted their Pacific Coast Bennies which is their salmon eggs benedict! It came complete with hashbrowns and asparagus! The salmon wasn’t bad at all and the hollandise sauce was really good. Overall, I still love my favourite breakfast!

Sticking with the salmon mode, we also ordered the Smoked Salmon Bagel which again was delicious! You can top your bagel with whatever toppings you wanted and how much you wanted as well – as it came on the side. Everything wa so fresh and delicious, it was a good time!

Overall, it was a great place to stop for food. However, be prepared for a long wait as there are tons of people grabbing take out and what not! It is worth the wait though!

Market Cafe Vdara

2600 West Harmon Ave
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 590-2111

June 23, 2013

Lazy Monkey

I was looking for a new place to try for things like Taiwanese bubble tea and other small snacks. I went online and found this place called Lazy Monkey which offered great reviews – but it was located at the other end of town at Norbrent Shopping Centre (across from Churchill High School).

We knew we wanted to have their Milk Tea of some sort. They didn’t have an extensive drink menu, but what they had was pretty good! I had their Jasmine Green Milk Tea which was really good.

We had 5 of us for this evening, so we ordered a bunch of miscellaneous snacks and meals to share. The first that came out was the Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings which was really good. It was really crispy and fried to perfection. A lot of seasoning on each wing, which is always nice.

We also had an order of their Fried Puffy Tofu which really wasn’t anything special. The seasoning tasted like the MSG packages from instant noodles, and the texture was a little chewier than what you’d expect for a puffy tofu. When I think of puffy tofu, I think of it being hollow in the centre. Who knows, maybe that’s how the Taiwanese do it! 🙂

Then, we our order with Fried Squid Tentacles which was fun! They had big pieces of tentacles and they were really soft and tender with lots of flavour. This was a great dish!

Then, we had 2 dishes of their main, one was their Egg wrapped Rice with Curry and I’m not sure what the actual name on their menu was, but it wasn’t bad. It was neat as they made a nice omelette and wrapped it around rice. Then, there was a large section of curry that didn’t carry much flavour or seasoning.

The last thing we ordered was what we think was called Taiwanese Chicken Meal which was a large portion of chicken, with some vegetables and a bowl of rice. It also had a hard boiled egg braised in Chinese soy sauce marinade.

Overall, we had fun and the food wasn’t bad at all. I personally liked their little snacks more than their meals, and I did enjoy their drinks! I’m sure we will be back as we did enjoy it!

Lazy Monkey

3616 52 Ave NW, Unit 11
Calgary, AB
(403) 338-2123