BANFF: Sustainable AND delicious

I’ve never spent so much time in a restaurant bathroom before, and I mean that in a good way. The toilets in Banff’s Bison Courtyard sense, ahem, your presence on the seat, activating a foam that slowly flushes and pulls waste down into a composting tank.

I was fascinated by the system, which is thoughtfully explained on a sheet taped to the bathroom door.

So what does this have to do with food and eating? Well, the toilets are a small part of the sustainable ethos held by the owners, residents, and businesses of the Bison Courtyard, including the Bison Mountain Bistro. The complex uses 70 per cent less energy than standard buildings in Banff.

It’s a heartening story of how green can prevail. A local developer bought the Crag Cabin that was built in 1890 with plans to restore it, and grander plans to turn it into a sustainable living community.

They rejected chain restaurants with money to burn for the second-floor space, in favour of a husband-wife team with a vision for “Rocky Mountain comfort food.”

We got a perfect, sunny spring Sunday for the always stunning drive into the mountains to celebrate JJ’s birthday with a brunch at the Bison Mountain Bistro.

The menu screamed local and fresh, with an assortment of benedicts, bison burgers and pizzas from the wood-burning oven.

Three out of eight of us got the duck confit eggs benedict ($16) with fresh goat cheese, wild mushrooms, preserved lemon zest and hollandaise. This is the rough transcript of what was going through my head: “Mmm! Duck confit! Whoa! Goat cheese. Yum! Wild mushrooms!”

All the benedicts come on a cheese and herb biscuit with roasted potatoes and a hothouse green salad.

Jason opted for the French toast ($14) stuffed with Sylvan Star gouda and double-smoked bacon, topped with wild blueberry sauce and matchstick apple pieces.

The mountain breakfast ($12) was a hearty three eggs, double-smoked bacon, roasted tomatoes and potatoes and grilled toast. (Thanks to JJ for voluntarily burning his hands while holding the hot plate up for my photo.)

The bacon was a real hit, especially with three-year-old Sloane happily munching on a fistful of it.

Martin got a huge plate of wild mushroom tagliatelle with fresh goat cheese, leeks, herbs, peas and white truffle oil. It was so good that it prompted him to get a glass of red wine too. Now, that’s a real brunch.

There’s a general store on the ground floor, featuring gourmet baguettes, fine cheeses and specialty meats, if you don’t have time to sit down for a meal. (The co-owner used to be a partner in Calgary’s Janice Beaton Fine Cheese.)

We picked up a jar of the bistro’s amazing smoked tomato ketchup ($8.95), which I’ve pretty much eaten for the past five days straight (not by itself!).

By the way, the bistro’s patio on the second floor is no doubt the best place to take in the mountains and great food. And don’t forget to check out those bathrooms.

Bison Mountain Bistro & General Store, 211 Bear St., Banff, Alberta, (403) 762-5550. Click for website here.

 

CALGARY: Lounging with the frolicking horses

The first thing you notice about JAROblue is how small it is. The second thing is the ginormous photographs of horses humping. No wait, they’re playing.

Despite the name (taken from the first two letters of co-owners’ names Jared and Robin), there’s nothing blue in here. The soft silver seating and dark brown wood give off an unruffled ’40s vibe, especially with the retro light fixtures.

Like many new restaurants, JAROblue serves tapas-style plates. Its menu is split into three by price points ($7, $12, $15) and then desserts. There’s a short, but good, wine list and a handful of beers.

There’s something here for everyone, but more for people who like to share and try things with a twist. A caveat: I’ve been here only for late-night nibbles, and not a full dinner.

The steak tartare — I can’t resist this on any menu — was crazy fresh with just enough spices. Our only complaint is the full-flavour of rye bread is a tad overwhelming for the tartare.

The grilled lamb chops was a surprisingly large portion with three chops, on a nest of sweet potato fries and currant demi glaze. It was excellent. However, I must warn that the kitchen prefers to serve it rare, which I’m fine with. But one piece was rare to the point of raw, that I couldn’t even cut it with my knife.

