tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73800773468783067322024-03-13T10:53:14.865-06:00Nom Nom Nom... What to eat, what to eat....Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-39379695423541271272013-12-20T11:53:00.000-07:002013-12-20T11:53:11.693-07:00Tango BistroIt's been a long time since I posted anything. Not that I haven't gone out to eat at new places, it's finding the time to do a review up when I got a soon to be toddler wanting attention every time I sit my butt down in front of the computer.<br />
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The little one has now started to stay with her grandparents every couple of weeks, which means me and hubby now have date nights again! Woot woot. So, I decided on Tango as it was close to our house.<br />
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Tango Bistro is located on Macleod Trail in the same complex as Smugglers. Parking was a little bit hard to find on a Sat night at eight. Thinking it was going to be a least a half hour wait, we were pleasantly surprised when we got a table right away. Nice way to start the night for sure!<br />
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Here's what we had!<br />
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Starting off with drinks. It's a must! Tango has a great selection of cocktails and wine list. We went for cocktails as anything drunk out of a martini glass is pretty awesome. I love how their water comes with cranberries and a slice of lemon in it! So refreshing.<br />
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So Tango specializes in a tapas menu, which I'm sure you all know, but it's plates designed to share. Now me and hubby, love this idea. You get to sample so many different things all at once!<br />
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First thing that came out was the Cajun Chicken Egg Rolls. OMG! These were so tasty. I love the presentation on these. They were a perfect way to begin our evening of being gluttonous pigs. =)<br />
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As soon as I saw oysters on their menu, I had to get some. Honestly, my most favorite thing to eat. If only if they weren't so darn expensive and more filling. Anyways, they served these bad boys with a red onion <span style="color: #42423a; font-family: proxima_novaregular; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">mignonette </span> and Tobasco. Personally, I ate it with just a squirt of lemon on top. They were as fresh as can be. I might have ordered another dozen later on.<br />
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Next was the crab cakes. Delicious! Minus that horrible sauce that it came with it. It a BBQ type sauce that just didn't do anything for the crab cakes. I scrapped it off and crab cakes itself was full of crab meat and it was really light and moist. Outside was perfectly crunchy. Too bad that it didn't come with a better sauce on it.<br />
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We also ordered the Tenderloin Surf and Turf Trio. This was my favorite out of all the dishes! Me and hubby want to come back and have this dish again. It came out with three pieces of perfectly cooked tenderloin. They were perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked to medium rare, the three were individually topped with a different turf item, shredded backfin crab, a tiger prawn, and lobster. All three were topped with a hollandaise sauce. This was a swoonworthy dish. I want more. I can't stop thinking about it. That's how good it was. Oh boy.<br />
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Right about this time I ordered more oysters on the half shell. I couldn't help myself.<br />
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For dessert, we went for the Dessert Sampler, which are four shot glasses filled with sweet goodness. There was an apple and maple brown sugar cheesecake, Oreo cookie mousse, rocky road, and my fave, the pumpkin amaretto mousse. I love the fact we got to sample all the desserts, without feeling guilty about ordering all four. Though the rocky road was a tad overly sweet, I loved all the other three.<br />
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It was a wonderful evening. The service was great, our sever was attentive but not looking over our shoulders all the time. I don't like feeling like I am being hounded. I love the restaurant itself. Super quint and cozy in my opinion. I definitely would come here to celebrate a birthday or a girls night out for sure.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1509316/restaurant/Macleod-Trail/Tango-Bistro-Calgary"><img alt="Tango Bistro on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1509316/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
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<br />Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-20295841034973692552013-02-13T12:26:00.000-07:002013-02-13T12:26:10.238-07:00Big Fish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, me and hubby turned the big thirty on Sun and were excited to go out by ourselves for dinner without our little bundle of joy. We decided on Big Fish as I wanted seafood and had heard great things about this place.<br />
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It was Sunday night, which was Seafood Paella night. The appetizers that was included that night with it was s. We decided to go with that, as the waitress recommended it, and it sounded amazing.<br />
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First off, we had to try the oysters. It was amazingly delicious. I got half a dozen of different varieties. Everything was super fresh and tasty.</div>
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Next up, crab and bay shrimp cakes. These are the best crab cakes I have ever had. They were super moist and the flavors just popped in your mouth. The citrus caper aioli danced with crab cakes and I seriously could have ate more. The lobster stuffed mushroom caps with escargot were so tasty. Garlicky goodness and they don't skimp on anything here.</div>
