To Travel is To Live

My latest installment in the Open Table Experiment took place last night at Candela in Calgary.  This Spanish-style establishment serves a large assortment of tapas, or small dishes meant to share, ranging from deep-fried, vegetarian, seafood, Asian fusion, and sweets.  Located in the bustling Mission district, Candela conveniently offers clients a small parking lot - a much-appreciated perk when it can take dozens of tours around the area to find a place to park for a meal.  The decor is warm and inviting - you walk in through double glass doors and are greeted immediately by the hostess.  The restaurant boasts an open concept dining room, with a large bar situated in the middle.  Minimalistic in style, the bar does not overpower the room like it could, considering its size.  They've kept the bar lower to the ground, so it keeps the flow of the room moving.  Seating is cozy and comfortable, with benches and chairs throughout.  For first impr...

For the weekend of Thanksgiving this year, my friend Dale invited our volleyball team to join him and his wife in Fairmont, BC. His parents offered us their condo timeshare and we gladly accepted. For three nights, we filled two condos with food, friends and laughter. On our first day, there were only 5 of us available for supper as we waited for the rest of our group to show up so we headed to Kimberly in search of a German restaurant. I didn't realize it before but Kimberly has a large population of Germans and many great restaurants to from which to choose. After a quick, chilly walk around a relatively deserted street, we decided to try one place that was just opening for the evening, Gasthaus. A friendly, warm Bavarian atmosphere, Gasthaus offered us great food and beer. Unfortunately, they ran out of the Dunkel beer my friend I had ordered so we shared one between us. Bryan and I decided to share the escargots appetizer. It was quite tasty but not to...

Bryan and I booked ourselves a little getaway to Jasper this summer and I think we were both very happy to get away and relax. This trip also constituted our annual motorcycle trip, as the roads up to Jasper offer some amazing views and great biking roads. But, after two days of 8 hours on the bikes, we are both happy not to get back on them for a few days. I love Jasper. It's a beautiful little town set amidst these wonderful mountains, with lakes so close by. We were easily able to wander around the town and take in all it had to offer. Our first night there we were both tired but eager to explore. For dinner we stopped at a steakhouse called " Something Else " and we were both pleasantly surprised at the food quality and service. After dinner, we walked some more and decided to try out the Jasper Brewing Company brewpub. Their menu states that they offer a seasonal brew that changes every month, so my adventurousness kicked in and I had to see...

Some people like the "tried and true". Me? I prefer to take a chance. You never know what hidden gems you'll uncover. Perfectly located in the unrecognizable old Roger's Video building on 17th Ave, Cibo (pronounced "cheebo" for you truly Italian foodies) is one of these gems.  Their tag line is "Made To Share", and their menu offers packaged pricing for the scodellina , making it easier and more affordable to rest drive many of these scrumptious appetizers. Group sized piatti options are available and both pizza and pasta dishes can easily be divided up among the table. This concept is not unique - we've been sharing dishes at Chinese, Thai and Indian restaurants for decades. What is novel is that food is ordered all at once and it arrives as it is cooked, with what appears to be an order following the order it's written in the menu. This gives you time to savour each dish before another arrives (and also clears away un...

Before I had a handle on this blogging thing, I created a blog specifically for Italy.  It still exists, but as I hope this blog takes off and becomes more widely read, I am posting a link to my Three Weeks In Italy blog to share. http://dainas3weeksinitaly.blogspot.ca/

During my plans to visit Italy, I was emailed a Living Social travel deal for a resort hotel in Lucca, Italy.  This town was not on my original itinerary, but as it arrived before any hostels had been confirmed, I thought it wouldn't hurt to at least look at the deal.  For half the price of purchasing 3 nights in this hotel, the deal also included some meals and wine tastings.  Research into Lucca told me that it would be a nice diversion on our way from Florence to La Spezia, by was of Pisa.  After some deliberation, I held my breath, and hit "Buy". A few emails with the concierge, Vittoria, were exchanged prior to our arrival, with helpful tips on how to best find our way to the establishment.  Knowing I had 30 days to get a refund if I could not confirm a stay with them, I felt alright contacting the hotel and setting up our stay.  Upon arrival, we were so thoroughly impressed with the resort, its staff, and the view, that we believed the risk of tryin...

It seemed like it was time to try out another restaurant in Calgary featured on Open Table, and with my birthday just around the corner, it seemed fitting to try out Toscana Italian Grill .  After all, my favorite food is Italian and it seems like there are always new, tasty Italian spots opening up in this city.  Toscana is located well outside the downtown core, which is refreshing as parking was accessible and abundant.  This little gem is located in a strip mall which has an adjacent Italian market that definitely needs to be checked out.   Our Sunday evening event did not require the reservations I had made, but in order to get my Open Table points (and accumulate free rewards), it was necessary.  Walking into the restaurant, I was impressed by the simple, yet elegant decor, along with the muted lighting and large, open space of the dining area.  What did concern me, however, was that for a Sunday evening, they sure were short of customers!  Our...