#TACOORNOTACO Pop-up Taqueria @ Taste Restaurant – Calgary, AB

Sunday night was the first ever #TACOORNOTACO Pop-Up Taqueria event at Taste Restaurant. It was a one night collaboration between Taste, downtownfood, Brix and Morsel, and Vine Arts. I was super excited when I learned that Chefs Darren MacLean (@chefdmac) and Cody Willis (@gluttonlife) were  taking over the kitchen at Taste for the evening to turn out some tasty Mexican fare.

I can’t think of a better way to spend the Sunday evening of a long weekend than to spend it with friends over tacos, bourbon, beer, & hip hop. What’s even more awesome is that everything on the menu for this event is 5 bucks! Yes, you read this right… $5 Tacos, $5 Chips & Pico, $5 Churros, and most importantly, $5 Booze! I was actually quite impressed with the booze selection they had for this event. There was sure to be something for almost everyone as there was  beer, wine, margaritas, bourbon, and of course, tequila and mezcal. My friend Anna decided to try the Red Pig Ale while I decided to pair the tacos with a glass of white.

When my friend Anna of Anna’s Appetite and I arrived a couple of minutes after 6pm, the place was already hopping. Luckily, we managed to snag one of the last available two tops. It didn’t take long for the place to be lined up out the door. If it wasn’t for this being the long weekend with many of the local foodies being out of town, I’m sure the line up would have been down the street and around the block.

We started off with an order of the Chips & Pico ($5). The housemade chips were perfectly crispy and perfectly seasoned. They were not greasy at all. The accompanying Pico de Gallo was delish! It was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acidity. This Pico brought back memories of the tasty versions that I’ve had while visiting California in the past. I can easily say this was one of the best versions of Pico that I’ve had here in Calgary.

We then each had an order of the 3 Tacos ($15).  An order came with one of each taco – Oyster Po Boy, Tongue & Cheek, and Pig. No substitutions were allowed. This was fine by us as we wanted to try one of each anyways.

My favourite of the three was the Oyster Po Boy. This one was the West coast influenced taco. It consisted of house smoked fried oysters with a spicy buttermilk slaw, and was topped with a peanut and pumpkin seed macha. I loved the contrasting textures and flavours. In particular, the house smoked fried oysters were a stand out. Being an oyster lover, this was a taste of heaven for me.

A close second for me was the Tongue & Cheek, which consisted of braised beef cheeks topped with crispy fried duck tongues along with some wild spring salsa verde. I loved the bold flavours of the tender beef cheeks contrasted by the crispy duck tongues.

Last, but no least was the Pig taco. It  consisted of confit pork shoulder along with a spicy garlic and red chili salsa and was topped with crispy pieces of  chicharone (pork rinds). The crispy chicharone provided  great textural contrast to the meaty pork while the spicy red chili salsa awoke our tastebuds. On paper, I would have expected this to be my favourite taco as I LOVE chicharone as well as spice. This taco was tasty but it was hard to compete with the amazing flavours of the braised beef cheeks and house smoked oysters. Overall though, all these tacos were really well-executed and easily some of the best tacos that I’ve had in Calgary to date. My friend Anna and I loved them so much that we ended up ordering another 3 tacos to share between us. It was at this point that local foodie and Yelper, Terry (aka Calgary Dreamer) popped in to join us for some beer and tacos.

The three of us finished off the evening with an order of the Churros ($5), which were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. 

Simply put, this was some of the best Mexican-inspired fare that I’ve had in Calgary to date. I still can’t stop thinking about those tacos. With this Pop-up Taqueria being such a huge success, I sure hope that they plan to have more of these #TACOORNOTACO nights in the future.

#TACOORNOTACO Pop-up Taqueria
(@ Taste Restaurant)
1210 1st St SW
Calgary,​ AB​
http://tacoornotaco.com

YYC Burger Week @ MARKET Restaurant – Calgary, AB

After checking out downtownfood’s Brant Lake Wagyu Double Down Burger, Naina’s Kitchen’s Nainalicious Burger, and Anju Restaurant’s BiBim-Burger, I decided to check out Market Restaurant’s Dirty Burger for my fourth YYC Burger Week burger.

My friend M and I decided to share the burger along with a few appetizers so I wouldn’t get “burgered out” before the week was done. We started off with an order of the Tuna Salad ($16), which consisted of BC Albacore tuna, Poplar Bluff potatoes, a hard-boiled egg, and heirloom tomatoes in a tarragon vinaigrette. The salad was tasty but didn’t have much of a wow factor. I was happy with it nonetheless as it served its purpose. I was looking for lighter fare to balance out my week of burger eating.

For our second appetizer, we shared the Carpaccio ($16), which consisted of thinly-sliced Olson’s High Country bison topped with brioche croutons, wild juniper, and dollops of burnt shallot aioli. This was easily our favourite dish of the evening. I really liked the bold flavours of the tender bison against the contrasting textures and flavours of the accompanying condiments. I would definitely order this dish again on my next visit.

