tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34339345011121583402024-03-05T19:56:24.519-08:00The Open BananaA Calgary-based food blog that wishes it was in Halifax.shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-71863946859147595992012-08-12T20:05:00.000-07:002012-08-30T10:44:44.213-07:00Old Blog New Blog
The Open Banana is officially finished. This was a test blog for my limited time in Calgary and to learn about blogging.My new and improved and very exciting blog is called: Eat This TownIf you have enjoyed this blog, please redirect there. It is Halifax-based but will feature foods from various regions (there will be more on Calgary!).
Thanks for reading,
Shipwrekktshipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-52892358559718988882011-12-12T00:36:00.000-08:002011-12-12T00:36:51.806-08:00Broken 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-46674932049517172252011-11-30T17:21:00.000-08:002011-11-30T17:21:08.994-08:00Buchanan'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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-36837091563158510062011-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:002011-11-25T15:22:21.435-08:00Below 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-42542439864249865352011-11-07T19:53:00.000-08:002011-11-07T19:53:07.939-08:00Bow 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-52393618856294461592011-11-04T12:08:00.000-07:002011-11-04T12:08:11.396-07:00Tom'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 pizzashipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-44475338305514353172011-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:002011-10-16T13:31:42.581-07:00Alley 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-71349370885591929032011-10-14T12:11:00.000-07:002011-10-14T12:11:25.145-07:00Miku 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-3310076216134655462011-10-09T16:55:00.000-07:002011-10-09T16:55:32.116-07:00Japadog's Beef Terimayo vs. Tubby Dog's SumoTubby 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 shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-75477923754533641362011-09-27T16:49:00.000-07:002011-09-28T10:31:56.891-07:00Rocky'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. shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-48503946745864113522011-09-22T14:14:00.000-07:002011-09-22T14:14:30.224-07:00Perogy 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 orshipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-17559419519245166482011-09-17T12:34:00.000-07:002011-09-17T12:42:38.143-07:00Stuffed 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 Nelsonshipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-4533235776702226202011-09-03T14:59:00.000-07:002011-09-03T15:03:10.206-07:00San Francisco Part 5: Gracias Madre & all the rest...
Seeing my enthusiasm for American-Mexican cuisine, my vegetarian host suggested we check out Gracias Madre, which is a vegan Mexican restaurant. I have to admit, I have a HUGE interest in vegetarian Mexican food and I think there should be more of it. Aside from the omission of cheese, this place fit the bill of my dreams. Instead of cheese, it offered a "cashew cheese" which was more of a shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-42582454897373532902011-08-30T14:45:00.000-07:002011-08-30T14:45:26.174-07:00San Francisco Part 4: In & Out Burger
After a long day of touring Napa Valley on a bus and drinking as many free wine samples as I could, what better meal to soak it all up than a good old fashioned American hamburger? Well, I could think of a lot of better options, but In & Out was right there at Fisherman's Wharf, where the bus dropped me off.
Maybe it was the proper finish, because the last winery the bus driver brought us shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-61378632507417107382011-08-30T14:08:00.000-07:002011-08-30T14:09:41.213-07:00San Francisco Part 3: Asqew Grill
I woke up my first day in San Francisco and my friend was at work. She left me some house keys and advised me to take a walk a few blocks down the street to Haight St., the old historic hippie district. Just before leaving I was informed by another friend via facebook that a pretty good place to go on Haight Street was Amoeba Record Store, and also Asqew Grill. So off I went!
