The Wedge comes to an end...for now...

The Wicked Wedge was a Calgary institution located on 17th ave. Not only was it independent, it served quality pizza until the wee hours (especially on the weekends when it was open until 3-3:30 am). So I was a bit shocked to learn that it closed its doors this past Sunday, Oct 11 2009. It was open for almost 14 years and I had made frequent visits to it for more than a decade. In fact, there was a time when my weekend nights were not complete until I visited the Wedge.

Regarding the ownership story, this is what I understand -- the old owners sold it to some new owners, who in turn decided to sell the location to a third party (possibly an Italian restaurant). Now, the new owners plan to re-open the Wedge in some form, most likely in the Chinook mall. If it does open in Chinook, the hours will be more regulated, closing at 9 pm from Monday - Saturday. This won't be the first time the Wedge has tried to break into a closed mall setting -- a few year ago, a location had opened in Eau Claire market but that spot didn't last too long. So not sure what the Chinook mall location would be like, but it won't be the same thing.

Anyway, here are the final three slices I got from The Wicked Wedge on late saturday, Oct 10, 2009.

The Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival 2008

I will be attending this year's Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival. It has been 2 years or so since we attended one and I am truly looking forward to it this time around.

A list of the restaurants and their food offerings.

Beer and other beverages

Can't forget the wine!

In the past, I mostly stuck to the wine, but this time there are some breweries I want to tackle instead.

A Taste of Calgary

The first time I attended A Taste of Calgary was about a decade ago. Back then the event was held at the same venue of Eau Claire market but was much smaller in scope -- the crowds were not that large and there were not that many restaurants on display. But things have certainly changed and the food festival has grown in the years since.


I had missed attending for the last two years, so I finally decided to head down there when the event was held last month. The full menu was available online so I was able to have a rough idea of what I wanted.

One of the places I had not heard about was Alaturka which is located at the Crossroads Farmers Market. I opted for their Chicken Souvlaki which was very nice.


The Pulled pork sandwich at Bookers BBQ Grill was quite in demand but since I had sampled that before, I got their Jambalaya instead. Next door to Bookers tent was Quality Hotel Airport & Conference Centre. Their chicken & Sausage Gumbo formed a decent pairing with the Jambalaya.

The Hammerhead Bison Burger from Brewsters Brewing Company was the best sampled item on the night.Simple but quite good.

The Blackened Basa with New Orleans Sauce from Ric's Grill was not that bad.

At Caribbean Choice, I actually wanted to have their Jerk Chicken with Roti but that option was not offered as their choices were instead Jerk Chicken with Rice & Curry Chicken with Roti. But having arrived near closing time, they had run out of curry chicken & rice, so I luckily got my desired choice -- Jerk Chicken with Roti. The line-up at Caribbean Choice was one of the longest along with that at Taj Mahal Restaurant but waiting in line was worth it as the jerk chicken was spicy and flavourful.


For dessert: Mini Melts Ice Cream along with the Frozen Mud Pie from SoHo Bar & Grill.


I had never heard of Mini Melts Ice Cream before and they were the discovery of the night. Tiny granules of ice cream which blissfully melted in the mouth. The ice cream acted as a palate cleanser and was a refreshing end to the night.

Recent take-out

Just a sampling of some recent eating.

Globefish

: One of our favourite Sushi places in Calgary. Not only is the food excellent, but the presentation is quite artistic. Ofcourse, during take-out the presentation is not an option but still it is good to know one can enjoy their delicious sushi at home.

Mirchi

: In the last few years, plenty of good Indian/Pakistani take-outs have opened in the city and Mirchi is a welcome addition. It opened in 2007 in a location which used to formally house another Indian take-out.

The Afghani tikka was excellent

as was the rest of the food (nihari, shish kabab, daal and eggplant curry).

Shawarma Knights

: This new Shawarma place opened in the former location of Shawarma King on 14th street and 15th Ave. Kavita got the falafel wrap and I opted for the chicken shawarma plate.

