Calgary Food, coffee, etc.

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by Full Mountain

I start at 20% and rarely go under 15% and never go less than 10% for abysmal service.

I have left no tip at all in times when service was abysmal. It hasn't happened often, but I can recall a couple of times when I had servers that were rude or gave attitude and I left them exactly 0%. I can handle mistakes with an order, but not rudeness, or attitude.

[Elbownian]

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

I have left no tip at all in times when service was abysmal. It hasn't happened often, but I can recall a couple of times when I had servers that were rude or gave attitude and I left them exactly 0%. I can handle mistakes with an order, but not rudeness, or attitude.

I've left nothing a few times, and on one especially horrifying occasion, $0.01, just to hammer the point home. Haven't found myself in the position of needing to do so since the introduction of wireless payment units though, which will probably make things a great deal more awkward should it ever happen....

Mission restaurant news: yet another tenant is setting up shop next door to the Mac's on 4th Street. Since Ouzo closed, that location has briefly housed Armadillo and Sips4, and will now be Blonde's Diner. Just did a bit of searching: apparently it'll be brunch-centric, and is run by a former chef from The Ranche. Signage is up, but the windows are still papered and there's no indication as to when they'll open.

[Jimby]

Originally Posted by WIGS

thanks Jimby, because of your recent post I've been craving Indian food so bad, so today I had a pretty darn good lunch buffet at Namskar and am now completely stuffed

I have always wanted to try Namskar, but too many Indian restaurants, too little time!
I was at a friend's office in the NE so we ended up at Inti for their lunch buffet. It was our first experience with Peruvian cuisine and we really liked it. The chicken soup was the best chicken soup I have ever had. I could live on that soup (and bread!).
My friend had a pisco sour "premium" which she liked.
The small buffet had garlic rice and fried rice, salad, beans, chicken stew, beef stew, rotisserie chicken, slice it yourself bread, a delicious dessert that tasted of cherries and other fruit, and rice pudding.
I liked all the food, even the rice pudding which I have managed to avoid
my whole life.
My only complaint is that there is no where to park as there are so many restaurants in the grandly named Inter-Pacific Plaza.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by Elbownian

Mission restaurant news: yet another tenant is setting up shop next door to the Mac's on 4th Street. Since Ouzo closed, that location has briefly housed Armadillo and Sips4, and will now be Blonde's Diner. Just did a bit of searching: apparently it'll be brunch-centric, and is run by a former chef from The Ranche. Signage is up, but the windows are still papered and there's no indication as to when they'll open.

The chef is competing on Top Chef Canada. Sure would be nice to have a winner (winner resto, though winning the show would be nice) in that location!

[Me&You]

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

The chef is competing on Top Chef Canada. Sure would be nice to have a winner (winner resto, though winning the show would be nice) in that location!

I was under the impression that the chef from Market - shhhhh - won Top Chef??

Market is excellent, but the portions are a little small and the prices steep. Seeing the one guy sabre the Champagne bottles is cool though

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by Me&You

I was under the impression that the chef from Market - shhhhh - won Top Chef??

Market is excellent, but the portions are a little small and the prices steep. Seeing the one guy sabre the Champagne bottles is cool though

Why would you have thought that? They're under huge contractual pressure to keep the results under wraps- if word got out now that he'd won he may have to forfeit the prize. So I doubt that very much.

There are 3 contestants from Calgary!

Off to dinner at Market tomorrow- would actually prefer Roosevelt from what I've seen of reviews but I'll go with open mind.

BTW for desert today I picked up a jar (it's in a sort of plastic jar with a lid- very neat packaging) of Fiasco dark chocolate caramel with sea salt gelato. $9 from Old School, BLEW US AWAY. So damn delicious.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Jimby

I was at a friend's office in the NE so we ended up at Inti for their lunch buffet. It was our first experience with Peruvian cuisine and we really liked it. The chicken soup was the best chicken soup I have ever had. I could live on that soup (and bread!).
My friend had a pisco sour "premium" which she liked.
The small buffet had garlic rice and fried rice, salad, beans, chicken stew, beef stew, rotisserie chicken, slice it yourself bread, a delicious dessert that tasted of cherries and other fruit, and rice pudding.
I liked all the food, even the rice pudding which I have managed to avoid
my whole life.
My only complaint is that there is no where to park as there are so many restaurants in the grandly named Inter-Pacific Plaza.

Two questions: did they have lomo saltado? And was it a real pisco sour with the egg?

[Jimby]

Originally Posted by fusili

Two questions: did they have lomo saltado? And was it a real pisco sour with the egg?

