3.7/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
4/5 on the Italian Scale

Mike’s Review: 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🍕🍝🇮🇹
Mrs. Rea will see you now… but no way in hell without a reservation… because this place is more popular than selfies on Instagram. Walking in all you could hear was the sound of clashing chains, I mean forks, and laughter, true to the Italian spirit. Most of which chowing down and partaking in the sublime bruschetta!

After reading the reviews online, I knew I wanted to try the pizza… but honestly, it was nothing special. It was deliciously-standard, but I think next time I go (and there will be a next time) I will go with the pasta, which seems more artistic, flavourful, and traditional. At moments I felt like I was in “The Italian Job” with servers whizzing by and chatter at all the tables, and at other moments I felt like I was in “The Godfather” asking for a little bit more flavour on my pizza on this, the day of his daughters wedding. The real appeal to this place is the contrast between the inside and the outside, which is like stepping from Mr. Lube to little Italy in three steps

I would say it is a great place for family gatherings and if you are looking for some good Italian, but I would not recommend it for first dates, intimate encounters, our breaking the news to your wife about your Ashley Madison account before your name is leaked.

Jenna’s Review: 🏢💸🐟🎉🐙
While walking to Rea’s, I really to savour the view along the way. That included the Firewood Guy’s shop sign that read “Nobody is perfect” across the street from the other shop sign that said “Selling gun licenses $155”. Really sends a message. However, when I walked into Rea’s I was pleasantly surprised to find a diamond in the rough.

The interior is quite quaint and homey feeling, particularly because there were pictures of the family all over the walls and the family all worked there too. Lots of family’s were there having dinner as well, there were a lot of families okay! The food was quite good, including the bruschetta which tasted fresh and homemade, just like my 50% Italian mother makes. The complimentary buns were warm when they came out and the Italian beer was on point. I ordered their signature seafood pasta in a white wine sauce and boy was it something. The seafood was so fresh, so fresh the mussels still had the sand in them, which to me is just “sand”-sational.

Rea’s definitely caught my attention and “I’ll be back” – Terminator, but next time I think I would try a different dish. But one thing is for sure, despite the 50 shades, it is fun for the whole FAMILY! SO MANY FAMILIES!

 
Cam and Jody’s Experience/Review:
We chose Rea’s on Edmonton Trail because we had heard so many good things about this “hidden gem” through word of mouth and online. And when I say hidden gem, that is not an understatement – the restaurant is surrounded by industrial buildings, a hardware store, and places that have signs like this (with characters like that!):

Hopes were high after I called to make the reservation and a REAL ITALIAN answered the phone. That’s how you know, right?

Ambiance
On the plus side, the space was intimate and dimly lit with old family photos on the wall. It was also packed for a Wednesday night with big, boisterous families which felt very appropriate. The walls were hand painted to resemble wood paneling which simultaneously felt both charming and a little tacky. We did not remark on the service in either a positive or negative fashion all night, which I guess makes it unremarkable. Grade: B+

Food & Drink
Cam’s linguini vongole was perfectly cooked with a delicious, subtle white wine sauce and diced clams. My meat lover’s pizza, while good, was underwhelming in the face of my expectations. My caesar salad was as excellent as you can expect a very typical caesar salad to be. Cam, Mike and Jenna all seemed to agree that the bruschetta was delicious, though I wish we had received some bread with olive oil and balsamic instead of packets of Saputo butter. My wine was very, very sweet and that’s how I like it (maybe I’m a little tacky?). Grade: A-

Value 
Before the bill came, we all seemed to agree that there was good value to be had here. We did not have dessert, as we were stuffed to the brim with carbs, however the wine and the food and the post-meal cappuccinos seemed to add up pretty quickly. Cam pointed out that if the meal had been served in a more upscale setting we might view the value a little differently. Grade: B

Overall
Rea’s feels a bit like a nice pub, and when you look at it from that perspective I would recommend it as a good neighbourhood option for families or casual dining. Overall Grade: B+

As a bonus tip: you need a reservation unless you very much enjoy being turned away at the door.

