Week 15: Holy Grill

The Holy Grill has three locations in Calgary.  The one we chose is located at 827 -10 Ave SW across the street from Mountain Equipment Co-op.  There's a small customer parking lost on the east side of the restaurant.  The restaurant is cafeteria style with an "old school" vibe and huge windows facing 10th Ave.  Unfortunately, we were so hungry when we got to Holy Grill we neglected to take ANY pictures.  You'll have to visit the website or Google "images" to get an idea of what the food and restaurant looks like!

It won't happen again!

The menu is sandwiches and benedicts (4 selections of each) and Bill chose the South Beach Benedict with two poached eggs, tomato, avocado and  hollandaise on an English muffin.  It looked delicious and tasted GREAT!  I chose the Bacon Avocado Crisp (wish I had a photo because the image would definitely make your mouth water) with bacon, avocado, fried egg, cheddar, mayo, pickled eggplant, spinach and tomato on a bun.  The pickled egg plant was a nice touch and I devoured the entire sandwich before even thinking about a photo!!  

                     

Fifteen breakfast blogs and I'm wondering if it might be time for a change soon.  We are enjoying eating our way through the breakfast offerings but think we may be approaching the time where something new is required.  I have a couple of ideas rolling around and they both involve food.  I'm interested in healthy, tasty and nutritious food without giving up the fun factor!

 Last night we went to a pizza restaurant in Inglewood called Without Papers. We went with the family and ordered three delicious pizzas The Shrooom with roasted garlic truffle panna, wild mushrooms, arugula and truffle oil;  The Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt; The Hawaiian 5-0 with tomato sauce, Canadian back bacon, pineapple, jalapeños, aged cheddar and mozzarella.  Each was totally unique and made with fresh ingredients.  

After dinner we went to Village Ice Cream in Victoria Park at 431-10 Ave. SE and what a wonderful spot! They make their own special recipes and judging from the large crowd out eating ice cream at 8 o'clock in the evening, it's a well loved place for families and friends to share delicious treats!

THE BOOK

I thought I was going to be able to stop myself, but I couldn't.  I'm now reading my fourth Ragnar Jónasson thriller called Blackout!  Detective Ari Thór is called in to investigate the brutal murder of a man who had come to the northern Icelandic town of Siglufjördur to oversee a construction project.  As the characters are revealed it is clear that each one connected to the murder had publicly threatened the victim. A young reporter from Reykjavik who has come to cover the story becomes entangled far beyond her role as a journalist!  The story takes place during the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjalllajökull (pronounced AY-yah-fyad-layer-kuh-tel) in 2011.  Can one get addicted to Nordic noir?

Week 14: Brekkie Cafe

Brekkie Cafe is located in SW Calgary off 85 St. at 9th Ave. in a strip mall.  The restaurant is quite unique and, if I could venture a guess, feng shui principles may have been incorporated into the design and decorating. The restaurant is bright, very clean, earth coloured walls with plants situated on the tables and in the shelving that divides the two sections. It's a very comfortable environment.

The Happy Diner

The menu is varied and there are a few interesting items that caught my eye like the Quinoa Almond Bowl and the Braised Short Rib Poutine. We decided to check out their more basic breakfasts so Bill ordered the Traditional Benny and I ordered the Classic Brekkie. Both were delicious and the eggs were fresh (no greater sin that to serve old eggs) and the sides were tasty.  The staff were great and our breakfast was served quickly.  Overall we really enjoyed our breakfast and to add to the positive experience, separate washrooms!!

Today was a cold, rainy day in Calgary.  We drove through a couple of the nearby communities and back home through Springbank. It was nice to see the green fields and trees with the homes nestled in the hillsides and the horses out enjoying the new grass and cooler temperatures.  There's a weather condition for all!

THE BOOK

It seems I can't get enough of the Nordic noir and am on to Nightblind, Ragnar Jónasson sequel to Snowblind.  This story takes place in the same northern Icelandic town where Ari Thór is faced with the shooting of his senior colleague.  None of the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit together and time is critical as Ari's own life may be threatened.  

Ragnar Jónasson is a master storyteller and I enjoy visiting another county through the eyes of a resident.  

Week 13: Monki Breakfastclub & Bistro

Monki Breakfastclub & Bistro has two locations in Calgary.  The original is in the Beltline at 1301 10th Ave. SW right across the street from Community Natural Foods. We ate at that location last week and weren't overly impressed the Rösti Waffle, too crisp, and the coffee, lukewarm.  The restaurant had been recommended so we thought we'd give the second location in Inglewood a try.  It's located 1420 9th Ave. SE with 2 hr. free street parking!

The restaurant is new, bright, and the tables are set up so that there's plenty of room. The staff are welcoming and friendly. 

We are learning that there are similar offerings in most of the breakfast spots that we have tried.  However, each one seems to have one or two "specials" that are unique to their restaurant.  Monki has a waffle selection that (although neither of us ordered them) looks tasty and decadent!  Bill ordered the Monki Huevos Rancheros with spiced rice, ground beef and fresh mushrooms and tomatoes.  I ordered the Salmon Avocado Toast and it was simply prepared and delicious.  Our server, Kaine, was great and made sure our coffee cups were full!

Having now been to both locations, we agreed that the Inglewood Monki is more comfortable and the food seemed a little fresher!  The Beltline location is in an older building so has a bit of "I can't believe we fit a restaurant into this space" feeling to it.  

The Inglewood location is close to a couple of my favourite places to shop. One is the stationery shop Recess at 1323 9th Avenue SE.  Recess has a huge selection of great quality products from all over the world and the quality of the pens, stationery, notebooks, art supplies and general office supplies is enough to send a pen and stationery nerd into a trance!  The second spot nearby is Next Page at 1217a 9 Ave SE a beautiful and not set up like your usual bookstore.  I won't say more about that so as not to spoil the surprise!

THE BOOK

This week I read a second Ragnar Jónasson novel called Snow Blind.  It takes place in a small Icelandic town, Siglufjördur, close to the Arctic Circle.  Ari Thór, a new police graduate from Reykjavik moves to the small town to begin his career.  He gets thrown into the "deep end" when 2 residents of the town are murdered and the close knit community does not give up information easily!

Why read this novel?  "Nordic noir" has an interesting combination of slightly tormented protagonists and isolated settings. The combination pulls you in to the desperate need to untangle and solve a mystery as though it were the only way to salvation! Who couldn't use some of that?