Detoxing Diets November 3, 2007

When I was living in London last year this seemed to be all the rage, EVERYONE seemed to talking about them awash in the guilt of a holiday season of excesses. That being said I have not in the past month drank my weight in mulled wine and gin and tonics or tested my mince pie eating abilities. I just feel GROSS, I 100% blame my job and the fact that it’s driving me crazy (yes crazy, I’m not kidding I’m going looney). My once cheery self is being drowned out by this incredibly angry redhaired fiend, heaven forbid anyone come into my office asking me about toner! “TONER! I’ll F***ing show you WHAT TO DO WITH THE TONER!!!” Unfortunately one of my colleagues have gotten into the habit of trying to speak to me about such things as ”life threatening toner issues”  (also equally as important as the “life threatening stamp ordering issues”) before I have time to do my morning routine which involves reading the news and drinking a lovely earl grey. Bad idea.

 But back to the point, as I still am feeling icky and feel the need for something pretty drastic, as such this little redhead will be detoxing. Now for most this involves doing something with rosehips and generally not getting the nutrition needed. I on the other hand will do somewhat of the reverse, for the next week, Sat - Friday I will eat my veg, fruit and small portions or protein. I will not fry or use large amounts of butter or oils etc, seasoning will be herb and spices and there will be much soup involved. I’m going carb free, (that being said there is a party tonight so I will have two G+Ts but that is all).

 This food will not be flavourless mush, I  know that it is tempting to read that into this but I am very enthusiastic about what I can cook given the constraints of my diet.

I will post recipes and methods of cooking throughout the week ending with my blissful flight across the Rockies and into Zachary’s waiting arms. Once in Vancouver I have a feeling that my eating habits might change. We’ll see how that goes.

 Wish me luck!

 xx

Lauren

Aida’s on 4th St. May 23, 2007

Before I left for Maine a couple weeks ago Zac and I decided it was time to celebrate an anniversary and have a nice day of relaxation, entertainment and food.

We both agreed that it was time to try Aida’s on 4th street. I personally was looking to beat my previous bad experiences with the restaurants on the Street and as Aida’s has been so highly praised by friends and the people on Chowhound I decided it had to be the restaurant to break the curse!

After a mix up with the booking, ie both of us making two reservations for exactly the same time on exactly the same day (hmm can you tell we were eager?). We were set and the day of we took in a movie and the strolled down the street on this very sunny (yet windy) day. We were starving, but it was alright as the meal was fantastic.

The decor of the place was a little sparse and though they are trying to go with a Lebanese, North African theme it doesn’t quite work. I do love the ceiling though as they have one of those fantastic old tin ceilings which are really pretty.

We came in just before a gigantic group was seated, we could tell it was someone’s birthday so we made a point of trying to get our orders in before the mad rush that the group of 30 or so people was going to create in the kitchen. We opted for four dips with pita bread as a starter and these were very tasty, hummus, a zesty roasted red pepper dip, tzatziki type of dip and another dip that had the same texture as the hummus but with significantly more kick. It was VERY tasty and I loved it. I would have preferred that they serve fresh homemade pitas, but then I’m sure there wouldn’t be any free refills and that would have sucked!

We both ordered significantly different mains, I chose a grilled chicken breast with vegetables and rice and Zachary had the meatballs in a pomegrante sauce with couscous. These again were very tasty and the portions were huge. I couldn’t finish my chicken so it ended up being my lunch at work the next day. It was superbly spiced with lemon, thyme and garlic and was incredibly moist and flavourful. Unfortunately there was confusion in the kitchen and instead of couscous Zac’s meatballs in pomegranate sauce was accompanied by rice. He didn’t complain and I’d like to think this mix up was solely because of the large group that had come in a bit later than us and who’s meals were starting to arrive (the wait staff seemed incredibly stressed).

For dessert we had sweet Turkish coffees with this gorgeous caramelly tiramisu. If I had been clever I would have remembered to keep the name of it but at that point I was in a sugar and carb induced daze and as such it will remain that incredibly tasty dessert that we had at Aida’s until I go back and prod the waiters for some idea of what they put in it!