Overall… it is a little Rea of sunshine…

4.3/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
4.3/5 on the Spanish Scale (comparable to the Mexican scale)

Mike’s Review: 🍷🍗🍖🐑😍
As we made our way up to Royal oak, land of soccer mom’s in lulu lemons and the Johnsons’ trying to keep up with the Jones’ I was not expecting much from the little Las Canaries inbetween Smash Burger and BMO… Maybe just expecting to get my banking on after?

The calamari was amazing (some of the best I ever had) and was on special for $6.99! I had the slow cooked lamb shank (Cordero a la riojana) and let’s just say… Mary had a little lamb… It’s meat was soft as dough… And Michael ate it ALL. From the ambiance, to the service, this place sure to make a splash. While talking to the owner we discovered they just recently opened, so we better give them a warm Calgary welcome!

If you are prepared to make the voyage to the land or Royal Oak Trees, Las Canarias has everything it takes to not only compete, but surpass, some of the restaurants currently on 17th… And their competition is lucky they are not… Yet…

Jenna’s Review: 😍💗👅😘💐
Wowzers. That’s the word that comes to my mind when I think of our dining experience at Las Canarias. From the outside you would never know the little paradise that is within this unique and amazing restaurant. As soon as you walk in the door it is as if you have stepped onto a little outdoor patio In Spain. The decor was  quite lavish with flowers and vines all around you giving you all the joys of being outside with all if the benefits of being inside.

It’s no surprise that the food and drinks were equally incredible. The sangria was delightful with hints of cinnamon and the calamari was to die for. Fluffy yet crispy. The beef lentil stew tapas dish we ordered was just as scrumptious. For my main I got the chicken stuffed with ham and cream cheese. It was good but a bit dry and was nothing in comparison to the lamb or duck. If I could do it again I would have ordered one of those dishes cause they were done so well. To top everything off the chef made one of his famous desert drinks that he makes for every table. It was a mint and sambuka and it was utter perfection.

So a long story short I went in empty and left with a full heart and a equally full stomach. I plan to come back, but next time on a Friday for the live Spanish guitar and to try the famous seafood paella. Keep it up!

Ben and Travis’s Experience/Review:
Nestled between a burger joint and a French-Canadian national bank, the Las Cararias Spanish Restaurant & Tapas in Royal Oak was indeed an escape to exquisite serenity, culinary delight and outstanding service. Since March 2015, this hidden gem has offered the curious neighborhood connoisseurs with dishes having both European and Spanish influence.

Travis and I, along with our hosts Jenna and Mike, decided to survey Las Cararias last week to satisfy appetites. First, the waitress suggested a liter of ice cold traditional Spanish Sangria.  It was a sweet blend of wine, chopped fruit, and a splash of brandy mixed to pure perfection. Then she brought us an appetizing plate of Calamar Rebozado ($6.95), adorned with spring greens and garlic aioli. The outer batter was crunchy and brought with it a deep fried to taste. The  inside was both tender and delicious. We also tried the restaurant’s signature Ropa vieja Las Canaria (pre-meal tapas with brown bread). The spread was made of red beans and tiny Latino cherry peppers. It was my least favorite of the evening’s dishes, however, least favorite still managed to get gobbled up entirely!

My main course was poached chicken breasts stuffed with herbed cream cheese and Serrano ham ($23.95). The two (somewhat minuscule) breasts were soft and juicy. The cream cheese mixture highlighted its smooth and delicious qualities. The accompanied fresh slices of garden zucchini and carrot were a bit over cooked for my personal taste. I also liked the presentation of the fried scalloped potato slices, topped with a soft butter sauce.

Next to me, Travis was eating a rather huge serving of grilled Duck leg confit ($19) with a delicious sauce, potatoes and vegetables. I had a bite of his well-prepared duck, and it was euphoric in taste and texture! It did not taste gamy like its French or Asian counterparts. I decided I must try this in its entirety when I revisit this oasis once again.

