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Blue Vinny Diner – Stephen Avenue Calgary

Nothing beats a breakfast on the weekend, diner style! We found ourselves at Blue Vinny Diner one weekend morning, and we walked in and thought the place must be new, as the waitress was running around like mad, they ran out of tons of things on the menu, and it almost appeared they didn’t know the menus yet. I guess they’ve been opened for a bit, but it just didn’t feel like it! This restaurant is located right on Stephens Avenue, so foot traffic is at an ideal place.

Once we got seated and what not, we ordered some tea, and we were ready to order. I ordered their Perogy Bowl which was exactly as it sounded, a bowl of perogies with bacon and sour cream. They had quite a few pieces in the bowl and the toppings didn’t overwhelm the perogies either. I enjoyed my perogies and I ate the entire thing! The bacon was nice and smoked and it was perfect, tasty and crunchy!

The other item we ordered from the menu was the Vinny’s Breakfast which was 6oz of Rib Eye steak, 2 sunny side eggs with hashbrown and toast! This was a big and filling breakfast, and best of all, it was super tasty!

We really enjoyed the modern diner experience here! The people were friendly and the food was tasty! So, there’s no complaints from me here!

Blue Vinny Diner on Urbanspoon

Blue Vinny Diner

105 – 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-3880

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NEM Delight

I really had a thing for Vietnamese food this week, and I found myself not too far from home, just off of Bow Bottom Trail. We found ourselves at NEM Delight just because of the high ratings on Urbanspoon. Once we saw that, we figured that this is where we were going to go… so, we ventured off! When we got here, we realized it was just a take-out place only, so we just grabbed 2 subs and called it a night. It was a typical take-out place so it was kind of shocking when she said the wait was about 10 minutes for a sub… but it wasn’t like we were in a hurry or anything!

We ordered a Grilled Chicken Submarine which was actually very reasonable for a sub price. It was $5.70 for a decent sized Vietnamese submarine. The wait was probably the fact they were actually grilling the chicken and onions – which was extremely flavourful! It wasn’t your typical Vietnamese sub, but it was a good one! The jalapeno peppers was quite something – they were very spicy, and they kept the seeds in and all too! We ended up taking the peppers out to finish the subs.

The other sub we tried was their Grilled Pork Submarine and for the same price, we picked pork – as it’s not a common one you see on the menu. Usually, you get the beef and chicken, and that’s it! The pork was really tender and also packed with flavour! The grilled meat in the subs topped with the usual Vietnamese sub toppings, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots and onions… which really made it seem like a usual sub to the next level with almost a fusion of flavours!

Overall, these were good subs, but not sure if I’d go all the way over that way for another… the parking lot was small, and there wasn’t a ton of parking spots either. The nice thing is the menu is extensive and the prices are very well priced. The food is quite decent as well.

NEM Delight on Urbanspoon

NEM Delight

6, 13750 Bow Bottom Trail SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 235-5757

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Crossroads Market – Vietnamese Deli

I decided I wanted to check out vintage things and so I ended up at Crossroads Market which is a place I like to go time to time. I went there as I heard they had a new grand re-opening, so I wanted to check it out. It was really quite fun, and as it was still cold, not all the fresh produce markets was out in full force. However, the newer side was bright and offers a lot more food concessions. I just got hungry during our visit and went to stop by at Vietnamese Deli which oddly isn’t even listed as one of the food vendors. Regardless, I ate there and it was okay… but I hate to say… there’s a reason why they had no line!

I ordered a Chicken Sub as Vietnamese subs are one of my absolute favourite things to eat! They did prepare it in front of me but of course, it was just the assembly part of making it – which is fair as all other sub places are like that as well. There wasn’t a ton of meat or flavour, but it was a decent sub. It was loaded with peanut sauce – which I think was most of the flavour. It was then topped with the typical toppings of onions, cilantro, cucumber and pickled carrots. It was still good, but not the best out there!