I sent it back for a few more minutes on the grill — and the server was super nice about it. The kitchen actually re-plated my little chop, and added au jus, so I really appreciated the attention to that kind of detail.

The duck confit and risotto croquettes did not look like what I expected: five little croquettes with bits of duck confit inside. They were quite yummy with the spicy pineapple chutney, and a lovely presentation too.

The tenderloin ravioli (three or four large pieces) was simple but homemade in a nice cream sauce.

Sadly, they were out of the assorted mini-burgers (beef, duck, pulled pork and foie gras) which we must return to try.

We’ve also tried the cheese plate which I’m sure is supplied by Janice Beaton Fine Cheese. I remember the distinctive orange Shropshire blue cheese, a gouda and maybe a hunk of cheddar (?). The crackers were meh but the accoutrements were fab. Marinated kale and fennel gave it a nice yowza punch, and the kale was just so pretty.

I didn’t taste the chocolate dessert plate but the chocolate-lovers in the group said it was good.

Service here is excellent. And I don’t mean in that way compared to the lower standards we all seem to be resigned to these days because service is just so terrible in Calgary. I mean, professional, smart, and courteous. It’s about time Calgary got a place like this that does so many things right.

JAROblue doesn’t take reservations but they give accurate estimates of how long the wait might be, and will call your cellphone when a table is ready.

JAROblue, 1314-17th Ave. SW, (403) 237-5276. Open Sun-Thurs. 5 p.m. to midnight, Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

 

CALGARY: Bitten by knife envy

We finally took the opportunity of a sunny (last) weekend to wander down to Inglewood to check out the newly opened Bite Groceteria, a gourmet food store carrying exclusive products.

It displays dried pastas, spices and truffle oils and unique cutlery like a boutique, and carries some beautiful-looking, vacuum-packed Rougie duck from Quebec.

A real gem is the fire-red room in the back that’s the physical version of the online store run by a former chef who really knows his knives.

Kevin Kent has a passion, to say the least, for beautiful blades. He lays them out, like precious jewels, on orange lentils in glass display cases for a stunning effect. I’ve never really looked closely at knives before, but here — especially the hand-forged Japanese Murata — they glisten like diamonds. They’re gorgeous!

These knives aren’t cheap, but they’re durable; I can’t even begin to count the number of crappy $20 knives I wasted my money on in my university days.

Putting down his Sunday coffee mug, Kevin chatted to us for a while, explaining the difference between the knives and what they’re used for. He’s a great salesman — because he never pushed anything on us. We left wondering if we could register for wedding gifts there. Hmm…

You can also bring your knives to Kevin for sharpening, but you’ll be tempted to walk out with some new ones.

Check out Knifewear website here.
Bite Groceteria, 1212A-9th Ave. SE, Calgary, (403) 263-3966. Open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. then 4 p.m.-10 p.m. and weekends 12-6 p.m. Closed Mondays.

 

CALGARY: Abandon Starbucks, all ye who enter here

Over the past eight years, Caffè Artigiano has built a reputation and loyal following in Vancouver for its outstanding coffee and beautiful cappuccinos and lattes. Now, it’s taking Calgary — the first expansion outside of Vancouver where there are six locations — by storm.

Because I don’t work downtown, I’ve only visited Caffè Artigiano on the weekends. You know it’s not just hype when the place is filling on up at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, after being open for just over a month now.

This place takes their coffee seriously, armed with a Clover system that brews one cup at a time and a shiny red La Marzocco FB80 espresso machine. (I don’t really know what that means, but it’s pretty.)

I’m not a coffee expert, but I know I don’t like it cold, burnt, bland, or overpriced. Those definitely don’t happen at Artigiano; even better, they design patterns with the foam and espresso on every cappuccino and latte. I just know my tall lattes ($3.79) are always warm and yummy.

I was actually blown away by Artigiano’s sandwiches, toasted just so. I’m salivating just thinking about the roasted leg of lamb panino ($8.49) on sundried tomato bread, cilantro aioli and roasted red peppers. I’ve never seen lamb sliced thin like that. So very good.

