I’ve been having a great time with the Big Taste. Always excited for this event.
Thought I’d post this before the event ends. DON’T BOTHER WITH RIC’S GRILL.
Such a mediocre restaurant. There are so many better participating restaurants to try that this one is definitely not worth your time, money, or stomach room.
I really should’ve listened to my gut (hahaha) and not bothered with this place. I always look at the menu and think about going for dinner. And every time I would decide that it wasn’t worth going to. The prices aren’t great and the menu isn’t even that exciting. But I thought, hey, for $35 – why not give it a try?
I mean, the quantity of food isn’t bad for $35, but the quality? That’s another story. And, man, the servers there do not dress appropriately. Also, service wasn’t the greatest. We had to wait upwards of 20 minutes to even get our bill, pay, and leave.
First – the bread. It totally reminds me of the bread you get when you go to Old Spaghetti Factory. Where they charge you $10 for a 3 course pasta meal. Yeah. That one.
Bah
These weren’t half bad. Toasted coconut prawns. After eating the first one did it occur to me that I don’t like coconut on my food. Haha, oops.
Toasted Coconut Prawns
The escargot weren’t half bad either. Canned variety? They came out super hot. Super greasy and cheesy. Again, reminds me of something you could get at Old Spaghetti…
Escargot Stuffed Mushrooms
For his main, the bf got the Salmon Florentine. “Grilled wild salmon topped with prawns, tomatoes and fresh basil in brandy cream sauce. Served with basmati rice pilaf & seasonal vegetables”. Shocking – no fresh basil anywhere. Instead of the rice pilaf, he got a double serving of vegetables.
Salmon Florentine
I got the 6 oz Sterling Silver Filet Mignon served with chef’s roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables & cognac cream sauce. The beef wasn’t good. You would like it’d be good since Ric’s is a steakhouse. And, it was wrapped in bacon. Buuuut, not good beef. It had a not pleasing texture. Also, I got the chef’s roasted potatoes, which the server described as “covered in an artichoke cream sauce”. Nope. No sauce. No hint of artichoke. No hint of cream. Pretty much I just got a side of potato hash that you could get anywhere at brunch. Also the bok choy was bitter. Like super bitter. Bitter to the point that I complained and got a new side of veggies.
Filet Mignon Wrapped in Bacon
For dessert I got the vanilla bean creme brûlée. Pretty sure it was just vanilla extract. There was none of the vanilla specks you would expect to get from actual vanilla bean. Also the texture of the brûlée was more of an egg custard texture. I didn’t mind it.
Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée
The bf got the goat cheese cheesecake with fresh berry compote.
Goooat
Pretty much this was the reason that swayed me to come. I mean I <3 goat cheese cheesecake. I had an awesome one at Open Range over the holiday and thought I’d see if this one would stack up. Not much goat cheese flavour, but overall not too too bad.
Again, the food isn’t bad per se…but it’s not good either. Very run of the mil. Nothing fancy. Pretty much like a more expensive Moxie’s but even less exciting. If that’s possible.
RIC’S GRILL
1436 8th Street Southwest
Calgary, AB T2R 1R7
(403) 269-7427
Posted in Beltline, Calgary, Canada, Dine-Out, Western | Tagged: Bacon, Basil, Beef, beet, beets, Beltline, Berry, berry compote, Big Taste, Big Taste 2013, Big Taste Calgary, biscotti, bok choy, brandy, brandy cream, brandy cream sauce, brûlée, Bread, broccolini, Butter, Calgary, canada, Cheese, Cheesecake, Coconut, coconut prawns, cognac, cognac cream sauce, cow, Cream, cream sauce, creme brûlée, crostini, Dine-Out, escargot, filet mignon. bacon, goat cheese, Mushrooms, peppers, Potato, Potatoes, prawns, red peppers, roasted potatoes, Salmon, salmon florentine, Sauce, Shrimp, Toast, Tomatoes, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Vegetables, Western, Whipped Cream | 2 Comments »
Ok, being the awful blogger that I am. This place is officially closed. Although I don’t understand why. The schnitzels were frigging delicious. And with the downtown crowd, I would’ve thought they were doing quite well. Shittier places downtown have stayed open just because of the shear volume of office workers looking for a bite to eat.
Odd.
Anyways.
I feel for whoever did not get to try these schnitzels. So, here are some pictures to ease your pain:
The Luau
I got the Luau. It had pineapple chutney, roasted red peppers, ham, swiss, and coconut slaw with Serrano peppers. Pork Sirloin.
The Silk Road
This had sweet Thai chili sauce, pomegranate infused shallots, sautéed portobello mushrooms, and fresh pea sprouts. Top-end Sirloin.
