Jill Browne, from home and away

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Here are more of the pics I took yesterday while driving around, mainly from the south to downtown and back.

Today’s highlight was breakfast at Pfanntastic Pannekoek Haus, a Dutch pancake house on Crowchild Trail just south of 50th Avenue SW. You can get to it from northbound Crowchild, but if you are southbound, take the 50th Ave exit and head left (east), and work your way south a couple of blocks. Easy.

Mine was bacon, raisins, apple. Suzanne had brown sugar and lemon juice. Our mystery guest had the same as I did. All enjoyed the meal.

This is a Calgary classic and always reliable for a tasty and filling mid-day or even evening meal. The pancakes are giant crepes that lie flat on the plate. You get one, with your choice of 80 topping selections (including some combos). Very tasty. One is a meal.

Yesterday’s driving pics.

Crane images on Zoo overpass. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

Pedestrian ramp to reach Bridgeland C-Train station by crossing Memorial Drive. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

Where the Calgary General Hospital used to be. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

Copper domes on church. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

Entering downtown on the 4th Avenue flyover. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

Booker's for seafood. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

New condo apartments for sale near the Bow River. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 22, 2011.

TRFKAN (The Restaurant Formerly Known As Nellie’s) is called The Loop Breakfast House now.  This wasn’t obvious to me, not that it matters since I know where to go: 2015 – 33rd Avenue SW, Calgary.

I’ve gone for breakfast (actually more like brunch, it’s a lot of food) about a half-dozen times in the past year, I bet.

Happy every time.

Today:

$11.95 for the Big Al, which is (gasp) 3 eggs, bacon, French toast or pancakes, regular toast, and potatoes. I was still full at dinner time.

My friend: a fruit plate and an omelette.

Both: coffee and milk.  (As in, a serving of milk that you buy, not just a splash in the coffee.)

Total bill, $41.00 before tip.

It’s independent, it’s comfortable, the food is good, and the neighbourhood is developing some atmosphere.  A lot of people would say Marda Loop is already funky and pedestrian-friendly.  Today was too cold to walk around, and I am not sure I would pick the Loop as my destination of choice for a stroll, but yes, it does have some interesting nooks and crannies.

I like The Loop Breakfast House for a casual weekday breakfast or brunch.  Can’t say how it is on weekends; I don’t go out much then!

The Loop Breakfast House in Marda Loop, Calgary. Photo: Jill Browne. January 12, 2011.

theloopbreakfasthouse.ca

403 – 802-2174

2015 – 33rd Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta

Friday, January 7, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Weather today:  Around freezing and overcast all day.  No sun.

There’s lots of choice for Vietnamese food in Calgary.  It’s one of the cheaper lunches, and leaves you full for the rest of the day.

My friend was shopping at Best Buy and suggested we meet at the nearby Pho.  It’s actually called Le’s Pho, 8180 – 11 Street SE, Calgary.  Forget the address.  Get to Heritage Meadows (between Deerfoot and Blackfoot, at the east end of Heritage Drive, down on the flats).  The Best Buy is at the south end.  Le’s Pho is across the parking lot.

I’m actually having trouble figuring out if it’s Le Pho, Le’s Pho, Le’Pho, but I know the location is right.

My friend had a big bowl of beef soup, I had the chicken on top of vermicelli.  We shared an order of salad rolls.  The total bill before tip was $24.05, and as far as I could tell it was a 50/50 split.

It’s one of those Vietnamese restaurants that you find all around Calgary.  Though the outside is kind of featureless industrial, the inside has the unmistakable ambience of “let’s not spend a lot of money on the furniture and decor”, which is fine by me.

I’m not a connaisseur of this food.  I like it once in a while, and I got what I came for.  No complaints.

It was odd that the waiter didn’t want to give my friend a knife to cut the salad roll in half, though.  He seemed to find the request a bit of an outrage but complied anyway.

If this map is ridiculously small, I believe you can enlarge it and it should show you where I mean.  The little arrow may be on the back of the building, though.  That’s just a Google Maps thing and I couldn’t change it.