all the crap that the media has put us through with respect to healthy eating and low carb diets over the last decade, you wouldn’t think that the food wars playing out in the streets of Calgary would have anything to do with of all things – Pizza. But pizza is in fact the buzz of Calgary’s food scene, that and poutine of course.

If you go to Urbanspoon’s Calgary page you will quickly notice that two of the ten “talk of the town” restaurants are pizza joints, including Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria in the number one position. You will also notice that under best fine dining, Ristorante Pulcinella is ranked third. Given the quality of pizza being put out by these two restaurants this is really no surprise. Both use the Napoletana standard when it comes to how they cook their pizzas. The Napoletana standard outlines many aspects of how to cook authentic Neapolitan pizza, including the type of flour (“00″), cooking temperature (800°F), 90 second cook times, and the use of fresh basil to name a few.

The taste and structures of these two pizza joints flatbreads could not be more different however. Pulcinella tends to have a thinner crust, uses mostly cured meats, and has what I love, a slightly burnt crust. To me, the charred flavor is what sets Pulcinella apart, that and the sometimes dismal service. It is not uncommon to have a poorly trained server at Pulicinella mix up an order, or worse poor wine from a bottle into a glass that contains a completely different wine. The latter of these two mishaps has happened to us twice when in large groups, where a waitress picked up a random bottle off the table and without asking started topping up random glasses that appeared to have the same wine merely because they were also red. This treatment of wine as water shows that there is good intent, but a complete lack of formal training at what many consider a fine dining restaurant.

Famoso on the other hand takes a completely different approach. They have steered away from full service all together, putting the emphasis back on the pizza. At Famoso you are seated, you pick what you would like, go to the counter to order, and then the food is delivered just like it would be at any other restaurant. When you are done they clear your table for you and bring you the bill. I love this concept because there is no waiting for a busy server, no being interrupted during conversation, and no pressure (unless of course from your dining partners) to order on someone else’s schedule. Furthermore, Famoso’s much bigger rotating oven cooks upwards of 11 pizza’s where Pulcinella’s only cooks four. For a much smaller restaurant this means much faster service and all pizza’s showing up at once rather than being dispersed, as is the case when you go to Pulcinella in a large group.

Famoso also offers what they call “New World Pizza’s”. Instead of sticking to the classic Italian pizza’s, they make an attempt to offer something for everyone, mixing the old with the new. Their Bianca sauce, which is olive oil, garlic, and oregano, is to die for, especially on their Pollo pizza. However, even with the variety of flavors, I can’t take my mind off of the charred taste that is synonymous with Pulcinella. While I love everything Famoso, that charred taste is what will keep me returning to the slightly less customer friendly, and slightly more expensive Pulcinella. But who am I kidding, you will probably find me at Famoso quite often as well.

Pulcinella what we like

• Charred Flavor
• Original Napoletana restaurant in Calgary
• Location – Kensington

Famoso what we like

• Great Service
• New World Pizza’s
• Bigger Oven
• Location – Mission

Happy eating,

Nolan

When you are looking for a place for breakfast there are some great options in Calgary.  One of the newer additions to the Calgary breakfast scene is Cora’s breakfast and lunch restaurant, with two locations South & Northwest.  Cora’s started out in a snack bar in Montreal’s Ville St. Laurent and later expanded into a successful franchise throughout Quebec, GTA, and has slowly made it’s was West. The first Calgary restaurant opened in the far south on 130th in 2007, and another opened in Northland mall in 2008. Although it has been around for 3 years, many Calgarians are unaware of all the deliciousness that is Cora’s and if you are looking to switch up your weekend breakfast or brunch routine Cora’s would be a great option!

They literally have EVERYTHING on this menu, from your regular eggs benny and bacon and eggs to more “inventive” creations like 1990′s Harvest (Brioche style french toast, with eggs and bacon and a mountain of fruit) and interesting omelette, waffle and crepe combinations. The interesting names all have history and come from Cora’s willingness to take her early customers suggestions on menu items.  A lot of the offerings are named after the clientele that helped create them from the April 1989 to the Egg’s Maurice. The founder is clearly thankful to the people who made her restaurant a success.  And they are still happy to take suggestions, if you want asparagus and bacon in your omelette just let them know and they will be happy to oblige.  Another thing Cora’s is known for is the large amount of fresh fruit that is served with every plate. Take a look at the pictures and you will see what I mean.