Great sandwiches. I’m pretty upset that it’s no longer in business. 
THAT SCHNITZEL PLACE
821 4 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 0K4
(403) 452-3737
Posted in Calgary, Downtown West End, German, Quick Bite, Sandwiches | Tagged: Beef, Calgary, chutney, Coconut, coconut slaw, Downtown, Downtown West End, fresh pea sprouts, German, ham, mushroom, pea sprouts, peppers, Pineapple, pineapple chutney, POMEGRANATE, pomegranate infused shallots, Pork, pork sirloin, portobello mushroom, Quick Bite, red pepper, roasted red pepper, Sandwiches, sautéed portobello mushrooms, schnitzel, serrano, shallot, sirloin, slaw, Sprouts, sweet Thai chili sauce, swiss, top-end sirloin | Leave a Comment »
Saving the best meal we had in Seattle for last: Our ridiculously delicious omakase. For a unbelievably reasonable price (everything compared to Calgary prices is a steal, HEY-OH), we were treated to, by far, the best food we had in Seattle.
We sat at the bar so we could watch the chefs hard at work.
Munchies
We got a lovely little bowl of Japanese Arare to snack on while we patiently waited for our sustainable sea-feast.
Gorgeous fish on display
We started off with some bundles of Pacific Smelt with Pickled Carrots & Daikon Sprouts:
Salty and Briny and Deliciouuuus
Gorgeous close up:
To Die For
More fish:
So many different types!
Scallop Sashimi with Yuzu Tobiko:
Cute presentation!
The yuzu tobiko added a nice hint of citrus to the melt-in-your-mouth scallops.
Next was Sake Poached Oysters Marinated in Olive Oil:
So Smooth…
This is probably tie for my favourite preparation for oysters. Obviously this takes a lot more skill than shucking a raw oyster. So I guess raw oysters are my favourite in terms of ease of preparation, but this, man, if I could eat this everyday, I would.
Black Alaskan Rockfish Sashimi with Ponzu and Shiso Oil:
First time having Black Rockfish, and let me tell you, it won’t be my last
Fresh Oregon Based Shrimp & Cherry Tomato Salad:
If only I could have a salad like this everyday, sigh…
This shrimp was unbelievably sweet. Like the sweetest (in a good way) shrimp I think I will ever have in my life. Don’t even know how that’s possible.
Poached Hawaiian Abaloni with Dried Kelp & Stomach:
Love the in shell presentation
First of all, I love abalone. And second of all, the inclusion of the stomach just made this dish that much more delicious. The kelp and the stomach gave the whole dish a very lovely seaweed-y, slightly bitter taste. Very complex flavours.
The bf and I were fighting over the stomach in the shell, believe it or not
Next, Local Albacore Tataki Salad:
Refreshing, but…
If I had to pick one, this was probably my least favourite of all the dishes. It was a very competently prepared dish, it just wasn’t nearly as exciting as the ones we’ve had leading up to it OR the ones we had following it.
Back to the exciting, White king Salmon Tartare with Avocado & Capers:
Love the little quail egg!
The quail egg acted as a nice binder and added a smoothness to the dish:
Delish
On to the SUSHI! (YAY)
From left to right, Giant Pacific Octopus, Northwest Albacore Toro, Yellow Fin Tuna:
A plate of friggin perfection
The Toro
Octo
This was the best octopus I have ever eaten. Anywhere. The stuff in Calgary just does not compare. I’ve never had octopus cooked this perfectly before, the meat wasn’t chewy, it was this nice tenderness that I did not think was possible with octopus. This probably ruined Octopus for me since I will probably never find a place in Calgary that will compare…
Yellowfin
Saba “Box” Sushi with House Marinated Ikura:
I <3 IKURA
Ikura is my favourite type of fish eggs, I love the burst of briny-ness in your mouth when you pop ‘em! Box Sushi is just a traditional form of sushi known to Osaka. The major different between Hakozushi and normal sushi is that all the ingredients used for the Hako are either cooked or brined. Saba = perfect Hakozushi ingredient.
Look at all its briny goodness…
Next course….came in the cutest serve-ware ever!
C00-coo (that’s the noise owls make, FYI)
Chawanmushi with Mushroom & Salmon:
I absolutely adore steamed egg
I wish more places in Calgary would put Chawanmushi on their menus…
Finally, we finished our ridiculous feast of a meal with Coconut Fried Brownie (from Bakery Nouveau) with Green Tea Ice Cream:
<3 the mint leaves
The brownies were a little heavy for me (keep in mind that I’m not a chocolate fan though), but the matcha ice-cream was deliciously bitter.
