Calgary Meals on Wheels is celebrating a milestone - 60 years! More than 425 volunteers deliver affordable, nutritious, and locally prepared meals on 65 routes every day, and a new expanded facility means the kitchen can now produce 180,000 more meals each year!
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The Derrick is celebrating 10 years of gin, good food, and good times! With well over 100 gins on the list, they still have the most options for Martinis and G&Ts in Calgary! thederrickyyc.com
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Congrats to the Calgary chefs at the regional qualifier for the Canadian Culinary Championship! Dean Fast of Rouge Restaurant took the gold top spot, while Sushi 準 (Jun) and Ryuko’s Jun Young Park won the silver medal AND the People’s Choice Award, with Eden Hrabec of Canmore’s Crazyweed Kitchen taking home Bronze - all while raising tens of thousands for charity!
Ryan Arcand of Edmonton's Lovesong and Iconoclast Café has branched out into the world of fromage! Tiny’s Cheese Shop has officially opened at #103, 12017 102 Avenue NW in the Exchange II Building. Partnering with Blair Lebsack of Rge Rd, they’ve curated a thoughtful selection of cheeses sourced from Alberta to Europe, creating the perfect one-stop shop for all your charcuterie needs. Step into this cozy, bright space filled with every cheese you could dream of. Plus, you’ll find jams, crackers, and plenty more to complete your board! 10-6 pm, closed Mondays. tinyscheeseshop.ca
Wander Kitchen & Bar is open at Calgary International Airport by Gate C50, in the former Chilli’s location. Top Chef Canada All-Stars champion and Beat Bobby Flay winner, Chef Nicole Gomes has partnered with SSP Canada, food and beverage travel location operators, for this bright, mid-century modern-style restaurant, and created an all-day, globally inspired menu of familiar comfort food dishes (and breakfast of course!) with bold flavours and fresh ingredients. Watch out for Lucky Lily, her new restaurant opening soon in Vancouver airport!
Good things come in small packages, and Chef Nils Schneider’s small menu at Calgary’s new Le Charme is definitely a very good thing (there’s a very affordable, small wine list too)! Hospitality pros, brothers Matt and Tyler Drummond, have taken over the original Diner Deluxe location, gutted and completely renovated it themselves, resulting in an inviting vintage bistro (like your grandma’s living room) with everything thrifted. Every dish we tried on this elegant yet approachable, French-inspired menu was excellent – Coquilles St Jacques, Rainbow Trout, confit chicken thigh, and a deliciously decadent Banana Cheesecake! 3-5 pm daily happy hour, closed Mondays. Resos recommended, 804 Edmonton Trail. lecharme.ca
Just west of Edmonton’s downtown at 10321 124 Street, Rasht Café has just opened. Named after the Iranian city of Rasht, recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. This cozy café is colourful, bright, and welcoming, serving up comforting, made-in-house café classics. Soak up the vibes while sipping on a green and blue iced matcha or a hot coffee, and nibble on their red velvet Nutella-filled cookies and a variety of delicious dishes from Northern Iran! 10-8 pm, closed Mondays @rasht.cafe.yeg
Edmonton's newest European-Ukrainian restaurant, ZYMO, has opened its doors in the former Dalla space at 10166 100A Street NW. Escaping the war in Ukraine, they immigrated three years ago, and wanted to give back to the community that “welcomed them so warmly.” Their vision came to life and now they’re serving up classics of borscht, grilled salmon, and cottage cheese pancakes (syrnyky), as well as familiar dishes with a Ukrainian twist – such as the ZYMO Burger and ZYMO Truffle Forest Pizza. Lunch and dinner, closed Sunday and Tuesday @zymo.restaurant
Waffles all day at Wafflato! Pravila and Suhas Sawant, founders of Jasper’s popular breakfast spot, have branched out and opened in Calgary’s former Donna Mac space, with an all-day menu of sweet and savoury waffles (so many choices!), brunch dishes, and for dinner, a wide range of shareables, bowls, handhelds, and desserts! They’ve partnered with Fratello Coffee Roasters for the extensive coffee program, with shakes, cocktails, beer and wine on offer too. 1002 9 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0B5, Daily from 7 am-late, wafflato.ca
Edmonton has a new authentic Italian kitchen! Diego, Erika, and their sons Giovanni and Ennio have opened Da Cecot, their authentic pasta bar and street food eatery, offering comforting Italian classics made from recipes passed down through generations. Choose from a selection of freshly made pastas paired with a wide variety of sauces at the build-your-own pasta bar, and finish it all off with a freshly baked tiramisu! 8137 104 Street NW, lunch and dinner, closed Sundays @cecotkitchen
WingsUp! has expanded west of Ontario and opened its first Alberta quick-service restaurant in Calgary, at 5809 Macleod Trail SW. Franchisees Ron and Megha are proud of their never-frozen, fresh chicken wings - all made to order, and in-house delivery means you get your wings fast and hot, with no delivery markup! You might be spoiled for choice with 16 Classic, Sweet, Spicy, Dry, and Bold, flavours (we really enjoyed our Creamy Blue Buffalo, Lemon Pepper, and Texas Tequila!), and crazy Wing Wednesday deals! Catering also on offer. Seven days 11-11, wingsup.com
Montréal’s Enoteca Monza has opened its 11th restaurant and the first in Alberta at Calgary’s CF Market Mall. Everything on this big menu is made in house by Chefs Carter Goretsky and Nikhil Shetty and their team at this upscale-casual restaurant, and we love that all fourteen applewood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and 16 fresh pastas are offered in “regular” or “social portions” with gluten-free and vegan options. And then there’s a wide array of antipasti and salads, as well as seafood and steaks – and too many delicious choices for dessert! Come hungry! Lunch and dinner daily from 11 am, restaurantmonza.com
Calgary’s northeast community can now get their gourmet hot dog fix at Phillys – the newest quick-service restaurant serving the Falconridge neighbourhood. There’s comfort food for everyone here, from classic Philly cheesesteaks to specialty sandwiches and even customizable rice bowls. And there are deals, like the family pack for $25, perfect for a large group or hungry family! Be sure to try their special sauce, created by operations lead Julian Carreto. It’s smoky, spicy, and packed with flavour! Seven days 10-10, @phillyscanada
Meet the Phở has opened at 592 Hermitage Rd NW in Edmonton! The Vietnamese restaurant is serving up authentic phở and traditional appetizers like pork spring rolls and mango salad with shrimp, and classic salad rolls – not to mention BBQ dishes of mouthwatering bacon-wrapped scallop skewers. Using fresh ingredients and time-honoured recipes, this newest addition to Edmonton’s dining scene is sure to be a hit for anyone craving a warm, comforting meal as the weather turns blustery! Seven days 10-8 pm, meetthepho.com
Expat Asia’s IBU is open! Jeff and Joel Matthews have assembled a formidable team, with GM Alyshia LaBonte up front and Exec Sous José Lemus in the open kitchen too, and they’re all putting their passion on a plate in this gorgeous new Southeast Asian-influenced restaurant. Every dish is packed with flavour, some familiar to Expat Asia fans and some new (we want to eat all of them!) and way too many standout dishes to list here - but don’t believe ‘Small Plates’ - there’s nothing small about them! Coming soon, a 7-course Chef’s Table dinner, and starting February, special quarterly drag brunches. 2915 14 Street SW for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, closed Mondays. Reserve at ibuyyc.com