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The star of the night was defiantly the seafood paella. Look at all those mussels! It had three fillets of talipia and elk sausage in it. Now, I've never had paella before, and seen it alot on foodnetwork, and my expectation were surpassed when we dug into this bad boy. I couldn't believe how good this was! </div>
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This was how it looked plated. Yum yum! I pretty much ate all the mussels by myself. =)</div>
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For dessert we picked the chocolate souffle with vanilla bean mousse. At first we thought it might be too rich, but it was perfect. It was creamy and had a cake like texture for the bottom and sides. It was a great ending to a amazing meal.</div>
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All in all, me and hubby will be going back for sure to sample all the other offerings.</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/190138/restaurant/Renfrew/Big-Fish-Dockside-Calgary"><img alt="Big Fish Dockside on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/190138/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-9387943426981254912012-11-20T18:44:00.002-07:002012-11-20T18:45:02.269-07:00Izumi Sushi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I used to love Tokyo Gardens when they were still there, and one day I found out that it has closed down and a new sushi place has opened up in their spot, I was a little hesitant on eating there. So flash forward a year later, I decided that me and Hubby should make a trip and test it out of course. Plus, we just started pre-natal classes and it was at Southport AHS, so we decided to make a dinner date out of it. </div>
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On entering the restaurant, we noticed that it was definitely brighter then what it used to be in there. I loved how they redecorated it, though it was a little weird when you look up at the ceiling and realized that there is a mirror right above you. I guess it would be easy to creep other patrons if you were into that. =)</div>
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Service was quite fast and efficient. Our waitress was super nice and explained all their rolls as she brought them out. Though I would like to say it was a little weird getting my rolls first before the appetizers. </div>
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We came on a Wed night and their special was cheap pricing on their special rolls. Score! So we decided to try their Rainbow Roll. I was pretty impressed by this one, as their crab mixture was really creamy and had tons of great flavours. Each piece had a different topping, so smoked salmon, shrimp, avocado and tuna. There was one that has some kind of green veggie like thing on there that I was not too impressed with.</div>
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We ordered two appetizers. First was the Mentai Calamari. Honestly, this was pretty good calamari. It was super lightly battered and the squid was melt in your mouth goodness. I like how they had it on a bed of salad with this lemony taste to it. Definitely a must have if you come here. </div>
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Next up was Smoked Salmon and Spicy Salmon rolls. Personally, I didn't like either of these rolls. My Hubby makes better smoked salmon rolls at home. Something about it didn't taste right to me. The spicy salmon rolls were alright. Nothing special.</div>
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Appetizer two was Baked Oysters. Okay, it's been a long while since I had it, and Tokyo Gardens made amazing baked oysters. So I kind of had high expectations for this. It was a let down. It was more cream and cheese then oysters. I don't think there was an oyster in there. I was quite sad to be honest. </div>
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Last speciality roll that we ordered was the Spicy Bomb. I have to say these rolls were huge! I have to say about Izumi rolls is they don't cheap out on the fish at all. Hubby says this roll was quite yummy. </div>
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All in all, I would definitely come back for their speciality rolls on Wed night. Portions were bigger then most sushi places for sure. If I was in the area, I would drop by here to eat, either then that, I wouldn't make the trip from the deep south. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1633259/restaurant/Macleod-Trail/Izumi-Sushi-Yokozuna-Calgary"><img alt="Izumi Sushi Yokozuna on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1633259/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-81728912148196742692012-11-12T15:13:00.003-07:002012-11-12T15:13:27.596-07:00Sea. Fish n'Chips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it was a cold Saturday afternoon and I was starving as usual (being pregnant means hungry all the time), I decided to bug hubby to grab some food before we went grocery shopping. Now I have driven by this place many times in the past two years, but have never dropped in. Thinking it was a take out only kind of place, we bundled on up and headed out for some of the most amazing fish and chips I ever had.<br />
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Upon entering the restaurant, I realized that it is a take out and had sit in dining as well. The waitress was super friendly and we were seated right away. Now we got here about 3:30 in the afternoon and by the time we left an hour later, this place was filling up fast.<br />
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Taking a look at the menu I realized that they served alot of amazing sounding seafood dishes besides fish and chips. Now since we were only here to eat a quick bite as we had dinner plans already, me and the Hubby decided to share everything.<br />