The food was inexpensive and fantastic quality. I was quite happy with this experience and it seems like the third time’s the charm with my disappointing experiences on 4th!

Aida’s
2208 4th St SW
Calgary, AB T2S 1W9

Capo (Italian at it’s height in Calgary) May 22, 2007

About a month ago a couple of the ladies at work took me out for Lunch for Administrative Professional’s day to this lovely restaurant .

The reviews and ratings I have read of Capo in Inglewood have raved about the flavours that Guiseppi Di Gennaro has been putting together after leaving Il Songo and starting his own restaurant. Not to mention the pasta, this is THE restaurant to go to in Calgary at the moment and I feel very lucky that the ladies chose it!

Walking into Capo was one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had with my work. There were two waiters prepared to take our coats as they ushered us to our booth. The seats we had were fantastic in a large booth which allowed you to see the entire restaurant. The ambiance was that of a classy cool with large white globe lights coming from the ceiling with muted beiges and rich dark browns being the key colours of the décor.

We ordered, opting to skip the appetizer (we were running late) and go straight to the main course. The ladies I was with both chose the tasting plate which provided three individual dishes for them to try. I on the other hand chose the Cioppino as I was in a mood for lots of zeasty seafood.

When our plates arrived one of my coworkers looked slightly disappointed, the portions were small. For me this was perfect but I could tell that one, a mother to be had been hoping for a larger portion to fill her and her growing baby up. I have always found that when the portions are small the flavours tend to be fantastic and in this respect I was not disappointed. The Cioppino was exactly what I wanted spicy and zesty with lots of saffron. The fish was beautifully cooked and was accompanied by a nice small pot of mixed vegetables. The tasting plate was also fantastic from what I can tell, including a beautiful cherry tomato salad, veal scaloppini and a penne in what looked to be a tomato sauce. The ladies loved it and there were no complaints!

Since our meal was so small we opted for desert, two of us ordered a molten chocolate cake with banana toffee ice-cream and chocolate mousse. This was again, quite small but the flavours were divine. The cake was warm and the mousse was incredibly lovely and creamy.

This was a fantastic thank you and I loved the food that was prepared. I felt completely full after eating at this restaurant. Other people might not have their appetites saited but the food was fantastic and very thoughtfully prepared. I would highly recommend this restaurant but beware of the prices it is definitely in the upper scale range and while that is good for an oil company to pay for, I know personally it would have to be a very special occasion for me to book a table here. (I would LOVE to do the chef’s table though as it looks fantastic and could be a lot of fun!)
Capo Restaurant

#4, 1420 – 9th Ave SE

Calgary AB T2G 0T5

Fiasco Gellato - Taste Test #2 May 1, 2007

You must when going to Fiasco have some of the Illy coffee, it is super tasty and really worth the trip.  

 Now onto the ice-cream.

 Yesterday we met Nathan at Fiasco because we figured with the sunny weather we were due some ice-cream and people watching.

 We had some fun trying a few new flavours.

 Lauren - Peanut Butter - YUMMY this was very creamy and rich with little bits of peanut butter in the mix, it was very good but a little bit sweet. Still tasty I woudl recommend it.

 Zac - Grapefruit Sorbetto- Zac has a soft spot for grapefruit and so ordered this, I liked it alot but there was a VERY strange aftertaste, this could be down to two different things. 1, I had just had the peanut butter and obviously those don’t mix so well, or there was pith in the sorbetto, still it REALLY did taste like Grapefruit and Zac really enjoyed it.

Nathan - Raspberry - tasted like Raspberry! I was not at all surprised… Raspberry is one of those flavours that is always just tasty.

 So more yummy Fiasco Gellato! I’m going to try to get some of the pics from Nath as it was a gloriously sunny day and they need to be published. (plus he’s like a fancy photographer, so WHY NOT!?!?)

Tandoori Hut - Lunch Buffet April 17, 2007

I was feeling rather ill and took the day off work. In doing so Zac and I lazed around for most of the morning before I, feeling mildly better, suggested that a curry would clear up my throat and get rid of my head ache.

Hmmm the Tandoori Hut, Zac and I went there on our first “official” date in December. It was a late birthday present from me as I spaced on the actual date and Zac was without gift and I felt that was a bit unfair.

