Broken City

For some reason I thought Broken City had a good hamburger. I've eaten three hamburgers at this bar across the span of 3 years. The first time, my burger resembled more of a meatloaf burger. It was tasty, but not what I want when I crave a hamburger. The second time I went, I ordered their "poutine burger". Cool idea: waffle-cut fries and cheese curds on a burger. The burger is cut in half to make it easier to dip it in the provided ramiken of gravy.

The concept was cool and I was particularly impressed with how they abandoned the "meat loaf" recipe and provided a nice thick solid burger.

Alas, I went to Broken City recently and ordered a basic burger. It was kinda over-cooked and black tasting on the outside, and a little dry on the inside. Check it out. It looks nothing like the burger pictured above:

The meat also looks more processed. This was a very disappointing burger. So I don't know what to say about Broken City's burgers. That poutine burger was excellent, but until this place shows some sort of consistency I can't recommend it. It's still a cool place to drink though.



Broken City
613 11 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
403-262-9976
Website

Buchanan's Chop House & Whiskey Bar

My Calgary hamburger research kept leading me to a downtown neighbourhood restaurant called Buchanan's. Apparently they are known for their selection of fine whiskeys, and also for their hamburgers. Notable, of their hamburgers, is that you can order them rare to well done, and anything in between. A typical Canadian, and a daughter to my mother, I was brought up to avoid undercooked hamburger meat like the plague. In dimly lit restaurants I have been known to send back a hamburger if I even suspected the faintest hue of pink. But much reading on the issue has informed me that true hamburger snobs prefer their hamburgers as they prefer their steaks: mooing and bleeding.

Of course, it isn't always safe to eat undercooked ground beef, particularly in these days of industrial farming and slaughter. For a kitchen to serve its ground beef rare, it has to trust the source of its meat as well as the kitchen who prepares it. After my first meal at Buchanan's, a lady came over who I assume is the owner or manager, and she asked us how we liked our meals. She informed us that she has red seal chefs in the kitchen, grinding the sirloin for burgers. It was obvious that a lot of care had gone into our meals, and that the restaurant management is receptive to customer feedback (we were also asked how we had heard about Buchanan's. The answer, FYI, is Chowhound).

Usually the burger platters here are a whopping $18. But to my delight I discovered that Buchanan's has a happy hour bar menu between 3pm-6pm when you can get the burgers for $10, an excellent deal.  You can get a Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger, Blackened Hot & Spicy Onion-Jalapeno Jackcheese Burger, or a Roasted Veggie Burger with papaya-avocado salsa. These come with fries and coleslaw.

At first you may think that the fry portion is small, as they come in a little ramekin. However, they are quite filling; thick and poofy on the inside, with a crispy outside. I found myself happily eating the coleslaw, which sometimes gets abandoned on my plate. I think there were little slivers of hot peppers in it, giving it just the slightest kick.

My "Blackened Hot & Spicy" Burger, on the other hand, had no real kick to speak of. However, it was very tasty, as was the Cheeseburger, which I ordered on a previous occasion, sans bacon:

As you can see, this is a really thick baseball of a burger. When I bit into it, reddish coloured juices streamed onto my plate. Yet the burger itself wasn't too greasy or too bloody (I ordered it medium and it had just a pinkish hue in the middle). The burgers are reportedly Alberta AAA 100% Extra Lean Sirloin. The buns they use are also neat, and just barely hold it all together, whilst soaking up some of the juices.

When I eat a burger like this I sorta feel like I am eating a steak. It is evident that it is ground sirloin because I am conscious of what would be little chewy bits of steak, that have been ground down to being almost unnoticeable. The patty is also very dense. I'm not sure if this is my favourite type of burger, but it definitely blows away most of the burgers I've eaten in my lifetime. 

