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If you’re looking for some amazing Italian food then walk through il giardino’s front door and be prepared to discover simple, yet remarkable dishes.

Seated right on 17^th ave. it’s the perfect spot for lunch away from the office – our entire experience lasted about an hour (with a healthy dose of chit-chat) and the lunch menu offers a quick and easy selection of time-conscious dishes.

Lunch is offered from 11am – 4pm Monday through Saturday and served by a professional and experienced staff in a quiet, intimate atmosphere.

I had the Salsicce al Forno, an Italian sausage dish that’s served with penne pomodoro on the side – not only was it amazing, but it was served piping hot. This was one dish that didn’t sit under a warming light for 15 minutes.

Il Giardino is located at 344 17th Avenue S.W. and beyond lunch, is also open for dinner starting at 4 until they close at 11pm nightly. (Which I’m going to try as soon as possible because if lunch was that good – I can’t wait for the next course!)

My favorite ice cream shoppe isn’t this one. I’ve seen ghost towns with more oomph to them… okay, maybe I’m not being fair – the temperature being a balmy -1 and all – but when you enter an ice cream shop in the off season the first words out of the servers mouth shouldn’t be “you pay first”.

Although, I had enough time to peruse their 72 flavours before he even ended his phone call to serve me, so maybe I was supposed to assume that we had automatically progressed past the point of greetings… oh well.

I had several difficulties during my ice cream adventure:

• It was dark (like, this place is closed, dark)
• The garbage was nearly impossible to find – hidden in a countertop (why didn’t I think of that?!)
• The napkins were also difficult to find – and only in one place
• And finally… 72 flavours made it very difficult to make up my mind while the ice cream scooper hovered (finally) attentively on the other side of the counter

Some good things about my ice cream adventure:

• 72 flavours of ice cream!!! (yeah, it can be a pro and a con.)
• It was conveniently located in Garrison Woods on the route 7 transit line
• No matter what temperature it is black forest ice cream is a win

My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe’s located at 2048 - 42 Avenue S.W. if you want to go on your own ice cream journey (but beware – you may feel rushed into a hasty ice cream decision…)

As I walk in to Los Chilitos, it feels like walking in to the home of a friend you haven’t seen in a while. The restaurant itself has been remodeled from an old house, which works to its advantage.

I was immediately greeted by a friendly guy who ended up being my waiter for the evening, and seated with a great view of the only TV in the place, which was showing the hockey game.

Let me just say – the tortilla chips here are the best hockey food I’ve been treated to in a long time.

The staff all worked well together to provide a real and authentic experience right down to the up beat Spanish music playing in the background.

The dishes are presented simply and are full of flavour: the quality of the food speaks for itself: my waiter described the flan as “crème brulée, but more tender”.

Los Chilitos left me wanting more; more of the real mixed berries pureed into my drink, and more of the welcoming atmosphere that pervades the entire restaurant.

1309 17 Ave SW is the address of this hidden treasure nestled in between the monolithic 17th ave Moxies and the popular Rustic Sourdough Bakery & Deli (a good place for fresh baked goodies).

My hat (well, toque) is off to the staff of Los Chilitos – cheers!

If you have a lot of time on your hands, this is the restaurant for you. Jameson’s restaurant & bar is located at 3802 Brentwood Road NW (That’s Brentwood Station for all those folks ridin’ the rails) and boasts a spacious – yet homey – seating and bar area.

We happened to go on “all-you-can-eat fish & chips night”, and let me shout their praise from the rooftops that this was some of the best fish and chips that I’ve ever had. Though it was labelled “all you can eat”, there was so much to begin with I was full after the first plate, plus… I had to save room for dessert.

Some reasons to return for a second round:

· Generous portion sizes

· Music was not so loud that I couldn’t hear my friend

· Waitresses were friendly

The only place they fell short: once we had our food we were pretty much on our own. The waitress had quite a few tables so didn’t end up returning until we were done our meal.

All in all this was another successful trip – but if you don’t have an hour or more to spend than you should probably keep moseying on to somewhere a little speedier.

While the intersection of 14^th St. and 17^th Ave. SW may mark the end of the Uptown 17^th Ave shopping district, The Chocolate Bar, located right on the corner proves that “saving the best for last” is well worth this walk.

Hidden Gem

The Chocolate Bar offers a full dessert menu in addition to premium cakes – whole or single slices and an extensive compliment of chocolates that can be boxed for any special occasion (like Valentine’s day. it’s only 1 day away gentlemen).

