10 Days of Yeeehaw!

Calgary Stampede

1410 Olympic Way SE

calgarystampede.com

Stampede 2011 is here and F-Log For Thought is on hand to taste the all delicious “food”. Just like last year, I hit the grounds solo because I have no friends. : (

For those that have been in years past, you'd know what to expect - sketchy rides, impossible-to-win prizes, country music galore, drunk people stumbling around town regardless of time of day, angry animal rights activists making a big fuss about how the animals are treated and, of course, over priced foods. There is a mystical obsession with things on a stick. It's ridiculous. Pizza on a stick, bacon on a stick; You can put anything on a stick and people will buy it for a premium. Bananas - 59 cents per pound at your local grocery store. On a stick? $4. But the talk of the town this year is the donut burger.

Having no regard for my personal health, I decided to give the donut burger a try. The vendor is located beside the Pizza on a Stick shop near the Lammle's Western Wear tent. 

Sandwiched between a glazed donut (The burger is made from a single donut that is sliced in half and not 2 donuts as I was lead to believe), is a juicy beef patty, bacon and processed cheddar cheese (I paid an extra $1 for each of these items, $10 total). It was interesting. It's sweet until you hit the burger part. Then it's savory. Kinda like chocolate cover pretzels but with a donut and a burger. 

A weird combination for sure. It sounds really disgusting but it's surprisingly edible. Plus you get this sweet sticker. That's right, I survived the Donut Burger. But I'm pretty sure my life expectancy went down by at least 5 years.

Just down the way is La Poutinerie where I got the Steak Poutine. For a whopping $12. These guys have a pretty confusing setup. So basically you order from the inconspicuous side window AND then pick up your order from the front window with the giant lineup. There's no signs or anything. You just gotta know... So the steak poutine was pretty decent. Crispy fries, cheese curds and small pieces of cooked steak filled a Chinese takeout container and is finished with a gravy. The steak was pretty tender, maybe a tad on the soggy side. It came from a giant tub in the back. Don't expect it to be grilled when you order it.

After a short break, I headed over to another vendor to get some deep fried Oreos. For a modest $5, you get a tray of 4 Oreos. Battered and deep fried, the cookies are finished with a rather generous sprinkle of icing sugar. A word of warning, do not eat this while walking into the wind. Inhaling icing sugar is not exactly the most pleasant feeling. The Oreos were all melted and gooey (Read: Soggy). Kind of like a s'more but deep fried. This marks the first time I've had something that is deep fried that is not crispy and crunchy.

To wash it all down, I had a lemonade which I also had last year. It was really refreshing. A small was only $3.

I walked around aimlessly for a bit and finished off the day with a berry blast slushy. It's like Jugo Juice but with a different name. It was super hot and anything made with ice would have tasted amazing. I'm sure if they some how put it on a stick, they could sell it for an extra $5.

I opted to not go on any crazy rides as I'm fairly certain the donut burger-poutine-deep fried Oreo combo would not have sat well in my stomach. But I probably deserved that one. So thank you Calgary Stampede for yet another 10 days filled with tasty "food" and scantly clad women. Till next year!

Also, I've got some great ideas for snacks next year like deep fried potato sticks. Or deep fried hot dog on a stick. Wait a minute...

How much Sodium?

KFC

www.kfc.com

You've all heard of it. 

Seen it on TV. 

The KFC Double Down. 

Two pieces of boneless chicken filet sandwiching crispy strips of bacon, two slices of monterey jack cheese and Colonel's special sauce. What about the buns? Buns are for sissies. So how much sodium is in a KFC Double Down? About 60% of an individual's daily intake. That's like eating a spoon full of salt. Straight up. What's more? This meat sandwich features 540 calories and 32 grams of fat. No big deal.