 So we wandered over to Kensington on what was possibly the most summery day we’ve had all year.

The one thing that I REALLY remember about Tandoori Hut was that unlike other calgary indian restaurants it doesn’t hold back the spices, at least not in the way that the disappointing Rajdoot did. I do remember eating something at Tandoori Hut and thinking, wow this is almost too spicey for me.

 Anyways, I’ve found that Buffets are only as good as the number of people that frequent them. Therefore, due to the location, I wasn’t expecting to be that impressed. If there isn’t enough people at the place then the food won’t be as fresh and it just won’t be as good, it’s still not going to be horrible, but it won’t be like eating at one of the big down town places (ie Mango Shiva), for obvious reasons.

So we went in and were told to seat ourselves wherever we’d like. They took our drink order and then we scurried off to the buffet to try our luck.

 This buffet is a Calgary indian buffet. It has it’s general dishes that Calgarians LOVE and it was alright, though did fall prey to the lack of people, lack of turn over in dishes. There was a beef curry and a butter chicken. They had a lovely looking chickpea curry and na’an.

 All in all the food was great, but obviously not AS good as when you order. The tandoori chicken was very good, but everything was slightly cold and felt like it had been sitting out for a while. I did love the butter chicken and the beef though the spicey heat that I had remembered wasn’t there (I’m assuming this is because they were doing the buffet thing). It was a nice lunch but very much a case of you get what you pay for. $30 for the two of us isn’t at all bad, especially the way that Zac can pack away a curry.

 For lunch buffets I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here, but if you are in the area it is a nice lunch for a good price. I still would reccomend it for supper though as their food is fantastic and some of the best curry I’ve had in the city.

#5, 201 10 St NW
Calgary, AB

Hours : Lunch: 11:30a-2p Mon-Sat; Dinner: 5p-10p Mon-Thu; 5p-10:30p Fri-Sat; 5p-9:30p Sun

Oh what a bummer April 3, 2007

HATE, SAD FACES, EMPTY TUMMIES…

So it looks like Mango Shiva has closed with the whole Penny Lane closing thing that finally happened (to think, I never managed to get to Cowboys). I was disappointed with this today, so disappointed in fact that I called the restaurant to see if they were still open (of course they aren’t). I had a lovely chat with someone, I have no idea who, but they said that sadly yes they were closed but will be moving to a new location. The new location is just across from that Flames bar, the spot used to be a Dairy Queen, (so I’m assuming that they’re going to have to do some renos) and will be opening sometime in the late summer.

 I do wish them well, the food was fantastic and the service was great. I hope not too much changes between now and August.

 Much foodie love to the people at Mango Shiva, my dining out plans won’t be the same without your lovely curries tempting me and RIP to the smoke shop too, Zac is already pouting and missing your humidor.

The Coup - Reason to go Veggie? March 22, 2007

Maybe not, but they still provide some seriously yummy veggie chow that doesn’t make me crave meat at great prices.

Zac is a meat-a-holic, I am open minded, but that being said, having tried the veggie route in highschool, I’m pretty concerned about the whole nutritional side of things… plus I can’t live without pepperoni pizza (and fish, and burgers, and roast chicken and sausage and pate … you get the idea).

I have wanted to go to The Coup for some time, Zac has looked at it uncomfortably and stated that after eating there we would probably need to make a trip to Tubby Dog,  up the street. For some reason having to go for supper, after going for supper, doesn’t really appeal to me but that being said last week the two of us decided that we wanted to go to the Coup.

Zac was pleasantly surprised and my expectations were surpassed.

The space is very modern and clean but quite busy. I suppose the best way to describe it is that modern funky look (think Vancouver) with greens and dark wood being the central colours (very pretty). It is a little cramped as it is such a narrow space but I thought they made good use of the space they had. Zac disagrees, but then again, my mother didn’t study interior design. 

Later on in the week they get a DJ in to spin some tunes which is VERY cool. I’m going to have to make a point of heading over there one of those times. They have street side patio as well which would be a great way to enjoy the 17th Ave atmosphere in the summer.