For dessert, the owner had us sample his special, hand crafted, mint flavored slushie treat (made popular around the Canary Islands… or so we were told). I couldn’t help but to order a second round for all of us.

Floral, tender, and orgasmic! Full dinner with duck, veggies, and mash potatoes for only $18! A little hidden oasis in Cowtown! Finding the garden of Eden may be illusive, but visiting Las Cararias was indeed one step closer to its Spanish/Moroccan counterpart!

Las Canarias is muy bien!

3.8/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
4.2/5 on the Mexican Food Scale

Jenna’s Review:  😊😆😁😺👌🏻
When it comes to Mexican food, I am really no expert. For a long time my knowledge and taste for Mexican food was limited to Taco Time and Mucho Burrito which, in their own rite, are pretty tasty. So when we went to Native Tongues, the authentic Mexican Cuisine, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s a bit of a hole in the wall and it has a neat sort of old time Mexico feel inside with the cement wall and catines floating around, but the atmosphere (burlap napkins included) were quite fun! They had authentic Mexican beer (Tecate) so we knew right off the bat that they were legit. The tuna ceviche appy was salty, soft and oh-so tender. I could have just eaten that for dinner! The guacamole was average, I can make a better one at home, and if you ever tasted my guacamole you would agree. Trust me on this one. The main dish of the taco’s with various fillings were delicious. After trying one of each (besides the terrifying beef tongue) my favourites were the pork and the re-fried bean. The taco’s were about the size of your hand give or take assuming you don’t have children’s hands. So my only advice would be that if you are hungry, more is less! We finished with the tres leeches cake which we could all agree was tres delicious. Overall I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised and that while not mind blowing nuclear salsa good, I liked it and would eat there again!

Mike’s Review: 😐😐😐😶😝
While I was making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and we were Native Tongues bound… but unfortunately, with the exception of Vanessa Carlton I don’t think anyone would walk 1000 miles for this place. The name of this blog is accurate, I am rather tongue tied about Native Tongues… In a city such as Calgary with a booming food scene Native Tongues is good, and it is good Mexican, but it just doesn’t feel hugely different or memorable. We gave it a good rating, because it is a good restaurant. If you like Mexican you should go check it out, but if you are looking for a unique, different, experience I would suggest you save the money for a trip to Mexico… if oil continues this way you may be able to get one for the price of your meal. Overall, nacho much to taco’bout… except for the fact that their barley sack napkins left… possibly barley on my pants? (see below)… that other stain is a sub-par guacamole

Jonathan and Alyssa’s Experience/Review:
When we first met Jonathan and Alyssa, they were sitting there at Native Tongues with smiles on their face and beer in their hand, and we thought… these are our kind of people… and they can write one hell of a review!

Alyssa’s Review:
We walked in on a Monday night to find the place pretty much packed, which is always a good sign.  Sat down and were greeted right away and served our tall Tecates to get this authentic Mexican experience rolling.  The décor was fairly close to what I’d expect of a small town Mexican cantina, but I definitely wasn’t like, “where am I”?  Once Jenna and Mike arrived, we commenced the food ordering.

I have an El Salvadorian friend, who told me that they eat “Crazy Corn”, which is corn on the cob drenched in mayo, mustard, and spices.  I wanted to see where she was coming from, so I went for the Elotes to start, which is a similar take on corn on the cob.  Only this one was doused in crema, queso, chiles, and cilantro.  DELISH.  As much as I like my corn with butter, this may have to be in the rotation from now on.  The cheese on it was that of a similar consistency and taste to feta, who knows, it probably was feta – which added a nice touch of saltiness to offset the sweetness of the corn.  The corn was done well and a little charred, just the way I like it.