Despite having such stellar 'nutrition' values, I finally decided to give this beast a try at lunch today. A couple of days ago now. It actually didn't taste as salty as I had envisioned. In fact, I might even say that it tasted... Good. It was super greasy. Wasn't surprised there and it was really small. Seriously, you're watching the commercial on TV and it looks massive! Enough to feed a family of 4. But when you pop open the container, it's tiny for something that cost $7. I probably could have eaten five of these. But I probably would have had a heart attack, so it's probably for the best... But so what if it cost $7? The chicken was crispy, the cheese was all melted and delicious. And although I'm almost certain the Colonel's special sauce is just fat, I'm not going to be a closet Double Down fan. Loud and proud baby! I had a Double Down and I enjoyed it!

What? Do I want fries with that? Let me think about that one... Hells no! Those packets of salt over there are free!

Under Construction

Tilted Grill

1800 4th St. SW

www.tiltedgrill.com

I met up with Megan last week for lunch. She just got a job in NYC and is gonna be rolling with the big boys soon. We headed to Tilted Grill in Mission for some street food in a restaurant setting. Taking over the location vacated by BLVD, Tilted Grill opened just recently (in the last month or so) and is actually still under construction. An exciting new front patio is still to come.

We ordered the gogi sliders to start. Tender pieces of beef were marinated and grilled in bulgogi sauce (Korean Barbecue sauce - AKA the best sauce ever), stuffed in a squishy mini burger bun with shredded lettuce and carrots. Our waitress kept asking for our feedback on the sliders as they were still looking to fine tune it to perfection. I thought it had a nice amount of spiciness. But I'm a bit of a wimp. So maybe I'm not the best judge for it. Very flavourful and probably my favorite dish of the day. An order came with three burgers and there was only two of us. I would have fought Megan for the last one but since I'm such a gentleman, we decided to split it in half like civilized people. Seeing me struggle with cutting the slider (Read: completely butchering it), Megan gave me a hand by pawing over the entire burger. Sick! I think it was her plan along! But girl cooties (just kidding) isn't gonna stop me from devouring this tasty slider. It is interesting to note that despite having names that sound like appetizers, they are actually quite large (the sliders anyway) in size and I probably could have just eaten it as my main.

For my main, I had the calamari tacos with a corn chowder soup as my side. Three flour tortilla were stuffed with grilled calamari, shredded lettuce, salsa and topped an insanely large amount of ground pepper. My mouth felt like it was on fire and I couldn't taste anything but the pepper. The texture of the calamari was really chewy. Wasn't a super huge fan. This was definitely a step down from the gogi sliders. As mentioned in some of the other blogs posts, this dish was quite white and lacks colour. Maybe they should move the salsa on top to add some colour. That and perhaps it would be less of a soggy mess as it is now.

The soup on the other hand was quite good. Very hearty and flavourful. I actually forgot to take a picture of it before digging in until Megan reminded me. Hence the sloppy presentation. It's a little spicy but nothing over the top.

Atmosphere: 8 out of 10. The interior is quite nice but a majority of the points is based on the potential of the large patio outside.

Food: 7 out of 10. Still a work in progress. Has potential though. The gogi sliders were really good so definitely go with that if you can't decide what you want.

Presentation: 6 out of 10. The calamari taco definitely needs some work. It's like a polar bear blinking in the blizzard.

Price: 7 out of 10. Decently priced.

Service: 8 out of 10. Great service. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the dishes and always asking for feedback on how to improve it. A tad on the slow side.

Overall: 7 out of 10. Decent overall. I'd go back.

Shady Dealings

CHARCUT Roast House

899 Centre St S

www.charcut.com

The hot new thing taking Cowtown by storm is the CHARCUT alley burger. Unfortunately, you can't roll up to the restaurant on any ol' Tuesday with your posse and be like 'Yo I want an alley burger with fries'. No no no nooo. That's not how it goes down. No. You gotta creep the Facebook and Twitter. And once in a blue moon, an announcement will be made. 'Alley burgers tonight!' it will say and hundreds of alley burger addicts will rejoice.

