borgo trattoria

Eggplant "fritta" with fennel yogourt.  Looks good right?

Yes. We did it. Jeff and I finally made it out of the house for a date! Yes, I know it's nearly unbelievable, and we are both still pinching ourselves even though it was over a week ago.

Soon to be Calgary's newest hot-spot, if it's not already, Borgo Trattoria is the obvious choice for a casual day or night adventure with friends, family, and even romance. Borgo is the brainchild of Capo's Giuseppe di Gennaro, and is tucked away in Mount Royal Village Shops, just off 17th Ave SW. Borgo is modern and sleek, but also familial and jovial. It is designed for everyday enjoyment, but with a touch of refinement.

Things I love about Borgo. It's Italianness. The all day bar/caffe/eating/watering/gathering place. Italian cocktails that I didn't have to fly over the Atlantic to enjoy. Food value. People watching.

I feel the value for food needs some emphasis. The portions are decidedly small, as in a Venetian cicheti wine bar experience, as are the prices. Want a meatball? That's $2. The menu is designed for tasting, to accompany a drink and more importantly, a good time with friends. If one is to order many different dishes to whet the palate, then large portions are ill-suited to this pursuit. Of course, there is nothing stopping anyone from ordering multiple portions of the items they enjoy the most to make the volume of food larger and price-comparable to family chain restaurants. Have I had a better arancino? Sure, but one can't really compare the arancini at a night market on the main piazza of a nearly forgotten small Italian village either. Did I order more arancini after the first one? Guilty as charged.


I dare say Calgary has a spectacular offering of high-end fine dining restaurants. It is refreshing to find that I am not the only one who thinks we need more restaurants in the middle price range with exceptional food, offering a good value.

It's newness and seeming popularity, hopefully doesn't make it blissfully unaware, as there are kinks to be worked out. But gauging from Gennaro's track record at Capo with exceptional service and food, I am hopeful for Borgo's future. We definitely enjoyed the night and are plotting our next escape to Borgo.

Oh right. For the first time, EVER, someone asked me why I was taking pictures! And it was the manager. My response? "Oh for fun." It is technically true though!



Aperol negroni. This gives me chills up my spine just thinking about it!




Bucatini "Amatriciana".  I love to make this at home too.


Plump little gnocchi.  This was exceptionally filling, but worth every bite!


Flank steak (on left), veal (near top), green beans, and borlotti beans.


One of my favourite preparations for the humble green bean is paired with tomato sauce.


Flank steak, one of my favourite dishes of the night.


Veal with sage butter.


One can never have too much dessert.


Borgo Trattoria
818 16 Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0S9
(403)245-2202
7 days a week, 7:30am - until late, no reservations

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

charcut, calgary's best bang for your buck

I'm just going to say it. I really like CHARCUT. And from what I can tell, given the cult-like status of their alley burgers, a lot of others like CHARCUT too. Yes, their burger is one of the best in the city, and yes, their meatball sandwich is awesome, but great food becomes even better when it is prepared and served with passion.

One thing that I quite like, is that CHARCUT can be a bit of a restaurant chameleon. It can be what you want it to be. Need a burger lunch in jeans and a t? Sure. Want to have a girlie night out for drinks? CHARCUT fits the bill there too. Yearn for a romantic dinner? CHARCUT is a great bet. There are a lot of restaurants in town, but there aren't many that I can say are versatile enough for multiple occasions. It takes the guesswork out of eating. No more, "Where should we go?", or perhaps more importantly, "Where should we send the out-of-towners to eat?" It's easily settled, because there is something for everyone, and nothing is too bland or boring or poorly done.  In fact, quite the opposite.

Oh, and did I mention the value? The "CHARCUT Lunch All at Once", can give you a soup, sandwich, and warm chocolate chip cookies for FIFTEEN BUCKS! We're not talking about a chain-quality sandwich here. We're talking about REAL food made by real people! I have to admit, I kinda drooled just rereading that from their menu. Like I said, I like this place.

Here's a bit of a recount of a visit from a recent lunch.

It is hard to go wrong with pork, if that is your kind of thing, and this pork terrine is no different. A little pork with a little preserves.  Sure, it is a bit indulgent, but there is a lot to like. Salty and sweet. Crispy and silky too. It seems quite simple, in fact, there is a lot going on.


Great burger. Great fries, fried in duck fat. Enough said. Perhaps the best burger in the city. Just saying. I was quite taken with the lemon preserved tuna (in the mason style jar). This is not your Mom's canned tuna. It hardly resembles anything we first think of tuna, it is in fact, so flaky and so tender, that it is of course impossible to stop eating. It is something you would never expect at a "Roast House", and somehow that just makes it that much better.


I wasn't too sure what to expect when I ordered the meatball sandwich. But I'm sure glad I did. Why didn't I ever think of adding a side dish of tomato sauce to dip the sandwich into. Brilliant! Especially, when the sauce is just exactly the tangy complement the hearty meatballs deserved. And thankfully, the meat was flattened, so I could easily gobble this down.


CHARCUT is located in the St. Germain building, downtown Calgary. I've eaten there a few times, and definitely recommend it. I need to try the rotisserie chicken....NEED.

