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For The Love of Food YYC, Calgary, AB (2026)

05/06/2026

Michele Chiarlo Winemaker Dinner at Bungalow Club

The Bungalow Club just opened on 17th Ave. in February in the former space of La Chaumiere. The cuisine and the decor are very modern European fusion, and the ambience is simply stunning. This is definitely a place to come for champagne and appies on the patio (hopefully to open soon) this summer to feel like European elite.

The food was fantastic, and I’m a huge fan of Michele Chiarlo wines, so the evening was an absolute success.

Course 1: Tomato sashimi in a house made tomato spice with a glass chip in a tomato water bath. Hand-sliced speck (imported from Italy) with sweet and sour Gherkin cubes and a Dijon whip. Paired with Michele Chiarlo Le Orme Barbera d’Asti. These were beautiful amuse bouche, and who would think a simple tomato done so many ways could be such a tastebud explosion! And that the glass chip could hold so much flavor!

Course 2: Spinach pear cress salad with a medley of olives and fresh pears on a roasted pecan and goat cheese coulis topped with crispy watermelon radish, paired with Michele Chiarlo Le Marne Gavi.

Course 3: Chorizo bolognese: spiced chorizo slow roasted in a rouge wine sauce served with tagliatelle noodles, paired with Michele Chiarlo Cipressi Nizza. Loved the lemon zest added to this dish to cut through the richness - beautiful touch!

Course 4: Crispy gnocchi discs in a four cheese beurre Blanc sauce with duck confit clusters and a sweet apple butter coulis, paired with Michele Chiarlo Palas Barolo. What made this dish stand out? The blue cheese of course!

Course 5: Pan fried chicken in a cauliflower and truffle purée topped with a light honey glaze and citrus dusting, paired with Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cannubi.

Course 6: Deconstructed panna cotta cheesecake infused with citrus curd, with balsamic macerated strawberries and pavlova shards, paired with Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti. I love, love, love this Moscato!

05/03/2026

Scarpetta - 645 - 10th Avenue SW

Ok, I know I’ve posted about this place before, and how much I love their gnocchi with mushrooms, Gorgonzola and truffle cream sauce, and their pistachio cheesecake…. And Guess what? I ordered them again 😬. I just couldn’t help myself.

But this time I ordered two appetizers that I haven’t yet tried. Their bruschetta (which was filling and divine with that balsamic drizzle) and the polpette (which are made with beef and ricotta, and topped with pomodoro, basil and toasted almonds). Their prawns are still my favourite, but I am also adding these to the table next time I go as well!

Buon appetito!

05/03/2026

Love Damian?? Oh yesss, I do 😉

Love Damian is a pop-up restaurant located inside Meat & Bread on the corner of 9th Avenue and 1st Street SW. This charming pop-up serves elegant Italian cuisine, and the Chef and servers happily entertain and educate you while you enjoy your time here. This lucky location was previously home to Francine’s, who became successful here and moved to their own location. It appears the luck has rubbed off onto Love Damian, as rumour has it that they will also be moving into their own location hopefully in the Fall of this year (if the stars continue to align for this hard-working crew).

We had to try the homemade focaccia (which sits in the window and makes you drool when you walk in) with whipped herbed ricotta, the cavatelli, the sablefish, and the much-hyped white chocolate olives.

Honestly, everything was better than fantastic. You could taste the love and care in the depth of the flavours, the warmth of the fresh bread, and the melting of the sablefish in your mouth.

The most interesting and cute dish is the dessert olives (which are not actually olives - don’t be fooled). These white chocolate ‘olives’ flavoured with basil and EVOO ganache are so pretty served on a miniature ornamental olive tree. Just be cautious not to pluck and eat the fake ones 🤣

I can’t wait for Love Damian to open their own space. It is so deserved and I can’t wait to explore more of what Chef Kyle Opel has to offer!

If you haven’t been down to the pop-up yet, hurry down - their final service in this location is May 29!

05/02/2026

Vine & Dine evening at Sumaq

This event was absolutely fantastic! A celebration of the entire Peruvian landscape! Chef Erica wowed us yet again with her delicious creations, as follows:

Course 1: Camarones Crocantes - crispy shrimp with passion fruit sauce, rocoto (mild Peruvian chili sauce), and arugula, paired with Chilcanos and lime. The shrimp? Amazing! The Chilcanos? I need more of THAT! Chilcanos is pisco topped with Gingerale and lime. I thought Pisco Sours were my favourite, but I think these are definitely tied for two of my top cocktail choices.

Course 2: Costa verde salad of mixed leaves, red beet, avocado, crunchy quinoa, Peruvian corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and citrus herb vinaigrette, paired with Montes Alpha Chardonnay. This colorful dish transitioned us from the ocean to the coast effortlessly. Corn is a staple in Peruvian cuisine and it’s used so many different ways here. I love it when it’s served crisp, and it makes for such a beautiful presentation.

Course 3: Atun Causita - mashed potato with mayonnaise, avocado, tomato, egg, tuna, and black olive sauce, paired with Laurent Miguel Vendanges Nocturnes Rose. My favourite dish AND my favourite pairing of the evening! This Rose was perfectly chilled, and I loved, loved LOVED the little bites of potato salad with tuna, as well as the texture in the bite from the avocado! I could absolutely eat this dish every day.