We’ve also tried the chicken and brie panino ($8.49) on ciabatta with fig jam and spinach. I always like a hearty sandwich with real chunks of meat and not that processed sliced sandwich loaf stuff.

The chain was started by two brothers, one of them a three-time Canadian barista champion who still trains and coaches staff. They sold their business to a former Earl’s Restaurant executive last year but continue to own a roasting plant that supplies Artigiano with coffee beans.

Their 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters is the only Canadian company to successfully bid on Hacienda La Esmeralda Especial from Panama, which has been called “the world’s best coffee,” and roasts it exclusively for Artigiano. A half-pound bag sells for about $135; you can try a cup yourself for $15.

Caffè Artigiano, Centrium Building, 332-6th Ave. SW, Calgary, (403) 699-9855.
Open Mon. to Wed. 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Thurs. and Fri. 6 a.m.-7 p.m., weekends 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Website here.

 

CALGARY: A wee picnic

Take one friend from Toronto, a sunny afternoon and a few visits to some of our favourite food stores and voilà: one indoor picnic.

The best part of this meal is none of us had to do any cooking.

From the cramped Kalamata Grocery for all your Greek needs, we got garlic-stuffed olives, tapenade and fresh fresh fresh (I could eat this whole bag right now) pita balady bread.

Then on to Lina’s Italian Market for a crusty baguette and too much deli meat:

• hot casalingo salami
• paper-thin prosciutto di parma
• abruzzi soprasetta, with bits of fennel
• rosemary porchetta

Lina’s also has a cafe and a bakery counter, on top of aisles of pasta, olive oil, jarred antipasto and cooking equipment.

Off to Janice Beaton Fine Cheese in Kensington where the guys stood wide-eyed in front of the blue cheese section of the glass counter. The very knowledgeable staff are great at making suggestions, and you can sample as much as you want (well, within reason!) before you decide on your purchases.

We ended up with (from front to back):

• Roquefort Legende - oh so pungent blue cheese for the boys
• Amsterdam Reserve - salty cow’s milk gouda with some caramel
• Shropshire - pasteurized cow’s milk blue cheese. Food colouring is added to make it orange.
• Comté - nutty, caramelized from France.

And finally, a jaunt next door to the Kensington Wine Market for a splurge on a 2000 Bussola Amarone TB.

We didn’t have a decanter so we poured it out into six wine glasses to breathe. Tastes of deep currants, chocolate and the longest, smoothest finish.

Kalamata Grocery, 1421-11th St. SW, Calgary, (403) 244-0220.

Lina’s Italian Market, 2202 Centre St. North, Calgary, (403) 277-9166. Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Janice Beaton Fine Cheese, 1249 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary, (403) 289-0999.

Kensington Wine Market, 1257 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary, (403) 283-3000.

 

CALGARY: Sweet Nectar

Too old for clubs that highlight $1 shooters and too young to stay at home all night, it’s sometimes hard for Jason and me to find a decent place to hang out.

We were elated to discover Nectar Desserts, soon to celebrate its one year birthday, on the second-floor of a 100-year-old building on Inglewood’s main drag.

You can pick up some of the beautiful tarts or cakes from the display case at the top of the stairs or stay for a truly indulgent experience when the dessert menu and full (licensed) service kicks in after 5 p.m.

On our first visit, a woman who turned out to be owner/chef Rebekah Pearse greeted us with a big smile and asked, “Will you be joining us this evening?” How can you resist that? She obviously loves what she does and sharing that passion with her customers.

This is a perfect place to go on a first date (or even the 246th), to linger after dinner or a movie, or to catch up with old friends. It’s a very comfortable space with exposed brick walls and comfy oversized armchairs mixed among modern tables and chairs.

Now I’m not usually a dessert person but Nector has a lot of wow factors. Everything is visually stunning and sinfully delicious, but also quite unique.