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I am in love with chowder, so we had to have some. Seafood Towne Chowdah was amazingly rich and creamy, without being too heavy, and just chocked full of fish and veggies. It came with a side of garlic toast that was just amazing when you dipped it into the chowder. We got the bowl to share and let me tell you, it was a HUGE bowl. I actually am drooling a bit as I am reliving this chowder moment. Definitely amazing, and definitely will be going back for this.<br />
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Our second dish that we ordered, was the Jaws plate. We choose cod as our fish, and it came with 2 prawns, 2 scallops, 2 oysters and of course, some chips! There were three different sauces that came with it, one was kind of a lemon mayo dip, and the other was more sweet and sour, plum sauce kind of taste and the third was unknown to us, that we couldn't figure out. I found the batter around the cod was perfect. It was crunchy and crispy and the fish was super tender. The batter for the oysters however, was a little too much, where there was more batter then oyster. I know not all places are going to give you big huge honking oyster, but I felt kind of sick just eating so much batter that I could not enjoy it. It was alot better with the scallops and prawns though.<br />
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All in all, this place is amazing and me and hubby will be coming back again for sure to sample the rest of the menu. I still can't believe it took us two years to finally eat here.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1420330/restaurant/Southeast/Sea-Fish-nChips-Calgary"><img alt="Sea.Fish n'Chips on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1420330/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-60881338176336414192012-09-07T09:49:00.002-06:002012-09-07T09:54:30.646-06:00Blue Star DinerIt was my little baby sisters last day in Calgary, before her big move to Edmonton, we decided to go out for brunch at Blue Star Diner. Now, I've read a lot about this place other food bloggers, so I was really excited to try it out and see if it lived up to it's hype. Lets just say this place was so good, that I ate here on the Friday and Monday as well. =)<br />
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Blue Star Diner is located in Bridgeland, with 2 hour parking off of the main road there. Let's be honest, I am cheap and refuse to pay Calgary Parking Authority unless I have too. So if you are coming here to eat, park off of 7A St. The wait wasn't too bad when we got there. Took about twenty mins to get a table, and we took awhile to order as my cousin was running fifteen mins late. They do offer complementary coffee while you are waiting for a table, which is a super nice touch in my opinion. The diner is small and cozy and the servers to the hostess were all amazingly nice and welcoming.<br />
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For myself, I ordered the Stuffed French Toast with hash browns on the side. Stuffed inside was cinnamon cream cheese with field berry compote. Talk about yummylicious! The french toast was nicely coated and cooked. I finished this within five mins of getting it on my table. The hash browns weren't as crispy as I like, but they were tasty nonetheless! I love the seasoning that was coated on them.<br />
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My sister had the Smoked Salmon Avocado Eggs Benny. Now I am not going to lie, I wanted her eggs benny so badly, but being 22 weeks pregnant I had to skip it. As I watcher her devour it, (yeah I am creepy), I can see that the eggs were done perfectly where the yolks just ran right out the egg whites all done the smoked salmon and avocado. I must admit to all my readers, I did eventually take a bite when offered and it was delicious! Honestly, as soon as I have this baby, me and hubby are going here and I am getting one of my own. </div>
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My cousin had the blueberry banana pancakes minus the blueberry or banana, as she doesn't like fruits, so there is no picture. </div>
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Since this place was so yummy, I brought my husband here for brunch on the holiday Monday. Wait time was about half hour this time, but we figured as it was the long weekend, it would be a little longer of a wait. This time we were sat at the bar, which was actually quite comfy! Now, I don't know what it is about the orange juice here, but I love it. </div>
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Husband ordered the Albertan Three Egg Omelette. It came with a side of toast, your choice, he picked sourdough. The jam of the day was an apricot one which he really liked, and hash browns. The omelette was fluffy and stuffed with a bison chili and tons of cheese. He was in heaven. I sampled a bite of his, (okay I had more then a bite, it was really good), and I am not one to try something different such as bison, but it was FANTASTIC! I think this is my second fave dish here besides the eggs benny my sister had. </div>
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I'm not really into breakfast burrito, but I thought I would give it a try since my mind was on it after reading if off the menu. I am glad that I did! I got the Blue Star Burrito, stuffed with eggs, bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, cheddar, and refried beans. Talk about burst of flavors and textures in your mouth. The combo of burrito, avocado, sour cream and salsa made my taste buds dance and sing. That's right, I went there. Dance and sing I tell you. Everything was just so fresh and better then any of the other breakfast food places. </div>
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I give this place two thumbs up, and recommend that everyone try this place out at least once. Great service and amazing food has made it me and hubby's new brunch date place. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1613207/restaurant/Bridgeland/Blue-Star-Diner-Calgary"><img alt="Blue Star Diner on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1613207/biglogo.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:34px" /></a>