I was reluctant to shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-22632260846480183072011-08-29T23:03:00.000-07:002011-08-29T23:03:58.796-07:00San Francisco Part 2: North Bay Italian: The Stinking Rose and Sotto Mare
The other quintessential San Franciscan food I wanted to try was Cioppino (chuh-PEE-noh). Its basically a seafood stew made with a tomato and wine broth, and perhaps a touch of pasta. North Bay is the Italian district of San Fran, with the Italian flag featured on every lamp post and Italian restaurants lining the streets. Cioppino, you may have anticipated, is the creation of Italian shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-10139160434779991642011-08-29T18:56:00.000-07:002011-08-29T18:56:48.828-07:00San Francisco Part 1: Mission Burritos
This is my first blog for the month of August, and my apologies go out to anyone who noticed and/or cared. You see, the lamp on my computer died, leaving me with a stubborn black screen. So I just delightedly bought a new computer, not realizing I would have to wait 10 days for it to come in the mail. So that explains my internet hiatus. Well, that, and I just got back from San Francisco! Why shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-4140330381675473512011-07-19T17:05:00.000-07:002011-07-19T17:05:14.825-07:00My Stampede Food Quest
I had to work every day during Stampede, and as I mentioned in my previous blog post, my life was nothing more than working, drinking and sleeping. It is tradition for workers in my industry to party every night after work until 7am. So it was an exhausting 10 days. I did manage to slip into the Stampede grounds for a few hours before work last weekend in order to do some food research. Inshipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-18232426691753240822011-07-13T14:41:00.000-07:002011-07-13T14:41:31.160-07:00Jeanne's Pizza PantrySo it's Stampede Week in Calgary. Some love it, some hate it, and some tolerate it. As a true blue Scotian I was kind of adverse to it at first, as I am inclined to be adverse to cowboy/redneck culture in general. But I think I get it now. Stampede is more of an attitude, than an event. At least, for us locals. It is an excuse to be stupid for 10 days, and to drink in parking lots and spend shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-11283870504289587032011-06-30T16:38:00.000-07:002011-12-08T16:33:48.517-08:00Red Lentil Kafta
Kafta is great. Kafta is the Lebanese way of saying "kofte", which is the Turkish way of saying, "kufta" which is the Hebrew way of saying kofta, which is the East Indian way of saying, "kefta" which is the Moroccan way of saying.... well.... they all sort of mean "meatball", without necessarily having to involve meat or balls.
In Halifax, Lebanese food is the shiznit and you will find itshipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-6224455756324040442011-06-23T15:17:00.000-07:002011-06-23T16:56:31.981-07:00The Pizza in CalgaryWhen I first moved to Calgary, the only thing more shocking to me than the eggrolls (don't get me started) was the pizza. A friend of mine from back home ranted and raved about Pizza 73. Yeah... its cheap, but very mediocre chain pizza. That's not what I was looking for, though in my confused state of affairs I did settle on Chicago Deep Dish as my favorite pizza chain in Calgary. I also tried shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-20224237152337556942011-06-19T14:54:00.000-07:002011-06-19T14:57:18.708-07:00Vegas SnacksEach day we were in Vegas started off with a buffet. Since these were provided free of charge by our hotel, we didn't venture to the extravagant buffets of the Bellagio, the Rio, Paris, or Planet Hollywood. My advice is, if limited to the Excaliber, the Luxor and Mandolay Bay, skip the first two and go for the latter.
Other than buffets, we just kind of hopped, skipped, and jumped along shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-12987371067221196702011-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:002011-06-19T14:06:50.279-07:00In & Out Burger - Las VegasApparently when the first In & Out Burger opened in Texas, a woman was brought to tears upon her first bite. It was something she was waiting her whole life to try. I was waiting to try it too, as the fast food chain only operates out of California, Arizona, and Nevada. Well, and Texas most recently. Oh, and Utah. Unfortunately, when in Vegas in the mid-afternoon there is a good chance that shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-91946463182816357682011-06-18T15:16:00.000-07:002011-06-18T15:16:48.822-07:00District Welcome to one of my favorite watering holes! I discovered this place by accident last summer, strolling along 11th Ave with a friend. By "strolling" and "by accident", I actually mean deliberate and calculated bar-hopping. It wasn't that I didn't know District existed. It was that I had no idea of the delights that were in store! I was completely taken by the house brewed "black pilsnor" shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433934501112158340.post-37658420159183617192011-06-02T15:53:00.000-07:002011-06-02T15:57:43.900-07:00Gaucho Brazilian BBQHow does one write a review on Brazilian BBQ? The experience can be overwhelming, between runs to the salad bar and the never ending supply of meat that is continuously brought over to your table. Things get sloppy. People get carried away. Stomachs get full. It is a very enjoyable way to spend an evening.
So let's start by explaining what exactly a Brazilian BBQ is, for those not in the know. "shipwrekkthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669455171986181199noreply@blogger.com0