Life in Cowtown

It’s quite… unpatriotic of me to say so, but I generally find a dearth of culinary treasures in Calgary. I know there are SOME, and I know the situation is improving every year, but in general many things that are raved about here are rather mediocre. Part of that is our short growing season necessitating expensive and unripe imports of produce and part of it are just basic lack of sophistication of the local palates despite all the traveling of the citizens. For instance, it’s well known that there’s a comparative lack of good asian food here. The stuff in some greasy spoon in Vancouver will rival any of our respected establishments. There is one, ONE count ‘em, decent Mexican restaurant in town. We can’t get a good Montreal smoked meat shop going despite many attempts. Yes, some are edible, but none are fantastic. And many of our high end restaurants are rather laughable with their prices and pretentiousness and still a persistent lack of quality and consistency. With that in mind, I would like to talk about a few items I’ve discovered that really stand out. Whether for their quality of food, the awesome value or regional uniqueness in an area of decent homogenization.

A great place to start is A Ladybug Organic Foods and Belgian Bakery. They do have a tiny café at the Currie Barracks Market, but given a choice I usually opt to go visit them at their relatively new store on Aspen Stone Blvd. I’ll be honest, I can’t write an enormous amount about their offerings for two reasons. First, I can’t ever get up early enough to visit them before they’re entirely sold out of most of their breads and croissants. And people, I’m not talking about rolling out of bed by noon and arriving at the market in the afternoon. I mean they sell out by ten thirty or sooner and despite my best efforts that’s about as early as I’ve ever made it.

A second reason for my lack of experience with their amazing products is the fact that what I have bought so far has garnered such loyalty in my mind and house that I can’t wean myself off my regular purchases to try much new stuff. At the Currie Barracks location I adore both their sweet and savory crepes I tend to buy at the very least a whole grain baguette, a gorgeous, salty focaccia which is amazing as a fodder for sandwiches, a rye bread, perhaps some frozen croissants or pain du chocolat and at least two of their phenomenal lemon tarts.

The lemon tarts have been called legendary with good reason. I don’t have the world’s biggest sweet tooth and my experience with lemony desserts left a great deal to be desired, but if I could marry this lemon tart and have its tartlets I’d seriously consider it. The crust is perfect – crumbly, buttery, rich and the perfect foil for the heavenly filling. Aaaah the filling. It’s almost transcendentally good with a creamy and bright flavor, silky smooth texture, a perfect little circle of caramelized sugar and is too good for words. Legendary indeed.

At their new location they serve coffee, tea and lunch which I’m sad to say I haven’t tried yet. The sandwiches and paninis all look great though and I trust them to not mess up the sandwiches, waffles or salads they offer. I did have a café Americano served in a cute French press and found it had the right richness, flavor and strength. Overall I respect A Ladybug for their commitment to freshness, organic foods and above all else quality. If you’ve been there tell me your favorites and if you haven’t, run don’t go to the best little bakery in town.

A Ladybug Organic Foods & Belgium Bakery
2132, 10 Aspen Stone Blvd. S.W. 403-249-5530

I suppose if I’m ever going to talk about eating out in Calgary, I should mention how I rate restaurants. First of all, I’m completely unscientific and due to budget constraints that professionals don’t have, I can’t visit a restaurant four or five time to assess a composite score. Like every person I am entirely subjective and my favorite may elicit only a shrug from you, and vice versa.

While a nice ambience is lovely, food is far and away the most important thing to me. I will live with grimy windows, a smoking kitchen, indifferent service (I draw the line at rude), as long as the food is worth it. What is worth it to me? Honest food. Food prepared in such a way as to showcase the best of it’s attributes. It can be simple or complicated, high-end or hole-in-the-wall, but it has to have an honest relationship to itself.

That’s a hard thing to quantify, but I think every diner can spot a fake from a mile away. Whether it’s inauthentic or westernized ethnic food, ingredients completely out of season, indifferently prepared ingredients with no thought of bringing out the best in them, under-seasoned dishes and gargantuan portions of mediocrity, we all know when we’re in the presence of a big heap of ‘I don’t care’.

Most people I know would far rather go to a little out of the way joint with little ambience but lovingly prepared meals than the fanciest pretentious buffet. That is not to say that high-end restaurants can’t be good, but I’ll be honest, I’ve been disappointed with much of Calgary’s fine dining. And more than disappointed, I’ve been crushingly let down by Calgary’s mainstream restaurant reviewers. So many times I read reviews online where I can find them, pick a place that sounds great, go there and be baffled by the crappy food while the clipped newspaper review is glowingly posted on the front door.

I aim to eat locally grown food (ideally grown organically), and I eat only humanely raised meat from local farmers. That is a stance I take based on a strong desire to not cause undue suffering to an animal whose life will sustain me. However this is not a stance I can hold on to while I review restaurants since that would leave me with about two restaurants (okay three or four) to ever choose from. I simply choose to dine out less frequently and cook mainly at home.