We were given a drinks menu and a I ordered one of the freshly squeezed juices, Zac got a dark Sleemans beer (I think). The juice was great it was a cranberry lemonade and it was tasty, there were fragments of REAL lemons in the drink and it was garnished with four floating honest-to-goodness cranberries, it was very good and refreshing I would have loved to sit on a patio and sip it’s tastiness way into the late hours of the evening.

To start we ordered a plate of their Sweet Potato Fries with a Tahini Miso Gravy. Oh so yummy. The fries were in fact baked wedges of Sweet potato sprinkled with some salt and rosemary, I didn’t mind that they weren’t crispy as I found that the smooth texture of the fry really did compliment the tahini miso gravy quite nicely. We devoured these.

Shortly afterwards came our main course, Zac ordered the Falafel Quesedilla with a side salad. It looked fantastic, fresh and green loaded with lots of thinly sliced vegetables. Very appetizing. It tasted great too although the whole wheat tortilla though VERY healthy was very chewy, I mean obviously this is because of the fact that it is WHOLE WHEAT, but still it would be nicer if you could get a bite with out having the cardboard feeling in your mouth.

I ordered the Beach-Front hot pot and it was equally colourful. An excellent hot pot, the vegetables were cooked but not soggy, they were delightfully crisp and incredibly tasty.The tofu was firm and flavourful, I really do like tofu and this tofu was great! The lemon grass coconut broth was nice and spicy, I wouldn’t have wanted it any hotter but I’m certain that someone with stronger tastebuds than I could have made a request. What really excited me about this dish was the lotus root, this is a fairly bland but crispy and nice addition to the mix of veggies. Frankly there is something about looking at lotus root that just makes me feel better about the food I’m eating. The portions were huge and Zac being the lucky boy that he is got to take home the left over veggies and rice noodles to have for his lunch.

All in all The Coup was a success AND Zac didn’t end up heading over to Tubby Dog! HORRAY! (instead we got gellato, see below)

So go to The Coup on 17th to soak up some good vibes and munch on some heavenly food!

The Coup

924b 17th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta Canada
Ph: 403.541.1041

Fiasco Gelato - Taste test #1 March 15, 2007

Fueled by some warm Chinook winds and the breaking out of the white Chuck Taylors, Zac and I went for icecream on Monday, and then went again on Tuesday… we want it to be summer, NOW!

Zac has decided I need to do a weekly review of the gelato/sorbetto flavours at Fiasco Gelato on 17th. I think this is simply for the reason that I don’t want to eat all of one and therefore he gets double the ice cream.

So also we ended up going to Fiasco last night after tucking into some seriously yummy veggie chow at The Coup (to be reviewed ASAP).

Monday:

Zac’s admitted favorite flavour Pistachio. Yummy and creamy. Pistachio gelatto doesn’t cease to disappoint me and this one was SO yummy. I really love the pale green colour.

 Tuesday : (I’ve just realised that we went to this place two days in a row, YIKES!)

Me - Mango Sorbetto : I felt it would compliment my yummy noodley lemongrass and coconut hot pot from the coup nicely and it was VERY good. You have to love Mango! (also because of this mangomangomangomango: GO MAN GO!)

Zac - Chocolate (Bernie C’s): Chocolate sorbetto while good always makes me wish I was eating chocolate icecream, so this one didn’t necessarily work for me but it was still tasty so I’m not complaining.

 We also combined the two, not bad but not the flavour sensation we had hoped.

(pictures to follow)

Towa Sushi vs Globefish (visions of sumo wrestlers dance in my head) February 28, 2007

So we went to both of these restaurants over the past week and we had two very different experiences, excellent to compare as they both offer a similar style of sushi, very modern, very big and very Calgarian.

Globefish

           

            Warning! I’m writing in reference to my first Valentines Day with Zac, obviously I am going to have a lovey dovey approach to this part of the post, this possibly will also create a bit of a rose colour on the evening (because it really was lovely).

Up 14^thStreet just past Chicken on the Way we tucked ourselves into some Globefish.

Globefish has completely upped the anti in regards to my idea of what sushi is and what it can be.

