I'm going to be exceedingly polite: unless your gut is a garburator give this one a pass. The condition of the washroom should have been warning enough: grimy, no paper and a faucet that was minus one handle, but then the food arrived. And I use that term loosely ...

"Steamed" rice that had the consistency of wood chips, carrots that should have been put out of their misery two weeks ago and beef that might not have been added up to a miserable time in the home bathroom later that evening. I'm not one to waste but the takeaway got flushed; I didn't want to risk a second bout.

It's a shame: I try to support independent business when at all possible but in my opinion the risk of severe gastric distress is too great; try somewhere else instead.

I'm not a fan of the car-buying process. The phoney friendliness, the necessary-yet-unpleasant back-and-forth negotiation and the feeling that, despite your best efforts, you're still getting screwed in the end. As such, I've always approached this activity with a very adversarial attitude ... but no longer!

My wife & I were looking for an SUV / CUV to replace an aging, not-very-useful yet remarkably reliable Toyota Celica. We luckily ran into Gordon, a younger sales representative at the dealership and he was very quickly able to discern exactly what the important criteria in a vehicle were for us. The selection was quickly narrowed down to an RX-350 with a specific options package but sadly there was nothing on the lot that was an exact match.

Now here's where it gets interesting: instead of attempting to push a less-than-optimal (for us) vehicle on us, he committed to finding us an RX that was a perfect fit -- and he had no problem letting us leave without asking for any further commitment. Over the next two months (yes, TWO MONTHS) he texted occasionally with potential vehicles. Let me be clear that this wasn't a constant, invasive communication: there were only a handful of texts, and only when a vehicle was a match with what we were looking for.

Finally, the day arrived when the exact vehicle came into the shop. We received a text and the next way we went to look at it. The RX was indeed what we were looking for, and the starting price was quite fair, although it was more than we had budgeted. My wife and I explained this to Gordon, and he really, genuinely worked with his sales manager to get us the vehicle for a price that was palatable to both us and the dealership. It was a minimal-stress, almost pleasant process, and we're absolutely delighted with the car.

It doesn't stop there: the after-sales service and customer care has thus far been superlative. We couldn't be happier with our new vehicle, with Lexus of Edmonton and especially with Gordon. When it comes time for our next car we'll be certain to give Lexus first crack at it.

I used to ski -- a lot -- but that was more than two decades ago. My dear wife and I decided to rekindle our relationship with Marmot's powder this year and given that my gear was long since given away, I was put into the unenviable position of renting equipment. "Unenviable" because my rental shop memories were of poorly set up, beat-to-hell ancient skis and boots that kind of, sort of fit.

No longer. Strolling down Connaught Drive we decided to step into "Skis Please" and were immediately met with a friendly, enthusiastic staff. A quick glance at their boot rack revealed that this shop doesn't lend out garbage: the Rossignol Alias 100 boots were 2015 models and are considered "performance" equipment (an assessment I'll wholeheartedly agree with!). The skis were equally modern: no double-plank wanks here: proper convex hourglasses for all levels of skier are available, and all are in good kit.

The tech who set up both our downhill and cross-country sets gets a special thank you from us: despite a constant flow of renters, she took the time to ensure we had perfectly fitting gear (again, the boots were better and more comfortable than anything I raced with 20+ years ago) and everything was set up flawlessly.

Having great gear to rent is important, and "Skis Please" has that more than covered but even more critical is a great staff, and everyone we dealt with at the shop fit this criteria and more. They were efficient, friendly, extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. As of now we won't consider any other rental outlet when we're in Jasper. Thanks, SP!

Please allow me to state for the record that I am not a vegan. I'm not even a full-time vegetarian, but after watching "Cowspiracy" on Netflix, my wife & I decided to go vegetarian for 15 days just to see what it's like. Seven days in, we discovered The Clever Rabbit.

First, the atmosphere: fantastic. Diner-casual with maché Rabbits on the simple wooden tables, grandma's orange sofa against a wall, original animal art hanging everywhere and a collection of terrific, new music on the stereo. Urban bohemians and button-down suburbanites are equally comfortable here, and our server made us feel completely at home.

Next, the menu: A great selection of diner and casual-restaurant standards, but with a twist: the bread is made in-house and all of the vegan "meats" are as well, save the "pork" and the "steak". We were recommended the clubhouse sandwich to share, with a green salad on the side.

And the food. Oh, the food! Again, I'm not a vegan, nor am I a confirmed vegetarian, but my word, if all vegan food was this good, I'd happily jump ship. Amazing. Phenomenal. I cannot come up with enough positive adjectives to describe how brilliant the food was. Not just that, but the portion size was quite generous: the single sandwich and salad were enough for both of us ... in fact we had to take dessert home. Which brings me to ...

The dessert. The massive vegan Oreo. After the meal we had I didn't think it could get better, but somehow it did. Later that evening when we tucked into our take-away treat we were both amazed that somehow the genius who is The Clever Rabbit's chef managed to make a stunning pastry without the use of butter, eggs or cream.

This is Alberta, I know, and beef rules all. I get it, and I like a good burger as much as the next guy but do yourself a favour: give The Clever Rabbit a try. It's not a preachy, too-hipster-cool-for-the-room place but instead a comfortable, welcoming vegan diner with food that rivals any casual restaurant I've ever stepped foot in.