One thing did confuse me, during my second visit to Buchanan's. The bartender was so friendly and came right away to my table to offer me a beverage, but he never offered me a menu. I sat around for some time with my beer wondering if a server was going to take care of me, but nobody even looked my way. I eventually had to go up to the bar to request a menu. Once I did this, the service was again very friendly and prompt but I am confused as to why I was not offered a menu. After my meal, I asked if I could wrap up a tea biscuit I had not eaten. My server, who had apparently taken over the responsibility for me, wasn't exactly very warm, but she showed her kindness by supplying me with not just one tea biscuit, but three! That was a nice touch.

I think there is a good reason why Buchanan's is considered by some to have the best burgers in Calgary. There is definitely no shortage of meat or quality here. There is also a nice English pub atmosphere, and a large selection of spirits, which the staff can access with a little ladder behind the bar. I'm glad I live close to this place, as I'm sure it won't be too long before I'm craving one of these juicy meaty baseball burgers! 

Buchanan's Chop House & Whiskey Bar
738 3rd Ave SW
Calgary, AB
403-261-4646
Website

Below Deck Tavern

This will be a very picture intensive blog, since I have frequented this pub numerous times. It was brand new when I first noticed it. The kitchen has had its share of growing pains, and I've watched it grow, and I think I'm finally ready to blog about it.

The reason I am so interested in this pub is obvious. It's theme, of all things, is the Atlantic Provinces. With so many flashy bars and pubs in Calgary, it is really nice for me to get a little taste of home. I walk down the stairs and I hear east coast music playing, I see casually dressed and very friendly staff, I see east coast ex-pats sitting along the bar, and I see the flags of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The lobster traps may be a bit much...

The best part about this pub, though, is that when I am homesick I know I can come here and get some of my east coast comfort foods. 

Deep Fried Pepperoni

I didn't realize, until I moved away, that deep fried pepperoni is an east coast thing. It's actually really good, and Below Deck does a good rendition of it, actually importing their pepperoni from Chris Brothers in Halifax. My only complaint is that they serve it with a "beer honey mustard sauce" that is actually more of a mayo based sauce than the traditional honey mustard.

East Coast Spud Skins. All skins, no potato. This reinforces my hypothesis that potato skins in the east coast are, by nature, drastically different than in the rest of Canada. Instead of carving out a whole potato and putting toppings on it, the peeled skins are actually arranged on a platter like nachos, with the cheese, bacon and green onions spread out on top. You really can't go wrong with this one. Well, I guess the onions could be chopped up finer and distributed more evenly....

Potato Skins

Fried Balogna on White

This here above was actually a nice lunch, served with a side of seafood bisque. They say bologna is "newfie steak", so I guess this may be more of a shout out to Newfoundland. The soup of the day changes, but it is always a chowder or bisque. Last time I checked, they have all-you-can-eat balogna sandwiches on Mondays. Epic.

Garlic Fingers

Here is a real east coast classic. These are just as popular as pizza back home, and they are indeed structurally similar to pizza but also a separate entity. Cheese. Garlic. Bacon. The sauce sitting on top is DONAIR SAUCE and garlic fingers MUST be dipped into this for the full effect. Sooooo good!

Scallop Roll.

This was just okay. I love scallops. I love scallops deep fried in a roll. But I noticed on a couple of occasions that the deep fried goods at Below Deck were over-cooked. I complained on one occasion that the scallop batter was black-ish, and I was informed that the cooks have to deep fry them for a specific amount of time. I responded that it was too long, that you can't really under-cook a scallop, and to try it for less time. My next plate of scallops came out still looking over-cooked, so maybe the problem was the fryer fat? I'm not sure. This is certainly edible but it's not the best thing on the menu.

Beach Bag Bake

This was new on the menu the last time I went to Below Deck, and the waitress assured me it was one of the best things on the menu. It is red potatoes, leaks, onions, scallops, shrimp and mussels simmered in a buttery broth (so... not baked?). I accidently consumed the scallops before taking a picture. Truth be told, the mussels were eaten as well and I just re-arranged the shells back on the dish for aesthetic purposes. This was good! Very humble east coast flavours, perfectly cooked potatoes, and garlic bread to dip in the broth. The leeks were a nice touch. The seafood could have been more fresh, but hey... this is Alberta.