Have you been to CHARCUT?

101, 899 Centre Street SW
(403)984-2180
Hours: Mon - Tues: 11am - 11pm, Wed - Fri: 11am - 1am, Sat: 5pm - 1am, Sun: 5pm - 10pm
Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

taste alberta and retro redone

So I have to tell you about something new.  Although, I did say there was something retro, I really want you to know more about Taste Alberta.

It was just over year ago when Dinner with Julie, Kitchenscraps, Patent and the Pantry, Backseat Gourmet, and I, met up for a "Julie and Julia"-styled dinner. So it is only fitting that I flipped through the pages of some Julia Child recipes, and recalled why there were so many pink sticky notes, to mark the multitude of pages on which the recipe I created were found. Yes, that's right, there were multiple pages... what was I thinking?

Oddly enough, we recalled all of this yesterday evening, at the Calgary launch party of Taste Alberta. We sampled some superb Alberta products, expertly prepared by Alberta chef's...oh darn. The idea is to create awareness about the "huge variety of food grown, raised, produced and processed in the province, where to buy it and how to prepare and serve it." It will evolve in the Calgary Herald on Sundays, and in the Edmonton Journal on Wednesdays, and here.  A great opportunity for everyone to learn more about the vast amount of food and produce grown in the province.  Stay tuned!

And in honour of the pink-sticky notes still attached in  my Julia Child cookbook a year later, I made a gratin.  I have recently become completely entrenched in the knowledge of a gratin.  There is so very much to love;  it sounds so elegant, but yet it is really quite simple to throw together.  Quite literally in fact.  You just might have to dust your face with a little flour, and dirty a few more dishes, just to make it seem like you have been slaving away for hours on end; without actually having to do so.

Yes, I actually make most of this dish while carrying my five month old baby in a wrap on my chest.  Okay, not the flaming, cooking over the stove parts, but the whisking parts.  The breaking the egg parts.  He likes it, and heck, so do I.

Oh, and, there's usually leftovers.  Usually.

Did I mention that it's like a quiche without the shell?  It is quite rich, so paired with a fabulously colourful, and perhaps semi-flamboyant, red cabbage coleslaw, there isn't much to complain about.

The gratin has shrimp, curry, eggs, and a whopping cup of whipping cream.  It's heavenly in a seriously retro casserole dish.  The coleslaw?  Right. It's inspired by Nigella Lawson herself, with red cabbage, fennel, red onion, beet, garam masala, buttermilk, mayonnaise, and orange marmalade.  I know it sounds totally and completely bizarre, but just trust me that it is something that you will relish having made a large batch of.  Then, there's more time the next day, say for making cookies or other holiday deliciousness.

The retro part? Well coleslaw is always fashionable, but a dish like this? This is old school. But corning ware dishes are never out of style.


Add some cheese for the last ten to fifteen minutes.


No, it does not look like "dino-cut out chicken fingers" (thank goodness!), but it sure is colourful.


Especially when paired with this colourful festive coleslaw -


A Gratin with Shrimp & Curry

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 tsp curry powder
3 eggs
1 cup whipping/heavy cream
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp kosher salt
white pepper
1-2 tbsp grana padano

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet until foaming. Cook the onion, until soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the shrimp, and stir, stir, stir, until the shrimp is nearly cooked. Just cooked so there is not a hint of grey left, but no more. Stir in the curry powder, and turn off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Stir in the shrimp mixture.
4. Transfer the mix to a glass or ceramic baking dish suitable for the oven. Bake until the middle has risen as much as the edges, and jiggles just a bit. Sprinkle over a little grated grana padano, and place back in the oven with the oven off. When the cheese has melted, serve immediately.

Colourful Festive Coleslaw

If you own a food processor, this is a snap. It's a fabulously delicious way to enjoy raw vegetables in the middle of winter.

1/2 head red/purple cabbage
1 fennel bulb
1 medium beet
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup orange preserves, aka marmalade
1 tsp garam masala (delish Indian spice mix)

1. Using the food processor, chop the vegetables using the grating attachment. Just chop the pieces small enough to insert into the machine. Just trim the cores and ends of the vegetables. Include the top of the fennel bulb, beautiful fronds and all.
2. Combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, preserves, and garam masal in a mason jar. Shake! Give it all you've got. You've really got to work to get the marmalade mixed in.
3. If you have enough eaters to devour all of the coleslaw, toss the veggies with all of the dressing. Otherwise, spoon over the dressing over each individual serving, saving the remainders for the next couple days. Enjoy!
Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

caffe rosso

Have a heart.


Or a swan.


Gorgeous and delicious latte's aren't all that is on offer at Caffe Rosso, in the community of Ramsay, Calgary. The baked goods are also extra fabulous, including this granola bar with poppy seeds and sliced almonds.


It was so very good, that in fact, I just had to try the chocolate beet cake too. It was quite perfect, and somehow, it seemed to disappear a little too quickly for my liking.


One of the few café's in Calgary with outdoor seating, and no significant traffic, besides parking for the shop.


