Recipes, restaurants and thoughts from one hungry friend to another.

Chianti Cafe on 32 Ave NE

I was so excited the other week when I was invited by Chianti Cafe Calgary NE (aka Chianti’s to those who use the hip lingo) to come in for a complimentary meal. In addition to any potential and inadvertent influence that might occur from the planned nature of my recent meal there, I should also let…

Hungry in Linden, AB: Country Cousins Bistro & Bakery

Back when our relationship was still adorable and fresh, Matt and I spent a week staycationing around Alberta. When my mom heard we were hitting up some Alberta classics like Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, she suggested we visit one of her favourite lunch spots. Intrigued, we added a stop…

Chimney Dog Eating Competition at Utca

It was such an honour to be asked by Utca Chimney Cakes & Coffee House to come over and judge their chimney dog eating competition. What’s a chimney dog, you ask? To answer that, you first need to understand chimney cakes. Chimney cakes (or kürtőskalács) are hollow tube-shaped pastries made by wrapping dough around a metal…

Calcutta Cricket Club

I can’t believe how long it took for Matt and I to finally visit Calcutta Cricket Club! We were actually inspired to visit after I spent a few hours gazing lovingly at fancy curry photos while writing about our recent trip to Singapore. It seemed like a great time to try another upscale Indian restaurant, this…

YYC Burger Battle 2018: Naina’s, the Embarcadero and Elwood & the Rabbit

This week was the annual YYC Burger Battle! From Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 24, we were treated to some of the wildest burgers our local restaurants could cook up while supporting the Alex, a local organization dedicated to supplying health care, housing and food to some of our most vulnerable Calgarians. Naina’s Kitchen won…

Hungry at Home: Easy Homemade Pizza from Sauce Italian Kitchen & Market

When Aldona of Aldona B Creative reached out to invite me to a pizza-making class at Sauce Italian Kitchen & Market, my first thought was “YES!” followed quickly by an “oh no!” Yes, now that I’ve learned how to prepare my own pizza dough at home, I’m foreseeing many future years of dietary self-sabotage and…

Hungry Abroad: Singapore, Part II

Singapore, we miss you! Writing part II a couple of months after our trip is only reminding me of the bitter sadness I felt the day we packed up to leave. If part I didn’t convince you to visit, some of these stories just might. When I lived in Taiwan in 2011, Taipei-based Din Tai Fung was…

Happy Birthday, MR.SUB!

MR.SUB recently announced a startling fact – 2018 marks the company’s 50th anniversary! They opened their first store in 1968 – the year Pierre Trudeau was first elected, the Rolling Stones released “Jumping Jack Flash” and my sweet baby parents were still in elementary school with no idea that their daughter would one day be…

Cardinale

I was so delighted to be invited to Cardinale for a complimentary lunch and a chance to check out their new spring cocktail list along with a few of their tantalizing menu items. From the moment we stepped inside and smelled the garlicky aroma coming from the kitchen, Matt and I were kicking ourselves for not…

Sunday Brunch at CRAFT Beer Market

Right before Matt and I went on our big Asian adventure last month, we caught brunch with our dear buddy, Tom. Tom and I have known each other for about 20 years (!!!) and he’s pushing hard to finish his PhD this year, so let’s all send him some happy vibes! Tom can’t eat gluten…

Hungry Abroad: Singapore, Part I

I hope you don’t feel that I abandoned you! It’s been a month since my last post because my dear husband and I went on a trip to Asia! … and then I found myself infected with a tropical bug that made me pretty miserable for a few weeks. I’m feeling much better now thanks…

OMO Teppan & Kitchen Launch Party

It was such an honour to be invited by Parker PR to tonight’s opening ceremonies and launch party at OMO Teppan & Kitchen. My dear friend Kim and I swung by the event to get a sense of what OMO is all about while trying a variety of their delicious offerings from cocktails and sushi…