Arriving from the blustery cold weather we fought our way into the restaurant and were seated by a young and slightly frazzled looking waiter. From what I can tell Valentines Day was a big day for them and I’m not necessarily sure whether on the service side they were completely up to the task. When we made reservations we were told we got the last two seats which were at the bar, needless to say they were probably a little stretched.

The decor was sparse and nothing particularly special, lots of mirrors and very clean lines. It was a lovely place, but slightly cramped considering the number of people that were in the restaurant. I can’t remember what this space has been used for in the past, though I’m certain at one point it must have been an oldy timey diner, this doesn’t take away from the restaurant itself but is a good way to describe the spatial issues that exist.

The food was a treat; it was very good and very inventive but not at all hard on the wallet.

We started with a few appetizers, Endamame beans (because they are yummy), these crab puff rolls and some tempura, all of this was very good and quite lovely. The tempura was light and fresh while the crab rolls were gooey and soft; all the three appetizers were lovely.

We ordered two types of mains and found them to be MORE than filling. Firstly we ordered the Vancouver Roll and the Crab Paradise. The Vancouver roll was lovely and a very creamy and smooth roll. The inventive addition of mango tasted sublime along side the avocado and salmon. The Crab Paradise was even better. The roll consisted of Salmon, mango & avocado wrapped with deep fried soft shell crab on top. The spicy roe with wasabi was also fantastic and made the crunchy roll even better. The only complaint, if there could even be one, would be that these rolls were so big we had a hard time fitting them all in our mouths.  

All in all Globefish was a FANTASTIC experience for the taste buds and provided exactly what we needed, yummy sushi at a great price.

Towa Sushi

This experience was less than fantastic and I was very annoyed, this is possibly because I wasn’t exactly in the lovey dovey mood that I was in on the 14^th but it might also have something to do with the fact that I wasn’t exactly impressed with the sushi quality and taste.

Firstly we ordered the chirashi which is effectively a bunch of sashimi and other sushi fixins (yes that is both the technical and traditional term for it) on a bed of rice, this idea was very nice and I did very much enjoy it, until I bit into the partially frozen tuna that made me feel like I was about to throw up. Furthermore, even though we mentioned to our waitress that the tuna was in fact FROZEN she smiled at us, because surprise surprise, the service here though very friendly was missing something in translation, ie they didn’t REALLY speak English (it’s fine when the food is good and I have nothing to say to the waitress, but oh my, when I have a complaint you had better be good and ready to hear it and tell the kitchen they’ve screwed up).  So fact of the matter, there was no apology.

We also ordered two types of rolls the avalanche roll and the rainbow roll. The rainbow roll was ok, the avalanche roll wasn’t very good. I like the use of colour on the rainbow roll and I do LOVE the fresh raw fish, that being said, I was slightly concerned because of the tuna experience. The description of the avalanche roll did not mention the fact that this roll was SMOTHERED in a cream cheesy/sour cream sauce, it wasn’t very good, it looked very interesting but this was just a bit too much for me. I can do fusion and I really do like it but sour cream is meant for nachos, perogies, chili and baked potatoes. IT IS NOT MEANT TO GO ON SUSHI. Just a little bit gross.

I got the feeling that Towa is trying to appeal to the Calgarian market a little too much and is sacrificing the flavour and idea of what sushi is and can be. I’m certain that there are many a Calgarian that will swear up and down that this is the best sushi they’ve ever had, but for me, growing up in Vancouver I was able to have fantastic sushi and this place with it’s partially frozen tuna does not cut it.

(NB- I am not writing Towa off entirely, in fact I will probably go back in the next couple months because I loved the way it looked, seriously great interior design, and am wondering if we just came on a bad night, as it was highly recommended.)

So go to Globefish and enjoy their yummy and adventurous rolls, go to Towa for the interior design and tell me what you think of the food, I’m willing to give it another shot… even though frozen tuna in sashimi is an unforgivable sin.

MMMM CURRY…(Mmmmango shiva) February 22, 2007

Having lived in London for a year and having a bit of a love affair with the nation and one of the nationals for some time helped to teach me to me appreciate a good Curry.

Coming back to Canada made me appreciate it a heck of a lot more.