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809 1st Ave NE</div>
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Calgary, AB</div>
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<a href="http://www.bluestardiner.ca/">http://www.bluestardiner.ca/</a>
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<br /></div>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-82497232245374907422012-01-21T19:27:00.001-07:002012-02-03T10:56:21.847-07:00Mirch Masala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I have been craving Indian food real bad, and where else can you go besides the North East for some authentic Indian cuisine. I decided on Mirch Masala, where I have gone once before with my sisters, to satisfy my cravings. Along with me I brought the husband and my sister Diana.<br />
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For our appetizer, we of course had to have the beef samosa. Nom nom nom! It was nicely spiced and the outside was super crunchy. A perfect start to the meal. My favourite dipping sauce was the green one. I'm not sure what is in it, but it was delightfully spicy.<br />
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I love Butter Chicken, so that's what we had to order. The chicken was nice and tender, the sauce was super creamy. Perfect for dipping with the naan bread and I pretty much soaked my basamati rice in it.<br />
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I love how fluffy the naan bread was. It was slightly butter on top still, and writing this is making me want some. The rice was cooked perfectly. </div>
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Next was the Beef Rogan Josh, this comes in different hotness, and we picked med, as the husband and sister aren't big on super spicy hot food. The chunks of beef were perfect mouth size and the sauce once again, perfect for dipping!<br />
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For our third dish, we ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala. I love the spiciness of the chicken and how big the chicken pieces are. There's just no word to describe how delicious this whole meal was. We ate EVERYTHING.<br />
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I love the ambience of Mirch Masala. The decoration and the colour scheme is so bright and cheery. I love the background music they have on. It's just such a fun relaxing atmosphere. Whenever I am in the mood for Indian, this is definitely where I would go. Even though it's a far drive my place.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/190959/restaurant/Northeast/Mirch-Masala-Calgary"><img alt="Mirch Masala on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/190959/biglogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 34px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
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<span class="pp-place-title" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">Mirch Masala Restaurant</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><img class="unstarred noprint si_1729586846831936573" data-authtoken="4f1b73ebHxLYhrLGiLLzROYUASwG_ITAEfs" height="14" id="pp-starred-item-star" jsaction="si.togglePlacePageStarring" jsprops="markerid:'';b_s:2" log="si_lhs" src="http://maps.gstatic.com/intl/en_ca/mapfiles/transparent.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://maps.gstatic.com/mapfiles/hpimgs28.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: -19px -19px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 19px; margin-bottom: -2px; margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 19px;" width="21" /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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<span class="pp-headline-item pp-headline-address" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1px;">Calgary, AB</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
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<span class="pp-headline-item pp-headline-phone" style="background-color: white; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="telephone" dir="ltr"><nobr>(403) 293-7440</nobr> </span></span><br />
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<br /></div>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-25449092956214329672012-01-10T16:45:00.000-07:002012-01-20T11:05:40.674-07:00Bagolac Saigon<div style="text-align: left;">
So it's Saturday night and it's getting cold out so decided to stop in to Bagolac Saigon near Chinook Centre. We've been here once before the renovations and it was as good as I remember.
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Now it doesn't matter what Pho place I go to, I always order Deep Fried Spring Rolls. I liked how their rolls were not greasy at all, and the filling was really good, I just wished it wasn't so toothpick looking. </div>
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I love the pho at Bagolac! The broth is so flavourful and the noodles are cooked perfectly. Nothing worse then too soggy of a noodle or to hard of a noodle. They give you a decent amount of beef balls, and the beef was tender after it was cooked in the broth. As my father says, "if you are dripping sweat then it's a good bowl of pho!"</div>
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Husband got a rice dish. Pork chop with two fried eggs. I love this dish. I love making it at home, and going out to eat it. There's just something about the mixture of egg yolk, rice and pork that is so comforting and reminds me of home. </div>