For breakfast it’s reasonably priced and the portions are huge.  But plan on waiting for a table because word is clearly getting around Calgary that Cora’s offers some solid food.  The meal is worth the wait, so come hungry and try one of their many breakfasts choices.

Happy Eating! Jen

What we liked:

• Big portions
• Tons of fruit
• Something for everyone

What we didn’t like:

• Paper thin slices of bacon
• Omelette needed more seasoning

There is a little old house in Calgary that sits on a quiet cross street between two busy one ways. It has been renovated and retrofitted, making it a romantic little spot for lovers, friends, or colleagues alike to dine. It is where vintage architecture meets modern food. It is the Laurier Lounge.

Somewhat famous for its Fondu, the Laurier Lounge has been creating quite a stir. Young, old, everyone seems to want to claim Laurier as their own favorite restaurant. It is understandable, the food is fantastic. From the Duck Confit Poutine, to the enduring wine list, Laurier has all of the basis covered. The food is tasty, the atmosphere superb, the only thing that even remotely comes into question is the price.

While the food is great, it isn’t as great as what they charge for it. If you travel down the street to District you will get a similar, if not better quality of food because it is local, for half the price. We found the fondue to be disappointing for no other reason than the meat they served seemed to be no better quality than what you would get at Codo in their $7.95 soup. At $45 a person, you would hope that you could differentiate. I would guess that they would argue that the meat is a better cut, but that is irrelevant when the presentation screams “I should have brought my own meat!”

One thing that you wouldn’t want to bring on your own however is the chocolate for the Callebaut chocolate fondue. Now here is something most people don’t know. Just because you are eating Callebaut chocolate, doesn’t mean it is Bernard Callebaut. It is more likely Barry Callebaut Chocolate. Bernard has done an amazing job of tricking Calgarians into thinking that all Callebaut chocolate is his Callebaut chocolate. The truth is not all Callebaut chocolate is Bernard’s, but almost all of Bernard’s is Barry’s? Confusing? Bernard Callebaut orders authentic Callebaut chocolate from the much larger Belgium chocolate company Barry Callebaut, then after he forms it into his confectionery creations it becomes Bernard Callebaut chocolate. Most of the Belgium chocolate makers around the world use Callebaut chocolate to make their creations. So Callebaut fondu, more than likely, has nothing to do with Bernard.

What we liked

• Tasty food
• Amazing Duck Confit Poutine
• Atmosphere

What we didn’t like

• Outrageous prices
• Dissapointing quantity and quality when it came to the fondue meat

Question of the Day – What is your favorite summertime beverage? Answer in the Foodie Thoughts section at the bottom.

Last weekend we attended Taste of Calgary. While the food was great, we really enjoyed indulging in the alcoholic beverage varietals. Though we normally drink wine, we steered clear on this occasion, sampling things we normally would not try. The Brew Brothers came out on top with their four products making our list. It turns out that they are the beer the District Brews on site, which I guess is why we liked it most. The SoHo Mojitos were good as well, and the one wine we tried – Raging Bull – was good, but not much more than a relabeled for Cork version of Deerfields Cab Sauv. So without further a due, here is our top ten list of beverages from Taste of Calgary.

1. Highwood Distillers Sweet Sippin Maple Whisky
2. Brew Brothers Ambush Pale Ale
3. Brew Brothers Tumblewheat Hefeweizen
4. SoHo Original Mojito
5. Raging Bull Cab Sauv (Although you can probably buy it cheaper as the DeerField Cab Sauv)
6. Tree Brewing Hefeweizen
7. Brew Brothers Black Pilsner Dark Lager
8. Brew Brothers Prairie Pilsner
9. Ashai
10. SoHo Mojito

Happy drinking,

Nolan

A couple of weeks ago we posted a request for burger recipes, with our favorite to be posted on Calgaryfoodies.com. We received several recipes, all delicious in their own right. However, our favorite was chosen not necessarily because of the ingredients, but because of the way it was cooked – in the oven. This recipe brings bbq inside and can be cooked year round without the risk of frozen fingers. Congrats to Ling  Cullen on her recipe!