Unlike previous announcements, this latest edition of alley burgers was announced the day before. This gave me plenty of time to shotgun fire emails and texts to friends to check it out with me. Unfortunately, I didn't know that many people who wanted to stand in line for two hours for a burger made of mystery meat... I know right? It's ridiculous!

Having read stories from the internet about how crazy it gets, I arrived at the alley (Update: For those that don't know - Dan..., the alley is behind the CHARCUT restaurant on Centre St and 9th Ave downtown and not Calgary's "classiest" bar The Back Alley) two hours prior to the prescribed time (10:30). There was not a single person in sight. I then decided to walk around for a bit. By the time I returned at around 9:30, there was already a lineup of 50 strong, with people hauling ass to the alley from every direction. Picture a zombie apocalypse but people are running to the zombie and the zombies are delicious mouthwatering burgers. It was madness I tell you! Madness! You never see people running to McDonald’s to wait in line for big macs!

The lineup had already extended to the edge of the sidewalk as I made my way to the alley. Steaming manholes and dumpsters provides an interesting yet appropriate backdrop. The mood was laid back with patrons taking photos and Tweeting and Facebooking the latest updates to the world. Police and security guards were on hand to keep the shenanigans under control as more people arrived. Members of the CHARCUT staff appeared in the alley to sell tickets to the lucky few as the clock struck 10. At this point, the line stretched to the end of the block with over 170 people. It made the bread line during the great depression look like a couple of guys standing around having a chat about their day. Tension began to rise as people were trying to figure out whether they were going to make the cut. How many were they gonna have? 30? 50? 80? 100? One for everyone who showed up? But more importantly, will I get one?!?!

YES! Upon exchanging my hard earned money for a ticket (cash only), I fist pumped like a champ and held onto the ticket as if it was my first born child. A chorus of boos erupted behind me as the tickets ran out shortly after. Some 90 disappointed hopefuls disappeared into the night. 

Despite the temperature hovering a smudge above zero the entire night, it was getting a little chilly. I could hardly feel my toes! I can't even imagine how brutal it would have been in colder weather. They should set up a concession on the other side of the alley to serve up some sort of tasty beverage. I bet they would make a killing. Wait. I should do that. And I'd name it Bevies in the Alley. As we approached chow time, the aroma of alley burgers filled the air. My mouth began to water and my stomach was growling.

After more waiting, the back door suddenly burst open at 10:30. A man appeared through the door with tray upon tray of tasty alley burgers. Celebration ensued. It was a sight to behold, everyone was posing for photos with their burgers as if it was a celebrity. I grab my burger, snapped a pic for the blog and proceeded to devour it as I slowly walked back to my car.

Packaged in a little brown paper bag, the burger came with a small wedge of pickle. Sandwiched between a lightly toasted hamburger bun was a massive garlic sausage patty made from pork and lamb. The meat was so tender, so flavourful, so juicy and smothered in a special sauce. The bun was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Ahhh... Sooooooo good! Unfortunately, you are only limited to one burger per person. I'm jonesing for one right now! 

For a mere $5, the portion is comparable to that of other fast food joints, except the alley burger taste better. Such a fantastic deal - If you don't mind waiting a hour or so in a dark alley. I would have to say that this is by far the longest I've ever waited for anything in my life and you know what? It was definitely worth it. The taste, the atmosphere, the people... I would definitely do it again. If waiting in line makes you vomit in the mouth, you can also order the sharing burger (The larger cousin of the alley burger) inside the restaurant like a total boss for $2.50 per oz, minimum 9 oz ($22.50).

Check out Twitter and/or Facebook (everyday) to see when the next alley burger will happen next. Don't call the restaurant. Bring a lawn chair. You have been warned.

No Standards

Ten Peaks Food Court

Box 5, 1 Whitehorn Road

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

www.skilouise.com

It was the long weekend last week, I headed out to Louise with my best friends Hazel and Harley for some snowboarding. The weather was amazing! When we first arrived at the hill, the gondola was closed for service. As a result, there was a massive lineup going up the remaining chairlift. It turned out to be not too bad as a lot of people left because of it. 