But during my journey home, I managed to accidentally invert my bag. As a result, the shawarma plate was jumbled up, mixing the rice, chicken, garlic sauce on top of the potato and the salad.

Amazingly, the combination was delicious as I felt I was eating a saucy chicken rice.


I did manage to isolate some pieces of chicken and sampled them as they were meant to be eaten. Overall, easily one of the best shawarma's I have had in the city.

Vogglio D' Pizza

: Next door to Shawarma Knights is Vogglio D' Pizza. The pizza menu is one of the most unique ones I have seen in the city, including a fruit pizza and a pizza with guava paste.

But I kept things simple with a Bella Napoli which had mushrooms, oregano and olives.


And then we also got a chorizo sausage pizza. Talk about fresh, the owner cooked the chorizo in front of me and lovingly topped it on the pizza.

Delicious and heavenly.

Nick's Steakhouse & Pizza

: Even though a few friends have mentioned this place for years, I had not tried it. So I finally decided to set things straight and give it a go.

Kavita got the steak sandwich

and I got the peppercorn steak.


Both of us enjoyed our meal and the prices are quite reasonable considering steak prices in the city have climbed upwards of $50 in some locations. All the steaks at Nick's are under $30.

A touch of the exotic

The Sweetgrass market is finally open and although currently there are only 6 vendors open, they are all quality options. Plus a few more are slated to open in the fall.

One of the vendors is More than Mangos, a place I had wanted to try for a while. All the fruits are imported from South America and there are some enticing choices.

With the exception of mango, I had not tried anything else. So it was all a new experience.

First up, a Granadillas or Orange Passion Fruit.

Looks harmless from the outside...


But the inside is quite a surprize. The first taste was quite interesting as I had nothing to base it on but I was hooked by the end and loved it.


Quite tasty. Slurp...


Next up..a Feijoa or Pineapple Guava.

It took me a few scoops to get used to, but by the end, I found it very refreshing and with a nice aftertaste.


A Mamey is a melon, with a soft exterior.


Just beautiful from the inside and has a very wholesome taste.



And finally, I couldn't leave without getting a mango. But not just any mango. Le Grande mango, about 3-4 times the size of any mango I have seen.



The taste was amazing & reminded me of a variety I had in India a long time ago. The mango disappeared quite fast because it was that good.


Still plenty more fruits to try, so I have a few more trips planned.

A panini and a sandwich

A few months ago, I had visited The Holy Grill and loved their burger. This time I tried their Italian panini which was quite nice. Since there are very few places in Calgary that serve a good panini, I might have to make a few more stops to The Holy Grill in the future.


A while ago, I had noticed a new sandwich place in downtown Calgary -- Chachi's. I finally got around to trying it but kept it simple with a veggie sandwich. And it was a real treat -- fresh, light and very tasty.



Considering how many old buildings and their subsequent restaurants are being torn down in and around downtown to make space for more condos and office towers, new food joints opening up in downtown are a welcome sight.

A visit to the local bakery

It was a bit disappointing to find out recently that Eiffel Tower Bakery had closed their three Calgary locations. But thankfully a few weeks ago, a new bakery, Rise Bakery & Cafe, opened its doors in downtown Calgary.

On Friday, I decided to head down and try their chocolate bread. But unfortunately, they were sold out of not only their chocolate bread but even their chocolate loaf. Even though the bakery opens at 9 am, by 10:30 am they were sold out. Instead I tried their tuscan bread, which was quite good.


Also, their apple cinnamon muffin and peach scone were quite delicious. Perfectly balanced, and not too sweet. Plus, you could easily taste the fresh fruit.



Previously, I have sampled the delicious chocolate bread from Urban Baker, but my quest for the chocolate bread from Rise Bakery will have to wait a bit longer.

Calgary could certainly use more bakeries, but for now Rise is a welcome edition.