Sorry I don't know what lomo saltado is. I am completely ignorant about Peruvian cuisine, but I liked everything they had at the buffet.
Yes they used egg whites in the pisco sour.

from facebook:
Friday Lunch Buffet: All you can eat rotisserie chicken, arroz chaufa, escabeche de pollo, seco de carne and more! $12.90 including dessert!

[Rusty van Reddick]

Tutti Frutti at Mt Royal Village is REALLY close to opening.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Jimby

I have always wanted to try Namskar, but too many Indian restaurants, too little time!
...

I had been wanting to go for last few years, and I glad I did. I recommend it! the price is a bit higher than typical (for Indian in NE) lunch buffet at $15.95 but they have almost 20 items and most dishes are prepared very well, if a bit on the milder side of spicy.
Plus they give you a loyalty card that they stamp everytime you come back.
5th lunch buffet is "free"!

[Jimby]

Originally Posted by WIGS

I had been wanting to go for last few years, and I glad I did. I recommend it! the price is a bit higher than typical (for Indian in NE) lunch buffet at $15.95 but they have almost 20 items and most dishes are prepared very well, if a bit on the milder side of spicy.
Plus they give you a loyalty card that they stamp everytime you come back.
5th lunch buffet is "free"!

Not Indian food, but a friend has a card that gets stamped at Leo Fu's (70 Av SW just west of Mac Trail) for their lunch buffet and we go once in awhile. We think it is the best lunch buffet deal in town (around $10 I think). They don't have very many items in the buffet which I appreciate because they keep re-stocking what they do have so the food isn't sitting for a long time.

[sync]

went to smash burger yesterday.

apart from the burger the rest was not good. if they are really serious about their crazy expansion plans they'd better step it up.

the foyer smelled like barf - i assume they washed the floor with 5 day old mop water.

not exactly what you want to smell entering a restaurant.

the dining room is carpeted and was filthly, you could see fries everywhere on the floor - drippings all over. my wife used the facilities and said the washroom was dirty as well.

now, the burger was good. great even.

the sides were forgettable.

still, we have no plans to go back.

this was the 32nd ave location.

[Wigs]

^geez, I guess I'm glad I went when it was brand new. my only gripes were the burger was on the saltier side, and the onion straws were too greasy. that being said it was a pretty decent burger!

[Jimby]

^ if the public areas are dirty, I wouldn't want to see the kitchen.

[kw5150]

Went to Rajdoot on 4th street and 22nd (?) ave. I had a good meal there, but the butter chicken was a little different, more tomato-ey than used to. The service was good as well.

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by sync

went to smash burger yesterday.

apart from the burger the rest was not good. if they are really serious about their crazy expansion plans they'd better step it up.

the foyer smelled like barf - i assume they washed the floor with 5 day old mop water.

not exactly what you want to smell entering a restaurant.

the dining room is carpeted and was filthly, you could see fries everywhere on the floor - drippings all over. my wife used the facilities and said the washroom was dirty as well.

now, the burger was good. great even.

the sides were forgettable.

still, we have no plans to go back.

this was the 32nd ave location.

Wow, this is surprising, haven't been in a few weeks though. You should pass this on they take this stuff pretty serious. It is a very busy location. (Smash fries are awesome )

My son works here, I do know they spend 2-3 hrs cleaning the kitchen each night.

http://ww7.empathica.com/sxml/smashb...backSurvey_out

[sync]

Originally Posted by ZeDgE

Wow, this is surprising, haven't been in a few weeks though. You should pass this on they take this stuff pretty serious. It is a very busy location. (Smash fries are awesome )

My son works here, I do know they spend 2-3 hrs cleaning the kitchen each night.

http://ww7.empathica.com/sxml/smashb...backSurvey_out

thanks for the link - feedback given!

like i said the burger was great. i got the fries but unfortunately they had been sitting and were less than luke warm.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I FINALLY popped in Caffe Rosso's new(ish, opened last summer) location in Arriva. I'm impressed. They're roasting now as I think Ramsayfarian mentioned a while back and they have both regular retail coffee bags and glass jars with beans that you can get refilled for a discount-sort of a growler version of coffee beans.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

I FINALLY popped in Caffe Rosso's new(ish, opened last summer) location in Arriva. I'm impressed. They're roasting now as I think Ramsayfarian mentioned a while back and they have both regular retail coffee bags and glass jars with beans that you can get refilled for a discount-sort of a growler version of coffee beans.

"growler" of coffee beans! sounds like a java addicts perfect fix

[Jimby]

Phil & Sebastian will be opening in the Max Bates Block this fall.