Eau Claire | Choosing Urban

2017 was Taste of Calgary’s 20th Year
Located at Eau Claire’s Plaza
Runs for four days, Thursday – Sunday, 11am – 9pm
https://www.tasteofcalgary.com/
Google Pics: Link
Watch this page for updates as we get closer to the 2018 Taste of Calgary

Taste of Calgary is an outdoor food festival where you can enjoy samplings from a variety of Calgary’s unique restaurants. Not limited to just food, there are also many participants from Calgary’s local craft beers. While enjoying a variety of food and drinks you can enjoy musical entertainment from the stage.

Admission to the festival grounds is free and includes access to the main stage. The only cost is for tickets, at one dollar each. Food costs are then set by the vendors, this is anywhere from 2-5 tickets.

I hadn’t been to Taste of Calgary in many years, I’d enjoyed it before but somehow hadn’t made it back. This summer we changed that, with family in town we thought it would be a great outing.

We parked only a few blocks away from Eau Claire, which after 6pm is free in the area. The area was really busy but not to the point of uncomfortable congestion. There were several ticket booths and we waited very briefly in line to get our own. Ticket sales are CASH ONLY, no debit or credit.

This helps keep costs down for the organizers, however given the number of years the festival’s been running, and the organization of everything I was really expecting to be able to pay with debit. There were ATM’s on site, but with all booths only taking tickets what would the point be in taking out cash for a single point of purchase.

Food Trucks were also on site, participating and accepting coupons

With a map/guide from the ticket booth you could plan what you want to try or just wander around and see what grabs your attention. The festival was laid out well, and easy to get around. There were lots of garbage and recycling areas. We were there on the first night and there were some gaps where it appeared participants hadn’t set up yet. No worries however as there were still lots of options.

Paper St. Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders: Buttermilk fried chicken tossed in hot sauce, coleslaw, pickle, pepperjack & chipolte ranch (4 Tickets)

Naina’s Kitchen – Stuffed Burger: Mozza and Cheddar (5 Tickets)

Naina’s Kitchen – Regular Fried (2 Tickets)

While we were there “Matt Blais” was playing on the stage. This is entirely subjective but I thought he was excellent, and just the right approachable rock for such an event.

I’ve read a bunch of people’s opinions from Facebook and Google. The mixed opinions seem to be about the variety of participants, quality of food, and price, essentially everything.

Well price, is it cheap? No I don’t think it is. But you can be choosy where you spend your tickets, because there are deals to be had. However I don’t feel you go to an event like this expecting things to be cheap. I wandered around and picked what I wanted to eat, not what was cheap. The average price was 4-5 tickets for an item, and for some thing 5 tickets was a lot for what you got. However for some 5 tickets got you a lot, and there were items for 3 tickets. Most drinks were 2 tickets, while on the beer sampling side it ranged from 2-3 tickets each. If it’s a major concern they do list the full menu and prices on the website. You could easily look it over and plan in advance. Understand these are samplings, think finger food appetizers, some are larger but the general idea is “a taste”.

Quality of the food? Everything I had was excellent, my food was hot and tasty. This is a dynamic environment and if things weren’t hot I’d be inclined to forgive it. However quality, to me means freshness and quality cuts of meat. Everything I had was great.

Variety? I can’t entertain a criticism of this, there is a great variety. You can have something entirely pedestrian or go out outside the regular with Taste of Calgary.

Opened: March 2016
Address: 222 7th Street sw
Kid Friendly: Yes w/High Chairs
Brunch: Yes
Website: http://alforno.ca/
Google Pics: Link

From the Teatro Group, Alforno is located in Eau Clair a block up from the river at 222 – 7th Street S.W.

On their website they call themselves “a lively, casual cafe”, I’d take it another step and call Alforno a sophisticated cafe with atmosphere straight from Europe. However don’t mishear me, their menu is decidedly Canadian. My mistake is that that of my half dozen visits to Alforno, I’ve only been for brunch. Which needs to be rectified soon.

Alforno’s bright white interior isn’t modern to the point of being sterile, rather it’s brightness is complemented with natural materials and colors. Large glass windows and skylight let in natural light I find it the best place to start my day. Inside one’s experience deverges depended on whether you get something to go or to stay. To go; you simply approach the counter, order and leave. If you’re staying someone from the staff will confirm your party size and locate a table for you. Thank you Teatro Group! Your planning has eliminated my morning’s stress before I have that all important first coffee. Dependant on the time of the day, you’re then able to order and pay at the counter, sit down and your food will be brought to you. Or during a busier period you’ll be able to sit with regular table service for ordering and payment post meal.

When entering and ascending a few steps the main counter it ahead. The till separates two large display cases, one with ready made sandwiches and bread, the other with pastries. To the right on the way to Alforno’s tranquil patio is their coffee bar. I’ve yet to really take in this area, but to me it looks like a mellow retreat to enjoy a coffee on my own. To the left are stairs going up to the main seating area. Larger than it looks from the doorway, there all small and large tables. A few tables offering intimate seating for two, and a pair of larger chairs and a couch around a fireplace.

Alforno’s brunch has everything you’d expect, but with unique touches and made better. The list starts with parfait made with house granola, includes traditional bacon and eggs, and varieties of eggs benedict. There’s omelettes, both french toast and hotcakes, and a variety of breakfast sandwiches.

How about pricing, for the quality of food, atmosphere and location, very reasonable. A odd item may be out of line, like $4.25 for an almond croissant. But others are fair and balanced. A disclaimer, if very reasonable, means a family dinner with laminated menu’s then you will be disappointed with portion size. However once you taste your first bite you’ll never remember said dinner’s name and location. I certainly don’t.

I want to be objective, but I can’t. I love the atmosphere at Alforno, I love the food. Everything at Alforno is top notch. They could screw up everything and I’d overlook and forget it, however they never have.

Visit – Sunday June 25th

Today I kept it simple ordering the yogurt parfait, I’d previously ordered for my daughter. “Strawberry rhubarb compote, greek yogurt, house granola”, unmentioned are the raspberries and blackberries. I’m going to assume they are added because they are in season, but I have no proof of that. There’s not much to say about it, it’s a simple dish, but it was excellent and satisfying.

My wife ordered the bacon & mushroom omelette, served with toast and greens. I stole a piece of it before she was finished and found it outstanding. Bacon and mushrooms, excellent. But it’s the preparation of the eggs that make or break an omelette, and these are always excellent. The toast, in my opinion this isn’t simply bread, it’s a pasty of it’s own. That’s right I think the toasted bread is that great, crisp and soft, the textures make it. Maybe one day I’ll add jam to their toast, but I always forget.