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The service at Bagolac was excellent. She came by and refilled our water and made sure everything was okay. The food came out quick and hot. We did have to wait ten mins for a table, and they were busy on a Saturday night. All in all, if I am in the Chinook area, I would definitely drop by for a bite. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/br/15/5955/Calgary/Nom-Nom-Nom-What-to-eat-what-to-eat.html"><img alt="Nom Nom Nom... What to eat, what to eat.... Calgary restaurants" src="http://a2.urbns.pn/images/1/badge/featured_blog.gif" style="border: none; height: 48px; width: 134px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #0c0600; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">6130 1A St SW </span>
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<span style="background-color: #0c0600; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">403-252-5588</span>
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<span style="background-color: #0c0600; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Monday: 11:00am-10:00pm</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #0c0600; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Sunday & Statutory Holidays: Closed</span>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-48199896261314149052012-01-01T23:11:00.001-07:002012-01-10T16:46:44.387-07:00Ric's Grill Steak and Seafood Chophouse on 17th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year fellow food bloggers and readers. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings, as 2011 has been a good eating year for me and my husband. To celebrate, we ended up at Ric's Grill on 17th. I came upon this restaurant when I googled New Year Eve dinner Calgary and this came up on the Opentable website. They had a set menu for $59/person, and the hubby has been here before and said it was good, so next thing I know, I had booked a reservation.<br />
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We started off with some drinks, I had the Pomberry Pleaser and the husband had a Manhattan [Husband Edit: If you've never had a Manhattan, it is the manliest girlie looking drink ever, and it's delicious]. Personally, my favourite drinks are red and this drink was a definite pleaser.<br />
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For my appetizer, I chose the Ahi Tuna Carpaccio and it was perfection! The tuna was sliced thinly and seared around the edges and just melted in your mouth. It was drizzled with a citrus lemon miso sauce that had enough of a tang to it and complimented the tuna, while the spinach gave it a nice crunch. I admit, I licked the plate clean for that lemon miso sauce.<br />
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The husband had the Crispy Calamari, as he is a huge squid lover, especially when it is deep fried. The squid was tender and not chewy at all and it was perfectly crispy. Ric's house made tzatziki was delicious. They added roasted tomato skins to their for an extra kick and I loved it.<br />
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Four our soup course we both picked the Clam Chowder. It was smooth and creamy with nice pieces of veggies in it. There was plenty of clams in the chowder and it was delicious. Me and the husband both swoon over this soup.<br />
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We both decided on getting the Sirloin as our entree, but I had lobster tail with mine and the husband had king crab legs with his. The entree came with roasted potatoes, and veggies. We both asked for the steak to be medium and they came out a little on the rare side. The steak was super tender though and the seasoning was perfect in my opinion. It was perfectly charred on the outside, which I really like when I am eating steak. The lobster tail was tasty, especially when I coated it with melted butter. The roasted potatoes were nicely done, but I hate veggies, so I skipped that while the husband ate everything on his plate. We both agreed it was a great piece of steak done right. His king crab legs were amazing he said.<br />
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For dessert I settled on the Creme Brulee and was so happy that I did, as I was so stuffed by this point. The husband had the ten year port, so we shared the Creme Brulee. I love how they didn't burn the sugar, it was nicely browned on top. When I poked my spoon through it made a nice crackly sound. It was smooth and creamy and just made it the perfect sweet ending to a perfect dinner with my husband.<br />
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I love the atmosphere of Ric' Grill! The booths are so quaint and cosy! I love the dark hardwood against the the gold and red backings of the booths. It was dimly lit and they had music quiet enough that you can hear still here the other person that you are dining with. Nothing worse then being in a restaurant where you have to scream to be heard by your dining partner. I give it a five out a five for a magical New Years Eve dinner.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #020202; color: #ced0cf; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-center;">Ric's Grill</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #020202; color: #ced0cf; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-center;">1436 8th St SW, Calgary, Alberta</span> <br />
<span style="background-color: #020202; color: #ced0cf; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-center;">Tel. 403.269.7427 (RICS)</span>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-60979607510797241352011-12-18T22:17:00.003-07:002012-01-01T23:13:33.538-07:00Petite Restaurant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4cMeccPCDw/Tu7DIgt4L3I/AAAAAAAAAH0/C3lVwQazsYg/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4cMeccPCDw/Tu7DIgt4L3I/AAAAAAAAAH0/C3lVwQazsYg/s320/031.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><br />
So it's my sisters tenth anniversary of being 17, meaning she's turning 27 but doesn't want to. I decided that we should hit up Petite Restaurant for their Calgary Foodies Night menu. This is every Sunday night where they have a set menu for $39.95/person and it changes every week. Which is pretty awesome as you want to come back to see what they have. Being big on reading every Calgary food blog there is, I had to try this place out when I saw it on Calgary Foodies Facebook status.<br />
