NOTABLE THE RESTAURANT

Notable The Restaurant–4611 Bowness Road.

I met eight of the most wonderful ladies at Notable the other evening.  This was my second visit to this restaurant, and it was not a disappointment.  We had reserved a table that was tucked off to the side but not completely out of view of the restaurant.  It was nice that we did not have a bunch of tables pushed together in the main seating area.  We had our own space and privacy, it was not quiet but I still enjoyed being apart of the hustle of the restaurant.  

Our waitress was attentive and knowledgable about the menu, which was good for me–I could not make a decision for the life of me–too many great choices.  I shared the appie size of Ravioli of confit chicken, roast mushroom and Boursin cheese.  I have a weakness for Boursin cheese it is so tasty-so I felt I could not refuse this appie.  It had lots of flavour, and it was a good portion size.  It was luke warm when it arrived and I would have liked for it to be hot. 

Second I had the red kuri squash with pumpkin soup–I was so happy to see that it was steaming hot when the waitress removed the lid from the soup bowl! It was a perfect winter heart warming soup! Of course I had to add some wood fire-grilled bread with garlic confit–soup and bread are a perfect match–throw in garlic and we are in heaven!

My only problem with Notable is the heat–both times I have been there it has been too hot in the restaurant.  I know they were working on it during the summer but too hot in the winter–come on–get it right!

The food and service were great, the company I was with was fabulous and I can not wait for our next adventure in March!

A Lady Bug Bakery and Cafe

 2132-10 Aspen Stone Blvd, Calgary, AB. 403-249-5530.

If you are ever up in Aspen Calgary, go grab a drink and something to eat at A Lady Bug Bakery and Cafe.  It is a trendy spot to have a  snack or meal.  Sunday mid morning was a really busy time, but the line to order moved fairly quick and we found a seat with no problem.  There is a decent sized menu and it took me awhile to choose-sometimes I can be so indecisive.  But with a line up behind me I felt the pressure to get going.  I ended up with a green chai tea, it was decent but I was not sold on the flavour–it just didn’t seem quite right.  My husband had a sandwich which he really liked.  My kids got treated to a piece of decadent cake and we ended up sharing cause it was really good!

I really enjoyed the ambiance of this place with the crowd of people and cool decor you could just sit back and people watch, next time I will just pick a different drink to try.

Murrieta’s Westcoast Bar and Grill

200-808 1st Street SW, Calgary.

The stone work in this building creates an atmosphere of warmth and comfort.  I love that we just showed up and found a seat in the lounge-which has the same menu as the restaurant and we could catch the hockey and golf that was on.  The seating was well spaced and I didn’t feel like we were sitting with the tables next to us-it felt comfortable and private and the fireplace was an added bonus of comfort in this cold city. 

The menu options were okay–I was hoping for a few more options.  We started with the Trio of Dips for $9–They were Balsamic Glazed Ratatouille, Butternut Squash Hummus, and Roasted Eggplant, Feta, Mint, and Spinach.  It came with grilled flat bread.  Our appie was a bit disappointing as it was lacking in flavour.

For dinner I had pasta.  The Tiger Prawn Tagliatini–Red Thai Curry, Coconut and Kaffir Lime Cream–it was really good-lots of flavour and veggies!

My husband chose the 1/2 chicken.  He felt that it was not half a chicken and there were only 3 small potatoes–his food was bland–so he dived into mine.  I always seem to share–like it or not! 

I would definitely go back-great food, excellent service, and I love the atmosphere!

Avocado Resturant & Lounge

340 17 Ave SW, Calgary is the location we checked out.  They do have a patio but it was really windy that day so we opted to sit inside.  The moment we walked into the restaurant we felt like uninvited guests.  We went early, as we most often do and there were only a handful of other people in the restaurant.  The person that sat us at our table was friendly but complaining about his allergies–I don’t need to know about your allergies unless you sneeze on or near my food–more professionalism would be nice. 

Our friendly waitress was also our bartender-who was looking up how to make our drinks–which is fine we all need to learn somewhere.  The menu was short and lacking in variety.  I am not a picky eater and nothing on the menu stood out at me as a meal I would be interested in eating.  I ordered the Veggie Burrito and it was okay–just okay-I never did finish it.  We did not order dessert–my husband did have a Bailey’s latte which was good.  

With the lack of good choices on the menu and the lack of ambiance I won’t be going back to this restaurant anytime soon.

La Brezza Ristorante

http://www.labrezza.ca/

La Brezza is located in the trendy area of Bridgeland, Calgary.   Marco Abdi-owner- has been running this restaurant for 25 years, in the same early 20th century house.  The restaurant is cozy, with a separate area for a group of about 15.  The staff is genuine and friendly, especially Marco who was welcoming and very social to every person in the restaurant. 

The variety of traditional Italian appies were full of flavour,  and oh “have you tried the Calamari?” –yes! It was very good with a hint of spice, Mama’s meatballs were tasty as was the salsa.  My glass of white Casasole 2010 was semi-sweet, light in body with tones of flora and stone fruit, honey and herbal hints.  I would have paired it with a dessert but it was great for sipping on before our appetizers came out–I can not complain the whole evening was a success!

The reason for my visit to La Brezza was for a social media event and I have to say that with the wonderful people in attendance, the fabulous food, and the welcoming staff, I will return for a full meal.

