A Hearty Pancake Sandwich and a Gigantic Meat Sandwich in Salt Lake City

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They're rightly called "Heavenly Hotcakes" at Penny Ann's Cafe. These have bacon and eggs in the middle

They’re rightly called “Heavenly Hotcakes” at Penny Ann’s Cafe. These have bacon and eggs in the middle

After eating a tofu scramble in Salt Lake City the day before, I’m ready for some real eggs and bacon, better yet piled between two pancakes. At *Penny Ann’s Cafe, they’re called “Heavenly Hotcakes”, with good reason. Yes, they’re platter big but fluffy and flavourful, thanks to the use of sour cream in the scratch-made batter. So good that even after I’m full and the remains have cooled, I can’t help nibbling. Though I must draw the line when I’m offered a slice of one of the many pies baked in the kitchen each day.

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Salt Lake City Goes Funky and Vegetarian

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This colourful flea market in downtown Salt Lake City coincided with the weekend pride festival

This colourful flea market in downtown Salt Lake City coincided with the weekend pride festival

It might be time to correct some misconceptions about Salt Lake City. Yes, it’s still a Mormon stronghold, though that grip is weakening, given only half the residents are practitioners of the faith. The weekend I visit coincides with a massive pride festival, in part celebrating a landmark court ruling that allows same-sex marriage in Utah; the decision is being appealed. There’s also great coffee and beer being brewed here, and poured down non-Mormon throats, plus more good taco shops than you can throw a sombrero at. One sure sign Salt Lake City has come of culinary age is the presence, in the city’s south, of a funky vegetarian cafe. Vertical Diner is in a casual, slightly grungy space, with stucco walls, old cement floors and a pulsing, industrial soundtrack.

Vertical Diner is a funky vegetarian place on a south Salt Lake City industrial street

Vertical Diner is a funky vegetarian place on a south Salt Lake City industrial street

My plant-based breakfast is La Mesa, a bountiful, colourful plate of hash browns, black beans and rice, melted cheese, guacamole and, a first for me, a tofu scramble. The fact the food is on my table by the time I return from a bathroom freshening indicates the tofu isn’t quite “scrambled” to order, but it’s nonetheless a nicely spiced and textured dish. Good enough that I might forsake eggs and bacon, well at least for a couple of days.

A colourful plate, featuring black beans and a tofu scramble, at Vertical Diner

A colourful plate, featuring black beans and a tofu scramble, at Vertical Diner

If a vegan breakfast seems a step too far, you can always order pancakes, which start at a bargain $1.75 each (a buck more if fruit is included). Of course, they can also come gluten free.

Vertical Diner
2280 South West Temple, Salt Lake City
Weekdays 10 am-10 pm, weekends 9 am-10 pm
Vertical Diner on Urbanspoon

Continuing the vegan theme, the Barbacoa Burrito at Buds is highly recommended. Unfortunately, the little sandwich place is closed for renovations during my visit. Next time.

Buds
509 East 300 South, Salt Lake City
Monday to Saturday 11 am-5 pm. Closed Sunday
Buds on Urbanspoon

A Rare, Medium-rare Burger at Calgary’s National

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Juicy, medium-rare burger at National in Calgary

Juicy, medium-rare burger and a side arugula-pear salad at National in Calgary

Here are seven words I wasn’t expecting to hear in a Canadian restaurant: “How would you like your burger cooked?”

You see, burgers up north are generally cooked till the critter is well and truly dead, devoid of the flowing juices one expects of another cattle product, namely a steak. It’s something to do with health regulations and fears of nasty e coli outbreaks.

Truly, I understand being on the safe side. But that hasn’t stopped many U.S. restaurants from offering flavourful medium-rare pucks, without accompanying trips to emergency.

Apparently, a way around these Canadian regulations is to freshly grind the meat in house and scrupulously clean the equipment used to do so. This allows National, a restaurant/pub with three locations in Calgary, to grind its chuck steak into burger meat and ask customers how they want it cooked.

I’d heard The National could be hit-and-miss about producing medium-rare burgers. But mine is perfectly tinged pink in the middle and all the more succulent for it. I add some American cheese and a runny egg, but really, this is a burger on a brioche bun that doesn’t need dolling up.

As if a medium-rare burger wasn't juicy enough, I added a runny egg

As if a medium-rare burger wasn’t juicy enough, I added a runny egg

You can get your burger with a side of what I’m sure are perfectly good fries. But just go for a sizable bowl of excellent salad, whether it’s arugula, pear and walnut or quinoa and bacon. If a burger’s not your thing, the open-faced short rib and oxtail ragu sandwich is also first rate.

The short rib and oxtail ragu is a good choice, too

The short rib and oxtail ragu with a quinoa-bacon salad is a good choice, too

National has an impressive 60 beers on tap, though at a rather pricy $8.50 a 20-ounce pint ($5 during weekday happy hour, 3-5 pm). But hey, this is Calgary, so the $15 tab for an unadorned burger is not surprising. And maybe worth it for one of the best in town.