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Me and my little sister Diana, had the Confit Chicken and Mussel Chowder. All I can say about this dish is YUM! I pretty much licked my bowl after. The chowder was smooth and flavourful and the mussels were actually quite big in size, which surprised me. It came with a cracker size garlic bread that was fantastic to sop up the rest of the chowder that was in the bowl. I usually don't like chowder as it's usually heavy but this wasn't at all.<br />
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My sister Mary the birthday girl had the Braised Short Rib, which was plated beautifully. The meat was pretty much fall off the bone and she loved it. It came with parsnip puree on the side.<br />
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All three of us had the Spring Creek Organic Skirt Steak with Wild Mushroom Cannelloni and Caesar Salad. The steak was a little to rare for me, and the server didn't ask how we liked it done, so I assume it was Chef's choice. The sauce that covered the steak was delicious, and the mushroom cannelloni was perfectly seasoned and was melt in your mouth goodness.<br />
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For dessert, I had the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, it was light and airy, just the way I like it. I'm not very fond of densely made cheesecake. The raspberry coulée topped it off perfectly.<br />
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My two sisters had the Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding, it was warm and sweet, but was nicely balanced with the vanilla ice cream. The girls did decide that even though it was good, but they have had better at other places.<br />
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The service at Petite was excellent, though they did forget our dessert at the end and we had to wait a while for it, but I give it 5 stars for atmosphere. It was classy, but not overly classy where you felt like it was too pretentious. I would definitely come again for the Calgary Foodies Sunday night set menu just to see what they come up with.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #db9e36; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">344 - 17th Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2S 0A8</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/br/15/5955/Calgary/Nom-Nom-Nom-What-to-eat-what-to-eat.html"><img alt="Nom Nom Nom... What to eat, what to eat.... Calgary restaurants" src="http://a2.urbns.pn/images/1/badge/featured_blog.gif" style="border:none;width:134px;height:48px" /></a>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-48098512406664128912011-09-13T16:39:00.003-06:002011-09-27T14:24:36.342-06:00WURSTMe and the hubby are finally going on our honeymoon and my mother and father in law decided to take us to Wurst. Wurst is located where Wildwood used to be. It`s a really nice location and I have to say I love the signage! There are two sections to Wurst the beer hall which is downstairs, and the upstairs a nicer dining experience if you prefer. We opted for the beer hall.<br />
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We got the Bavarian wings to share between the four us and it is the damn best thing I ever ate wing wise. It breaded with pretzel on the outside, boneless and stuffed with a sausage. That`s right, a sausage. It`s served with this mustard on the side and it was a meal in itself. Seriously finger licking good.<br />
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I wasn`t super hungry so I choose for my main the half dozen oyster from the Cold Bar. It was a mix of east and west coast oysters and I just love oysters. It came with three different sauces, one that was garlic and mayo combo and a cocktail one, and one I couldn`t quite figure out what it was. It tasted like the ocean and was perfect!<br />
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Hubby had a Pile Of Bratwurst and it was HUGE serving. It came with creamed potatoes, braised red cabbage and a mustard gravy. Now I liked the mustard that came with the wings, but the mustard gravy that came with the bratwurst had the weirdest taste to me. Surprisingly, the braised red cabbage was delicious and this girl hates cabbage. It was meaty goodness that it hearty and filling.<br />
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My mother in law had the Apple and Beet salad. I didn`t sample any of it as I claimed it was too healthy for me. Sorry for the blurriness of this picture. The presentation was really nice though. <br />
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Father in law had the schnitzel and it was mouthwatering. I am not one for veal but this was really good and it came with a berry sauce that really made it something else. I didn`t get a picture of this one as father in law pretty much wolfed it down before I had the chance.<br />
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Since it was a beer hall, hubby got a four beer sampler so he can test taste different ones. I am not one for beer unfortunately.<br />
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All in all, I really liked Wurst, it was a great place to eat and hang out. The have a wall where people can rent, so that they can keep their beer stein there. I like the concept of the place, as most places have the same boring pub food fare, the food here is alot more creative. <br />
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Wurst Restaurant and Beer Hall<br />
2437 4th St SW<br />
(403) 245-2345Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-13848760833426662972011-09-04T13:10:00.005-06:002011-09-13T16:39:48.209-06:00San RemoWith the husband out of town one night, me and the sisters decided to have a girls night out, and decided since we always go for sushi, we should go somewhere else. Then I remember $10 pasta night at San Remo. So we made our way on over. My sister asked if it was better then Chianti's pasta night and I said "Hell Yeah!" The only thing about this place, it's for people who want to take time eating. The service is slow, since they want you to enjoy your meal. So be prepared to be there for at least a couple of hours!<br />