I had to adapt “The Classic” from a BBQ burger recipe to an Oven/broiler burger once I moved and no longer had a BBQ to use. “The BBQ-less Classic” is about getting the BBQ sear without a BBQ.

Heat a cast iron skillet in your oven while it …preheats to 400 degrees.

Burgers that I make are usually just the sirloin ground patties from costco; sometimes I will do a 50/50 groundbeef and turkey mix(though really not as “classic”)

In my 10 inch skillet I can cook two burgers at a time. Take your hot castiron skillet out of the oven and put it on the stove top burner turned to medium. (this will help maintain the heat the CastIron has stored)

Put your burgers down on the pan and leave it for at least 2 whole minutes, or when you can tell the pan has released your patties. Flip them over and replace the whole pan back into your 400 degree oven for a hot finish.

The end result should be a wonderfully browned, yet still juicy burger just like the BBQ used to make! (sniffsniff I miss you BBQ)

(I am a weirdo and still like my burger Medium so you can sort of just cook it till your desired doneness.)

Look no further on the toppings front than : sliced tomato, sliced pickle, lettuce, banana peppers.

Serve up on a grainy, chewy whole wheat bun. (or you know whatever sorta bun you like)

When you are on the go protein bars are a good way to get a quick source of fuel in between meals. If i am not prepared with quick healthy snacks, I will no doubt grab something that isn’t good for me because I am hungry an like to save my carbs for other delicious food, not just filler.

After Doing some searching on the internet I managed to come up with my own version for great tasting clean protein bars that are fairly low in carbs and easy to make. They are perfect for after the gym, or a quick breakfast in the morning and the best thing is you can make them to suit your tastes.

Here is the recipe:

Clean Protein Bars

1 cup nut butter (I used Natural Almond butter) if you want to cut down the fat you can use less and add more water
3 tablespoons honey (you can also use Agave nectar, but honey is less carbs)
1 1/2 cups Whey protein powder (I used a mixture of chocolate and vanilla)
1 cup uncooked oats
5-7 tablespoons water
1/4 cup dried fruit of your choice, I used blueberries and mango

Combine and press into a baking pan. Place in the fridge to harden cut and wrap in foil for a quick snack on the go.

Each bar has 16 grams of protein (slightly less if you reduce the amount of nut butter), 11 grams of fat (also less if you decrease the amount of nut butter and 13 grams of carbs.

Compared to a with 44g of carbs and only 10 grams of protein, these are a great alternative. Try adding coconut, apricots, dried cherries, cranberries or nuts. Whatever suits your personal taste! If you want to increase the amount of protein make sure to add more liquid.

Enjoy!

Jen

There are a few skills for cooking that are seriously worth knowing. To name a few, how to dice an onion properly, proper knife handling, how to clean a crab, butcher a piece of meat, fillet a fish, and so on. One of the coolest skills however is learning how to shuck an oyster. It is so simple, so easy to prepare, and a culinary delight that might just get the old libido going.

We recently set out on an adventure to learn how to shuck our own oysters, and the below video describes what we learned.

This is an interesting talk on how food shapes our cities from Architect Carolyn Steel. The prime example is London where specific areas are named after the food product most common to the area. For example Bread Street and Poultry Street. She traces the routes different types of food take to their destinations within cities, and how that has shaped the ways cities are laid out.

There are several interesting stats including 1/3 of the world’s grain supply is fed to animals to feed us, and meat that we eat has to eat 10 times as much grain in order to provide us with the same amount of nutrients had we eaten the grain ourselves. As is the case with all TED Talks, this one is quite thought provoking. It makes you think about how truly remarkable it is that a city of a million people like Calgary can have enough food shipped to it daily to essentially feed 3 million meals a day.

My name is Jen and I am having a love affair with coffee… there I said it.  My dad, who is one of the funniest people I know, lovingly called me a “coffee whore” recently and we had to explain him that he likely meant “coffee snob” because a “coffee whore” would drink whatever coffee came her way, while I am fairly particular.