Their menu also includes an extensive assortment of flavours that can be added to any one of the espresso or after dinner drinks that I could spend all day drinking, because dinner is looking more and more optional at this point.

Now, I am the first to admit that any ice cream sundae approaching a double-digit price seems outrageous, but when it takes 3 people to eat it two important things happen: the price drops significantly, and more importantly, myself and two friends found a delicious alternative to going for a typical (and boring) cup of coffee.

The Chocoholic’s dream comes complete with a personal pitcher of hot fudge sauce, and is served to your table by the friendliest small business owner I’ve met south of the river….

Did I mention that they’re licensed?

After years and years of being the incurable tomboy (well, I’m still pretty tomboy-ish), much to my chagrin, I have developed a penchant for pretty dresses.

Enter Eleven:Eleven.

Housed in an older Kensington building at 233 10th Street NW, Eleven:Eleven caught my eye with the beautiful fabric hanging in its window. This beautiful fabric, upon further inspection, makes up hand-sewn and locally designed products that I previously mentioned (i.e. pretty dresses).

Now, trying on hand-sewn designer clothing can be a little tricky, especially when the designs are very unique, creative, and made from delicate material picked up on regular travels to India. But, owner Lana is there to straighten out, tie strings and inspire you to be as creative as the clothing.

Lana was as excited and in awe as I was when she talked about the designers she had represented in her store; they are all from western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary and Victoria), all just starting out and all very talented. Of course, buying hand-crafted anything can be pricey, but at least you’re supporting local talent (and besides, I have a penchant).

All in all, Eleven:Eleven delivers the goods in terms of helpful, enthused customer service and, well, goods.

Another nice thing about small businesses: when you lose your favorite toque in them, it’s highly likely to be found and returned to you. Thanks Lana!

Calgary’s plus-15 system is a haven of exciting finds. If you’re in downtown and you’re not really connected to it, I feel sorry for you. There’s tons of mom-and-pop shops, doctors’ offices, dry-cleaners, random art, and, most importantly, FOOD!

Sonoma Market Cafe is one of those exciting food finds, at least that was the impression I was given one day by my co-workers. Unfortunately, they fell a little flat the second time around.

There are some things Sonoma does really well:

• they take reservations (a rare thing for small +15 restaurants)
• the service is friendly
• they have a lot of seating
• they make a wicked Hungarian mushroom soup

Here’s what they didn’t do so well:

• once we paid, the service kind of disappeared
• 4 out of 7 orders were not so appetizing

Granted, lunch hour in the plus-15 is a little crazier in the winter time. But when you tout a bistro-style cooking and a fancy foodie California county name, one expects a little more than cheap processed cheese on an otherwise good pizza.

It could have been an off day for the kitchen and the server, who knows? Maybe third time will be the charm.

Sonoma Market Cafe is at 240 - 520 5th Avenue SW, the plus-15 level between Chevron Plaza and the Aquitaine Tower.

FINALLY! Calgary has a frozen yogurt place that isn’t Yogen Fruz!

Spoon Me recently opened a shop up in Kensington (it’s a franchise originally out of the Four Corners States - yeah, random eh?) right next to Higher Ground. It’s no Yogurt-land, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Aside from offering tasty yogurt alternatives in some of my favorite flavors (mmm, green tea) and rad toppings (everything is better with Cap’n Crunch) the guy on the floor  was informed, laid-back and friendly. Introducing a spooning noob such as myself was obviously old hat to him, but he wasn’t jaded about it.

From the big windows looking out onto Kensington Road to the locally made art on the walls, it looks like Spoon Me will be a great place to kick back with friends, meet up with a date, or grab a sweet before a movie. They are definitely delivering on a space that is as fun-loving and laid-back as their website suggests.

And yes, I did get frozen yogurt on a really cold fall day. I’m good like that.

I remember a few years ago hearing my cousin tell her mom that Rubaiyat, at 722 17th Avenue SW, sold some cool stuff - jewelry, housewares, good (if very fancy) gift stuff. And since I walk by there all the time, that statement made me more curious to go in. But I never really found the gusto, if you will, to do so until recently.

Why? Maybe because Rubaiyat seems a little intimidating. Maybe because you can see all this fine jewelry glinting at you through the window. Maybe because even their sign gives off an air of sophisticated refinement.

Let me tell you flat out: all those impressions are well-justified.