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I love complementary bread and butter at Italian placed. I especially love their sun dried tomato butter. The bread was crusty on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. Both my sisters agree that it was the best butter and bread combo that they have ever tasted.<br />
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For an appetizer we ordered the San Remo Meatballs. OH MY GOSH! The meatballs were amazing. Cooked all the way through and so moist! The sauce was so good that we used some of the extra bread to sop it up. I want more of these meatballs.<br />
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I ordered the Chicken Parmesan. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the mozzarella cheese melted all over the chicken and pasta, so every bite you got a whole lot of flavor. I would definitely get this guy again when I come.<br />
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My sister Diana got the Seafood Linguini. Now I had this the first time I visted here with the husband so I know this is also one of my favorites. The only thing about it I didn't like, was they only give you on shrimp! I know it's $10 pasta night, but maybe a few more shrimps would make customers more happy.<br />
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Mary had the Steak and Mushrooms Parpadelle. YUM! I sampled some of hers and it was delicious! The garlic parmesan sauce the had on the pasta made me want to steal her food. You get to pick how well done you want the steak, she likes it a little bit more rare then I do. <br />
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Of course we had to try their Tiramisu. I love Tiramisu. There's just something so comforting and yummy about it. I want know that I am staring at this picture as I am writing this. They put raspberry coulis on the bottom and topped with a strawberry on top. Me and mys sisters devoured this in twenty seconds. Seriously, we did.<br />
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All in all, San Remo is a great place to come eat when you have all the time in the world. Our server was super nice without being annoying to over attentive. For three people on pasta night the bill was $60.<br />
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<span class="wineLISTname"><span class="LOCATIONtitle">San Remo</span><br />
</span><span class="LOCATIONtext">500, 26 McKenzie Towne Gate SE<br />
Calgary, AB T2Z 0N2<br />
</span><span class="LOCATIONtextBOLD">phone:</span><span class="LOCATIONtext"> 403.251.0998<br />
<span class="LOCATIONtextBOLD">reservations:</span> <a href="http://www.tastesanremo.com/reservations.php">Click here</a></span><br />
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<span class="LOCATIONtextBOLD">Sunday thru Thursday</span><span class="LOCATIONtext"> 430pm to 9pm<br />
</span><span class="LOCATIONtextBOLD">Friday and Saturday</span><span class="LOCATIONtext"> 430pm to 11pm</span>Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-52915160072854462112011-08-14T21:48:00.000-06:002011-08-14T21:48:47.985-06:00Taste of Calgary 2011So, me and the husband decided to go check out Taste of Calgary as suggested by my sister Diana. Since it was a nice sunny day and I woke up early for once, we headed off to Eau Claire Market to check out the food.<br />
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Let me just start and say by the time we got there, I was hungry and ready to bite off anyone's head that talked to me, so I needed food A.S.A.P. After getting our tickets and doing a quick walk around, I stopped at La Jawab and grabbed their Shanghai Fish.<br />
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Omg, was this ever TASTY! It was some spicy goodness that woke me up and curbed the beast that was ready to come out. The fish was cooked perfectly and was super moist. I have no clue what the spices were in this thing, but before we left, I went back and got another plateful of it.<br />
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Now I love me some sliders. So we set off to the White Spot booth and got the Pulled Pork and Legendary sliders. NOM NOM NOM! I tasted some of the coleslaw that came with the pulled pork, but coleslaw is not my thing. The husband liked it though. To be honest, anything snack size gets my two thumbs up.<br />
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Next we hit up Satay House and tried their Beef Satay Skewers. It was so-so. I wasn't to impressed with it, so Peter ate it all. Whatever seasoning they use was not up to par with any good bubble tea house would've served. <br />
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Peter got some of the Mini-Melts Tropical Punch. I don't even know what to say about those. They tasted like those chalk candy that you get at Halloween. Kind of creep me out as the texture was so cold against my teeth.<br />
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I tried some Pad Thai from Delicious Thai, and it was not delicious. It was not worth the five tickets. It had no flavor, no eggs, no meat, not even veggies in it. A total rip off. Thai Express in a food court tastes better then this. I was a unhappy camper while sampling this dish.<br />
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So, wanting another dessert, we decided to go back to White Spot's booth and picked their Blueberry Pie. OH MY! Peter and I devoured this dessert in less then twenty seconds. Kidding. The blueberries were ripe and juicy. The crust was buttery and flaky. The only thing that could've made it better was more whip cream.<br />