Jason’s smoky chocolate and sea salt caramel tartlette ($7) is this inexplicably successful combination of sweet and salty in an crunchy chocolate crust. He actually first tried it in a smaller form on a dessert plate with butter valrhona chocolate sorbet and spiced hot chocolate in a mini-mug. Genius.

Nectar’s elaborate dessert plates are a tad pricier ($12) than your run-of-the-mill crème brûlée but you really feel like you’re getting something special.

On this night, I got the cream on cream:

• homemade fromage blanc cheesecake with wild blueberries and currants
• lemon lavender shortbread
• buttermilk ice cream.

For someone like me who normally prefers savoury over sweet, it was nice and light without being knocked out by an overdose of sugar.

Nectar makes a mean latte but it also suggests wine to pair with its desserts (which I have no idea how to do). I was sold on the Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2004 ($ once Rebekah described it as “creamy.” I think I have to re-evaluate dessert wines after a glass of that: soft and refreshing with a bit of pear to it.

Nectar makes its own ice cream and sorbets too — like Mexican vanilla and or single malt scotch — which are available in take-home containers. I’ve seen the labels: I can recognize and pronounce all of the natural ingredients.

Sweet.

Nectar Desserts, 1216-9th Ave. SE (upstairs), Calgary, Alberta, (403) 263-8486. Open Mon-Thurs 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat until 1 a.m. Closed Sunday. Website here.

 

CALGARY: Secret’s out

I’ve kept Momo-Yama Sushi up my sleeve for a while but it’s time I share one of the best values for your money in Calgary if you love Japanese food.

Momo-Yama is a tiny place — seats 24 at best — tucked in the Glamorgan Shopping Centre (by the Safeway and bowling alley) in the southwest. They do a ridiculously busy take-out business that sometimes stretches to waits of up to 90 minutes. Luckily, they take reservations.

The menu is not huge, but has all your basic sushi rolls, sashimi and teriyakis. The sushi chef is always going non-stop, but you can tell he really enjoys himself and service is great.

We first came here on Arthur’s recommendation of the deep-fried soft shell crab which is amazing — especially for $9.25.

I love the chirashi sushi here — chirashi means “scattered” — pieces of sashimi over a bed of sushi rice.

I always order this if I see it on a menu because I think it tests the chef: chirashi should feature the restaurant’s freshest fish and show off what he can do with simple presentation.

Momo-Yama never disappoints. There are usually 10 or 11 thick pieces of fresh, fresh sashimi: salmon, tuna, toro (fatty tuna belly), octopus, halibut, sometimes calamari or shrimp, then some tamago, bean curd, and shredded daikon for texture.

I’ve seen chirashi priced anywhere from $20 to $30 — but never for $14.50. And that’s after Momo-Yama recently raised the price from $12.50!

You cannot ever accuse Momo-Yama of skimping. The beef tataki ($9.95) is twice the size of any other place I’ve had it at, and just as good, if not better. The tender rare slices in ponzu sauce come with spicy pureed radish and shredded daikon.

And that is a photo of the regular order of piping hot chicken katsu ($9.50). Trust me, we didn’t supersize it or anything, and it comes with rice and miso soup.

So there it is. The secret’s out. Now run and get some chirashi.

(NOTE: I think I saw a sign in the window that Momo-Yama might be closed for a couple of weeks in March for a family emergency, so best to call ahead these days to check.)

Momo-Yama Sushi, 3919 Richmond Rd. SW, Calgary, Alberta, (403) 233-0995. Open weekdays 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9 p.m., weekends 12-3, 5-9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

 

CALGARY: Wham, bam, thank you Hans

Hans Restaurant is not German nor a tribute to a certain Star Wars bounty hunter smuggler. Hidden in the City Plaza strip mall in Calgary’s Chinatown, it’s the labour of a hard-working Taiwanese family.

This is a bona fide hole-in-the-wall with maybe eight tables and dry-mounted food photos hanging on the wall, but Hans serves up some deliciously spicy Taiwanese and Szechuan food.

