Well…. it’s been a while since I have blogged, but I have a good reason today. I met up with a buddy of mine, Richard Fuller for lunch, he is the owner of The Trough Dining Co. in Canmore. It was just a reason to have a bite and get the 411 on what’s happening in Canmore. If you haven’t been to The Trough, it is reason enough to make the beautiful drive to Canmore. Dana and I love the place, Richard takes great care of his customers, the food is fantastic and it’s a great romantic evening, check it out!

We decided to visit another friend of mine, who I just helped purchase his latest restaurant. I had listed Capo for Giuseppe & Fiona Di Gennaro so that they could focus on their new project on 17^th Ave, the stunning Borgo Trattoria. Rob Greco has purchased the old Capo space in Inglewood and it has now blossomed into The Fine Diner and the transformation is...

Well… we have been “kidless” around our house for the last few days, so the wife and I have been enjoying some romantic nights out. My good friend Jared Kichula and his stunning wife Aja have just returned from their honeymoon, so they invited us to join them for dinner at their wonderful restaurant La Vita e Bella, in the historic Dafoe Terrace Building in Victoria Park.

La Vita e Bella has been a labor of love for Jared and Aja, and it shows in every aspect of this warm and sophisticated restaurant. From maintaining the old world feel of the classic brick building, to the pictures on the wall, most of them taken by Aja on their trips to Italy.

We arrived and were greeted by the hostess with a warm smile and taken out to the patio, where our host and his better half were enjoying a glass of wine. Before I can push in Dana’s chair and sit down, a plate of Antipasto...

Well this is a first for me. A client texted me yesterday to let me know that he was sorry that the café in Canmore that he was considering buying had “ditched”. Unsure of what he meant, I called to ask. He informed me that a family member who lives in Canmore was told that the owners of the restaurant had done a “midnight move” and stripped the place bare. Not only that, but they had left a DEAD horse on the front lawn!

Not that I didn’t believe him or his kin, but I had to verify this disturbing turn of events. I called my good friend Frank Barbaro, owner of the great little Italian restaurant Santa Lucia. Frank confirmed that they had done exactly that, and it was a horse skeleton. Seriously….WTF.. why is the realtor always the last to know? Not that I would have showed up with my truck and helped move tables and chairs or anything like that,...

Can I use the word “WOP” without offending my many Italian friends? Well…. in this case I don’t have a choice and if I offend you with the reference, then go down to 1216 - 9th Ave SE, walk upstairs and tell Executive Chef Angelo Contrada and his business partner Jesse Johnson how you feel. But while you’re there..... try the pizza!!

This is the latest homerun from the duo that brought us Sugo in 2001. WOP is located right next door to Sugo in the old Nectar Desserts space. The focal point of the restaurant (besides the great pizza and affordable wine and beer selection) is the “Ferrariesque” pizza oven that pounds out pizza at an astonishing pace. The beauty of the oven is that you get a perfect pizza in less than the time it takes to check the oil in your Pinto. The casual warmth of the room is immediate and you feel right at home. This is...

I just want to take a minute to thank the Alefantis Brothers of The Broken Plate Group of Restaurants for the invite to last Saturday's inaugural Greek Poker Tourny. All of the profits went to benefit the Calgary Hellenic Society's Special Projects Fund.

Now... being a poker virgin, I was a little hesitant to sit down at the tables. But after hearing that the 4th place player had never played before, and had a set of rules in his pocket, I am bound and determined to play next time!

The cast of characters in attendance was a who's who of Calgary restaurant owners, but they shall remain nameless, to protect the identity of those who were supposed to be at work!! LOL!! You know who you were! The food was great and a lot of money was raised for a great cause, I am looking forward to the next one, and yes Vic, I am bringing my wallet and my lack of experience with me!

Cheers!

Doing our best to get in a little "no kids/date time" last week, my wife and I managed to escape for a few hours and enjoy some patio time on Stephen Ave. With the weather as warm as it was, the patios were packed, but we were glad to get a space at Divino's. We enjoyed a number of appetizer plates (the House Made Rabbit Sausage was outstanding!), and a great bottle of wine (2007 Robert Weil Riesling). Our server Brett was very well versed on the menu and wine list and made the evening.

While we were sitting, talking and enjoying the night, we were really impressed by a musician who was playing on the mall. Ben Rose has an amazing song list and the crowd was as impressed as we were, even asking him for an encore. I have made his name a an active link, if anyone is thinking of having entertainment for a corporate function or other event or venue, you should really look him up.

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Well it was another reason to hire a babysitter and explore the Calgary food scene, my lovely wife's birthday! When our close friends Oliver and Meg Malana (Oliver is the GM of Canadian Linen here in Calgary) heard the reason for the proposed night out, they quickly called one of Oliver's accounts and made reservations. This was my first visit to Il Sogno, so the anticipation was high to sample the culinary artistry I had heard so much about.

We arrived a few minutes early and were greeted with a warm smile and escorted immediately to our table. Our server James was professional, very polite and extremely engaging, so this set the mood for a great dining experience. As many of you know I am not much of a drinker, so Oliver introduced me to a Whisky Sour, while Dana and Meg enjoyed a couple of specialty Martini's. We chose to try Chef de Cuisine Christopher Picek's nightly creation, a five...

It was an amazing night of music, food and friendship at the University of Calgary Theatre on Monday night as the AHEPA Family, The Broken Plate Restaurants and the Alefantis Family sponsored an evening of music to benefit FARA and the search for a cure for Friedreich's Ataxia. This debilitating disease has recently touched the Greek community in Calgary and they rallied to raise as much money as possible to aid in researching a treatment and hopefully a cure. Dana and I were very grateful to be invited to attend this event by our good friend Diane Polesello on behalf of the Alefantis family.

The evening started with an awe inspiring array of food prepared by the talented culinary team from The Broken Plate. As usual, they out did themselves with everything from Thai Chicken in single serving take out boxes to Lobster Claws and my personal favorite, the Duck Cigar's. There was also an excellent...

Got an email this morning from my buddy Rob Hilditch of the Joey's Only group of companies, telling me he is growing a moustache (Texas handlebar with a soul patch I was later informed) to raise money for Prostate Cancer research. So after I stopped shaking with laughter and found my Blackberry on the floorboard of my truck, (all the while trying not to drive off the road) I fired up the laptop and donated $50 bucks to this physically impossible, yet very good cause on behalf of Rob's efforts.

Now we are all aware that Prostate Cancer is not a laughing matter (Rob's face with a handle bar is an entirely different kettle of fish) and this is something that has touched both Rob and I in our families. I would love to be able to join Rob in his quest to raise as much money as possible, but I have 2 problems,

1) As most of you know I have a pretty healthy Goatee and no issues with its growth.

On Saturday night I met some friends at 1600 World Bier Haus, in the Glenmore Landing Shopping Centre at 90th Ave and 14thStreet SW, to celebrate a birthday. Now, it was a short notice kinda thing, so when it was put together, I got a call asking if there was anyway I might be able to help out with getting us a table. (I know a couple of people in the restaurant and pub biz I guess was the rationale for the call, LOL)

Well... I sheepishly called my good friend George Haralabakos to see if I could impose on him for a favor. Now, when you make this kinda call, it is never for a reservation for 2 on a Tuesday night at 8:45pm....NO... it is always for a party of 19 (18 guys and 1 girl) at 11:oopm on a Saturday and you ask for no line, no cover, the best table in the house and a promo tab! Ok.. I'm exaggerating a little, but non the less, it was a "Hail Mary" request, and my friend...