I tried two veggie tacos (hongos and frijoles) and a confit pork one as well.  The tacos were nice and small, made on non-GMO corn tortillas all topped with that queso I was talking about before, yummmm.  I’m a big mushroom fan, but the hongos just didn’t turn my crank, it didn’t capture that savoury flavour I was expecting, but if you like the earthiness of shrooms, this may be for you.  The refried bean one, however, was real good – soft, flavourful, and totally satisfying.  The carnivore in me, though, was all about the confit pork.  That was a flavour punch right there.  The right bit of jus spilling onto my palate as I chewed each bite was just magic, but the homerun was when I bit into it and experienced a bit of crispy crackling…ohhh yeah.  We all shared the Tres Leches Cake, it was good, but I wouldn’t get it again.

I want to love it, and I hate to throw comparisons out there so hastily, but my heart is at Anejo.  I give this cute little spot an 4/5, for its authenticity and ambience.
Jonathan’s Review:
Walking into Native Tongues, I was really in the mood for a margarita, however the $14 price tag caused me to reconsider, and a Tecate priced at $6.50 proved to be a better idea.

My fiancé loves trendy/upscale restaurants, while I prefer places where I don’t require her help translating the menu. Mexican restaurants are often a great middle ground, and this was no exception. Several appetizers got the party started, including some great guacamole and chips. We ordered corn on the cob covered in a bunch of this and that, and the ‘this and that’ actually made corn even tastier than the old fashioned buttered version. Our new friends ordered some kind of thing with raw tuna on it, and this proved to be pretty damn good as well.

Tacos were available, either in family sized ‘do it yourself’ style, or individually. We chose the a la carte version, and I chowed down on three of them, each with tasty results. I am not going to pretend that I stopped to observe the nuances and special ingredients in each, but given a few different salsas, and a variety of tacos, I was a happy man.

The décor in the restaurant was cool and inviting, without being too fancy, much like Mexico itself. Our table was quite small, and for a six foot Gringo like myself, this created a challenge in spreading my legs out. Additionally, the simple metal stool and my poor ass spent over two hours together, but will not be exchanging Christmas cards.

Overall, the service was good, and the food was great, and I would not hesitate to return to Native Tongues in the future.

3.8/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
3.7/5 on the Hip Eateries Scale

Jenna’s Review:  
Now I know what you are thinking, what is this box of wood everyone keeps talking about. Well, I asked myself the same question until the day came where I saw, smelt, and tasted for myself. Now I can’t help but think the name is related to the overall nature-esq-ness of the restaurant. It is quite small in size and they don’t take reservations unless you are a party of 8 or more so you will want to go when you have time to wait (luckily we went in the midst of a hail storm and got in promptly). One thing I loved was their drinks. I had the sparkling ginger and the kale aid which were both wonderful and fresh, they a also came with little flowers!… It’s the little things. Everything there tasted natural; from the bruschetta to the chickpea fritters and even my lamb fricasse. They all tasted like they came straight from mother nature’s womb. The good thing was that it’s one of those places where no mater how much you eat and how full you get you don’t feel sick after. My only complaint was that the lamb fricasse was fairly bland which was unfortunate. Then came the dessert, natural goat cheese cheesecake, which was definitely a new take on cheesecake. Overall I quite enjoyed the boxwood. Between the food and the view of the park, I would definitely give it another try.

Mike’s Review: 😍😊😋📦🌲
Upon first entering Boxwood Cafe one gets the impression that they are entering into one of Dexter’s Kill rooms (The 2006 showtime hit), but thats not a bad thing. Any fans of the show know Dexter perfectly picked his kill rooms for the victims… and the Boxwood has perfectly picked its environment for its food. “simple”, “homey”, “natural”, “fresh”, “could maybe find a bug in there but wouldn’t care cause it feels like you are camping”, are all expressions I would use to describe this little gem. It appears to us that The Boxwood has decided to make itself a vigilante for the citizens of Calgary against processed, mass produced, and boring foods. My main (The Rotisserie Chicken) was a little on the dry side, but what it lacked in juices it made up for in volume, I definitely left full. For a simple guy like me the “Prince’s Island Iced Tea with cardamom orange tonic and Chic Choc Spiced rum” was a great addition to the meal! Somewhere between “lively and bland”, “boring and divine”, and “new and old”, rests the Boxwood… and how the hell did they get permitting to build on a park?