Calgary Stampede

YEEHAWW!!! It’s nearly the end of the Calgary Stampede.  A great place to go, especially for young kids (best if kids are 3 and up!).  There are rides for the little ones-that yes, the parents can go on–its squishy but you can manage! Games are fun to play–expensive at $5.00 per try–some games are less.  There is food and drink at every turn–I was really excited to see Rajdoot East Indian restaurant on the midway! The fresh Lemonade is great and refreshing.  Pineapple ice cream-YUM!  The chips–potatoes sliced in a perfect spiral on a stick are plain but nice to look at–of course we ate them–they just were not exciting in flavour.  As always mini doughnuts are a hit and so is any type of meat on a bun.  It’s Stampede it’s a time to indulge!  The wine Gardens look fab and the free ice skating show is an hour-long and full of energy.  Horses, goats, and more…I could go on and on.  You can easily spend the whole day there.  It is not a cheap event, but hey, it is only once per year. Hurry–Tomorrow is the last day!!

Wildhorse Saloon

Wildhorse Saloon is located on 4th Ave and 6th Street Calgary.  This is the place to be for Stampede if you don’t mind standing in line for 2 hours, using a port-a-potty and getting drinks dropped at your feet throughout the evening.  And be sure to use the washroom before you exit because even though you have paid $20 to $25 (apparently cover charge prices are subject to change at any given time of the night) you will not be permitted to re-enter to use the disgusting facilities.

If I had a do-over the following is what I would do differently.  Insert catheter prior to leaving home (seriously…I can’t say anything nice about a port-a-potty).  Empty your bank account prior to arrival.  Get there early…6pm is when the line up started.  Wear closed toe-ed shoes…no sandals, cowboy boots are perfect! When you purchase your drinks–listen carefully most bar staff will hose you at any given opportunity.  Wildhorse Saloon is a tent over a parking lot, it is attached to a bar called Local 522.  When inside Wildhorse go to the food  area and you will see a ramp outside–this connects you to Local 522–a nice area with flushable toilets and no line up at the bar!!

Okay lets talk food–Burgers are about $10, cheese is an additional $2 and a scoop of salad is $4.  Food was decent.  There are no fries…this did not sit well with the group I was with

Music–was a mix of old school rock, top 40 and country. 

The Wildhorse is busy, people are having fun and many are staggering drunk.  If you are looking for a one nighter this would be the place to go.  Even the guy who chose to wear a full blue body suit found some love.

Sociale

606-1st Street South West, Calgary,  is where you will find Sociale.  A chilled out lounge upstairs and a restaurant bar downstairs.  Wednesday evenings they have $5 glass of wine, and live music-which was fabulous!! Unfortunately we decided to go there on a whim and ate beforehand.  So…I can not comment on the food.  The menu looks good, prices are okay–a smidge pricey, but if the food is worth it then I am happy to spend a bit more.  Anyone eaten there? I’d love to hear about it!

The decor and atmosphere at Sociale is fab, the wine and music was fab the only downfall is the bathroom is downstairs so after a few bevies you have to be extra cautious on the stairs, and diligent about navigating through the restaurant.  That is my only complaint!

I would definitely go back. 

 

 

Photofacial #2

Perhaps walking around in a Berka for most of my life would have been easier than dealing with photofacials.  Having photofacials done during the spring and summer months while the sun is out is a mistake because you can not keep your face covered up enough–and sunscreen is NOT enough coverage.  To keep this simple, lets just say that if you get a photofacial then go outdoors the Melanocytes (sorry…too technical) produced by your skin will add more pigment to your sun damage thus making your sun damaged areas even darker!  This is the exact reverse of what you set out to do when you get a photofacial.

I bravely went and completed my second of three photofacials.  I spoke with the technician about keeping my sun damage at bay and she said that the first few days post photofacial your skin is more susceptible to burn i.e. stay inside for at least 3 days. After that just wear your 30 SPF religiously and try to avoid sun exposure.  Since patio season is right around the corner I may have to put the third treatment off until the fall or winter.

The treatment was exactly the same as the first time-goggles on, gel on face, sit still, curse loudly in my head and endure the torture.   Well…it is the same treatment except the technician turns the machine up so the laser is stronger and gets even deeper into your skin!  This deep laser treatment is great for my sun damage but not so great for my pain tolerance.  It hurts–I can’t lie or fake it–it definitely makes me dread going for my third and final treatment.  I can not wait until this is over!  I can strongly say that I will not do this again…perhaps microdermabrasion and chemical peels are more up my facial rejuvenation alley.

Have I noticed a difference? Yeah a little bit.  My skin is even more pale then it was to start with and my larger sun damaged areas have faded but are not gone–yet–fingers still crossed for the final treatment.   I will keep you posted on the third treatment which will not be for a while (thank goodness I can breathe easy for a little while).  Can I put Emla cream on my face to numb it?? I should have asked!

Have you had a photofacial? Did it hurt? I am wondering if there are better and/or worse machines out there??

Mango Shiva

#218 -8th Ave SW Calgary,  http://www.mangoshiva.com/

Mango Shiva has the Indian food fabulous factor! The ambiance, the knowledgable staff,  and of course the food and wine!  The staff did not hesitate to accommodate us even when the restaurant was full.  We ended up sitting at the bar for our entire meal, which worked out great cause the bartender helped us narrow down our choices–but he was not in our face the entire meal–which is why I hesitate to even sit at the bar at most restaurants.  The food was prepared fresh and came quickly.  The food was a bit on the spicy side, but it was not too spicy that I could not continue eating.  The best thing about Indian food is the flavour of all the different spices used.  It is something that I did not grow up with-and I definitely missed out!  Indian Food is a must try!!

When I go back I will ask if they could add a bit less heat–a bit less heat (Hot spice) means I can enjoy the mix of Indian spices used.  Overall the food was great, the service was great and the ambiance was great!  Let me know if you have been and what your experience was.