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Wendy "WENDYTRON" P.'s Profile
Date
Listed in: Downtown Cowtown
And now, well, Charcut is just awesome food, plain and simple. The must tries, in this order: any of the desserts in a jar, Charcut board (make sure the mortadella's on there), poutine, heirloom beets, raclette, bone marrow, asparagus salad honey something carrots. I'm sure I'd tell you to eat the entrees too if I'd gotten that far... but I haven't yet. Too many things to keep sharing with my friends. That time will come though, I'm sure.
Nuff said? I don't think so. Two cocktails you've got to go try are the clarified caesar (please make sure you eat the bacon that comes in the drink) and the dark and stormy.
It's one thing to hear and to read that Charcut is one of the top restaurants in the city. It's quite another to have experienced it first hand and put your own name behind that kind of statement. But Connie and John have created such a great place! And I can take/suggest it to just about anyone... hanging out with friends, out on a date, family's in town and they need a good place to eat... and to top it all off, everyone's just so gosh-darned NICE!
The next time I'm wearing a hat, I shall stop in for a hats off salute, Connie and John!
Listed in: Great date spots, Good for Groups, Lunch hour in downtown Calgary, Poutine Me!, Five Star Calgary Reviews
1 Previous Review:
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12/19/2010
Some of my friends kept putting a French spin on the name of this place. "Char-coot". But when we showed up for lunch, we found out it was exactly as it sounds. Char-cut. Go figure!
I had myself the lunch version of a tuna melt... and it was delicious :). It also came with two chocolate chip cookies to go. They showed up in a little baggie with this cute little pig shaped paper clip holding it closed. It was adorable!
Our server was attentive, the food was served in a reasonable amount of time and... yes AND... they serve tomato jam instead of ketchup.
Now to try them for dinner :).
Black Lion is one of the many pubs in a strip mall that our city seems to have (have you ever noticed our over-abundance of strip malls?). When I first pulled up, it looked empty. I thought maybe karaoke had been cancelled, or maybe I'd missed the folks I was meeting. But alas! Little can you see from the outside, there's an entire other room in the back. And what should it have? Karaoke! Connie was the name of the karaoke host. I must admit, she was a pretty awesome host.
The server way up yonder in the likes of Temple is not one you would find downtown. Only in the NE. But that's part of the charm of some of these neighbourhood bars. When I first sat down, she took a moment or two to make her way over. Her explanation:
"Oh there you are!! I could see you while you were standing up and coming through the bar, but when you sat down, it's like you disappeared! It took me a minute to find you. Can I get you something to drink?" she asked.
I laughed and then asked, "What have you got on tap?"
"Beer," she answered. Then broke into a grin of her own. "I always like saying that to people!" She then proceeded to list off the 3 beers on tap. I went for the Black Lion Lager. Nothing special, but most people can handle a lager, right?
Twas a fun night! You should go for karaoke.
I't s a solid spot for a sunny afternoon. Not sure why the patio wasn't busier... maybe because all of the students have gone home for the summer? Anyway, Coronas were on special, that with the traditional lime was a good way to ease in to a sunny May afternoon.
Eats wise, I filled myself with a greek wrap and side salad. It's on par with what you'd expect for a place like Lou's. Our server was on the ball with the specials and frequent check backs to make sure our drinks stayed full.
I can't say that I've ever been blown out of the water here, but I've certainly never had a bad time here.
Listed in: Good for Groups
Calgary, AB T2G 0S8
(403) 457-0697
Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar
Category:
Coffee & Tea
Cafe Gravity is still finding it's coffee and espresso bar legs, but so far, its doing things right.
1) It's got an array of paninis, pastries, coffees, beer, wine and even some scotch! Calgary needs more caj spots for drinking.
2) The hours rock, it's open until midnight every Friday and Saturday night. While it's still new, it's awesome!! I love having a late night spot to hang out for an easy glass of wine, or to pop in with my laptop when I need a break from the rest of Calgary's busy weekend scene (I know you Calgarians won't let that last very long, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts).