Now... for what we've all been waiting for! Here is the Halifax Donair. Apparently it is the owner or chefs own recipe and he is very proud of it. I had never eaten anything like this before, which immediately demands the question: is this authentic? The answer is tricky. No, as my friend Jeremy says, this is not like any donair you will see in the Maritimes (he went on to say it was shit, but I beg to differ). But yes, in terms of the spices, sauce and toppings, this IS authentic. It is what I am choosing to refer to as  "pub-style donair". The meat is homemade-homestyle, and a thick pita is used to hold everything in. Miraculously, everything is wrapped in tinfoil and held in place, making it possible to pick up and eat like a hamburger. 

Speaking of the hamburger, I've tried that too. It's kind of lackluster. The meat is spiced... almost like a donair?? 

But back to the donair. Look at this! Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, meat! Last time I had to ask for extra sauce. A donair can't have enough sweet sauce on it. Also, you can add pepperoni and cheese for $4 which I would recommend. 

Lastly, you should soak it all up with one of these! Or you can get a bottled craft beer from Garrison, Pumphouse or Quidi Vidi.

Also on the menu, but as of yet untried by me, are the Fish 'n' Chips, Steamer clams or Mussels, Tuna Melt, Tavern Smoked Meat, Garden Burger, French Quarter Tourtiere, Flat Iron Steak Sandwich, Hot Turkey Sandwich, and a few other things falling into the category of typical pub fare (except you can get donair meat on your poutine or nachos!... but of course!)

Below Deck Tavern

221 8 Ave SW

Calgary, AB

403-252-2832

Website

Bow Bulgogi

I am so full right now! I just went to Bow Bulgogi with a co-worker who loves food as much as I do and we basically ordered the whole menu!

We had talked for a while about going out for some Bip Bam Boop. Bibimbap, that is. I just can never get it right. Basically it is a Korean dish featuring a variety of vegetables and some meat over rice, with a soft fried egg on top and some sort of tangy red sauce. You mix it all together so that the egg yolk and sauce coat everything and then you scoop it in your mouth. 

My familiarity with Korean food has been lacking. In Halifax we just had the place in the food court with the chicken everyone liked. (Now, to my excitement, there is at least one new Korean restaurant in Halifax and it looks promising!) Here in Calgary, I had been to Seoul and found it rather bland. I've also felt relatively uninspired by Korean BBQ restaurants. Bow Bulgogi is a little hole in the wall in the SW that is quite small, and became quite busy shortly after we arrived, with streams of local residents in the know. Little did I know, this was to be my first positive Korean eating experience.

Okay, so bulgugi and "Korean BBQ" are the same thing. Generally Korean BBQ implies that you cook marinated meat on a grill in the middle of your table. At Bow Bulgogi they do the cooking for you, and it is delish. We ordered the chicken, beef, and squid. They come to table loudly sizzling, which incites salivation. The flavour of each dish carried its own identity, yet all were compatible with the accompanying dipping sauce and lettuce leaf wraps. Our server actually took a pair of scissors and snipped up the meat into smaller bite sized bits. We played with the scissors a little ourselves as well. Fun!

I should mention the bulgogi comes with rice, kimchi, bean sprout salad, and pickled radish as well as a nice looking and tasting platter of deep fried tofu. This was all quite good. The kimchi was much better than at Seoul; it had some heat, depth, and a spectrum of flavour. The pickled radish was a good palate cleanser, particularly helpful with some of the spiciness. 

Particularly, and delightfully, spicy, was the bulgogi squid. Sold at "market price" ($25), it was well worth it. A whole squid in a spicy sauce with various vegetables, and black char marks we could taste. This was fantastic on top of some steamed rice, or in the lettuce wraps. I would go back just for this!