Perhaps, we enjoyed more than one latte each, as they were so very good on a beautiful autumn day.... We also enjoyed a tasty Italian cured meats panini with olives and a pickle on the side.


Latte fabulousness at Caffe Rosso.  My newest addiction.


Check out Caffe Rosso in the Ramsay exchange development, just off of Spiller Rd in Southeast Calgary.

Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

a butcher party

Don't worry, a party at a butcher shop isn't as gory as you might think. Although, it sure is delicious! Recently, although I'm not writing this as recently as I would like, I was invited to a social bash hosted by the soon to be Charcut Roast House along with Fresh Kitchen, Big Rock, Jackson Triggs, Caffee Umbria, Okanagan Spirits, and Rocky Mountain Game Meats. And so, in the back of the butcher shop, we tasted once forbidden treats with nose to tail eats. We munched on livers, snouts, shoulders, marrow, belly, and even ears. The beverages were the previously forbidden treats including beer, wine, coffee, and absinthe. Did you know that promoting wine in any way on the internet is still illegal in France? And absinthe is still forbidden or limited in a few Canadian provinces? The pigs head was stuff to the brim with a pate-like consistency, of deliciousness. It's what I dream mortadella should be. Blackened flat iron steak sandwich with 24-hour caramelized wweet onion and wild mushroom bruschetta on brioche, was packed full of flavour. Below, is liverwurst and pigs belly croquettes, sauce gribiche with fennel. This was absolutely addicting, as the smooth tang of the gribiche made the crunchy croquettes irresistible. I normally don't drool over chicken, but after one bite, I wanted the whole platter. Perfect chicken. Why party at a butcher shop? For a fascinating butcher and meat tenderizing demonstration. I'm still wishing I caught it on video. But we did eat some of the results! Beautiful marbling. After all, it is what's on the inside that counts. Connie and John of the soon to be CHARCUT. The steaks off the grill; so juicy, so very good. 60% and taboo! Food in Calgary will only change as a communal effort to really put this city on the map. I think things are certainly on their way.
Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

radio

I've been eating pancakes galore, and you can learn a bit more about a few of my faves for a weekend brunch. There's a new segment this Saturday too! Check it out on CBC Radio 1010 with Russell Bowers.
Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |

calgary chefs have a potluck & how to make your own cheese

What do chefs do on their day off? Like say, on the Sunday of a long weekend? Perhaps it's time for family, or maybe a chance for friends. Sometimes, it's a bit of both. Today, they made time for each other, a Calgary chef's potluck lunch. Hope you brought an enormous appetite, because when it's a chefs potluck with sausages in the smoker, and goats, yes live goats, in the back, you know it's going to be good. Although, honestly, this is just a small taste of the abundance of exceptionally prepared food there was to enjoy. Chef Andrew Keen, Executive Chef of the Tribune Restaurant and Bar, as well as ParkerHouse Grill and Wine Bar, had everyone chanting, "lamb prepared in the style of prosciutto". A little salty, and a little bit sweet. Delightfully delicious. There were juicy chickens on the spit, with an incredible perfume. Chickens going down the slide. Chef Heather Gould-Hawke of District, preparing the chickens for the platter. Chickens ready to eat; juicy, and flavourful. I should probably mention that there was no shortage of meat. It was a barbeque, after all. There were wings. Salmon was not left overlooked, however. What is a barbeque without potato salad? I told you there were carbs. This is just scratching the surface. There were also panini on the grill, braised short ribs, a variety of sausages, fusilli, beautiful breads, grissini (breadsticks), vegetable terrines, oysters, platters of gigantic shrimp, keftedes (fried meatballs), curried chicken, lemonade, iced coffee, and even more. It goes without saying that there were desserts. There were desserts with berries. There was pie. And creamier than cream itself, ice cream. There was a goat petting zoo for the kiddies, but it was to be more than that. If you live in Calgary, and haven't yet heard of Charcut, I'm fairly sure you will be hearing a lot about it very soon. It seems to be the talk of the town. Charcut is to be a "roast house", opening in December 2009 on Centre Street and 9th Avenue, in the new Le Germain, Hotel Residence. Originally from Calgary, owners and Chefs Connie DeSousa and John Jackson have returned to create a locally sustainable, albeit profound eating experience. The ownership also includes Service Director Jean Francois Beeroo, and Carrie Jackson, to complete the biographical dream team. The goats were milked, and then Chef Connie DeSousa, of Charcut, gave a lesson in cheese-making. The milk needs to be heated to 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and then vinegar is added. This is an overview, with some useful tips. Discussion around ultra-pasteurization, and pasteurization, followed by more cheese-making tips. I am eager to try this process, particularly with a variety of vinegars, and I will most definitely keep you posted. All in all, a very enjoyable event with representation (and dishes!) served by Chefs or had involvement from District, ParkerHouse/Tribune, Wildwood, Divino, Fresh Kitchen, Highwood Crossing Farms, Charcut, Bears Den, Sorrentino's, Manuel Latruwe, Caffe Umbria, and Bite Groceteria - just to mention a few - there were more to be sure, and I'm surely leaving some out, but certainly not on purpose. Can I be excused if I was too busy eating?
Add Post To: | | | | | | | | |