3) Teh blue colour of the walls, the fun artwalk... the decor isn't too busy. I like un-busy.
4) The gentleman behind the counter with the glasses that I always see here has the prettiest latte art in the city. For real, come get a latte from him.
5) Free wifi and a decent amount of plugins.
Things to improve:
1) Something on the bottom of the chairs. When it's quiet, and I'm the one shifting a bit, I feel as though I'm disturbing the peace. Chairs on the cement-like floor are noisy.
2) I'm not sure what more yet, but I'll think on it and let you know Cafe Gravity!
It seems Cafe Gravity is experimenting with some other menu items (like even better sandwiches on the odd Friday). So it'll be awesome to see where it goes. It's not at a five star yet, but the potential is there once it hits its stride.
Listed in: Places to go in Inglewood, Anybody but Starbucks
1 Previous Review:
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3/20/2012
Have you been to Gravity yet? It's okay if you haven't. It only opened last week. But now that the weather's all glorious and warm and y'all are out and about exploring cute lil neighbourhoods like Inglewood, you should make sure Gravity's on your list to check out.
It's a trendier coffee shop (thank goodness trendier coffee shops are becoming a trend in Calgary) serving pastries, coffees, paninis and the likes. It's also got free wifi. There's this cool loungy looking couch on one end that'd make for a nice place to settle into, a longer table on the other end if you've got a group with you, and smaller tables between the two. But the best part about Gravity, IMO, are the hours. In a neighbourhood that typically closes early, Gravity's open until 10pm every weeknight (and Sunday) and until midnight on Fridays ans Saturdays.
167 stairs total. They must be quite sturdily built, because people are running up and down them all day long and it's all still holding itself together well. It's a pretty popular training spot. It's where you go when you want to show you're *serious* about your training. Because, heck, who's going to go up and down 167 steps if they weren't serious?
The rest of the bluff stretches from Centre St all the way over to 10th St, with pathways and the likes all the way along. According to the City of Calgary's website, it's also got an off-leash area in there somewhere.
All of those pathways are going to come in handy to counter any summer patio drinking.
Listed in: Beautiful places and open…
Calgary, AB T2E 3J8
(403) 277-5499
The Liquor Depot
Category:
Beer, Wine & Spirits
I got spoiled by the 17th Ave location when I lived in Connaught. It was big, it had a great selection, the staff were awesome and they did plenty of tastings. This one, well, the staff have still be great whenever I've been in, but it's really small. The same selection just isn't there. But how can it be in it's little corner space in a strip mall? I just don't think the demand exists for it up here.
At any rate, when I need random alcohol for my party, or just need to pick up some local beers, it's easy enough to pop into, and I know I can count on good service!
Note: Depending on the time of day, the parking lot can get really crowded. There is a stall right out front with a short parking time limit on it, but if someone's already in it and the rest of the lot is full.. you're a little SOL.
Listed in: Edmonton Trail Haunts
But finding myself in need of a change of scenery (and a break from my day), I scuttled over here this morning for a quick jog down exercise lane.
It was a wonderful morning, and this park will only get better as summer rolls in.
It's a great spot to find a tree or picnic table with your book, to have a lusciously green background for your wedding photos, to take an afternoon or evening stroll through or grab your frisbee to toss back and forth with a friend and has just enough hills to challenge you a bit but without feeling like you've just run up the two hundred or so stairs over by Memorial Drive.
Listed in: Beautiful places and open…, Particip-ACTION!, Calgary parks, Five Star Calgary Reviews
1 Previous Review:
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11/7/2010
Confederation Park remains my favourite park in Calgary. When I lived just a couple of blocks off the park, I visited it whenever the weather was fair enough for a run. The loop from 10th Street and then up passed the golf course on 19th Street was a good combination of gentler hills and flat spots for this recreational jogger.
I cannot count the number of times I passed by wedding parties taking photos under the green, leafy trees of the park in the summer, or friends out for a walk, or sitting on one of the park's many benches enjoying the scenery and each other's company.