For our main, my friend M and I shared the Dirty Burger, which was Market’s creation for YYC Burger Week. It supposedly consisted of a patty made with a mixture of brisket and short rib and was topped with house-made beer cheese (made from Sylvan Star Gouda), house-cured bacon, veal sweetbreads and a foie gras emulsion atop a house made brioche bun and was finished with a roasted tomato jam and pickled cucumbers to offset the richness of the other components. The burger was served with a side of house made potato chips.

I really liked the texture of the patty in the burger. It was easily one of the best burger patties I’ve had texture-wise. In terms of flavour, I could taste some beefiness but it was not as flavourful as the Wagyu patties in downtownfood’s Double Down Burger and Anju’s BiBim-Burger. I liked the house pickled cucumbers and the tomato jam but found the overall flavour of the burger to be rather one note. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t taste any of the foie gras emulsion that was supposed to be on the burger and as well, don’t recall tasting the house cured bacon as well.  I was glad that my friend and I decided to share the burger as it was quite rich. .

To go along with the burger, I decided to try one of house made sodas at MARKET. I decided to try the MARKET Rootbeer ($3.25).  I really enjoyed it though I’m normally not a huge fan of rootbeer. It had really interesting flavours and did not that artificial root beer taste that I usually don’t care for.

MARKET Restaurant
718 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 474-4414
http://www.marketcalgary.ca

YYC Burger Week @ Anju Restaurant & Lounge – Calgary, AB

May has certainly been a busy month of eating for me, especially with YYC Burger Week. I started off YYC Burger Week at downtownfood trying out Chef Darren MacLean’s Brant Lake Wagyu Double Down Burger. Next, I tried Erin Mueller’s winning Nainalicious Burger at Naina’s Kitchen. For my third burger for YYC Burger Week, I decided to check out Anju Restaurant with my friend Anna of Anna’s Appetite. I was particularly intrigued by Chef Roy Oh’s special creation for YYC Burger Week, the ”BiBim-Burger” as it is also made with Brant Lake Wagyu beef. I wanted to see how this burger stacked up against downtownfood’s Brant Lake Wagyu Double Down Burger.

The Bi-Bim-Burger ($15 during YYC Burger Week; $18 regular) was created by Chef Roy Oh especially for YYC Burger Week. It consisted of a Brant Lake Waygu short rib patty with a galbi marinade and was topped with gochujang sautéed vegetables, a fried egg, and mozarella on a sesame bun. We asked to substitute the regular fries with Anju’s signature yam fries, which were tossed in truffle oil and served with gochujang aioli. The truffle yam fries were delicious! They were easily some of the best yam fries I’ve had and were extremely addictive, especially with the slightly spicy gochujang aioli.

The BiBim-Burger itself was flavourful and juicy. I loved the combination of Korean-inspired flavours and textures in this burger. The beefy flavour wasn’t as pronounced because  of the galbi marinade but it was still very tasty. My friend Anna and I loved this burger so much that we actually went back to Anju later on  that week hoping to have a second. We were lucky. Due to its overwhelming popularity, Anju has decided to put the BiBim-Burger on their regular menu.

My friend Anna and I also shared an order of the Fried Chicken and Pa-ffles ($18), which consisted of fried chicken tossed in a spicy gochujang sauce, a fried egg, green onion cornmeal waffles, and a side of soy butter maple syrup. This was fusion perfection on a plate! I’m fiend for fried chicken and loved the slightly sweet and spicy gochujang coated crispy chicken. It paired perfectly with the savoury green onion waffles, which were really tasty and had just the right amount of crispiness to them. I loved the soy butter maple syrup, which was served on the side. Because I don’t have a sweet tooth, I was pleased that the syrup was served on the side so that I could drizzle the amount I wanted as I don’t care for my food to be drowning in syrup.

Both of these dishes paired really well together with the Shin Ramen Caesar ($8), which consisted of vodka, shin ramen soup base, and clamato. Since both the BiBim-Burger and the Fried Chicken and Pa-ffles had elements in the dish that were sweet, the spicy and savoury Shin Ramen Caesar was perfect to balance out the sweetness.

Overall, this was a perfect meal at Anju. It was just the right amount of food for the both of us. Both the burger and the chicken & pa-ffles had us dreaming for more. There is no doubt these are my two new favourite dishes at Anju. As for how the BiBim-Burger stacked up against the Double Down at downtownfood, it’s a really tough choice and depends totally on personal preferences. But for me personally, I think the Double Down, edged out the BiBim-Burger slightly with the crispy poached egg and their DTF Bacon.

Anju Restaurant
507 – 10 Street SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 532-9419
http://anjurestaurant.tumblr.com

2013 Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival – Ticket Giveaway!

The Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival is back again in Banff this Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11! As with previous years, the Grand Tasting Hall will be at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – Conference Centre. The Grand Tasting Hall will feature food samples from some of the best restaurants and eateries in Banff including The Bison Restaurant & Terrace, Rimrock Resort Hotel, Sunshine Mountain Lodge, Balkan – The Greek Restaurant, Bear Hill Brewing Company, and many more. There will also be a wide array of wine, scotch, beer and other libations available to be paired with these delicious food samples. I’ve only ever been to the Calgary event but from the looks of it, this one is really popular too as the Saturday evening session is already sold out!

Thanks to Brookline Public Relations, I have two(2) admission tickets to give away for this event. The giveaway tickets are for the Saturday, May 11 afternoon session (2-5 PM). When presented at the door, these tickets will allow for complimentary access into the Grand Tasting Hall at the Banff Springs Hotel. Please note that tasting coupons are not included and all attendees will need to purchase tasting coupons separately at a cost of $0.50 cents each to use for obtaining food, wine and other beverage samples.  These admission tickets are not transferable to any other session. This is an adult only event. All attendees must be 18 years or older. Minors (including infants) are not permitted to attend.

To enter into this draw for the Wine Festival tickets (Prize worth $54-$64), simply leave a comment in the section below telling me “What is your favourite wine, beer or cocktail drink?”. You will need to put a valid email address in the appropriate box when telling me about your favourite beverage (not to worry, your email address will not be published), so that I can contact you if your name is drawn. This giveaway contest will close on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 11:59PM MST. I will hold a random draw and one winner will be chosen. I will contact the winner via e-mail that evening as well as post the name of the winner here.  

If you need to purchase additional admission tickets, they are still available for the Friday, May 10 Evening Session (7-10 pm) and Saturday, May 11 Afternoon Session ( 2-5 pm).  The tickets are $27 each online, or $32 at the door. As I mentioned previously, the sampling coupons are $0.50 each and can be purchased (by cash only) at the Grand Tasting Hall.  The samples can range from 1 to 20 or more coupons, depending on the item.

For more information, visit http://www.rockymountainwine.com/banff.html.

Good Luck!

YYC Burger Week @ Naina’s Kitchen – Calgary, AB

For my second burger for YYC Burger Week, I decided to check out Naina’s Kitchen with my foodie friend and fellow blogger, Anna of Anna’s Appetite. Located just off Blackfoot Trail and Ogden Road SE, Naina’s Kitchen is a homestyle diner serving up made-from-scratch burgers and fries, mac ‘n cheese, salads, baked goods, as well as a full array of breakfast items. Their claim to fame is the  Stuffed Burger, which consists of a half-pound patty filled with your choice of cheese, mushrooms, onion, sundried tomatoes, bacon, ham, spinach, jalapenos or pulled pork. I’d been to Naina’s Kitchen before last summer and totally loved the Stuffed Burger so I knew I’d be in for a real treat for the YYC Burger Week feature.

Our mission yesterday was to try the YYC Burger week feature burger, which was the Nainalicious Burger.  Having experienced a Naina’s stuffed burger before on my previous visit, I suggested to Anna that we share this burger. I know it’s a bit of a cop out but I don’t want to get “burgered out” before the week is over. This was only Day 2 and I still have many burgers that I want to try.  I’m sure it’s also to the relief of our hearts and arteries as it’s probably not the smartest nor healthiest thing to be eating a burger almost every day for a week.

The Nainalicious Burger ($15) consisted of a 1/2 pound burger stuffed with pulled pork, caramelized onions, aged cheddar, and slices of Granny Smith apple. The burger came with a choice of homemade fries, soup, or salad.

The burger didn’t look all that massive from the outside. But once we cut it in half, we saw how monstrous the patty was.  The burger itself was really moist and juicy. The slices of tart Granny Smith apple nicely balanced the cheddar and the pulled pork. I liked that the bun was nicely toasted and was sturdy enough to hold all the components together well. For a diner-style burger, this one was top-notch.

For our side, we decided to have the Mushroom Barley Soup. The soup was delicious and easily one of the best Mushroom Barley soups that I’ve had. It definitely tasted homemade. I’d definitely order this soup again if it was on the menu during my next visit.

For our second item, Anna and I decided to share the Pork and Apple Salad ($9.25). It consisted of crisp romaine topped with pulled pork, chunks of tart Granny Smith apple, pecans, and croutons. It was served with an apple cider vinaigrette. The salad was really refreshing  and the perfect accompaniment to the Nainalicious Burger. I’m so glad that Anna agreed to share the burger and salad with me. It was just the right amount of food for the both of us. We left full but not overstuffed nor guilty of having totally pigged out.

Since my last visit, Naina’s has changed their hours. They are now open Wednesdays to Fridays from 8 am to 3pm and on the weekends from 9 am to 2 pm. They are closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and holidays.

Naina’s Kitchen
#8, 2808 Ogden Rd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-6355
http://nainaskitchen.com