Often when I go out I try to find the gold in restaurants, mainly by asking the staff about their favorites. No one place does everything well, so to find the one dish that makes you come back again and again is totally worth it in my books. Apparently I like one trick ponies as long as it’s a good trick.

Having said all that, I passionately love good food especially eaten with friends and family, and I’d love to showcase some of my favorite places to eat since Calgary has precious few culinary gems. So without further ado, here’s how I rate food related establishments.

5/5
• you made me squeal with delight!
• I’d drive across the city for you!
• I’m going to call my friends and insist they go here yesterday!
• I’ll weep bitter tears if you leave (cough cough Red Saffron)

4/5
• it’s been a pleasure to meet you
• I’ll go a bit out of my way to find you
• You’re within reach of greatness, reach for the stars!

3/5
• the state of most food offerings in Calgary
• You are unfulfilled potential
• I’d go here if you’re cheap and I’m close

2/5
• I’m sure some trucker loves you
• I’ll eat here if there’s nothing else available
• You’re all business, no soul

1/5
• I cannot believe I paid money for this
• Even sentimental value can’t save you
• The world would be a better place if you weren’t in it

Jonas’ Restaurant eluded me for months. Years really. I’ve always meant to go there, and yet each and every time I tried the mission was a failure. When I went there on a spur of the moment it was closed. Then several lunch reservations failed due to work or weather. Then two dinner plans fell through. Jonas’ and I continued in this vein for quite some time, and just recently I e-mailed a friend and lamented that the stars just won’t line up for us. Until last week. Then I found myself with my food partner in crime Jen tucked into a corner table for two hungrily studying the menu.

The small and cozy restaurant has plain white walls with Hungarian themed decorations, and red and white checkered tablecloths. The lighting is quite dim as the place has almost no windows, but there are charming pots of silk flowers and tealights on each table. We started with wine – a lovely red Hungarian cab for myself and a white sauvignon for Jen, and since I know next to nothing about wine, my description will end here. Being rather hungry and wanting to sample a variety of dishes we asked the waitress for her favorites, and she suggested the Wiener Schnitzel, Chicken Paprikash with Home-Made Dumplings and Beef Stew with Pasta, Feta Cheese and Dill. While we waited a bread basket arrived with slices of light rye, a few fresh sliced jalapenos, and a couple of containers of butter. The food arrived steaming attractively just as we were emptying the basket. We’re not know for our restraint.

Chicken Paprikash was the mildest tasting dish on the menu. The meat was fall apart tender, with perfectly cooked tiny chewy dumplings. The sauce was a gentle pink blend of tomato and cream with smoky undertones. It was a lovely and comforting dish, perfect on a cold day or if you feel like the world has been too abrasive lately.

Beef Stew with Pasta and Feta was our mutual favorite. The feta was not gritty in texture or overwhelming in flavor as in some dishes but almost as if it was whipped with cream cheese. The salt and tang were muted and lovely over the bland foil of pasta. I adore dill and the herb added a bright familiar note to the sauce. The stew was dark and thick, tomato based with thick cubes of beef that were barely holding together.

The Wiener Schnitzel is where Jen and I disagreed. I thought it was a superb dish – very crisp breading, proper amount of salt, a large portion and chewy but not at all tough meat made it a winner in my book. Not at all oily, with fresh lemon juice squeezed over it, it was a tasty delight. The potatoes served with it were great too – very soft chunks tossed with dill, butter and salt they were a perfect contrast to the crispy schnitzel. What looked like frozen veggies served with it didn’t add any value, nor take any away. Jen was underwhelmed and said that had she found out it was from Safeway she would not have been surprised.

At this point we were stuffed, but had a great deal of catching up to do. Over wine and the lovely stupor that descends after a homey, filling repast we filled each other in on our busy lives and new interests. Comparing notes, books, sites and music we whiled away a pleasant hour and improbably arrived at room for dessert. Ninety percent of desserts consist of crepes with various fillings, and we chose one stuffed with ground nuts and chocolate sauce. It was an excellent concept with decent execution. The crepe is a bit too chewy suggesting that it’s frozen before serving, and the filling inside while warm and nutty has a funny aftertaste. Neither of us could identify the nuts. The chocolate sauce could be a bit creamier, it had a slight grit to it but it did provide the necessary sweetness to the dish.

Full and happy we waddled out of the restaurant contemplating escalators, taxis or any mode of transportation not requiring the use of legs. But use them we did, bravely walking off some of the food while we made our way to the core to say goodbye. Like a mother’s hug Jonas’ warm atmosphere and home cooked meal made everything better in the world.

4/5

Jonas Restaurant & Bar

937 6 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 0V7
(403) 262-3302