Baseball diamonds, soccer fields, great open spaces for frisbee and even an ice rink for the winter, this park is always well used and well maintained. Next time you're looking for a delightful outdoor space to explore, head on out to Confederation Park.
We popped in for a Saturday meal after Beerfest, wanting to grab something a bit farther away from all of the hubbub of 17th on a weekend. Turns out, Fiddlers Courtyard was an ideal spot for that. It wasn't overly busy and we had our choice of booths or tables.
The menu's a decent size, and has four or five different types of burgers on the menu. The bison burger and the lamb burger stood out, I went for the bison bacon burger. It was a decent size, and the fries were a-ok, but somehow it took an absurdly long time for our meals to come out, apparently there was a bit of a mix up on one of our orders... glad the kitchen caught it and fixed it before it came out, but it still made for a long wait for a couple of hungry festival goers.
All in all, it sounds like the way to really love this pub is to go hang out with some friends, enjoy a few pints and chow down on some good ol' bangers and mash or shepherd's pie. I shall try those next time and be back with another tale!
Listed in: Calgary pubs with personality, Good for Groups, Edmonton Trail Haunts
I haven't yet quite figured out what the difference is between Egyptian donairs and other donairs, but it's hella yummy nonetheless.
Go. Go now... just be forewarned, you can fit about 4 people at a time in the entire place. Official hole in the wall.
Listed in: Places to go in the Beltline, Shawarming myself in falafelly…, Avoiding the food court, The Red Mile, Cheap Eats
1 Previous Review:
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9/28/2011
The only thing wrong with Sammy's is that it suffers the ill fate of being placed on the south side of 17th Ave... which happens to be the side I walk on the least frequently! I always see the sign and I always think "one of these days I'm going to go check out Sammy's." Well, I stuck to my guns on Monday night and headed in for a donair.
Sammy's is not big. In fact, it's so not big you can call it small. Besides a small kitchen, there's a counter top by the window with three stools. When the weather's warm, you can also have a seat on some patio furniture right out front.
The menu is shawarma/donair food, they say it's Egyptian. I'm still trying to figure out what the difference is between an Egyptian donair and other donairs. So far, all I've seen is a difference in the spelling of shawarma. At Sammy's, it's shawerma. At any rate, I ordered a "regular lamb" with all the toppings (including bright pink pickled cabbage... no turnips or what ever those other pickled things are here!). Tasty, tasty, tasty!
If you're looking for a cheap lunch, head in to try their $4.99 menu. This is my kind of fast food.
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1246 Useful, 465 Funny, and 832 Cool
Calgary, AB
Yelping SinceJuly 2010
Things I LoveUltimate Frisbee, cocktails, delicious food, music, friends, fun, exploring, spirits, craft beer, did I mention cocktails
Find Me Inthe Beltline
My HometownMillet, Alberta
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm playing ultimate frisbee or finding new things to do in Calgary.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsIs it a blog post or a review? Sometimes they're both.
My Second Favourite Websitebit.ly/YelpShopsLocal
The Last Great Book I ReadDark Tower VII
My First ConcertAlanis Morisette
My Favourite MovieThe Usual Suspects
My Last Meal On EarthEggplant chips at the Vin Room
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I often throw in a random dance moment when I think nobody's looking.
Most Recent DiscoveryBourbon
As it stands, it's a lovely place for a stroll, whether winter or summer. Although winter, I think, is the most beautiful time to be strolling down Stephen Avenue Walk when the sun's gone down and all of the pretty little sparkling lights are strung across the road, row after row of them.
If you're unfamiliar with Calgary, Stephen Avenue Walk is our pedestrian streets. From 6am to 6pm, it's closed to any traffic, so you're free to hang out, check out the little sidewalk patios, shops and things of that nature. There are also a few vendors lining the street on warmer summer days. But after awhile, unless you're headed to a specific restaurant or down to Olympic Plaza for a big event, it kind of loses its charm.