Never been known for bringing my lunch (anywhere), I stopped by one of the food kiosk for some eats. Starving from having spend all morning tumbling down the hill, I ordered a burger with cheese and bacon. The portion, though average in size, was a lot bigger than what I anticipated. A relatively cooked beef patty was topped with a slice of kraft singles cheddar cheese and a couple strips of crispy, greasy bacon. All this was sandwiched between a sesame seed bun with some lettuce that was cut for a salad, two slices of tomato and pickles and onions. As you can see in the picture, I have already begun picking out all the pieces of onions and pickles. Can't say that I'm a huge fan. Maybe if the onions were cooked... But definitely not pickles. 

The bar was set pretty low for this burger. I was definitely not expecting some fancy meat filet with condiments that cost more than my life savings. But it was pretty decent. Prices were not too bad either. It's no 99¢ everyday deal at McDonald's that's for sure but it didn't cost an arm and a leg either. Just an arm.

No ratings for this entry as 90% of the categories do not apply. I guess you guys will just have to read it straight up. Awwww... How about this nice picture of the mountains as a substitute?

This Ain't No Filet-O-Fish

loungeburger

#270, 14th Ave SE, Macleod Trail South

www.loungeburger.com

Lunch at loungeburger last Friday to celebrate my coworker Arvid's birthday. At a quarter to twelve, we round up the troops to head over to the restaurant. Everyone except me. I was on the phone takin' care of some biznat. When I finally got off the phone, several minutes after noon, I hauled ass over to loungeburger. Good thing I've been training for my half marathon (which is in less than 2 weeks! AHhhh!) as I was able to make it to the restaurant just as everyone was about to order. I had crept the menu earlier that morning, so I knew what I wanted. Sort of. Well... I wanted the $40 Lounger but that's not even on the menu anymore. : ( I guess there wasn't a huge demand for it. Which is really unfortunate because I REALLY wanted to try it. To the staff of loungeburger, if you are reading this, bring back the $40 lounger like Justin brought sexy back. But better. Anyway, I was deciding between the ahi tuna and the kobe beef.

The waitress took our orders in order of where we sat. But it didn't really seem to matter because when the food came out, it was like who ordered the southwest burger with waffle cut fries? My ahi tuna burger with a side of skinny fries was the last to arrive. Like the tiger shrimp burger from last time, tuna meat was turned into patty form with various herbs and spices mixed in. At first glance, I had thought the tuna had been thoroughly cooked but a monster sized bite revealed a tuna patty that is only seared on the outside. Served on a whole wheat bun, the patty is dressed with a wasabi-lime aioli, topped with slices (two) of cucumber and lettuce and drizzled with a sweet soy dressing. The resulting flavours was surprisingly fresh and light. No nasal stimulation from the wasabi-lime aioli. Delish! Nothing too fancy with the skinny fries. Russ ordered some onion rings which looked and tasted pretty amazing. Might try that next time. 8 stars out of 10.

Special birthday shout out to Arvid! Happy Birthday! Wooh!

Economic Stimulus Package

Teatro
200 - 8th Avenue SE
www.teatro.ca

So on Thursday at 'round 11:30, I had a little window pop up on my computer screen. It was Jordan sending me a message on communicator (Think 'msn' but not free) asking if I had any lunch plans. Music to my ears (Eyes)! He suggested we go somewhere with a patio. "Teatro!" I responded. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when he saw it. I rattled off a couple more locations but quickly reminded him about Teatro's "Economic Stimulus Package" and sent him the link. He caved. I fist pumped. And when the clock strike 12, we headed to the restaurant.

Located in the historic Dominion Bank building on the same block as Olympic Plaza and the Epcor Center along Stephen Avenue, Teatro opened its doors in the fall of 1993 serving up fine Italian cuisines to its patrons.