And the bip bam boop? It was awesome too. I don't usually like eggs thrown on top of my meals, but this worked. The sauce was sweet and tangy. It is a perfect one bowl meal. It would be better if it came to the table sizzling in a stone bowl, as I know it often does. But it was still lovely. What a meal! I am definitely eating more Korean food from now on.

Bow Bulgogi
3515 17th Ave SW
Calgary, AB
403-686-6826
Urbanspoon 

Tom's House of Pizza

Ever since moving to Calgary I had noticed Tom's. There are 3 locations I know of in the city, and they all reside alongside shitty little bars. So is this a shitty little pizza place? I had heard good things and bad things, but recently I got to decide for myself.

This place rocks! Nice snappy thin crust with the cheese UNDER all the toppings. It is the anti-thesis of the typical Calgary pizza. Even the pepperoni is on top, which I have never seen before. But since the pepperoni is on top, there is nothing really holding the veggies into place. This posed a slight problem to the mechanics of eating, but the toppings were so fresh and lovely we really didn't mind. Actually, that's not even pepperoni on our pizza. It's "Italian salami", and it is much better quality than your school lunch variety salami. Yum. Three of us sat down and consumed this $20 dollar pizza, making noises of delight and surprise at how good it was, and what a nice alternative to the Greek style pizzas available everywhere in Calgary. It is even a lovely addition to the other thin crust places in town, which can often serve floppy "authentic" Italian pizzas. Tom's isn't trying to be anything. Standard but quality pizza toppings arranged in a somewhat unusual manner. We loved it and we will be back.

Tom's House of Pizza
Website

Alley Burger

I love hamburgers and I have been trying to locate the best hamburger in Calgary. I had known about CHARCUT's alley burger phenomenon for a long time but I was never able to attend due to my work hours. For those not in the know, CHARCUT is a restaurant across from the Calgary Tower and offers a "local chef driven, uban rustic cuisine". With all those ambiguous buzz words, you know the foodies are all over it. Whereas the everyday Joe I talk to has never heard of it. The alley burger was something you had to hear word of through twitter or facebook. You had to line up in an alleyway in back of CHARCUT at the designated time with droves of foodies and wait to be included in the head count so that you may get your $5 hamburger. Luckily, with the repressive food truck bylaw removed, CHARCUT has brought the alley burger to the streets. With all the hype I had absorbed from the foodie community concerning these alley burgers, I set forth on a mission to see how they fare amongst the hamburger kingdom.

The original Alley Burger.

I first tried the original alley burger, since that is what the original hype was all about... before the advent of the food truck hype. I am still skeptical about the food truck hype. "Hype" apparently has a price tag on it, and there is a lot of it when it comes to food trucks. Fortunately, I was impressed with my alley burger. A local garlic and pork sausage patty, with bacon, cheese curds and chimichurri aioli. The flavours worked together really well, and it was a very tasty burger. My only mistake was getting a double. Props to you if you can handle a double... there was a little too much sodium and fatty meat for me. But one patty would be delightful. I also ordered some fries, which came in a paper bag. There are various flavours of salt offered, which you can dump into your paper bag and shake up with your fries. Very good.

Now, my thinking was this: if AlleyBurger makes such an awesome novelty burger, then their regular hamburgers are probably awesome too. They refer to them as "whole truck burgers", and you can pick what toppings you want from the order sheet provided by the window. Basically you select whether you want an alley burger or a whole truck burger, how many patties, what toppings, and which sides. This time I went for a single, and to hold the bacon. I wanted cheese, mustard, chimichurri aioli, pickles and tomato. 

