Author Archives: bcorbett907

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About bcorbett907

I'm a Calgary-based writer who enjoys exploring the landscapes, and menus, of western U.S./Canada

Seattle Sandwich Standoff

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What do Seattle diners do while they're waiting in line? Why of course, talk to each other

What do Seattle diners do while they’re waiting in line? Why of course, talk to each other

It’s your classic heavyweight battle. In one corner, er Seattle streetfront, is the long-time, undisputed champ: Paseo, famed for its Cuban-style sandwiches. Almost right across Fremont Avenue is the contender, Dot’s Delicatessen, which also does sandwiches, along with charcuterie plates.

I head for the latter because a) I like an underdog and b) there’s no 11 am lineup here. I order a porchetta sandwich, the fatty pork tenderloin nicely offsetting the crunchy, pinkish coleslaw and the whole thing nicely held together by lightly toasted, chewy sourdough bread. It’s a simple, great $9 sandwich.

The porchetta sandwich on sourdough is sublime at Dot's Delicatessen

The porchetta sandwich on sourdough is sublime at Dot’s Delicatessen

By the time I’ve wolfed down the last morsel, I would probably just be ordering at Paseo. But as I pass the latter and its ever-lengthening line, I see some seated lads digging into steaming pork subs, smothered in caramelized onions. Damn, that looks good, too.

There's usually a healthy line for Paseo's Cuban-style sandwiches

There’s usually a healthy line for Paseo’s Cuban-style sandwiches

I can see a split decision here. Heck, even Urbanspoon reviewers are having a tough time deciding. I guess everyone’s a winner.

Dot’s Delicatessen
4262 Fremont Ave North
Daily 11 am-9 pm, except 3 pm closing Sunday
Dot’s Delicatessen on Urbanspoon

Paseo
4225 Fremont Avenue North or 6226 Seaview Avenue NW
Tuesday to Friday 11 am-9 pm, Saturday 11 am-8 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday
Paseo on Urbanspoon

Rockin it in Balzac, Alberta

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The Rockin Horse Cafe in whistlestop Balzac is a good place to stop before hitting Calgary

The Rockin Horse Cafe in whistlestop Balzac is a good place to stop before hitting Calgary

Entering the Rockin Horse Cafe, in tiny Balzac north of Calgary, I look at the specials’ menu board and spot Portuguese soup. “I’m a writer,” I say, erasing the second “u” with my finger. Out comes the cellphone, Google is consulted, and I look for a place to hide…. or order beet-red soup.

Rockin Horse owner Raymonde Boisvert not only knows spelling. She also knows soup. Every day, she and her son scratch make three soups from a roster of some 40 in her little cookbook. Today’s choices include macaroni and, of course, Portuguese, the latter a sturdy, tasty mix of chorizo sausage, potatoes, cabbage and beef broth. The regulars, including cowboys and truckers, usually combine the soup with a BLT or clubhouse, but I go for another standout: her mother’s recipe of cinnamon-raisin bread pudding with caramel sauce.

You've got to try the cinnamon-raisin bread pudding, from an old family recipe

You’ve got to try the cinnamon-raisin bread pudding, from an old family recipe

The Rockin Horse is a good last-minute place to stop for breakfast or lunch before hitting or passing through Calgary. It’s less than a minute west of Highway 2 and within spitting distance of the city’s encroaching northern suburbs.

It’s also a good place to work on my spelling. Think they’d let me add an ‘ to Rockin or an é to Cafe?

Raymonde Boisvert runs the show, with the help of son Sean

Raymonde Boisvert runs the show, with the help of son Sean

Rockin Horse Cafe
100 Main Street, Balzac, Alberta
Weekdays 7 am-3 pm, Saturday 8 am-3 pm
Rockin Horse Cafe on Urbanspoon

The Latest Beer Innovation: The Tasting Room

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Beer doesn't just come in bottles or pints anymore

Beer doesn’t just come in bottles or pints anymore

In the beer-drinking world, many of us sophisticated types long ago evolved from the 24-packs of thin, flavourless piss to craft beers of all persuasions. Though sometimes things get a little carried away with the addition of fruits, chocolate and hot peppers. And don’t get me started on IPAs.

The chocolaty "breakfast" beer and the geek

The chocolaty “breakfast” beer and the geek

The latest trend is the beer-tasting room, where you can stand, or sit at little tables, and savour small glasses (say, five or eight ounces) of beer, usually produced by an attached brewery. Perhaps the only food offered is from independent food trucks at the curb. Want some beer to take home? You’ll probably have to buy a refillable growler.

Vancouver, for instance, features two new tasting rooms. Brassneck Brewery (2148 Main Street) opened this fall with some eight beers to sample, while 33 Acres Brewing (15 West 8 Avenue) has two on tap. I recently visited the latter, which is a nice, bright place to sip a glass of 33 Acres of Life while chatting with friends. It felt more like a modern coffee shop (minus the laptops) than a prototypical pub. It’s all part of a craft beer renaissance in Vancouver, aided by the updating of antiquated liquor laws that allows the licencing of city tasting lounges.

Smaller glasses of onsite-produced beer at 33 Acres' tasting roomSmaller glasses of onsite-produced beer at 33 Acres’ tasting room

Whether tasting rooms are your cup of beer is a matter of preference. Methinks that in big cities, it’s a trend that’s just getting started.

Road Food For Thought: What ever happened to those beer bottle openers in motel bathrooms? Don’t they know all these craft beers don’t have screw tops?

Why do most bottles of Canadian craft beers contain only 331 or 341 millilitres (11 or a little more ounces) of golden liquid, compared with 12 ounces for their American counterparts? The funny thing is, put the same Canadian beer in a can and you suddenly get 12 ounces (355 ml), often for less money. Go figure.