Chris and Kate’s Experience/Review:
I’ve never done this before so I thought, “hey self, make it easy and stick to a theme. Themes make everything easy. Themes run the world. No that’s Beyonce or girls or something.”
So Chris and I were up half the night. We really wanted to get this right, ya know. What if Jenna and Mike never invited us back? We couldn’t live with that looming over our heads for the rest of our otherwise blissful lives. Then it struck us, we were in too deep. We needed to simplify. That’s it! Simplistic. That is a perfect way to describe our meal at this adorable box made of wood, of a restaurant, on the corner of a park. Some people might look at that and think it has negative connotations but trust me – I mean it in the best way possible. We went full court with the meal: appetizers, entrée, side, and dessert. Every dish felt simple in the sense that you could probably guess each ingredient and according to their website they source local, which is nice if you care about that sort of thing. For me, knowing what I’m eating adds a level of comfort that makes the overall dining experience feel more authentic. Chris’ favourite was the White Gold Ricotta and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta with arugula and nasturtium pistou. Mine was the Fairwinds Farm Chevre Cheesecake made with organic goat cheese, wild lingonberry compote, vanilla bean and a graham cookie. The Organic Corn Mac and Cheese with Sylvan Star gouda and roasted tomato was pretty good, and the Za-tar Roasted Heirloom Cauliflower with almonds, toasted onion and cauliflower puree was delicious. The food was simplistic, authentic comfort food and nothing more than that, but maybe it isn’t meant to be and that’s okay. Overall, the atmosphere would bring us back to Boxwood more than anything else.

3.2/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
3.5/5 on the Thai Food Scale

Jenna’s Review:  😐😛😕😶😗
When I walked into the Khao San I was happy that we had made a reservation beforehand because it.was.bumpin’. The decor was eye catching to be sure but I didn’t let that distract me from the real assessment, the food. We ordered several sharing dishes as it was a family style eating set up (a.k.a bring people you like). When they brought us the sate, we were pretty sure it came with Dempsters bread, at which point I thought, “Meh”. Then came the rest of the food, which also was “Meh”. Then when the waiter asked how it tasted, I said “Are you talking to Meh?”. Aside from the red curry dish which was gobbled up everything was just alright. At the end of the day, it was nothing to write to Thailand about.

Mike’s Review: 😐😒😗😕😴
After traveling to Thailand, I was excited to see what this place had to offer… Hopefully less lady-boys, ping pong shows, and massages than on my previous trip. Starting with the highlights, the curry and ambiance was amazing, but the other dishes seemed somewhat lacklustre. It was also lacking in the heat department, which was one of the most appealing aspects of the authentic Thailand food. It gave me the impression that somewhere in Bangkok there is a Canadian restaurant serving poutines with a Thai twist and in the end misses the mark on both cultures specialties. If you have travelled Thailand before you will know what I mean when I say, In the end, it was all “same-same-but different”, better luck next Thai’m

Alex and Tess’ Experience/Review:
Alex and Tess have been together 8 blissful years, which is about as long as I have known them… other than that I can let their review speak for themselves

Thai Be or Not Thai Be… When Mike first asked as to review Khao San Thai, we looked him straight in his baby blues and replied “Thai and stop us!”

When we walked into Khao San Thai, we gasped. Had we walked through a magical portal, transporting us to a quaint romantic restaurant in Thailand? Of course not, we were on 17th ave in Calgary, don’t be ridiculous. We all agreed the night was off to a good start. Unfortunately, next came the food.

The appa-THAI-sers, the Chicken Satay and the Papaya Salad started us on our dining voyage, the THAI-tanic. Both were good, but left something to be desired. The papaya salad was sweet, a little soggy and not as refreshing as a salad should be. The chicken satay came with two delicious dipping sauces, and a side of 4 brown triangles, I believe they called it “brown toast” and it was just that, brown, grocery store bread, toasted and cut 4 ways. Not the most exciting start, but our spirits were high and we still remained optimistic about the rest of the meal.