MASHIKO SEATTLE SUSHI
4725 California Southwest
Seattle WA 98116
(206) 935-4339
Posted in Dine-Out, Japanese, Seattle, Sushi, United States | Tagged: abalone, abaloni, albacore, albacore tuna, arare, Avocado, black alaskan rockfish, black rockfish, brownie, capers, carrots, chawanmushi, cherry tomato, Chocolate, citrus, Coconut, coconut fried, daikon, Dine-Out, Egg, fish eggs, giant pacific octopus, greens, hakozushi, hawaiian abaloni, Ice-Cream, ikura, Japanese, kelp, Lemon, mackerel, matcha, mushroom, northwest albacore toro, Octopus, Olive Oil, onions, oregon shrimp, Oysters, pacific smelt, pickled carrots, poached oysters, ponzu, quail, quail egg, Rice, rockfish, Roe, saba, Salad, Salmon, salmon tartare, Sashimi, scallop, Seattle, shiso, smelt, Sprouts, steamed egg, stomach, Sushi, Tartare, tataki, tobiko, Tomatoes, Toro, Tuna, United States, United States of America, US, USA, white king salmon, yellow fin, yellowfin, yuzu, yuzu tobiko | 2 Comments »
This year’s ticket price was a $1.00 , which is $0.25 more than last year’s. I really don’t like how it is getting more and more expensive. I know prices are going up and everything, but when you think about it, you’re paying at least $2 for a very small sampler that’s not even filling. It’s a nice little event, but at the end of the day, you’re paying $20 – $50 for food that’s not even as filling as a meal.
They do have nice little free sample trucks from vendors littered around the place. Pretty much it’s like free advertising for these big brands. There was a Dr.Oetker truck passing out free little slices of pizzas.
Back of the Truck
Free!
Another free treat was this ‘make-your-own-sandwich’ station. I don’t remember what company sponsored this, I think it was Kraft or something for their mayo?
Super Protein Sandwich!
Haha, I just made a dried sandwich, I don’t even like mayo.
I got the Sticky Rice with Mango from Delicious Thai for 5 tickets. I can’t believe that was $5.00, the actual dessert at their restaurant is only $4.20 (according to their website), and I’m sure it’s probably bigger than the sample they gave up. I actually can’t believe they charged more than their actual item now that I think about it.
I <3 Mangos
We also got Beef Samosas for 5 tickets. 5 dollars for 2 samosas. I thought the beef samosas would be awesome but the vegetarian ones are actually soooo much better, they just don’t have the same texture. One of my co-workers bring in awesome vegetarian samosas from the NE that’s only $0.50 each. These came to $2.50 each. Crazy expensive.
Delice Pastry Shop & Cafe
The Fresh Blueberry Pie from The White Spot were by far the best deal of the event. Yeah, they’re not very creative or innovative but they tasted good, only cost 3 tickets, and was a decent size. You can’t go wrong with blueberries, whipped cream, and pastry tart shells.
But in hindsight, for a couple more dollars I could probably get a really awesome and fancy dessert...
Since I really liked Nubian Express the previous year, I thought I would get something from them again this year. I got the Suya, a spicy African Stick Meat, for $4.00. This was not a good idea. I don’t even know what type of meat it was, I think it was beef…? It was all dry and not good at all.
Yucky.
One of the better dishes we got was the Roasted Duck Omelette from Bubblemania Cafe for 4 tickets. They actually cooked these up individually when you order them. All in a little tiny skillet, how cute!
Om Nom Nom Nom
At the end of the day, we both just got little drinks to use up the rest of our tickets. The bf got the Vietnamese Ice Coffee from The Satay House for 2 tickets.
Look at the little dinky cup of coffee...
I got a 4 oz Homemade Ginger Beer from Caribbean Choice for 1 ticket. Mmm…that was actually the best thing I had at the festival. It was soooo good. Maybe I’ll go get some this weekend…
Super Ginger-y
TASTE OF CALGARY
Festival Plaza @ Eau Claire Market
200 Barclay Parade Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 4R5
BUBBLEMANIA CAFE
459 16 Avenue Northeast
Calgary, AB T2E 8K9
403-277-9398
CARIBBEAN CHOICE FOODS
2235 Centre Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2E 2T4
403-230-1880
DELICE PASTRY SHOP & CAFE
200 Barclay Parade Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 4R5
403-210-3006
DELICIOUS THAI
314 10 Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2N 1V8
(403) 450-1996
NUBIAN EXPRESS
136 Kincora Hill NW
Calgary, AB T3R 1N6
403-992-8825
SATAY HOUSE
3231 17 Avenue Southeast
Calgary, AB T2A 0R1
403-248-2888
THE WHITE SPOT
10440 Macleod Trail South
Calgary, AB T2J 0P8
403-278-8212
Posted in African, Breakfast/Brunch, Calgary, Dessert, Drinks, Eau Claire, Indian, Italian, Pizza, Quick Bite, Sandwiches, Snacks, Street Food, Thai, Vietnamese, Western | Tagged: Beef, beef samosas, blueberries, Bread, Calgary, Cheese, Chives, Coconut, coffee, condensed milk, Cucumber, Duck, Eau Claire, Egg, ginger beer, green peppers, mangos, omelette, pastry, peppers, pizza, Quick Bites, samosa, Sandwich, stick on a meat, sticky rice, Suya, tart, turkey, vietnamese coffee, Whipped Cream | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been meaning to go the Delicious Thai for quite a while now. The place is easy to walk past & forget because it’s tucked inside a little nook along 10th Street in Kensington, or, more often than not, it’s covered by a bunch of “scene” kids or hipsters loitering around.
