Tall, Blonde, and Hungry

WE'RE MOVING! I'm operating a brand new site for my school assignments and blog posts. HERE IT IS, MY NEW SHINY SITE VERY SITE MUCH WRITE  Go creep and peep; there's a new weekly series that's just a cover for writing about my life, and a photo gallery of my extremely amateur shots. Goodbye Blogger, it's been a slice! If you want to keep up with my stream of consciousness and prose writing, check out my other blog, This is a Blog There's a lot of angst, but some people like that. Old Posts will remain here until I import them to the new site and as always, Happy Eating my babies!

For Part One, CLICK ME Last week on TBH, my bro Thomas and I were in the throes of a carb nap. Beset by poor planning and wandering stomachs, we made a solemn vow to Plan Ahead. So we Googled "best Portland brunch" and settled on No Bones Beach Club , a vegan joint with the promise of delightful treats and drinks with tiny paper umbrellas. What we got was so, so much better. But first- No Bones is located in the scenic and historical Mississippi district in Portland, a charming strip lined with shops and coffee joints that's perfect for moseying by on a sunny day. It serves up vegan, locally and ethically sourced tiki influenced treats ranging from brunch to lunch all the way to dinner and drinks. They also donate a portion of the proceeds to a local animal rescue every month! BUT BACK TO THE FOOD This is what dreams are made of Holy. Guacamole. The crab cake benedict was amazing. The vegan hollandaise was creamy and spiced lightly with mustard, and the...

If you're a bit lost, start  HERE Over the summer, I was supposed to do a lot of things. I was supposed to climb a mountain (yeah right), work on my writing (ditto), and go to a music festival. The music festival plan went 10 types of sideways, so instead I went to Portland for 4 days to eat my way through America's hipster capital. LET ME TELL YOU I did not want to come home. I may have cried a little upon liftoff. But before all the sadness and goodbyes, I managed to enjoy the city throughly. Rolling in on a balmy August Wednesday, the city welcomed me with open arms. The first thing I noticed about downtown Portland was that the transit system was way better than back home. (thanks Calgary) The second thing I noticed was the food carts.  In a handful of strategic spots downtown, Portland has given an entire city block over to various food carts. I'm talking tacos, shawarma, donair, kebobs, fried chicken, ramen, paleo BBQ, sushi, Cajun cuisine, donuts...

If you're a bit lost, start  HERE One of the best part of summer is the parties; birthday and otherwise. One such party brought me to Barcelona Tavern, a Mediterranean tapas and casual dining spot in the heart of downtown.  Barcelona Tavern  501 8 Ave SW, Calgary $$$** This place has never really popped on my radar, my assumption being that it was one of a number of interchangeable tapas places on Stephen Avenue, but I was surprised and delighted by the food.  One is amazing, the other one is red The wife and I were here for a massive birthday party, so we went in on these together. We LOVED the Calamari ( Avocado Salsa Verdé, Romesco Sauce, Sweet Spanish Onion), but what set this dish apart was the avocado sauce. the red pepper sauce was pretty straight forward, but the avocado had a delightful limey zip to it that really tempered the fried squid of it all. The only cross sections I care about The Messi burger ( 8oz Wagyu & ...

It's my birthday soon, and one of my best friends baked me 24 donuts, because she knows what I'm about.  So I decided to do a mini photo shoot with all the flavours. Then I ate them.  (spoiler: they were all f*ckin delicious)  Happy Eating!  Look at these babes True love Fact: Donuts know the best jokes If you liked this, you'll love my Instagram, tallblondehungryyyc! Should I do this again? With what food? Shoot me a suggestion in the comments! 

If you're a bit lost, start  HERE I'm back! This summer has been a hurricane of fun, and with that hurricane blew in some AMAZING food. One of my favourite discoveries of the summer has been MARKET Restaurant! MARKET Restaurant 17th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta $$$** Even thought it's situated right on the busy 17th Ave thoroughfare, MARKET feels like a hidden gem. It's focus on local, sustainable food and in-house preparation makes it one of the most wholesome dining experiences I've had yet. They make their own cheese, cure their own meats, and harvest from their own internal garden to craft some incredible dishes.  The neat thing is that none of this is apparent unless you go looking for it. From their social media presence to their waitstaff (who are amazing), the focus seems to be on the food itself, with the story and philosophy of it's sustainable initiatives only coming in on the official website for the restaurant.  BUT ANYWAYS The...