I finally walked in there and not a single salesperson greeted me, let alone wanted to look at me, except for one older lady in the back who was genuinely friendly and polite. Totally unlike her co-workers who probably wouldn’t even have given me the time of day.

Pretty Woman moment? I think so.

Granted, I was dressed the way I normally do: jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, skate shoes. I’m willing to bet if I walk in there dressed like a professional, the service will be totally different. But consider this: if I was a multi-millionaire who could have bought the entire store at the drop of a hat, I would still dress like I normally do. Why? Because I could.

Poo-poo on you, Rubaiyat, for judging a book by its cover. Good customer service starts with you, not with me or my awesome DC hoodie.

After failing a third time to get into the highly (peer) acclaimed Towa on 4th Street SW, my friends and I decided to go Sushi Kawa just a few meters down the street (at 2204 4th Street SW, to be exact).

Definitely a good choice, given the abundance of restaurants in the area.

Kawa’s so-so service and decent speed was made up for by the range of the menu and the amazing quality of food. Or maybe I was too distracted by live sumo wrestling and the biggest sushi menu I’ve seen in this land-locked province to pay attention.

What I did notice beyond my sushi-stuffed stupor was this:

• the servers appear genuinely happy to serve you
• they are helpful and knowledgeable
• when I mentioned to another girl that my appetizer had been missed, our server immediately came over to resolve the situation
• you can see the fresh fish being prepared from almost every table, and boy, does it look pretty

I would suspect that the abundance of other nearby food choices overshadows Kawa’s ability to deliver authentic and delicious Japanese food (in oh-so-very Japanese waitress uniforms, even). And while I’m bound to attempt another visit to Towa, I for one am glad Sushi Kawa is nearby to satisfy my sushi needs.

Being a vegetarian, I’ve obviously been to The Coup a few times. It is a very popular place for lots of excellent reasons:

• they have really good food
• they use fresh local and organic ingredients whenever possible
• they have really consistently good service

It also helps when you have a tiny space; it makes it look full all the time, which is said to add to the appeal of a purchase.

But my most recent visit to The Coup made me really happy that this place is what it is. My friend and I were running REALLY late for an event that I was running and when our server came to take our orders, she responded to our stress (ok, my stress) with such grace that I was really taken aback. She even put a rush on our order so we got it even sooner. So awesome.

Now, sometimes when you get customers like that, you write them off, not wanting to deal with their stress on top of yours. But not The Coup. It’s all love down there for everyone, and love I am gladly willing to return by writing this post.

The Coup + Meet restaurant and lounge is located at 924 17th Avenue SW.

Simply put, eating at Tastebuds & Co. on the corner of 8th Street W and 5th Ave S reminded me of why customer interaction is so important.

Aside from the fact that I was really happy to find another place that happily catered to vegetarians (especially the wannabe strict ones), it made me even happier to make random conversation with the manager about the state of my backpack (it tends to hold my entire life).

I know, wierd huh?

But to me, the ability and willingness to make random conversation with your customers suggests that you are invested in them. They aren’t just a source of income to you, they’re human beings too. And it suggests that your establishment is friendly and open and all that sort of ambiance stuff. That’s the sort of stuff that makes return customers (trust me, I know).

And random conversation can just be dang funny, too.

I’ll admit it - I walked in to The Social Page’s new 8th Street and 10th Avenue location with the sole purpose of looking at pretty stationery. I have a wee obsession.

But since I was promptly addressed by the sales girl, I had to come up with something:

Me: I’m looking for a notebook.
Her: The notebooks are all over here…these are really great notebooks, they’re from Montreal and the paper is so nice to write on. Are you looking for lined or unlined?
Me: Lined. *thinking: I am such a terrible liar*

She then showed me the numerous options for lined notebooks and left me to the merry task of pretending to want to buy something. But heading straight for the Canadian products and knowing about the joys of smooth writing paper gives her a huge kudos in my book.

The Social Page is definitely a shop focused on their main product: custom wedding invitations and similar paper products. But as my experience shows, they are just as knowledgeable about their other products that complement their main line.

As for me, I’m just glad that I know where to get some sweet notebooks from Montreal.

Shopping at Ridley’s is like riding on a crisp fall day - starts out cold, but by the end of it you’re all warm and fuzzy and totally enjoying yourself.

As a cycling noob, shopping at Ridley’s is fairly intimidating. These guys know their stuff - they hold seminars for commuters and cycling enthusiasts all over Calgary AND they ride all year round. Even though I knew what I needed, I was caught between going straight for it and asking for advice (and betraying the fact that I was a super noob).