We started off our meal with a couple of coconut juices. Did you know that coconut water is considered nature’s Gatorade? That’s because it’s full of electrolytes! If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d definitely drink it everyday~
Coconut Juice
The bf got the “Lab Moo”. It’s a Thai Grounded Pork Spicy Salad. He got the highest spiciness level they offer, and it was much too spicy for me. I’m such a wimp.
“Lab Moo”
The salad is basically ground pork that has been mixed with hot and spicy dressing, roasted rice, mint, green onion, dry chili, and cilantro.
“Gaeng Kua Sup-Bpa-Rot” Pineapple Curry
I got the Beef Pineapple Curry. This was really good, the sweetness & tartness of the pineapple really helped cut through the spice. I prefer thicker curry though – like a Japanese style? That’s the way my mom would make curry at home, and I have a fondness of that rendition of curry. Actually, I think I just like thicker dishes generally. I think I only got the 2nd level of spiciness and it was still really spicy. I had to order some coconut rice on the side to help me temper the heat.
Cloooose Up!
This dish consists of your choice of protein (pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp) cooked in a spicy red curry paste with coconut milk, pineapple, red pepper, green paper, snow peas, and lime leaves.
Both dishes were very flavourful and authentic tasting. I wish they offered stir-fried phak bung (morning glory) though, I think that’s probably my favoriate Thai dish.
DELICIOUS THAI
314 10 Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2N 1V8
(403) 450-1996
Posted in Calgary, Dine-Out, Kensington, Thai | Tagged: Beef, Calgary, Coconut, Curry, Dine-Out, Juice, Kensington, Pineapple, Pork, Salad, Thai | 4 Comments »
We grabbed a quick snack from the TD Square food court using some coupons we got from the Lilac Fest. The bf and I shared 2 crepes, one sweet and one savory.
Greek Chicken
Holy moly, were these crepes ever big. We were both pleasantly surprised by the size of the crepes, they’re actually bigger than the display pictures. They weren’t skimpy on the protein either.
Hawaiian
The Hawaiian crepe consists of mangos, pineapples, shredded coconuts, and whipped cream. I got the whipped cream put on the inside because I thought it’d be less messy!
I think the one thing I enjoyed the most was watching the lady make the crepes right in front of you! You can’t get fresher than that (well, minus the frozen fruit and pre-cooked chicken, lol).
CREPES & CRAVINGS
304 – 8th Avenue SW (TD Square 2nd Floor)
Calgary, AB T2P 1C2
(403)263-0302
Posted in Calgary, Dessert, Quick Bite, Snacks, Stephen Avenue | Tagged: 8th Avenue, Calgary, Chicken, Coconut, Crepes, Dessert, Greek, Mango, Olives, Pineapple, Quick Bite, Snacks, Stephen Ave, Stephen Avenue, Whipped Cream | 2 Comments »
These are some desserts I had while I was in Thailand.
I loooovvveee desserts in Asia, they always have such interesting toppings & ingredients. I love toppings like taro, mochi, and grass jelly, you can’t normally find that stuff at normal Western dessert places~
Yum, I love the presentation!
My uncle got this:
Borrrring
It was just a plain ‘ol chocolate sundae. Maybe it’s because he lives in Asia, he likes classic desserts. Or maybe it’s just because he’s old, and doesn’t like piling a bunch of crap on like I do. Hahaha~
Also, you can’t go to Asia without having some coconut juice in it’s shell!
Coco-coconut!
THAILAND
Various
Posted in Dessert, Drinks, Ice-Cream, Quick Bite, Thailand | Tagged: Coconut, Dessert, Drinks, Ice-Cream, Juice, Quick Bite, Thailand | Leave a Comment »