This is a love that has evolved over my nearly 30 years on this earth and I can now honestly say that we are in a full blown committed relationship.  I started early at 16, sitting for hours at the local pizza joint, drinking cups and cups of whatever swill they made by the pot while I chain smoked (yes I know, not proud of this), thinking I was the coolest and most adult 16 year old around.  Turns out I wasn’t cool at all and at 29 and just 5 foot 2 inches I blame the smoking and coffee combo for the fact that I will never be a model.  I soon moved on to the “Double double” from Tim’s, to the latte, mocha and now even love a good doppio espresso or Americano every now and then.  At home we brew coffee using a French press and we also have our own espresso machine.  I love trying new coffee places and for a small town Canmore has at least a dozen great coffee shops, Divine Cravings being one of them.

They offer all your favorite coffee selections from espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, mocha and white mochacinos to french pressed coffee and tea in three sizes. They serve coffee from Fratello Coffee Roasters a Calgary based boutique coffee roaster that offers some great selections. Then there is the ultimate, the “Divine Coffee” which is Espresso, caramel, chocolate, milk, whipped cream, topped with caramel and chocolate flakes.  And if you are feeling crazy, and yes we were, you can add soft ice cream to the mix for an iced dessert like coffee treat that is… well… Divine!

They are not just coffee mind you, they offer a wide variety of hard ice cream with a selection of about 12 flavours, soft serve, milk shakes and “Twisters”. Plus an extensive menu of crepes, both sweet and savory.  Some of the selections that caught my eye were “the Divine” which combined apple, old cheddar and maple syrup, “the Peak” Ham, asparagus, Swiss cheese and Bechamel sauce, and “the Hoodoo” which blended pear, honey and almond.

Although we only had room for coffee, Divine Cravings is on our list of places to return to the next time we are in Canmore to try their crepes and some French pressed coffee. Divine creations helps cement Canmore as a foodie haven.

Your Calgary Foodie coffee whore… err.. snob…

Coffee lover,

Jen

What we liked

• Great atmosphere, menu and service
• Interesting crepe menu with something for everyone
• Sinful “Divine Coffee”

What I didn’t like

• “Divine Coffee” is so good I don’t even want to think of the calorie content. I am glad Canmore is an hour away.

A couple weeks ago on one of our many trips to Camore and the Kananaskis we stopped at Santa Lucia Italian Restaurant for some pasta.  This is a treat for me because pasta and I don’t have a very good relationship.   My diet is fairly low carb and I generally have two different veggies with dinner over pasta or rice.  So pasta, while I enjoy it  is not a big staple in my diet.  The only other time I indulge in pasta is when Nolan makes homemade pasta at home, something we will certainly have to post a recipe to in the future as it is out of this world. That being said when I do have pasta at a restaurant I want it to be worth it and the dish at Santa Lucia was most definitelyworth the extra 45-60 mins on the treadmill.

This restaurant has a nice modern feel and a fairly straight forward menu with some interesting choices and definitely something for everyone. I settled on a Mediterranean style dish with sundried tomato, olives and feta on a spinach penne which was really delicious.  The pasta, while not as fresh as the homemade stuff I get spoiled with, was probably made in house and was the perfect mixture of tender and al dente. Here is where my dish won, it was not covered in sauce that over took the pasta, but rather had the perfect blend of citrus and olive oilto compliment the other toppings. Nolan’s choice, the lasagna with giant meatballs baked with so much cheese it looked sinful.  Others around us noshed on authentic margherita pizzas and other delicious Italian pasts favorites all looked and smelled amazing.  The Chianti  we ordered was the perfect pair for this meal, and we both enjoyed our choices. The people around us seemed to enjoy themselves as well, we even over head a “regular” talking to server about just missing another regular dinner at the restaurant so they certainly have a good following. The spumoni ice cream we shared at the end was the perfect finish, although I wish I had though to order an espresso, next time I suppose.

My only comment and perhaps small negative about the restaurant was the service.  The server was certainly friendly and sounded strangely somewhat like Ellen Degeneres, was pretty chatty so sometimes it took a bit to get her attention while she finished up her conversations with other tables. Really not a huge deal given that the restaurant was only half full, but a little annoying at times.

What we liked:

• Atmosphere and menu were top notch
• Good food and fairly reasonable prices
• Decent wine list

What we didn’t like:

• Somewhat slow service but friendly none the less

Happy Eating!
Jen