Luckily, not being able to find the water-resistant (not waterproof! Apparently there is no such thing) pants opened up a door to a plethora of information on front and rear-lights, rain gear, and fenders. Ah, fenders, the bane of my existence. That part of the conversation was especially helpful; I learned that not only are zip ties a cyclist’s best friend, but that Ridley’s has a brilliant shop that can make your bike and your add-ons work together.

Sure, they may not have the vast arrays of clothing that MEC does, and maybe not the vast array of everything offered by a place like Bow Cycle, but they do have a ton of bikes. If you want sound advice on what is a good investment and what isn’t, without the pushiness of a commission seeker, only the passion of a committed cyclist, then Ridley’s, located on 223 10th Street NW, is the place to go.

The last time I was at a big catered event that wasn’t buffet (that’s how Filipinos roll, you know), it was an awful experience. The servers were bored and uncaring and all the meals definitely tasted like they had been under a heat lamp for a few hours.

Now, when I realized that my friend’s wedding reception at the Calgary Italian Club was plated, I was a little apprehensive. I’d rather chew on my own tongue than try to get through dry pasta again. But Roma Catering has renewed my trust in caterers and wedding food!

The food was fresh-tasting and delicious, to say the least. For once I wasn’t the only the vegetarian at the table, and we both agreed that the pasta was perfect; spinach and feta equal win!

The Roma staff were impeccable. The synchronized serving of the wedding party was impressive and cute, but Table 9’s server, Chelsea, took the cake, almost literally. She was cool enough to bring my friend and table-mate another entree plate (hockey players…big stomachs) and she even brought a fair number of us some extra wedding cake.

All in all, they certainly took the pressure off the newly weds: great food and subtly wonderful service kept everyone’s attention on the ones who deserved it.

Roma Catering is located at 1416 Russel Road NE or can be contacted by phone, fax and email.

I almost always walk into Stoneridge whenever I’m down in Chinook Centre. It’s kind of amusing to hop from Aldo to Spring to Stoneridge and watch the styles remain similar but the price ranges change.

Well, ok, Stoneridge’s selection is much more similar to Little Burgundy’s than to Aldo or Spring’s. But since I found the offerings between the SW and the NW almost exactly the same, I wasn’t exactly tripping over myself for a new pair of kicks.

Now, usually, the staff are helpful at Stoneridge. But the last time I walked in, I didn’t get a single word in my direction. Obviously the Supra Skytops I was rocking did not prove interesting enough to distract the two sales girls from their conversation about some big company party coming up. So big, one girl advised the other to check her Facebook profile pictures to get a sense of what was appropriate party attire.

I’m sorry, when did I walk into high school???

and this in sharp contrast to the enthusiastic reception I received minutes earlier at Spring Shoes, a sister company.

Maybe I’ll just stick to Market Mall for my mall-shoe-shopping needs.

Here’s some things to think about next time you go out for Asian food in Calgary:

1. When there’s a spoon and fork inserted into a corner of your dish, it’s either a commentary on your lack of skill (read: a diss, especially if you look very Asian) or a considerate action (read: because this is Calgary).

2. When there are very few to no Asians in the restaurant, you should wonder about the quality of the food. Alternatively, if the food served to the old Asian people in the corner table took longer than yours, there should definitely be some flags going up.

3. Curry should not be gritty. Yellow curry should not be a shade of mustard. Veggies should be crisp, rather than interacting with your tongue in a similar fashion to a broiled tomato (painful!).

4. Service should be consistently good or consistently bad. Not both. Especially after some potentially big tippers sit down in your server’s section.

Her behavior was like night and day, as was the quality difference between my entree and my dessert. Mmm, fried banana…

I was very surprised by the positive reviews and news clippings gracing the walls around the reception area/register. Well, Bagolac, here’s a negative one for you. I used to like you, but not any more.

Bagolac Saigon is located in the strip mall just north of the Chinook C-Train station at 6130 1A Street SW.

A rule of thumb I’ve learned after my first visit to Dairy Lane Cafe: don’t do fantastic brunch places within a few days of each other. You won’t have a fair view of either at the end of it.

Similar to Galaxie Diner, Dairy Lane came highly recommended - by several friends, in fact. Unfortunately, my first time was a little tainted by my awesome experience a few days earlier at Galaxie. I don’t think it’s ever too soon for more breakfast food, but for the purposes of this blog, sometimes it can be.