You must, must order the #5 sliced garlic pork on soya sauce ($9.50). It’s a plate of thin slices of pork side (I think, because a leaner cut would not work), in a swooningly garlickly sauce with hot oil and a bit of soya sauce for an amazing pop of flavours.

Warning: This is not a place for first dates, or shy eaters. Hans’ flavours are all about the wham and the bam.

The classic Szechuan long beans are misleadingly listed as braised long beans in soya sauce (#40 for $10.50) on the menu. The title is too bland for such a mouth-watering dish, and I think it’s more dry-fried than braised. (Barbara Fisher has a detailed illustration of Szechuan dry-frying on her great food blog.)

The beans are salty and garlicky (see warning above) with bits of dried shrimp and maybe minced pork, which Jason swears he tasted, but I wasn’t sure.

We rounded out our dinner with #13, the stir-fried diced chicken with sweet and sour sauce ($10.50). Again, don’t be misled by the description because this is not at all battered and smeared with a cloying neon pink sauce. Instead, the boneless chicken is nice and tender and the sauce a balanced layer of sweet and sour.

In such a small restaurant, you can clearly hear the constant scorching-hot sizzling of the wok in the kitchen. Han’s food has a lot of “wok hay,” a Cantonese term translated as “energy of a wok,” which breathes heat and fragrance into the food. (For more, see Grace Young’s excellent article on wok hay.)

There’s also Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup that’s not on the menu but you can point to a picture on the wall near the front door, and amazing hot pots.

Hans does a steady work crowd at lunch so get there early. It’s also open for Taiwanese breakfast on weekends with a limited menu of things like hot soy milk, and beef rolls — a crispy, green onion pancake wrapped around beef and scallions (like a burrito) with a bit of hoisin sauce. That’s the best way I can think of describing it. I know it sounds awkward, but it’s really very yummy.

Hans Restaurant, 303 Centre St. SW, Calgary, (403) 263-5667.
Open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Closed Mondays.

 

CALGARY: Mission bun accomplished

So it’s taken us more than a year to find good Vietnamese bun, or vermicelli bowl, in Calgary but we finally got some at Pho Anh Huyen, thanks to Alison and Luke. They go there every Wednesday night, so you know it’s consistent.

Like most great Vietnamese joints, Pho Anh Huyen doesn’t look like much on the outside or inside. But it does have a parking lot out front.

Jason’s standard quality test bun order of grilled pork, shredded pork, meatballs and spring rolls (#35B here for $8.50) passed with flying colours. The meat was tasty and plentiful, the spring roll crispy and the noodles were moist and not a dry tangled mess. He also said he enjoyed the extra shredded basil included in the bowl.

The bonus for me was not only finding great bun, but also discovering something called curry beef and chicken soup ($8). While I’ve lamented about the lack of thick satay pho in Calgary, this came extremely close to filling those cravings even though it’s different.

The broth is thick and yellow, full of coconut milk and curry. There’s a small heap of chili flakes in a corner, giving it some heat. The rice noodles are shaped more like spaghetti than the thin vermicelli normally used in pho, and for a while, I thought my bowl was bottomless because it was so chock full of beef and chicken slices.

There are lots of other good things on the menu like the curry chicken vermicelli Luke had (left) and Alison’s Thai spicy sour soup with chicken and seafood (shrimp, fake crab and squid).

I wouldn’t come here for pho — Pho Pasteur Saigon in Chinatown is my pick for that — but for bun and other dishes, this is definitely now my go-to. Two days after eating here for the first time, I got a major bun craving and had to come back for lunch. Yup, still good.

Pho Anh Huyen, 1403 Centre St. NW, Calgary (403) 276-3636.
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sundays.

 

CALGARY: Rejoicing in roti

Roti in essence indicates bread, but it means different things depending on which world cuisine you’re talking about. Indian roti is usually a flat bread made of whole wheat and eaten alongside main dishes like curry. Malaysian roti canai is layered, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I think it tastes sweeter like a pastry dough.