The latest National outlet is in a bright, former Blockbuster video store in the West Hills shopping mall, with lots of windows, an expansive patio and shared, picnic-style tables.

National
180 Stewart Green SW, (and two other Calgary locations)
Weekdays 11 am-late, weekend 10 am to late
National Westhills on Urbanspoon

What are your favourite Calgary burger joints? Just hit the reply button at the top left of the page.

Fuelling Up For Yellowstone National Park Adventures

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Waiting for Mexican truck-food goodness at Taqueria Las Palmitas in West Yellowstone, Montana

Waiting for Mexican-truck goodness at Taqueria Las Palmitas in West Yellowstone, Montana

In many resort towns, the help tends to be young, transient and somewhat unreliable. But at Running Bear Pancake House, in West Yellowstone at the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the waitresses are certainly experienced, efficiently handling two spacious rooms full of tourists while maintaining a relaxed banter with the customers.

“Looks like you got a bit of sunburn on your neck,” says one to a blistered eater. “Boy that looks good, hon. Would you like some more steaming coffee, and should I pour out what’s left in your cup?”

This is not to say they don’t work hard. My server says they wore pedometers one summer and discovered they walked nine miles a day waiting tables.

Given it’s a pancake house, I follow the theme, albeit with a twist. My pancake sandwich ($8.75) features two voluminous, somewhat gummy cakes swallowing  three strips of bacon and topped with an over-easy egg in lieu of syrup. Nothing fancy, just a basic breakfast in a comfy setting. With all those carbs roiling around my stomach, I need to look for a nine-mile hike.

Carbo loading at Running Bear Pancake House in West Yellowstone

Carbo loading at Running Bear Pancake House in West Yellowstone

Running Bear Pancake House
538 Madison Avenue, West Yellowstone, Montana
Daily 6:30 am-2 pm and 5 pm-9 pm
Running Bear Pancake House on Urbanspoon

In an old-fashioned tourist town like West Yellowstone, it’s nice to see a fairly new trend. I’m talking about the taco truck. Sure, it’s a take on the ages-old Mexican taco stand. But it offers something the road tripper in me loves: cheap, casual, good food, usually family run.

Taqueria Las Palmitas certainly meets all these criteria. The four-year-old seasonal business serves up paper plates full of tasty burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas and the like to customers who retreat to a handful of picnic tables. My three double-shelled tacos (asada/steak, carnitas/fried pork and pastor/spicy pork), doused with a pungent salsa, hit the spot, for less than $5.

Tasty tacos at Taqueria Las Palmitas

Tasty tacos at Taqueria Las Palmitas

But it’s the family aspect that blows me away. Yes, owner Carlos has family helping run the place. But when I mention a very similar-looking taco bus in Dillon, Montana, he says, “That’s my brother’s.”

Carlos is certainly running a Mexican food truck business.

Carlos is certainly running a family Mexican food truck business.

“So, who’s the better cook?”
“I am. But he’d probably say he is.”
I’d say you can’t go wrong either way.

Taqueria Las Palmitas
21 North Canyon Street, West Yellowstone, Montana
10:30 am-10:30 pm
Taqueria Las Palmitas Mexican Food on Urbanspoon

Five Best Calgary Stampede Breakfasts

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Mmm, pancakes. You can eat them every morning for free at Calgary Stampede breakfasts throughout the city

Mmm, pancakes. You can eat them every morning for free at Calgary Stampede breakfasts throughout the city

Beef and beer. The two primary food groups of the Calgary Stampede, right? Well, remember what your mother said about the most important meal of the day.

Yes, that means Stampede breakfasts. Yee-haw! They’re an important cultural component of the annual shindig—western hospitality served up with chuck wagons, sizzling grills and some two-step dancing.

Best of all, for budget-conscious road trippers, they’re mostly free. In other words, no chafing the back of your hand to pull the wallet from those crisp new blue jeans. In fact, one can carbo load gratis for all 10 days of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Mind you, there’s not a lot of variety to this diet: day after day of pancakes, sausages and orange juice. But did I mention, they’re free? About the only cost is a worthy donation to the Calgary Food Bank through the Put the Boots to Hunger campaign, affiliated with a number of breakfasts.

The only problem is trying to decide which breakfast(s) to attend. There’s got to be well over 100 of these flapjack fests on offer every year. Seemingly every community association, shopping centre, charity, corporation of note and, of course, politician hosts their own. So, as a public service, here are five Stampede breakfasts worth putting on your calendar.

1. Ismaili Muslim Community Breakfast – This will blow your mind. The best Stampede breakfast is hosted by Calgary’s Ismaili Muslim community. The food (especially the spiced eggs and lentils) is sublime, the temple tours enlightening and the organization so efficient I’d happily let these people run the world. Is it any wonder this is the faith of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi? This year, the “breakfast” is taking place at sunset to mark the “breaking” of the “fast” (ie breakfast) of Ramadan.

