Exploring Calgary: Taste-by-Taste

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants, Thoughts     alberta, calgary, festivals, food

A few weeks ago I was racking my brain trying to think of the best way to enjoy one of the last days of summer. Suntanning? Gardening? Beer gardening? The choices were many, but my decision was made easy when I was invited to attend Taste of Calgarywith a couple of friends. Populating the Eau Claire Market area, the festival boasted 26 culinary venues, along with 17 beverage stops, just waiting to be discovered.

I really enjoy festivals like this, as it can be made into a little culinary adventure, where you follow your map/guide, make your way through taste-by-taste, and learn about some restaurants you probably have not heard of before. Items ranged from a cost of 2-6 tickets (at 75 cents per ticket), and with an average price of 4 tickets, you could have 5 ‘tastes’ for a reasonable $15! Tickets in-hand, I was ready to go!

Here were some of my favorite eats at the festival:

• Nubian Express: An African restaurant-in-the-works showing off some accomplished skills. Their African-Style Grilled Beef had a nice amount of heat and the accompanying Coconut Rice was definitely coconut-y.

• Frugal Gourmet Cookery: Their Organic Alberta Green Onion Cakes were delicious, came with a side of creamy Hawaiian Coleslaw, and were, without a doubt, my most savoured sampling of the day!

To find out about the rest of my favourite eats at the festival, and for some more great photos, head over to Food Network Canada’s site here!