Then there’s West Indian roti, which can be found wrapped around stews or curries. I haven’t had many rotis in my lifetime, but the goat curry roti ($10.95) at Joycee’s Caribbean Foods was awesome.

Joycee’s is a grocery store featuring Caribbean supplies and a little hot food counter that sells rotis and Jamaican patties.

The goat curry was tender and full of slow-burning spices — not the kind that flash-bomb your tongue, leaving you numb for hours. The roti skin was thin and soft and so yummy. It was so big, I managed to finish only half of it.

There’s a small area near the front windows to sit and eat, but I got mine to take out, which came with a little green salad. (Sorry about the photo — it’s hard to make food in Styrofoam look good.)

Another reason to stop by Joycee’s this month is to buy tickets for the 16th annual Black Gospel Concert on Feb. 23 for a bargain $20.

I went last year and it blew me away. First, not only that there were so many talented black gospel choirs in the city, but also that the audience is so much fun to be part of. You will be hard-pressed not to stand up and yell “Hallelujah” just once, regardless of your faith.

Bonus: By buying tickets at Joycee’s, you bypass Ticketmaster’s “convenience” charges.

Joycee’s Caribbean Foods, 630-1st Ave. NE, Calgary, (403) 234-9940. Closed Sunday and Monday.

 

CALGARY: Tandoori lunch

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, so I’ll just throw something quick on here. Just like stopping at Tandoori Hut in Kensington and grabbing a take-out container of their lunch buffet.

You can fill the Styrofoam container with as much food as you want for $9. Don’t feel bad, because you can also get them to pack it for you and I find they throw more food in there than I ever would. While you’re doing that, they’re making fresh naan bread in the kitchen that’s included to take with you too.

Most of the time, they’ll have:

• butter chicken - consistently moist in a delicious sauce
• tandoori chicken
• beef korma
• deep-fried potato slices - to die for
• chickpea curry or lentils.

There’s also a small salad and cold vegetable section in the buffet. The buffet is only offered at lunch time; dinner is off the menu.

Tandoori Hut is a warm, cozy space with enough seating for about 40 people. I’ve never had time to sit down for lunch there, but the people I see dining in look like they enjoy it.

Tandoori Hut, 217-10th St. NW, Calgary, (403) 270-4012.

 

CALGARY: Prime rib and steak soup

Smuggler’s Inn probably hasn’t changed in 30 years nor does it have to. It’s dark like a dungeon and decorated like well, a smuggler’s lair.

We sat near the giant fireplace at a heavy wood table with heavy high-backed throne chairs and watched the female bartenders in starched white shirts and scarves tied nattily at the neck mix up tasty Caesars and Shirley Temples.

It was Jason’s birthday and he loves escargots so that’s what we started with ($8.95), baked in garlic butter and havarti with a giant slice of garlic bread. It was good — I’m not sure how anyone could mess up this dish.

The all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar at Smuggler’s Inn is pretty standard but thankfully fresh and tidy. I was happy to find a delicious cucumber-wasabi dressing among the Thousand Island and ranch.

There are three soups, the most famous of which is the steak soup. It was thick like a chowder and salty as hell but I couldn’t stop spooning it into my mouth. Really, I was drinking gravy. But it was acceptable because it wasn’t gravy, it was steak soup.

Prime rib is the main attraction here. We both got the Smuggler’s cut ($25.95) which we guessed is about 16 oz. There’s a reason Smuggler’s has been in business so long. The prime rib was nice and thick, good and moist, with a sauce that was a cross between au jus and gravy.

Our waiter, who was quite nice, brought the old-school tray of condiments for our baked potatoes and also indulged me in the horseradish: “More please. A little more. Mmm. OK, thanks.”

Lots of families were dining at Smuggler’s Inn and lots of kids with combed-down hair and shiny dress shoes were having much fun running back and forth perusing the salad bar. It reminds me of the steakhouses my parents took us to on special occasions.

Smuggler’s Inn is not a place for surprises or experiments, but it is a good pick if you want decent, no-fuss prime rib and a place to drink gravy, er steak soup.