When I got my burger, it was a mixed blessing. I guess the option to circle or not circle bacon is a rhetorical question... as my burger came with bacon anyway. Also, circling mustard will do you no good. There is mustard and ketchup on the counter that you can apply for yourself. So what is the point of the order sheet?! The only real freedom of choice I felt I had was the addition of tomato and pickle to a burger that was otherwise dressed exactly like the original alley burger. I was expecting cheddar cheese but got cheese curds. The lonely strip of pickle was lost in the sizeableness of the burger. But it was a sizeable, structurally sound burger, and the flavours played together quite well, just like they did with the alley burger.

The burger was a nice package, requiring a two handed grip. Very comforting. There was one problem. And this is a very big problem, in my opinion. 

The patty.

The circumference was plenty. It was a little thin but completely passable. The problem was the texture. I could swear this patty was frozen and machine pressed. I can just tell by the texture of the ground beef in a patty whether or not it has been made fresh and lovingly by hand. There just wasn't the texture and flavour that I expect from a patty when I've paid 8 dollars for a hamburger. I would have enjoyed a never-frozen patty from Wendy's over this patty. I think Wendy's patties will be my new standard for patty criteria. If you can't do better than Wendy's, why should I eat you? Unfortunately, the originally unwanted bacon stole the show. I could have just eaten the perfectly cooked bacon with the rest of the toppings and been happy.

See the texture?

So what I want to know is.... why is CHARCUT providing such a quality burger as the alley burger, but selling it alongside the mediocre whole truck burger? If I am going to pay 8 dollars for a burger, I would much rather go to Rocky's, Boogie's or 5 Guys to get some real juicy meat. I don't mean to slam Alley Burger. As I said, the original alley burger was epic, and the fries were great. The toppings worked together to make a very flavourful overall package. I would go back to eat this simply because the flavour package was supurb. But when I crave a hamburger, I want meat. Even if the beef is AAA Alberta beef, it doesn't matter when it when it's been overly processed. I think most people are so caught up in the hype that they will keep paying top dollar for something that is actually mediocre. I believe this is a plague that many Calgarians suffer from, but it can be avoided by a little experimentation and critical thinking. 

Am I being too judgemental? I would love to hear your honest opinions about the alley burger vs. the whole truck burger. What do you think?

Alley Burger 

It's best to follow on Twitter or Facebook to find their location.

Website

@AlleyBurger

CHARCUT

101 889 Centre St. SW

Calgary, AB

403-984-2180

Miku Sushi - Vancouver

When in Vancouver, one must eat sushi. It is simply fresher and cheaper than sushi elsewhere in Canada. But when travelling with a parental unit, one must eat fancy, expensive sushi. My dad and I researched a few places and decided on Miku Sushi in Gastown, since it was close to our hotel. Also, it really isn't all that expensive... $17 for 8 pieces of sushi might seem expensive, but when you consider the quality, freshness, novelty and craftmanship of the sushi at Miku, it kind of seems like a steal. Reservations are necessary if you want to dine at the peak of lunch hour. The restaurant was packed, and loud. The staff in the open kitchen were busy and yelling and basically contributing to a dynamic eating experience. 

Pictured above is my Aburi Select platter. Miku specializes in aburi sushi, which is sushi that gets a little lick from a blow torch. They also specialize in oshi sushi, which is pressed into a rectangular shape. I found these variations a delightful departure from the norm. The other mind blowing thing was that Miku didn't serve its sushi with soy sauce and wasabi. Nope. Each piece of sushi is garnished with its own special sauce and/or accompaniment.

I also ordered the aburi sashimi ($23) to share with my dad. I was sold when the server informed me that the chef's selection of the day for the aburi sashimi was ahi tuna, hamachi (yellowtail) and atlantic salmon. Those are my three favorite types of sashimi. Sometimes I battle over whether I prefer red or white tuna, but atlantic salmon is a winner hands down over pacific. If you haven't had hamachi, you really have to...

Hamachi = Awesome

As you can see, the sashimi is lightly seared with a torch. The portions are sizeable, and each selection has its own accompanying garnish. Just to be different, my dad's friend ordered this "chirashi tart" ($19) which had layers of seafood in it. A very strange item indeed.

