A few weeks ago we got some great thick cut pork chops from the farmers market. After thinking long and hard about what would go well with them it finally came to me…maple syrup. Once the chops have been marinated and fried up they become really juicy and tender. Paired with this creamy pan sauce you've got an awesome dinner.
Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Sura Korean Restaurant on Urbanspoon
Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8.5/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10

Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine on Urbanspoon
Its official, the Korean fried chicken trend in Calgary is in full swing with a new Korean fried chicken joint popping up in Kensington to challenge Olive Chicken. If you want to try your hand at making your own Korean fried chicken, then check this recipe out. The sweet and spicy sauce is tangy and garlicy, while the simple cucumber pickles (Daikon would have been more traditional) does a really nice job of cutting through the richness of the fried chicken.

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9.5/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10
downtownfood on Urbanspoon
Cheddar cheese ice cream- say what?!
As much as I love Christmas, I have to say that my favourite holiday meal happens at Thanksgiving. You get all of the amazing food but half the busyness of Christmas. This year our Thanksgiving ham was roasted with an apple chutney flavoured with bacon and sage.
Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Lucky Place Restaurant on Urbanspoon
Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Vendome Cafe on Urbanspoon

I'll admit that every so often I really crave 'Chinese' take out food, and by that I mean those Western classics like lemon chicken, beef and broccoli stir fry, or my all time favourite ginger beef. What might surprise you though is that Chinese people really like their take out meals too, the only difference being that when we decide to go that route we head straight for the Chinese BBQ meat store. 

Our favourite place is Sun's BBQ Restaurant. It's a good idea to arrive early in the day/afternoon otherwise all the delicious BBQ pork, duck and Char Sui (sweet roasted pork) will be all gone. Just head up to the counter and order your desired meat by the pound. The secret is to get the meat unsliced so you can heat it up in your home oven and carve it yourself to get the perfect combination of crispy skin and juicy meat.  If you are a meat lover and never had Chinese BBQ you are definitely missing out!

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 8.5/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Briggs Kitchen and Bar on Urbanspoon
This is a quintessential autumn recipe that takes advantage of the butternut squash that are in season.  Add some simple ingredients like cheddar cheese, aromatic sage and you have a delicious "pizza" that can be made in under an hour.  The flavours are rich, nutty and earthy- perfect for a chilly fall evening.
Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance 8/10
Niko's Bistro on Urbanspoon
Since returning from France, one of the places that I find myself thinking about the most is Nice. Right on the Mediterranean coast the sun, sea and amazing food and produce are enough make me consider moving there permanently. During the week of our visit we rented an apartment steps away from the famous produce market of the old town. Here is a recipe for Niçoise salad that was made with all the best ingredients that market had to offer, including fresh lettuce, briny olives, green beans and a dressing made with the local olive oil and a black truffle Dijon mustard.
Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
CHARCUT Roast House on Urbanspoon

Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Dragon Chinese Restaurant on Urbanspoon
Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance 8/10

Here is a savoury crepe recipe that can be served pretty much any time of day from brunch to dinner. The crepes are made with green onion and filled with sharp cheddar cheese and sautéed spinach.

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Carino Japanese Bistro + Wine on Urbanspoon

Come out to the Calgary Farmer's Market on Friday, September 6 from 5-9 pm and check out some delicious baked treats made lovingly by almost 30 local food bloggers, including yours truly.  All proceeds will go to The Calgary Foundation's Flood Rebuilding Fund.  The Sundown Chow Down event will be happening at the same time so it will be a great time to be down at the Farmer's Market to taste the food of ten different food trucks, enjoy live music and the outdoor family entertainment area.  See you there!

**EDIT: I made Blueberry Orange Madeleines for the bake sale.  Despite the rainy weather, it was a great night- tasty food trucks, live music and of course, yummy baked goodies by fellow food bloggers!  


Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance 8/10

Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Menyatai Japanese Ramen on Urbanspoon



These salad rolls are inspired by what was available in our pantry and our garden.  The salad rolls you can get at a Vietnamese restaurant typically contains pork and shredded lettuce.  In this recipe, we decided to go vegetarian, forgoing the pork, and used the "spring salad" mix we had handy in our fridge.  These are perfect for a light, tasty and healthy (gluten free too) snack or meal.  



You might have seen Darrin's mozzarella meatballs recipe.  I would like to think this one is better - moist, garlicy, tender meatballs in a beautiful creamy rosé sauce.  The panko gives the meatballs a lighter, almost 'fluffier' texture compared to regular bread crumbs.  Add rosemary, basil and garlic into the mix and you have a meatball sauce that is definitely a winner.



Overall - 9/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance- 9/10
Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Here is a simple recipe that infuses the exotic flavours of Morocco into your favourite cut of meat. This time around we chose pork shoulder since we had it close to hand, but lamb shanks would be a classic choice to match with the rich spices, sweet dried fruits and salty olives found in this dish. If like us you don't have a traditional tagine, a heavy bottomed oven proof pot with a tight fitting lid will work just fine.
Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Holy Smoke BBQ on Urbanspoon

Have you ever grilled up a great steak at home and thought to yourself that a little squirt of ketchup would make for the perfect sauce, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it because of your inner food snob? I'll be the first to admit that ketchup is one of my all time favourite condiments and even though I think it goes great with beef I just can't bring myself to use it on a premium dry aged steak. The solution to my dilemma is this gourmet homemade tomato and bacon jam that is based on something similar we tasted at Farm on our charcuterie plate. This condiment is easy to make, sweet, savoury and smokey and can hold its own next to any premium steak out there.

Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Farm on Urbanspoon

Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Bistro Rouge on Urbanspoon
Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Xocolat on Urbanspoon



Stuffed with pork, ginger, garlic and garlic chives these little fried dumplings are great alongside noodles or just by themselves. In this recipe you'll find a sure fire way to cook these up so that you get that perfect combination of crispy crust and tender steamed meat. 

Sometimes when you're craving a roast chicken dinner and are rushed for time, chicken thighs are your best bet. They roast up really quickly and in my opinion are the most flavourful and succulent parts of the chicken. The sweet and savoury flavours of apple and sage when roasted with the chicken makes for an awesome one pot sauce to go with your dinner.


Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Big Fish Dockside on Urbanspoon