I'm not sure when the economic stimulus package was first introduced, but I suspect it would have been shortly after when "shit hit the fan" back in '08. $15 bistro lunches. 5 delicious options were available. Upon being seated in the sunny patio (There's second patio around the side of the building that is not all dark and shady), the waiter informed us they had ran out of the rotisserie chicken. But that's alright. Because I was eyeing the salmon burger. As we waited for our food, we had a gander at what the tables beside ours had. 5 rotisserie chickens. It looked amazing and I was starting to regret not coming earlier. My salmon burger arrived shortly and it looked just as delicious as the chicken.

Sandwiched between a freshly baked dinner roll type bun was a salmon patty, lettuce and tomatoes with a dill mayo type sauce. It came with a side of fresh greens with a olive oil type dressing, fries with a homemade tomato sauce (aka ketchup) and a spicy mayo dip. The salad was topped with chopped up asparagus and some melted parmesan cheese chip thing. You know the little crusty cheese bit that hangs off the bottom of your cheese buns? It's just like that and it's super delicious. The salmon patty was very favourful and the bread was soft (Not quite as soft as the memory foam focaccia bread from Charcut. Close. But not quite). And for an amazing low price of just $15, this was an amazing deal. And to think we almost went to Vicious Circle... 7.5 stars out of 10.

Praise the Lord...!

Holy Grill
827 10 Ave SW
holygrill.ca

Went to Holy Grill with Jordan for lunch on Wednesday. Jordan is leaving for California for 3 weeks. Lame. Holy grill is 9 blocks away from the office but the walk was totally worth it. The line was relatively short when we arrived but was quickly growing as we waited for our food. I had the ranch burger. 2 patties made from naturally raised, hormone-free Alberta beef, topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, onions, mustard and bbq sauce on a whole wheat bun. The burger was very filling but for a small extra, you can add some crispy and delicious fries.



Jesus gives it a thumbs up.

Where lb is not Pound...

loungeburger
#270, 14th Ave SE, Macleod Trail South
www.loungeburger.com

Have you ever wanted to have a $40 burger? Didn't think so. But if you ever felt the desire to, loungeburger would be the place. Kobe wagyu (beef) topped with prosciutto wrapped lobster, butter lettuce, chives and a truffle hollandaise sauce all on a pretzel bun. Sounds delicious? I'd get it. But they don't serve it at lunch, since they "do not want to compromise the quality" of the end product. It's comforting to know that my $40 burger will be made to perfection, unlike that sloppy double quarter pounder with cheese at McDonald's. However, I've been told you can order the burger before hand and arrive ready to chow down. I was intrigued. Maybe another week. $40 is pretty steep. It is just a burger after all.

Special birthday shout out to Super Nat and Jordan! Woot!

I was gonna try the feature burger, bison with jalapeño peppers and hot sauce. But all that hotness seemed really unnecessary. Anyway, I ended up ordering the tiger shrimp burger because they didn't have the Ahi Tuna. It was decent, the elk burger was better. The shrimp is chopped and mixed with garlic and scallions and made into a patty. It is then topped with lettuce, Asian slaw and sweet chili sauce on a focaccia bun. The focaccia bun was not as delicious as the one at Charcut. Not very memory foam-esque. I'm probably going to compare all focaccia bread to the one at Charcut and I'm not gonna lie, it will most likely be impossible to top. The shrimp patty was pretty good. It didn't have a really strong "taste of the sea". You know what I'm talking about. The Asian slaw was not very Asian at all. I'm not sure why they call it that. Burger came with a side. Salad or fries. I had the waffle cut fries. "Skinny" and homestyle is also available. Relative to the straw, the skinny fries were pretty fat. Homestyle fries were just down right obese (slightly fatter than the skinny fries) and with the skin on.

The variety of burgers is pretty good. Lots of different animals to choose from. Nice atmosphere. Big TVs to watch the game while you eat the $40 lounger. Ask for it when you go and tell me what you think in the comments below!