Our meals came with miso soup included in the price, which was served with our meals. We were informed that it was considered a palate cleanser as opposed to an appetizer. Fine with me! I'll take miso soup however you want to give it to me. No spoon? Sure. We gladly slurped it from the bowls. 

I should also mention that my post-dinner Americano was one of the best I've had. You don't expect good coffee at a sushi restaurant, but this isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill sushi joint. 

I'm not going to pretend that I am the authority on all things sushi. But I do eat sushi regularly, and I do like to try out different places quite often. I am not exaggerating when I say this was the best sushi I've ever had. I can't wait to go back to Vancouver to try out some other higher end sushi places so I can see how they compare. But this was just awesome.

Miku 

#2, 1055 West Hastings Street (Guiness Tower)

Vancouver BC

604-568-3900

Website

Japadog's Beef Terimayo vs. Tubby Dog's Sumo

Tubby Dog is Calgary's legendary hot dog spot. It's open late on weekends, hosts rowdy rock bands, and dumps everything on its dogs from peanut butter, to wasabi, to meaty chilli and fried eggs. In Vancouver, however, Japadog is the spot. You can find the trucks and carts across the city, and there is now also a restaurant. The product, if you couldn't guess, are Japanese-style hot dogs. Both restaurants are hyped up in their respective cities, perhaps to the point of being over-hyped.

Recently, I've had the pleasure of touring around Vancouver. I knew I just had to get my hands on some Japadog. A Japanese-style hot dog... what a novel idea! Of course, it isn't the first time I've tasted this idea. Tubby Dog has its own "Sumo" dog, with Japanese mayo, wasabi, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, and toasted sesame seeds. 

The Sumo. Tubby Dog's Japanese-style hot dog.

Tubby Dog serves big all-beef dogs, unless you otherwise specify that you would prefer another type. I have to admit, I am not a fan of the standard Tubby Dog ... dog. I think the texture is not ... hot doggy enough. With that personal bias set aside, there is always the composition of flavours to consider. The flavours are really intense on this hot dog, due to the wasabi and pickled ginger. They pack on the pickled ginger as if it is sourkraut, and the wasabi is straight wasabi and isn't much mellowed out by the Japanese mayo.  The seaweed salad has a nice sesame flavour, though it was a bit overwhelmed by the other toppings. I was excited to try it on a hot dog, but alas, I think it's maybe just a tad bit chewy. All in all, this wasn't a terrible hot dog, but I'm doubtful I would order it again.

After my Tubby Dog experience, I was a little wary of Japanese flavours on my hot dogs. Still, I had to try a place that ONLY serves Japanese-style hot dogs. Maybe they could do it right and the hype is deserved. It really is easy to just stumble upon Japadog in Vancouver, however the menu varies from location to location. I found a truck with the back opened up for service, and very friendly, very Japanese dudes back there working. I told them it was my first time and what would they recommend, and they told me to get the Beef Terimayo. 

This is an all-beef hot dog featuring Japanese mayo, onion, teriyaki sauce and nori seaweed. The hot dog itself is an ordinary sized hot dog, much smaller than Tubby Dog's. It was spiral slit and grilled and absolutely delicious. I could actually taste the Japanese mayo, since it wasn't drowned out by wasabi or pickled ginger. It played together nicely with the teriyaki, and the more traditional onions. The nori has a more subtle taste. I was entirely satisfied with this hot dog and I can't wait to return to Vancouver to try out the other flavour combinations. 