My other half ordered the Beef Sub, I know, we’re so original… but it was like a late lunch/snack kind of deal. His actually had a lot more flavour so it was better. His sub had a lot more peanuts though, which I had to switch back after eating 1/4 of the entire sub. I don’t do too much peanuts, but I’m glad I’m not deadly allergic to them, as it wasn’t advertised anywhere!

I think next time I’m back, I’ll try something else as there are tons of other options, and considering it wasn’t the BEST sub. However, prices here are much more cheaper than elsewhere for Vietnamese subs and even their pho soups!

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Lemongrass West

I’ve been hearing great things about Lemongrass and I think the reports I’ve been hearing about are regarding the Lemongrass East, which really wasn’t the location I wanted to go to – primary due to the location. So, we opted out to Lemongrass West which the plaza this is located at was under some renovations.

We just ordered some tea as we really didn’t want to drink anything fancy this late afternoon/evening. It’s fine, their typical tea! But, we did order some appetizers, and we tried their Lemongrass Chicken Salad Rolls which I thought was a tad pricey, however, it is quite unique so it is kind of worth it… if you look at it that way! The skin on the wrap was a little dry, making it a little hard… so you know it’s pre-made. The flavour of the salad roll was decent though, and it looks fantastic!

I ordered something kind of neat, it was under the wonton noodle section (as the numbering system was kind of out of order), but it’s called Tamarind Chicken Soup and not thinking too much about it, the description made it sound delicious. So, I ordered it. When it came, it was a noodle soup looking bowl, but it didn’t come with noodles… it was all beansprouts! I was shocked the waitress didn’t say anything when I ordered it, or asked if I wanted noodles. At the end of the day, it was a tasty soup and it had nice pieces of chicken (lots of it too). It would be an excellent choice if you order it with rice noodles.

My other half ordered their Vietnamese Beef Stew which was a noodle soup. This one actually sounds like it wouldn’t be, but it was actually under the noodle soup section of the menu. The beef was tender and they were rather generous with the portions of both meat and noodles. The soup was awesome, and tons of flavours!

Overall, it was a weird experience here for me. I like it,and loved that there was full and vibrant flavours in everything! Service was fine, typical Asian place service. The place is decent, I’ll probably try to remember it if I’m in the area, but yet, there also tons of other things to try too! 🙂

Lemongrass West Vietnamese Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Lemongrass West Vietnamese Cuisine

3715 51 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 242-2633

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Mug Shotz Sports Bar & Grill – Calgary

I’m often looking for a great place for delicious wings, and when a friend told me about Mug Shotz I thought “why not!?” This location turns out to be a tad tricky to find for the first time. It’s not exactly located RIGHT on Ogden road as the address suggest, but it’s right behind it, right before you reach Blackfoot Trail.

We got here on a Wednesday night and it was packed already! So, we sat at the bar and then later moved to a table. We ordered quite a few wings as I love wings, and of course we tried their signature Mug Shotz Salt & Pepper Wings which was amazing!

We also got an order of their Sweet Thai Chili Wings which was absolutely delicious! Sweet Thai Chili sauce is great on anything and everything, and wings are no exception! Sometimes when you order wings and it’s a saucy type, the texture isn’t as great, but here – they were able to maintain the chicken wing texture with a hint of crisp and it definitively helped to absorb all the sauce.

Then, we decided we would try their Dill Pickle Wing which was another amazing wing. If you love pickles, this is definitely the wing to order! As gross as it looks and kind of sounds, it’s really amazing! Think of a fried chicken sandwich without the bread and all the other toppings… you’re left with amazing meat and pickles!

At the end of this visit, I’m glad to say I’ve found a great new wing place that offers great tastes, flavours, and all at a great price! The wings are large and full of meat – and they all taste like what they claim they should taste.

Mug Shotz Sports Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

Mug Shotz Sports Bar & Grill

12, 2808 Ogden Road SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 264-4441