For our main we ordered the Pa-Nang Curry, and two stir frys, the Basil and the Ginger. Both the stir frys were disappointing. No spice, overcooked chewy meat, and mostly carrots and peppers. The Ginger boasted soybeans, there were none, the Basil claimed bamboo shoots, there were a few, and both were not as fragrant as their names. The flavour was good, but not a lot of spice, and nothing we would order again, or go back for. The Pa-Nang Curry was the definite star of the night. It was creamy with a wonderful curry taste, again not enough spice, but great flavour. Also, the meat was once again a little over cooked and chewy, but the sauce helped soften everything up, except for our hearts which were heavy with sadness over this disappointing meal.

All in all, the company was wonderful, the decor was inspired, but the meal was just a meal. We wouldn’t say it was terrible, but it’s just not enough to bring us back. THAI NOT to be.

4.2/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
4.0/5 on the Hip Eateries Scale

Jenna’s Review:  🐔🐷🐮🐴🐤
As you walk along the sidewalk of Marda-Loop you come across what only looks like it could be fun and that is just what it was. The Farmer’s house was such a delightful experience as it had a great quaint home-y feeling with some great food that made me want to go back for more! The outdoor patio made me feel like I was Mary Lennox from the secret garden but with a less tragic past. They even had twinkle lights and lanterns. If that doesn’t scream magical I don’t know what does. Sufficient to say, the ambiance was wonderful. The food was also quite good. From the Charcuterie Platter to the Brie and Apple sandwich to the Flatbreads as well as the special of the day (Mac and Cheese), we enjoyed every bite and even ordered another flatbread. Of the two flatbreads the Sausage and Pepper one was to die for, but you would be in good hands with any of them. The crust was not to thick and not to thin, it is what Goldie-locks would peg as “Just-right”. This is definitely not only a place to try but a  place to come back to. Definitely giving the Farmhouse a thumbs up!

Mike’s Review: 😀😃😆🏠🙋🏻
When Jenna first told me we were going to “The Farmers House” I was excited because I haven’t been to see my friends in Airdrie for a while, but when we parked in MardaLoop I knew I was in for an evening. When walking onto the balcony it felt like walking into Narnia, I was just waiting for a faun to guide me to my table. Instead of a faun we had a fun young lady. One could make the assumption that this was her first serving job but it didn’t matter as she casually breezed through the menu and brought delicious (hot AND alcoholic) drinks to the table. She managed to make my preference for fruity, feminine drinks, masculine by putting it in a hardy mug and completely masking my masculine insecurities, and that was just the drinks! The food was the perfect combination of unique and familiar, classic recipes with a fresh farmers twist. It definitely beats the last farmhouse I visited where I sheep bit me and my dad yelled at me for refusing to brand a cow.

Matt and Joaquin’s Experience/Review:
Joaquin is known as “El Savoury Salvador”, and provides a unique Salvadorian perspective to our blog! Matt is my brother and has always fancied himself the food snob in the family from the first time he refused to eat mom’s mashed potatoes with nutmeg. It’s their first review so be gentle all our readers out there!… mostly family…

Do you like nature? do you like beverages and good food? …WHO DOESN’T! well have we got the place for you! The Farmer’s House is a quaint little bistro in the heart of trendy Marda-loop. first impressions are everything and this place hits it on the nose. you walk in to a patio bigger than the restaurant.. to a cozy feeling surrounded by green with an interior that feels like home.. because that’s what it is (a house)! the menu is all sharable and snack like. for our outing we tried a little bit of everything. cheese and meat tray, bacon mac and cheese, and our favourite menu item, the sausage and pepper flat bread followed by the chicken & pesto.. ending with sweet and light Brie melt. overall great experience, great food, great atmosphere and great company (shout out!) we will definitely go back.

3.6/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
3.2/5 on the fancy/hip steakhouse scale… you know the ones…

Anyone who’s from Calgary knows that for the past 10 years, East Village has had a 10 year plan, and that timeline has never changed, however the first signs of progress are starting to show themselves in the revitalized Simmons building.