Now, that being said, this review is not a serious knock against Dairy Lane. They have nice staff, really good food (hello vegan options) and a good spot on 19th Street between 3rd and 4th Street NW. Not only that, they’re all about shakin’ the fist at the man: they are 100% green, carbon-free powered, strive to buy local and organic, and proudly carry the torch for neighborhood businesses the world over. This is the place to go for a quiet, relaxing alternative to other breakfast spots, and for breakfast that will have you reeling over its healthiness, for you and for the Earth.

Another rule of thumb I learned: attempts to bike up steep-ass hills (read: 19th Street W) after a tasty breakfast feast will probably end in failure…and ruptured organs.

When an all-day breakfast place is recommended to me by a waffle- and all-around-breakfast lover, you can bet that I’ll be pretty stoked on it.

So, with a free afternoon and an empty stomach, I finally headed over to check Galaxie Diner, located at 1413 11th Street SW.

As much as I’d like to be succinct about my experience there - you know, one of those “I’ve got three words for you” kind of things - I can’t. But I can give you a list of ridiculously awesome products and service points.

1. Apple pie milkshakes
Yes, that’s right. Apple-freaking-pie. The staff are responsible enough to ask if you’d like cinnamon in it (I know some cinnamon haters, and I hear you can be allergic to it?), but I’m sure it’s just as tasty without it.

Our server presented our shakes to us with the words “And the first course.” Now there’s an attitude I can agree with!

2. Bottomless hashbrowns and endless toast
Galaxie is a little more expensive than some of the other all-day breakfast joints in Calgary, but the carb-adelic buffet makes up for it. If there’s ever anything I want more of with breakfast, it’s potatoes and uber-buttered bread. I totally tried to cram a few servings in (get my money’s worth, you know), but my stomach has limits apparently.

3. A tiny space and a tiny open kitchen
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m more inclined to like a place that has an open kitchen and therefore no fear of accountability. You can watch every meal, every hand washing, every bread buttering (there’s a lot of that), and it makes me feel way better about what I’m putting into my semi-vegan body.

Plus, that tiny kitchen spits out orders like you wouldn’t believe. Our order got to the table well before my friend made it back from the TD a couple of blocks away.

4. Funny, real service
According to Galaxie’s website, a friend of mine from CJSW was a former member of staff there. But the quality of the staff has definitely not gone downhill since Jane has moved on. They are all smiles and great attitudes in spite of the cramped space and endless business coming through the door.

I’ve come up with three words for ya: I’m going back.

Unlike Erin, who is pro-iPhone with their ‘flash’ and ‘pizzazz,’ I am a productive member of society. I am a Blackberry addict.

I love having the internet, all my work, at the palm of my hand. In fact, I was such an addict that I wore out the trackball on my Bold to the point that it stopped working.

Immediately, I called in Rogers and inquired about a remedy. They immediately pointed out some possible solutions but to no avail, the trackball was toast. Thankfully, my Bold was still under warranty and so, they immediately sent me a replacement handset and all was good.

Or so I thought.

One the phone, I was promised ‘7-10 business days’ but three weeks has elapsed, and no Blackberry was arriving at my front step, waiting for me to use it to its full potential. I called Rogers customer service again and inquired about my order:

Don: Hi there. I am just calling inquiring about my replacement Bold and the status of it please. It has been three full weeks and I was promised ‘7-10 business days’ which occurred two weeks ago.

CSR: Okay no problem. Let me just check our records. Is it okay if I put you on hold for a moment?

Don: Sure.

*Muzak*

CSR: Okay, upon checking it looks like your order hasn’t been processed yet.

Don: … What does that mean?

CSR: So sorry sir but the reason why you didn’t get a Bold yet is because no one processed it yet.

Don: Well, is it possible to find a solution for that? The Blackberry is sort of useless to me right now.

CSR: Totally sir. I re-processed your order and you should be getting it by Thursday (It was a Monday when I made the call.)

Don: Now is that definite because I don’t want to call again, especially when I’m high-blooded.

CSR: Yes sir, it is definite and here is the tracking number.

Don: Oh okay then. Thank you for your help!

CSR: Thank you for using Rogers. Sorry about the mishap there and have a great night!

And on Thursday, there it was. And I was immediately back in action and loving life again. Despite that ridiculous setback, they did deliver. After I called in asking about it. C’mon Rogers!

Oh, my Blackberry. I missed you.