Hey folks! I'm going on temporary hiatus for the summer, as I gear up to go to school in the fall! I'll be intermittently posting, but only about the most exciting things I eat! See you in September, and happy eating!

If you're lost, start  HERE Now that the weather is getting nice, I'm starting to look towards the mountains for hiking season. There's nothing like conquering a mountain ridge and giving nature the finger  Fuck you mountain Of course, after all that conquering, you're gonna be hungry. So let's get to that mountain town with ya.  The Range  #103 802 8th St Canmore  $$*** This is honestly one of my favourite spots in all of Canmore. Opened in August of 2015, The Range is an artisanal sandwich shop with a focus on fresh, local ingredients. I come here pretty much anytime I go hiking out by Canmore, and their $9 half sandwich and soup deal is always a steal.  That roast beef and beet soup though  The meats they use are all roasted and prepared in house, and they use local bakeries and produce sellers whenever possible. The best thing about this place is that they're extremely accommodating for dietary restrictio...

If you're lost, start  HERE Hey guys! I had to take a little break, but I'm back and in the meantime I've been eating. A lot.  At the beginning of March, over 95 restaurants participate in a week long event called The Big Taste.  Take a moment and click that link.  Okay. So 95+ restaurants, with affordable, incredible meals at all different levels. Holy Crap. I got really excited, but I could only go to one, and boy did I pick a good one.  The Guild  (fancy-ass food and cocktails)  200 8 Ave SW  Eat In $$$** This place is another level above my usual haunts, with craft cocktails and a focus on locally sourced artisan butchery. My roommate and I both had the $35 Big Taste menu, which had a few different options for the appetizer and entreé. This is what I had, but rest assured, I definitely got to try the squid entreé and it was amazing.  ONTO THE FOOD To start, we both got the wood grilled acorn squash salad...

If you're a bit lost, start  HERE Brunch Month continues here on TBH, and this next one is definitely joining the Brunch List.  Vendome Café (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks) 940 2nd Ave NW Eat In $$*** Nestled into scenic Sunnyside and conveniently located 2 blocks from the train, Vendome Cafe has an extensive and delicious sounding menu. A part of the Teatro family of restaurants, it serves everything from French Toast Bread Pudding to paninis to the delight that I ingested, Duck Confit crepes.  Duck Confit crepes (Confit duck crepes with sauteéd leek and carrot, port cherry sauce. Minus the  rosemary whipped chevre) $15.50 Je t'aime  The cafe is SUPER friendly to lactose intolerant people, as they not only had several milk subs for my latte but also left out the rosemary chevre that usually adorns this dish. Speaking of, it was INCREDIBLE. I have a soft spot for duck and if you're in the mood to treat yo'self and treat yo'sel...

If you're a bit lost, start  HERE This month is hereby declared BRUNCH MONTH. Every post this month is gonna be a different meal I've had between breakfast and lunch. Brunch!  This next one is one of my favourite places to go in the city, situated on 11th St SW near 17th Ave. It's cute, cosy, and the food there is AMAZING. You know I'm talking about Galaxie Diner ! Galaxie Diner (All-day breakfast and lunch)  1413 11th St SW Eat In $**** This place is the best. The restaurant itself is pretty tiny, seating maybe about 20 people max. As such, if you get there late, there's gonna be a bit of a lineup but trust me it's worth the wait. Last time I was here I got some stunning French toast, but this go around I switched it up for this masterpiece:  Breakfast Sandwich ( Special of the Day; bacon, fried egg, mayo, lettuce, tomato, avocado on a grilled croissant. Side of hash browns) $13.75 Oh Baby Have I mentioned I love the food here? T...

I FINALLY got a new account set up just for all of my food pics, dreams, aspi- and inspi-rations! Go follow me @tallblondehungryyyc ! Happy Eating! 