It’s not that we don’t HAVE Indian restaurants but they don’t have the same feel or have the same gastronomic tendencies of those lovely restaurants that exist EVERYWHERE in the UK (this is in my experience although I’m pretty sure I didn’t see an Indian restaurant in the Yorkshire Dales/Lake District and that the distance/time makes the heart grow fonder). That being said I have made it a goal to find great curry restaurants in Calgary and I have been to a few and found that I have enjoyed most although parts of the meal maybe less than others.

A couple weeks ago after an array of directional and logistical errors (on my part) Zac and I found ourselves far away from the restaurant that we wanted to go to (an Indian on 4^th called Rajdoot of which I have heard great things) and very close to one of his old standbys that has become one of my new standbys (for lunch), Mango Shiva.

For those of you that don’t know, Mango Shiva does an amazing lunch buffet and it has become my ultimate place to go for comfort food/treats on a bad or busy day at work. The buffet is $14 per person and if you do like me and takeaway you can fill a Styrofoam container for 9$ (it’s amazing how much food I can manage to get in there). That being said I have never been for a proper meal and have enjoyed the thought as I had perused the menu in the past finding it to be quite different from the restaurants I had been to in
London.  

Firstly this isn’t what I know to be a traditional curry night out sort of place (the kind that the English tend to go to after a night of drunkenness and debauchery). The décor is beautiful with lovely contemporary colours which drastically go against my memories of the garish colours decorating the walls of the Indian restaurants I have been to in the past. It is intimate and lovely with the open kitchen being the centre of the restaurant.

We started with the Basil and Crab Samosas, to share (as we both weren’t TOO hungry and didn’t want to make this an expensive night), not too long after we ordered a beautifully presented plate with a couple of small triangular samosas and a tossed salad arrived. The Samosas were lovely and reminded me a bit of crab cakes, definitely not in a bad way, definitly not what I was used to but a very lovely starter that set the trend for the rest of the meal.

For mains we decided to get an individual curry bowl each, Zac opted for the the Tikka Masala with a skewer of Chicken and I chose (upon his recommendation) a Kashmiri Curry with a skewer of Lamb. We ordered a side of garlic Naan (yummy, there’s no real reason to discuss this I love Naan in all shapes and sizes and this was very good and very garlicky).

The presentation was beautiful, not that I was surprised following the starter. Again differing from my previous curry/Indian experience instead of the meat being stewed in the sauce they put a skewer of lamb on top of the creamy cashew sauce. The look was very clean and I appreciated the difference and use of colour on the plate, it was quite gorgeous.

The lamb was cooked perfectly and was wonderfully tender; a nicely browned outside with the center being pink, it was gorgeous. The Kashmiri sauce was creamy had a hint of heat but wasn’t over bearing and some chopped almonds scattered over the top added a very nice cruchy texture. Divine and lovely, from what I can tell Zac enjoyed his Chicken Tikka Masala as well; it was quickly and entirely devoured.

Zac opted to finish his meal with a Chai Tea from the Chai Bar they have there, I’ve had them before and can vouch their loveliness, very good with a lovely flavour of cardamom. I opted for a green tea and decided to try the chocolate samosas for dessert. While I like the idea and loved the presentation it wasn’t necessarily my most favourite dish, effectively this was a smaller version of a chocolate croissant with more chocolate and flakier pastry. Of course if you put another in front of me I wouldn’t say no, but it was lacking in substance, perhaps if they had let the samosas cool and served them with a warm dipping sauce I would have appreciated it more.

All in all it was a fantastic meal and the service was wonderful, it was never intrusive but friendly enough to make use feel welcome and put us at ease, something that has been lacking in our dining experience as of late (I blame the labour shortage, bad side of the boom :P).

Coming next is my review of Globefish Sushi and Towa sushi (we got into a sushi mood on Valentines day), The Last King of Scotland, some general musings on relationships, making cupcakes for Zac’s little bro’s birthday (next week EEP) and possibly a frantic post on what to wear to a hippy/dreadlocked wedding in the middle of the mountains ( I am thinking hemp based shopping trips and possibly using egg whites to make my hair look all funky and possibly dreadlocked :D)