Smuggler’s Inn, 6920 Macleod Trail South, Calgary, (403) 253-5355. Menus here.
Open Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday brunch 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday dinner 4:30-10 p.m.

 

CALGARY: More pizza porn

I can’t go on enough about how incredible the thin-crust pizza is at Vogglio d’Pizza. Owner Luis has a dough machine now which hopefully will help with the weekend lineups. He seemed less frazzled with it around, though it was only a Tuesday evening when I stopped by.

These are photos of the Fantasia ($15.99 for medium): shrimp, pepperoni and shredded beef with onions, green peppers and mushrooms. It’s my new favourite — although every time I try a new pizza from there, it becomes my new favourite.

Vogglio d’Pizza, 1514-14th St. SW, Calgary, (403) 228-1228 or 228-1285.

 

CALGARY: Milestone’s memories

We’ve all been there: the “high-end” chain restaurants. Perky hostesses, ageless servers, leather-bound menus, Asian appys, signature dip and (insert name)-size drinks. Why do they all end with S — or apostrophe S?

But we go because these places are easy and inoffensive. The standbys are there and they won’t break the bank. It won’t be awesome but I also know it won’t be bad.

When I moved east from Vancouver, I thought I’d never see a Milestone’s again, but it has migrated as I have, so when Gwendolyn invited me to brunch there, I was interested to see how far it’s come from the portobello mushroom chicken and Bellini Tuesdays of my youth.

It’s kind of an unfair comparison though because I’ve never tried or even considered Milestone’s for brunch and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The downtown Calgary location is huge, so there are no problems getting a table. Sometimes I just don’t feel like lining up to eat on a Sunday morning.

The brunch menu has a decent selection of omelettes, benedicts and miscellaneous but no bacon and eggs. At the same time, you can also order from their lunch menu if you’re so inclined.

There were five of us trickling in so we saw a lot of our server — “You’re the only table I’ve got right now so just yell and I’ll come running” — Randy. He became our new BFF as soon as he heard Gwendolyn was recovering from birthday high jinks. “I haven’t slept in two days!” he shared happily.

“Just keep the coffee coming,” I thought.

My Joe’s Special was quite good, a pile of seasoned ground beef, fresh spinach, mushrooms and scrambled eggs, with herb-rubbed toast and some roma tomatoes. However, it was my lucky day as everyone else’s dishes, while tasty, were cold.

Gwendolyn’s grilled shrimp California benedict looked really good with spicy house-made avocado salsa, double-smoked bacon, and huge pieces of shrimp, as did Colette’s strawberry French toast with mango cream but I think the temperature issue prevented everyone from cleaning their plates.

Portions were huge and we never felt rushed with Randy more than content to ply us with coffee and repeated offers of “Caesars? Anyone want a Caesar?” I was convinced there was some sort of Caesar-selling contest underway among staff.

Our BFF came through in the end with a surprise slice of some sort of turtle pie, sparklers and a Polaroid of us, tucked in a genuine Milestone’s memory cardboard frame.

Milestone’s, 107-8th Ave SE, Calgary, (403) 410-9521. More info here, 32 locations across B.C., Alberta and Ontario.

 

CALGARY: Engagement brunch

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks. First, a divine birthday dinner at Capo and a few days ago, a sweet surprise proposal from my Jason.

Our first breakfast together as a newly engaged couple called for something unique, something special to us. So we went to Denny’s.

When we first started dating, we discovered a common appreciation for country-fried steak slathered in gravy. It’s tenderized round steak, battered and deep-fried, though it more often borders on mystery meat.

And so we went full circle Saturday morning, revelling in Denny’s country-fried steak and eggs with shredded hash browns. Jason’s eggs were over-easy, mine scrambled and we both got sourdough toast. The meat was um questionable, but it was still nice.

I could see us 50 years from now at some Denny’s, sitting across from each other moaning about how it’s too bad the country-fried steak isn’t on the seniors discount menu.

Denny’s, locations across North America. For fun, here’s Denny’s Japanese website.