Well, so I've made it pretty clear that I think Japadog is superior to Tubby Dog. That's not to say that Tubby Dog is a bad institution. Tubby Dog plays an important role in the Calgary scene, and I really like the vibe I get from the place. It's also cool that Tubby Dog is a Sled Island venue. Sometimes it's fun to put peanut butter and jelly on your hot dog. Also, I remember the chilli being pretty tasty. I am just not a big fan of piling on toppings for the sake of novelty, so it's not my thing. I am more interested in balancing the flavours so that the product is a cohesive unit of flavour and yum. In this respect, I think Japadog is the winner. After all, Japadog is is operated by real Japanese people, whereas I get the impression that Tubby Dog was a bunch of dudes who sat around and said "Let's put some Japanese stuff on a hot dog. Yeah man... that's EXTREME!" So if I want a bacon wrapped hot dog with chilli, peanut butter, fried eggs and captain crunch cereal on it, I'll go to Tubby Dog. For my Japanese hot dogs, I'll be flying to Vancouver for Japadog. I can honestly say I think that's one of the best hot dogs I've ever had. How's that for over-hyping a place?!

Japadog 

899 Burrard St.

Vancouver, BC

Website

Tubby Dog 

1022 17 Ave SW

Calgary

403-244-0694

Website

Rocky's Burger Bus

I finally did it! I discovered the best hamburger in Calgary! Well, in my subjective opinion and based on my personal research... but I'm pretty confident that this is it. I would be perfectly happy never again eating a hamburger from Peter's or 5 Guys if only I could eat this hamburger for the rest of my life. 

Nothing special you say. Look at the bun. Pretty simple. No fancy toppings. Looks like a backyard BBQ hamburger, but maybe that's why I like it. I like the simplicity of good quality beef. I think novelty toppings usually just spoil a burger (unless they are masterfully selected), and I am sick and tired of burger places that use frozen machine pressed burgers. And I'm looking directly at Burger Inn who told me they have the best burger in the city and then took the patty out of the deep freeze and microwaved it RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE... OMG!!! I'm tired of settling for less.

Just look at that beef! It's thick and juicy.Yes it's quality, fresh and local. Yes, it's made by hand and cooked perfectly. Besides cheese there is only like, relish and onions on it, and I don't even like relish. But one bite and I was silent, and I handed the burger to my friend Jenna who wasn't hungry and she took a bite and was silent. We both agreed it was the best burger we had ever had. One thing I can't stand is pretension. Give me real ingredients for a reasonable price from a old bus in an industrial park and I am much happier than I would be sitting in Loungeburger. The only thing, of course, is that you have to eat outside. This was really quite pleasant on the nice sunny day that we went, despite being in an industrial park. Also, Rocky's is only open during the week and only til 4pm. So it can be hard to catch them when they're open.

The poutine was really good too!

But I beg you all... please experiment for yourself. Don't believe the hype. Make your own opinions. We all deserve to eat the best food, and not to settle for less.

1120 46 Ave SE (Blackfoot Industrial Park)

403 - 243- 0405

Perogy Boyz ft. The Hose and Hound

Well, I jumped on the bandwagon and found myself a food truck. Perogy Boyz was sitting on 12th Ave by Memorial Park and I made sure to hit it up on my way to work. I love perogies and three varieties were offered that day. Traditional (cottage cheese and potato), duck with saskatoon berry relish (or some such thing) and Mexi (ground beef, cheese.. something like that). It was something like 5 or 6 perogies for 7 DOLLARS! Oh my... and they wouldn't let me mix and match. That doesn't make sense... same price for duck as for potato?

It was my first time, so I went for the traditional. They were cooked and flavoured adequately enough but they were THIN. When I am paying 7 DOLLARS for cheese and potato, I'd better get a cheese and potato explosion in my mouth upon biting. But this wasn't the case. These were just okay. And all the hype and social media marketing and trend following does not justify the price.

I had better perogies at the Hose & Hound last week:

The bean and cheese empanandas were good too, with a spicy remoulade sauce. 