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To end our trip downtown, we took a walk over to Chinatown and went to Try Again, my favorite bubble tea place. I got my usual Green Apple Green Tea with Lychee jelly and Peter got Mango Lemon Slush. The day ended well and we were happily full.<br />
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Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-31841933051853001592011-08-13T16:22:00.004-06:002011-08-19T15:46:48.811-06:00Haru Sushi & Grill ReviewI am the hugest sushi fan. Seriously, what is there not to love about it? The melt in your mouth goodness of a good piece of tuna or salmon pretty much rocks in my world. So, when I found out a new sushi place was opening in my neighborhood, you bet I was darn happy over the moon about it.<br />
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It started off being called "Blue Fin Sushi," which worried me as I thought it might be one of those take out joints that you see in the mall, but when going to get some DQ one day, the sign has gone up and now it was <a href="http://www.myharu.ca/">Haru Sushi and Grill</a>. Upon finding out that it had already been opened a month, I dragged hubby there for our date night dinners.<br />
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Haru Sushi is amazing. I love the decor and the atmosphere. The place was well lit, the tables spaced out nicely, cause honestly, who wants to hear what their dining neighbors are saying. It was welcoming ambiance and I like it. <br />
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But seriously, we are talking about my new found addiction to this place. The waiters are all super friendly and by the third time I was there, they mentioned "Ooh! A regular." I am not sure if I should be embarrassed or not, but I guess three visits in less then a week is a bit much. Let me tell you why I was there three times in less then a week. The spicy tuna tacos. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6oXTlRs9ao/TkbuTSgEe_I/AAAAAAAAAFI/W_gnzk3XMpk/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180px" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6oXTlRs9ao/TkbuTSgEe_I/AAAAAAAAAFI/W_gnzk3XMpk/s320/050.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>Oh my god, it is a bit of heavenly goodness that pretty much party rocks in your mouth. The crunchiness of the taco shell with the tuna, avocado and sauce is indescribable. At first reading off the menu, I was like "wtf?" but second glance and wanting to try something new, I ordered it. I am so glad I did. It's a unique concept and just works so well. My sister, Mary, didn't believe how tasty it was till we came here for lunch on my second visit and now she is hooked. I can order just platefuls of this. I now want one so bad. It`s completely drool worthy, happiness and sunshine. <br />
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Next, I sampled the spicy salmon sashimi. It was nicely cut chunks of salmon with that addicting spicy sauce of theirs. It was topped with some kind of crunchy, deep fried sticks on top, with a bed of cucumbers and some grape tomatoes. The combination of all those textures together made me want to eat the whole thing to myself. Too bad though that I had to share.<br />
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Me and my sister are addicted to tofu, so obviously we had to sample the agedashi tofu. Now, I wasn`t fond of this dish as I am with other sushi places. The outside was crispy and held up well against the broth it was in, but the inside tofu just didn`t have that silky texture that I am in love with. I am definitely passing up this appetizer when I am there. It just isn`t worth it.<br />
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The special roll we ordered was the rainbow roll. Nom nom nom! I love this roll. With Sushi Haru, they added tamogo inside their roll. Which I think is the best idea ever! So with one bite, you get salmon, tuna, avocado, shrimp, tamogo and crab, all exploding in your mouth. The roll is big enough that you get what you are paying for, but not to big, where you can`t eat it all in one bite.The hubby really liked this roll. <br />
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The agedashi gyoza was perfectly deep fried and tasty. The prawn tempura was not greasy and the crispy outside was not oily at all. It was light and fluffy and I wanted more. I am definitely making another trip soon, and sampling the other yummy dishes that they have to offer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/br/15/5955/Calgary/Nom-Nom-Nom-What-to-eat-what-to-eat.html"><img alt="Nom Nom Nom... What to eat, what to eat.... Calgary restaurants" src="http://a2.urbns.pn/images/1/badge/featured_blog.gif" style="border:none;width:134px;height:48px" /></a><br />
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<h2>Haru Sushi and Grill Address Location</h2>#150 35 Mckenzie Towne Ave S.E.<br />
Calgary, Alberta<br />
Canada T2Z 0S8<br />
Phone : 403-457-5880<br />
<h2>Haru Sushi and Grill Hours of Operation</h2>Monday – closed<br />
Tuesday – Friday : 11:30 – 2:00 and 5:00 – 9:30<br />
Saturday – Sunday : Noon – 2:00 and 5:00 – 9:30<br />
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Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380077346878306732.post-83546066304938225402011-08-12T13:49:00.000-06:002011-08-12T13:49:20.168-06:00The Great Food ExperienceFinally! I am going to start writing about my love of food. Hopefully, I will be able to keep this up to date, with reviews from all the places I have eaten in Calgary, recipes that I have tried, pretty much everything about food. I wouldn't claim to be a foodie in anyway, as I usually wait awhile before trying new places, due to my fear of crowds. But if it is delicious, then I am there. Lucky for me, I have two partner in crimes that love food as much as I do. So here's to me for giving this a try, and hopefully, having someone out there trying one of my recipes or my favorite places to eat.Kimmi Blondeelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055125734535770374noreply@blogger.com0