Serving up great eggs and pancakes at the best, most unusual Stampede breakfast, hosted by the local Ismaili community

Serving up great eggs, lentils and pancakes at the best, most unusual Stampede breakfast, hosted by the local Ismaili community

Ismaili Muslim Community Breakfast
1128 45 Avenue N.E. (SE corner of McKnight Blvd and Deerfoot Trail); lots of volunteers to direct you to free parking and shuttle buses
Saturday, July 5, starts at 8:30 pm, breakfast served at 9:52 p.m.

2. Calgary Caravan Breakfasts – The Stampede Carvan Committee is a team of volunteers that puts on two-a-day Stampede breakfasts throughout the city. Besides breakfast, these folks arrange native hoop-dancing demonstrations and visits from the Stampede queen and princesses. Perhaps the best of these, from an intimate, community perspective, is at Britannia Shopping Plaza, where after wolfing down breakfast on a hay bale, you can work off the calories with a lovely walk on Brittania Drive overlooking the Elbow River.

Britannia Shopping Plaza
815 49 Avenue S.W
Friday, July 11, 9-11 am

3. CBC Calgary – The Caravan Committee also coordinates CBC Calgary’s early-morning Stampede breakfast, now in its 25th year, with co-host Calgary Co-op offering gluten-free options. Mingle in CBC’s sun-dappled parking lot while watching a live broadcast of the Calgary Eyeopener and grooving to some great musical talent.

CBC Calgary
1724 Westmount Boulevard NW (along Memorial Drive)
Thursday, July 3, 7-9 am

4. Community Natural Foods – As a health-food store, it’s not surprising that Community Natural Foods boasts the greenest Stampede breakfast. This ranges from gluten-free, vegetarian and organic options to encouraging participants to bring reusable plates. Think natural, local sausages, real maple syrup and the freshest orange juice I’ve had at any of these breakfasts.

Community Natural Foods – Chinook Station Market
202, 61 Avenue SW
Saturday, July 12, 7-10 am

5. Fluor Rope Square – If you’re staying or visiting downtown, just wander down to Olympic Plaza, across from City Hall. Each morning, the cooks go through 150 gallons of pancake batter and 500 pounds of bacon, all cooked on smoking griddles at the back of real chuckwagons. After wiping the syrup from your lips, try your feet at square dancing and watch the daily native parade.

Fluor Rope Square
Olympic Plaza (corner of 7 Avenue and Macleod Trail SE)
Saturday July 5 and Monday July 7 to Saturday July 12, 8:15-10:30 am

Unless you’re well connected, you may have to pull some wedding crasher stunts to get into the most exclusive Stampede breakfasts. I’m talking about private parties, where law firms, investment bankers, oil companies and the like treat their clients to a fine morning gathering, perhaps enhanced with a little sauce. Obviously, these soirees aren’t advertised. To get a glimpse of how this world turns, you may have to peer into the windows of participating restaurants like River Café, on Prince’s Island, which serves guests fresh pastries, free-range eggs and house-made granola. Of course, first-class pancakes are also on offer.

Fantastic Tacos in Idaho Falls

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Jessica's dazzling smile is matched only by the sublime taco at Morenita's Mexican Restaurant in Idaho Falls

Jessica’s dazzling smile is matched only by the sublime taco at Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant in Idaho Falls

I walk into *Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant, in Idaho Falls, Idaho and look up at the board in some bewilderment. The server in the little window takes one look and hands me a menu in English.

“How do you know I don’t speak Spanish?”
“Just a wild guess.”

Lovely Jessica, whose mother, Bertha, started the business in 1991, then patiently explains all the things that make this much more than your typical taco joint. It’s a long list, starting with the fact that nearly everything’s made from scratch, including half a dozen salsas.

For example, the monstrous and ridiculously cheap ($4.50) tortas, or round Mexican sandwiches, use genuine telera bread; heck, Bertha once owned a Mexican bakery. There’s a melted jack cheese concoction called a mulita and a cheese-stuffed corn tortilla, called a pizope, which they invented.

So much to try, but I opt for my standard Mexican test—the simple taco. But even these have a twist, the chuche featuring a crisply grilled tortilla that can’t hide its hand-pressed freshness. The knockout winner, though, is a ranchero taco that includes whole beans, avocado, queso fresco and an outstanding lomo, or sauteed pork loin.

Fabulous ranchero taco with sautéed pork loin

Fabulous ranchero taco with sautéed pork loin

They’re so good, I go back for a third, nearly breaking the bank at $2.25 for this additional pocket of heaven. The verdict? Some of the best tacos I’ve eaten in the western U.S.

Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant
450 Whittier Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Monday to Thursday 10 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9:30 am-9 pm, Sunday 9:30 am-8:30 pm
Morenita's Restaurant on Urbanspoon