If you have no idea what the deal is, start  HERE BRUNCH! The meal between breakfast and lunch, and one of my favourite things to do EVER. I will jump on any opportunity to go to brunch.  Now, I may have mentioned it before, but I am pretty lactose intolerant. This means that I've been deprived of my most favourite brunch dish for years. But I finally found a place in Calgary that can do DAIRY FREE EVERYTHING. I repeat: DAIRY FREE EVERYTHING. Including hollandaise sauce, a sauce that traditionally is made with a butt ton of butter.  Let's dig into this beaut The Coup (Vegetarian, vegan cuisine) 924 17th Ave SW Eat In, $$*** The Poacher ( miso braised eggplant & king oyster mushrooms with 2 poached eggs on a house-made “butter” biscuit, hollandaise sauce & micro leaf served with hash browns gluten-free option: served on a dehydrated cashew, herb, bell pepper kale leaf) (Whew) $17 OH MY GOD  Eggs benedict is by far one my fa...

If you have no idea what the deal is, start  HERE So, with an extra $5 in my pocket I was feeling a little rich. While sushi may be my #1 ride or die, Mexican food takes a pretty close second. There's nothing better than fresh pico or guacamole, 3 to 8 tacos and a little too much tequila. So when I had the itch to order in, and with a credit on my Skip account, I went straight for this place: Los Mariachis (Mexican Cuisine)  7400 Macleod Trail SE Delivery Fee: $3.99 Price: $$$** Los Mariachis  is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that's family owned and operated. I've eaten in person there a few times, and I have never been disappointed. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the food is amazing, and they're extremely accommodating to people with allergies, suggesting alternatives and making them sans certain ingredients (ie. dairy)  Pollo en Molé  (Chicken in mole sauce, side of seasoned rice and beans) $18.00 Gimme dat sauce ...

If you have no idea what the deal is, start  HERE Sunday Brunch is a beautiful phenomenon, and it's made even more beautiful by the advent of delivery services. Which is how I FINALLY got to try out some grub from Nellie's Cafe , despite some setbacks with delivery.  Now I was fairly, shall we say, hungover so I only got one dish from the cafe. Voila! Morning Maple BLT (Maple Syrup, bacon, lettuce, tomato on rye. Served with hashbrowns) $9.75 Nothin better for breakfast This is a pretty standard BLT, but with maple syrup. Perfectly satisfactory, and filling. The hashbrowns were good too but I usually prefer shredded. Honestly, the food was good but nothing special. I feel like I'd probably love this restaurant in person, so I'm gonna reserve my rating until I can get a better sense of what Nellie's is about.  However, the real issue here was the fact that it took the restaurant an hour to confirm our order, and then another 40 minutes for it to ...

If you have no idea what the deal is, start  HERE I had meant to review this place a loooong time ago, but it took me three tries to remember to take a picture of my food. So here we go!  Famoso (thin crust pizza, sandwiches, soup and salad)  4th street (Mission District)  Delivery Fee: $5.99 Price: $$*** Famoso  is a Canadian chain that specializes in Neopolitan pizza, meaning it's thin crust, fresh ingredients, and on the fancier side of Pizza 73. Being lactose intolerant, I don't go in for the pizza, but for their Fire Bread sandwiches, which I get sans cheese. I've never really had an issue with that, and one location even phoned to inform me that the salad I had chosen was loaded with cheese. So I'm pretty safe with these guys.  The Wiseguy Sandwich (Italian Ham, spicy salami, prosciutto, spicy veggie spread and usually provolone) $14.25 (with side salad)  Oh helloooooo I LOVE this sandwich. It's a touch greasy, ...

If you have no idea what the deal is, start  HERE Happy New Year! I took last week off, mostly because it was busy and mostly so I could wait until I went here:  Pfanntastic Pannekoek Haus  (Dutch crepe-style pancakes, both sweet and savoury, breakfast food)  Lincoln Park Shopping Centre, 2439 54 Ave SW Delivery Fee:  N/A, Eat-in Price:   $**** The Pfanntastic Pannekoek Haus  is a tiny little hole in the wall just off of Crowchild Trail, in a strip mall that includes a pizza place and yoga teacher training. I'd had a bunch of people recommend I get there early, but I rolled up at 10 (they open at 8) and was able to get a table just fine. However, when we left there was a HUGE line almost out the door. So get there early!  My pfanntastic roommate took me here and I'm so happy I finally got experience it.  Let's get to the breakfast!  Banana, Coconut and Chocolate sauce pannekoek:  a large, Dutch-style cre...