Blow the foam off the Canadian craft beer (right), and it's an ounce short of its American cousin

Blow the foam off the Canadian craft beer (right), and it’s an ounce short of its American cousin

Obviously, American beer has always been cheaper than Canadian suds. But the production and marketing of specialty brews down south has raised the price of some 22-ounce bottles to between $4 and $9 apiece. Guess they’re taking their cue from the specialty coffeehouses.

Four Things I’ve Learned About Using Expedia or Hotwire to Book a Room

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Expedia and its subsidiary, Hotwire, offer road trippers easy access to last-minute motel bookings

Expedia and its subsidiary, Hotwire, offer road trippers easy online access to last-minute motel bookings

I’ve discovered online travel sites like Expedia and Hotwire can be a great way to spontaneously book motel/hotel rooms on road trips. Just find a place and price you like, type in your credit card number and, boom, you’re soon tuning in to HBO and recharging every electronic device you’ve dragged along with you.

Hotwire is actually a subsidiary of Expedia and differs from the former in just offering last-minute discounts, though I haven’t usually noticed a huge price difference between the two. But I have used both sites enough to help you, dear reader, avoid some of the pits I’ve fallen into.

Lesson 1: Once you hit “accept”, you’re on the hook
In other words, look carefully at what you’re getting before accepting. This rule especially applies to Hotwire, though you can often buy cancellation insurance when you book. Cancellation, a day or two ahead, is generally available through Expedia, depending on the specific motel’s policy. But I prefer last-minute booking, which gives me flexibility and avoids having to seek a refund if my plans change or an emergency arises. Note: Lesson 1 is the big one and applies to the next three.

Lesson 2: Double check where you’re actually staying
I thought I’d booked a room in Santa Barbara, California only to discover, too late, that my motel was in the “Santa Barbara area”. Which turned out to be an hour’s drive, each way, to less-than-lovely Lompoc, though it was nice to tick it off my bucket list. It was my own damn fault, as Expedia allows you to see the name and address of the place before accepting; I just mistakenly assumed Lompoc was a Santa Barbara suburb. With Hotwire, you don’t know the name and address till you hit “accept”, though their little maps give you a rough idea of what neighbourhood you’ll be in.

Lesson 3: Read the fine print about being “pet friendly”
Pet friendly is great if you’re packing critters. Not so much if you’re deathly allergic to cats or dogs. As I was walking to my $40 room in Portland, nearly every window curtain I passed had a pink nose poking through it. Good thing the red eyes and wheezing from my mild cat allergy never kicked in.

Using Hotwire, I got a heck of a deal at the swanky Hilton near the Los Angeles international airport

Using Hotwire, I got a heck of a deal at the swanky Hilton near the Los Angeles international airport. Never did lounge by the pool, mind you

Lesson 4: Read the other fine print about what is and isn’t include
I thought I’d landed a hell of an under-$100 Hotwire deal when I pulled up to the high-falutin Hilton near the Los Angeles international airport (LAX); I tried to cover the stains on my pants as I approached the tony front desk. That’s till I discovered that things free at a fleabag motel were not at the snooty Hilton. Like $5 for Internet access in my room. And $27 to drive down a five-floor, twisting concrete ramp to park my car in a tiny, scarcely-open-the-door-without-banging-the-Lexus-next-to-me parking space. Twenty-seven effin’ dollars for parking! Next time, I won’t bother booking the room. I’ll just pay for the parkade and sleep in the back of my car.

That is, till I saw how much the "extras" cost

That is, till I saw how much the “extras” cost

A Shout Out For Little Taco Trucks

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Chicas Tacos, near Walla Walla, Washington, is like many mom-and-pop taco trucks

Chicas Tacos, near Walla Walla, Washington, is like many mom-and-pop taco trucks

In my wandering travels, I’ve come across some great little taco trucks in the middle of nowhere. So at dusk, I’m zipping past one such tattered taqueria in a dusty parking lot (is there any other kind?) in the whistle-stop town of Touchet (Too-chee), on Highway 12, just west of Walla Walla in southern Washington. And I’m thinking and driving, thinking and driving. Until, at about the three-minute mark, I slam on the brakes and skid onto a little side road, the truck driver behind me blasting his horn as he swerves by.

Elena produces good, authentic Mexican fare at bargain prices

Elena produces good, authentic Mexican fare at bargain prices

I get back to Chicas Tacos just before it closes for the day and order a little adobada (marinated pork) taco, for all of $1.50. I want to see how it tastes and, just as importantly, to chat with the owners. As I’m piling radishes, onions and homemade salsa onto the double corn tortilla, Elena and her beekeeper husband tell me they’ve been open only a few months and soon will be closing for the winter. Business has been slow—mostly truckers from the secondary highway right in front of them—and they’re hoping to stay afloat.

A nice little adobada taco for just $1.50

A nice little adobada taco for just $1.50

I hope they do. They don’t have a website or Facebook page. “We’re dinosaurs,” the husband says. But Elena is putting out good, authentic Mexican fare at bargain prices and is willing to put in the hours over a hot grill to succeed. Isn’t this what the American dream (and spontaneous road-trip dining) is all about?

Update: I drove through Touchet in late September, 2014 and didn’t see any sign of the little taco truck in the gravel parking lot. Hope it was just away that day.

New Pok Pok Cookbook

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Fantastic, monster chicken wings with an Asian twist at Pok Pok

Fantastic, monster chicken wings with an Asian twist at Pok Pok

As a follow-up to my recent post on the legendary Portland restaurant Pok Pok, owner Andy Ricker has just published a book of the same name on his unique take on northern Thai cooking. After reading this recipe from the book on phat thai, though, you might agree with me that it’s easier just heading to the restaurant than making it yourself.