Jenna and Mike’s Review: 😀🐂
When you make your way down to East Village (which everyone assures us in 10 years will be as happening as ever) you find an out-of-place restaurant called “Char-Bar” with an environment that is definitely ready to keep up with the 10 year plan. Trendy coffee shop, vogue interior design, bearded waiters and multi-colored hair waitresses ensure that this place is ready to keep up with the soon to be booming demands of the area.

Although the environment fit the bill, the service and food was sub-par char-bar. Between the waitress explaining all the changes to the menu and the fact they were out of pizza dough (both acceptable errors, when delivered without making the customer think they are responsible for it and should have known before hand) it left something to be desired. Of the 4 entrees (to share) we ordered, two were phenomenal (the steak and broccoli dish), and two were equivalent to what I would expect at Boston Pizza, good, but average. Both Jenna and myself are not huge beer drinkers, so when we ordered the cucumber cocktail… is it wrong to say we were somewhat disappointed in the lack of theatrics. It is still most definitely worth checking out for their excellent atmosphere and to see the elevator in the middle… don’t see that every day…

For $240 for 4 people I think I would prefer Briggs or The Nash at the price range, but they assure us, in Ten years’ time they will figure out all the kinks.

About our couple and their experience:
Kayla is an Italian mare fresh off a month long trip to Europe and starting her own blog. James is… well James is… some sort of Dutch? perhaps Irish? maybe some British in there somewhere.

One thing is for sure, the environment is something else, walking in sure is something amazing to see, this is what sets CharBar apart. Although the service at the cappuccino bar was impeccable, the service on the restaurant side felt a bit rushed. The food was great, but similar to food we have experienced before in Calgary, would have been cool to see something different and signature (if it did exists, the waitress didn’t tell us about it).

Here it is, at long last, the first and long awaited review for our blog. We were so pleased to have our very first couple, Tyler and Mackenzie, join us for our first foodie foursome and boy oh boy was it ever magical!

Jenna’s Review: 
The place we chose is called Jimmy’s A & A, a petite but popular donair joint in the heart of Calgary. Not only do they sell Donair’s, they sell everything from incense to pickled radishes, to Hooka’s, to gum. In other words, they have a little something for everyone. Don’t let the outside of the building fool you, although it looks like it is about to be condemned, what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I got the beef donair with all the fixings. The beef was thinly sliced and very soft and easy to chew. The groceries that they included with it were plentiful and the garlic donair sauce was enough to make it not as dry as a desert, which I particularly liked as I am a bit of a condiment connoisseur. It definitely hit the spot but I think there are some other comparable donair joints out there with some extra special ingredients that could spice it up a little.

Mike’s Review: 
We can only assume A&A stands for awkward and awesome. Right when you walk in your nostrils are filled with the smell of spiced meats and your eyes are quite weak from darting back and forth trying to assimilate the seemingly random displays of nick nacks, trinkets, and food items. Somehow it establishes itself with slightly silly, awkward, and cool vibe which is in large part attributed to their stellar staff. It’s not s place for the queen of England, unless she is looking for one hell of a big, and one hell of a good kebab. Both the beef and chicken options will not disappoint. If you are looking for kebab, Jimmy’s is a place that should be high on your list to try!

About our couple and their experience: Tyler is a welder and a fitness fanatic. When he is not in the gym or in the shop he can be found volunteering with the homeless. He found Jimmy’s A&A to have a similar feel to a small time New York deli, where customer service and quality come before profits and cost cutting. Between bites of his beef kebab he managed to take note of the extreme tenderness of the beef, something he found quite foreign and enjoyable in this particular kebab. Mackenzie is his boo, shorty, and confidant. She found the kebabs unique and flavourful and the dolmades reminded her of her trip to Greece (although we are not sure if that was good or bad times in Greece).

In the end we were so pre-occupied eating we neglected to take any photos of the food…. But trust us… It will look good on your Instagram! Please leave your own rating (on the emoticon index, a Foodie Foursome Index, and a kebab scale) below and any other comments!