THE END

Perogy Boyz
Website

The Hose and Hound
1030 9 Ave SE (Inglewood)
Website

Stuffed Tofu

Before moving to Calgary, I spent two weeks on a friend's floor in Nelson, BC. This was the final destination of a cross-Canada trek that had consumed us for the last month. My travel companion, Aaron, had a place all ready for him in Nelson, as he intended on going to school there. I intended on moving to Calgary, but I was in no rush, so we spent our days exploring the beautiful town of Nelson together. Unfortunately, we had no television, no computer, no stereo, no fancy iphones and ... no friends! So we would make a daily trip to the library to get books, and a daily trip to the grocery store to plan our nightly collaborative meal. 

Nelson is full of fresh local food. Every household has its own garden and compost pile. The Nelson Brewery makes some excellent micro brews, and there is even a local tofu-making facility. I discovered Silverking tofu at a corner store in Nelson (yes, you can buy tofu in corner stores in Nelson), and it is by far the best tofu I've ever had. You can pick it up here in Calgary at Community Natural Foods.

 One night we came up with this strange idea to pack some goats cheese onto some of this lovely tofu, and then bread it and fry it. The experiment went well, structurally speaking, but there was something missing in terms of flavour. Out of our limited condiment selection I chose some grainy Dijon mustard to pair with this dish. I may not be a flavour genius, but I really enjoyed the pairing of goats cheese and grainy mustard and we ended up making this twice in the two weeks I was in Nelson.

This is the original attempt: Nelson, BC 2009

Second attempt is more structurally sound.

Some time later I was contemplating what I think is a common idea amongst vegetarians, namely, stuffed tofu. Can it be stuffed? Will it fall apart? What to stuff it with? Then it occurred to me that I could improve upon the Nelson recipe by slicing the tofu in half and stuffing it with spinach and Dijon mustard. Eureka! 

The process is a bit delicate because tofu does have the potential to break apart. But in the picture below you can see how I am able to hold back the top flap and spread the Dijon mustard onto the bottom. Notice how the tofu is still connected at the hinge.

I cooked some frozen spinach with some garlic powder, for good measure. Then I stuffed the spinach into the tofu. You can also see below how the goats cheese is pressed into the top of the tofu. It's good to get a nice thick layer without damaging the tofu. I suppose you could try putting the goats cheese into the tofu, as this would be consistent with the idea of "stuffing" ... but this is what I've always done, and I like how the cheese gets melty under the crunchy breadcrumb coating. 

It is strangely not that difficult to dip the compiled tofu into the beaten egg and roll it in bread crumbs. Then it's just a matter of frying it. You'll have to be a little delicate with the cheese-side of the tofu. If you're that worried about it, try putting the cheese inside the tofu instead of on top. But I stick by my methods of madness. I also recommend turning the tofu onto all sides so that it is golden brown all around. 

Viola! Here is my answer to the question of stuffed tofu. This may not be the healthiest tofu preparation ever, but you are already dropping calories by eating tofu instead of meat. So rejoice!

Stuffed Tofu

(recipe pertains to one serving, but you can expand upon it... obviously...)

1 relatively thick tofu steak*

3 cubes frozen spinach (or a big 'ol handful if not cubed)

1 clove garlic, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp grainy Dijon

1/3 tube of soft goats cheese

1 egg, beaten
breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper

1) Carefully slice tofu steak down the middle, being careful not to dismantle it, and leaving it connected at the seam.

3) Spread the inside with Dijon mustard.

4) Cook the spinach and garlic in a skillet. Once cooked, carefully place it on top of the mustard inside the tofu steak.

5) Pat goats cheese on top of tofu steak.

6) Dip tofu steaks in egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.

7) Fry in oil.

* A "tofu steak" is my term for a portion of tofu cut the longest and widest way from the block. I use it in many of my dishes where I am adapting a meat 'n' potatoes dish to tofu. I also strongly advise you to freeze and thaw your tofu before using it, as this creates a more meaty texture. It is also quite important to carefully squeeze some water out of your tofu before preparing it.