Course 4: Arroz Verde con Pollo Alverja - spinach and cilantro rice with peas, topped with crispy chicken, and paired with Beronia Crianza. This dish was so full of flavour and wonderfully delicious. It was perfectly seasoned, and the cheese and chilies in the sauce went perfectly with the cilantro rice. This wine also had great depth with its dark cherry, licorice and cocoa flavours.

Course 5: Mar y Tierra - tender AAA beef tenderloin with Peruvian scallops, tomatoes, peppers, and Chinese noodles in a soy sauce reduction, paired with Trivento Golden Reserve. Another flavourful dish that was perfect for this Malbec.

Course 6: Chocolate Lucuma cake with dulce de leche and pisco ice cream, paired with Mozart Chocolate Cream Liqueur. Ok I have to give a shout out to this liqueur. Sometimes I think a chocolate liqueur can taste ‘fake’ or ‘chemically’, if that makes sense? This chocolate cream liqueur was deep, and rich, and dark, and was actually great alongside this dessert.

This evening was definitely an explosion for the tastebuds! And one that I would do again. Thank you to everyone at Sumaq for making this such an enjoyable evening.

04/27/2026

Sometimes all you want is greasy diner grub….. like when the bars close (ok, so this was my hangout in the 90’s at 2:00 a.m. - for real!). I went back to reminisce with an old friend over our usual cheeseburger, fries and gravy, and a big ol’ piece of flapper pie. Still the same…even the upholstery…

The only difference between then and now? They now close at 9:00 p.m. However, that means that I’m still leaving when I’m ready for bed….

Thanks for the memories BTS!

04/24/2026

Another absolutely amazing weekend at Longview Steakhouse! Alberta beef and breakfast with a view…. This is my home sweet home ❤️❤️❤️

Chausson d’escargot (because I will never come here and NOT order this dish)

Seared Atlantic Scallops

Kimchi Squash Soup (peppery squash soup with a kick…fabulous!)

House salad

Black pepper sesame spiced veal striploin with brandy peppercorn cream. I have never had spicy veal before. Interesting AND delicious!

Filet mignon with bernaise (you can never go wrong with the tried and true)

Honey, sesame and walnut Moroccan cake. Similar to a baklava, but lighter. This was a nice light dessert to finish the evening.

Fluffy croissants, steak, and a mountain view for breakfast ☀️

04/21/2026

Too hot out for ramen??

Pfffftttt…. I don’t think so!

The Spicy Garlic Pork Ramen and the Burnt Shoyu Ramen are good ALL year long!

The Garlic Ramen was so flavorful and the chicken karaage was super tender. Everything can be enjoyed in the warmer weather with a nice cold Sapporo!

04/20/2026

Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro Seton

I love Monki Bistro Inglewood, and have written an article about them in the past for Calgary’s Child magazine.

I finally made it to Monki Seton, and it was just as good! I tried the Bruschetta Benedict (with balsamic marinated tomatoes, basil roasted red pepper, pickled red onion and goat cheese), and it was fantastic! I thought that I would miss not having the extra protein on my Benny, or that the tomatoes might be over marinated and vinegary on my eggs. But nope! This dish was vegetarian perfection! With a perfectly runny egg…

04/15/2026

Stampede Cellars Uncorked 2026

This year was another (third annual) spectacular event filled with Calgary’s best chefs and their very creative bites, as well as fabulous wines.

Vintage Group was named the Uncorked Grand Champion, with several other restaurants receiving recognition. Admittedly, the Vintage Group’s carrot cake bite was the best carrot cake I’ve ever had.

One of my other favorites was Rodney’s Oyster House’s beef and anchovy tartare….incredible!

And this year included one of my favorite judges…Ms. Linda Garson ❤️

04/11/2026

Penny Crown Tavern - 1926 - 34 Ave. SW

This apparent ‘New York-style tavern’ is the newest addition to the DOPO group of restaurants that’s been open for almost 5 months. I say ‘apparent’ because, although I’ve been to New York, I’m not sure I could clearly define or point out a traditional upscale tavern. That being said, I was definitely impressed with the menu offerings, as well as the food and drinks themselves. I love a small menu where everything had been perfected, and I think, like DOPO, Penny Crown has that nailed down.

Of course, the hype around town is their Alberta Wagyu burger with housemade American cheese, caramelized onions, and house remoulade - cooked medium. It’s a $34.00 burger….but it is pretty fantastic. I kept hearing about how big it was, but I’m telling you it was so good I wouldn’t bat an eye at finishing the whole thing by myself. The fries? They’re fries. They’re good. But your money’s where your burger is.

We also tried the chicken liver mousse with red onion marmalade with the potato focaccia roll. That red onion marmalade made that dish; and the potato focaccia roll was warm and made the liver melt on top. Delicious!

The Calabrian Fried Chicken with chilli aioli, pickled green tomatoes, jalapeños and hot honey was good, but let me get to the dish that unexpectedly blew me away. It was the Hamachi Crudo! Served with ponzu gelee, avocado, Fresno chilli, hazelnut, and lime. The hamachi was super fresh, and the combination of toppings, especially the hazelnuts and lime, made this the best hamachi Crudo I have ever had!

Pictured below is also the largest slice of sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever seen lol!

For The Love of Food YYC

05/06/2026

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05/03/2026

05/02/2026

04/27/2026

04/24/2026

04/21/2026

04/20/2026

04/15/2026

04/11/2026

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