Sign of the times
A growing number of Calgary coffee shops have changed the name of their Americano drinks to Canadiano. Best explanation is this chalkboard: Canadiano is “like an Americano but nicer.”
But will it get us out of hot water?
Patio dining at Lynx Ridge Golf Course in northwest Calgary
A lifetime ago, when I was a golfer, I had a simple maxim. If you want a good burger and beer, head to a golf clubhouse, even if you aren’t hitting any balls. The idea being that after four or five hours of ball whacking, golfers can get mighty hungry, thirsty and demanding.
Fast forward about 40 years, and I’m driving, on a warm fall day, to Lynx Ridge Golf Course in far northwest Calgary to test that old thesis. Lynx certainly meets the location criteria: a lofty patio overlooking the driving range and distant Bow Valley.
A way-above-par burger with onion rings
And it definitely aces the taste test—a bbq mozzarella burger, featuring a dense, moist, 7-ounce AAA beef patty, topped by crunchy onion rings and sautéed mushrooms. Oh, and a pile of hot, crispy fries.
I must say, better than most of the more lauded burgers in Calgary. And with all that greenery to boot.
Free-range burgers?
Lynx Ridge Golf Course
8 Lynx Ridge Boulevard NW, Calgary
Lookout restaurant 11 am-10 pm daily
403-930-7359
Wagashi Tea House owners Chris and Mariko Thomson
Wagashi Tea House is a delightful surprise—a verdant retreat attached to a Canmore garden centre in an industrial neighbourhood far from the cacophony of downtown. Its greenhouse-like walls and ceiling allow plentiful light and views of the surrounding mountains.
The greenhouse-like location overlooks the mountainous Bow Valley
Owners/chefs Mariko and Chris Thomson have crafted a carefully curated fusion menu centred around Japanese confections (such as adzuki bean paste rice balls), tea ceremonies and bento boxes.
My poke bowl ($24) is a wonderful mix of raw tuna, wonton crisps, edamame beans, corn, rice and a spicy house-made dressing so popular they sell it in bottles. I accompany things with a bowl of ceremonial-grade matcha, the hot water whisked in by hand.
My spectacular poke bowl, featuring raw tuna
On Fridays, locals arrive to buy raw, sushi-grade fish to take home. And perhaps a locally raised plant or two from the garden centre next door.
Wagashi Tea House
60 Lincoln Park, Canmore, Alberta
Thursday to Monday 9 am-4 pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday
403-497-6144
Bet you’ve never had an all-day sandwich like this stacked Reuben beauuty
You’d think operating a little food-court kiosk would necessarily restrict your menu to a few key themes. That’s definitely not the case with Krooked Provisions, a wife-and-husband, Red Seal-chef operation in Fresh & Local Market + Kitchens in deep south Calgary.
Krooked Provisions’ owners Lyndon and Leanna
Super friendly Leanna and Lyndon use this tiny kitchen to showcase their imaginative takes on pirogies (eight ways), Reuben sandwiches (house-made sauerkraut), four-cheese mac ’n cheese and a Mennonite sausage doused in a pineapple-ginger-sauerkraut salsa.
Pirogies your grandmother never made
It’s not just eclectic. It’s uniformly excellent, thanks to first-class ingredients, skill and execution.
Four cheeses go into this sublime mac’ ‘n cheese
On my Marathon Mouth journeys, I infrequently visit a place more than once. Despite a sizeable drive, I’ve headed to Crooked Provisions three times. And I’m only halfway through the menu.
Even the sausages are spectacular
Krooked Provisions
12445 Lake Fraser Drive SE, Calgary (Fresh & Local Market)
Thursday to Saturday 11 am-8 pm and Sunday 11 am-5 pm
Is it a croissant? A sandwich? No, it’s a croissandwich
The few croissant sandwiches I’ve endured have featured a rather stale croissant stuffed with, say, egg salad. At Poesie Co., a new, little shop on Kensington Road, the aptly named “croissandwiches” (all $15) are a completely different creation.
A round, ultra flaky croissant is cut in half, filled—in my case with chicken, pesto and béchamel—and then warmed in a little waffle-like oven. The resulting creamy yet crispy concoction is pure bliss, something unique in the crowded sandwich world.
Poesie is a hybrid bakery/sandwich shop
It all makes sense when you consider Poesie is an offshoot of local croissant master Yann Haute Patisserie. That expertise also goes into other menu items like cake frappes and gateaux glaces.
Poesie
1119 Kensington Road SW, Calgary
Opens at 11 am Wednesday to Friday, at 10 am weekends. Closed Monday and Tuesday
587-226-8091
The house-made focaccia buns are the real stars of Apprentice Cafe’s superb breakfast sandwiches
In a crowded Calgary food scene, it certainly pays to occupy a solid niche. For Apprentice Cafe—a tiny Ramsay eatery with verdant views of downtown—that niche is the often-overlooked breakfast sandwich. Owner Rein offers nine such all-day sandwiches, including pulled pork and my expertly executed mushroom ($10.25), featuring goat cheese, caramelized onion, egg and black garlic aioli.
Apprentice Cafe owner Rein in his tiny Ramsay restaurant
But the real star of these breakfast sandwiches is the focaccia buns they’re cradled in. Inspired by the focaccia he encountered while working as a chef in Italy, Rein bakes a little loaf that’s golden on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside.
Easily the best focaccia I’ve tasted. Too bad you can’t order it to go.
Apprentice also serves good Rogue Wave coffee and house-made small-batch ice cream. Its hot chocolate was recently named best in the city.
Apprentice Cafe
1024 Bellevue Avenue SE, Calgary
Opens 8 am Tuesday to Sunday and 9 am Monday
825-488-0887
Marathon Mouth 