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episode 26 season 1
Today I want to review a few restaurants we recently stopped into first one a tasty vegetarian eatery called Ten Foot Henry’s located at 1209 – 1 street SW opened from 11 – 11 (shouldn’t it be 10 – 10?) just sayin’ and the other one Trolley 5 located on 17 avenue Sw
First! Ten Foot Henry
When you walk into this place you are greeted with a personalized stamped carpet – the character they use looks like Herald from Herald and the Purple Crayon…an outline of a small animated boys head, bald, and curious expression on his face, shown from the side. But it’s actually named after a long time Calgary icon, Ten Foot Henry became a muse for Calgary’s creative community..it’s actually 37 years old – check out their website for more about their story and Henry’s life.
Once you’re inside, this gracious place is very earthy, you almost feel like you’re part of a garden party where live plants are stringed in hanging baskets in linear lines strategically placed above tables. Wooden tables (which are my favourite) are in abundance with the wood being just finished enough to not snag your clothing, nice and rustic. There’s low dining tables a high tables and one table is 10 feet long, situated just perfectly in the middle of the room. There’s long bars with chairs lined up around them so you can sit up and watch the drinks bar or the cooking bar. It’s a mix of fresh and earthy. It feels good inside. We were educated on the menu (pick your vegetable main then add your proteins) it’s family style so pick 3-4 plates for 3 people and you may have some left over to take in…we chose the jerk spiced cauliflower, the spaghetti with pistachio and pesto, pandano, and the tagliatelle pomodoro and the friend potatoes.
The food came out fast, and hot.
Great Stop
– would we be back likely except there’s so many others places to try out.
Second: Trolley 5 Restaurant and Brewery
their vision, to bring the community together and are located at 728 – 17 Avenue SW their hours vary, when you walk in the ceilings are extremely high and large garage style doors open to the exterior and they were open on this night, very inviting. We decided to sit outside as their patio faces 17 avenue sw so there is always lots of people watching available.
t hey have your usual bar food but they do have some interesting choices that stood out. We had the Dim Sum dumplings (shrimp) these are traditional dumplings mixed with a light vegetable inside a rice paper wrap. These were served within the traditional bamboo container. They were very good. The other item we had was the Salt and Petter Squid, house breaded very lightly but covered, squid, served with julienned vegetables, very generous portion. London ordered some daily jerky, beef, which came out wrapped in white meat wrapping rope – delicious as well. They have a different flavour each day. We sat outside even though it was slightly cool, their exterior heaters were on and we enjoyed this very much. crisp fall air. the washrooms are located beneath the restaurant and to get to them you need to practically tour the entire facility. But once you find them, down two flights of stairs around the corner passed another giant bar with large screen TV’s everywhere, passed all the incredible aluminum casts, encased within glass walls – great
for watching their brew bring made – you finally come upon the washrooms. These are beautiful, along the wall where the sinks are, the lower half is glass and faces outside into an enclosed area just for this place, the top half is covered in mirrors, there’s a long banquette with a mustard yellow tapestry and exposed lighting coming out from over top of the high back – almost like you could lay down with a good book and chill out for hours – this is the ladies washroom.
For my closing review
I want to share a story about humanity. Every Thursday morning I drop London off to school and then I head up 17 avenue SW toward Crowchild, there’s a small second Cup coffee house I stop into and work for approx 1 hour before I head to my meeting. I drive along and park, come into this coffee house, and low and behold there a person sleeping, while sitting up…in the exact spot I always sit at. hmm, I kind of take in the surroundings there’s not generally many people in this place a this time in the morning as most people are going through the drive through – todays is no exception. I order my tea and keep looking at this person sleeping…then I sit along the wall, same bench as he is but a few tables over, I can see him and continue to check on this situation.
I’m interested in his story.
He’s kind-of slumped over, he has long black hair pulled back into a pony tale, some of the hair is fallen forward, there’s a pizza 73 pizza box on the table, a lighter, a beautiful orange rock or a stone, there a card of some sort laying on the seat beside his bum. He’s sleeping, not snoring but definitely catching up on some rest. The staff isn’t bothering him.
I’m there for a solid hour there’s several people coming in now to get coffee during this time and some, like me are taking this scene in – some with judgement and some not really any expression, no one says anything to the coffee house establishment,
Just as I’m packing up to leave and I walk over, past my sleeping bench mate- to use the washroom, right beside me the female worker wakes this man with the slightest tap on his arm, calling him Sir…he’s completely aware of where he is, she’s asking him to pack up his things and that he must be on his way now or she may have to call the police. The man is very humble and reacts kindly to her. He begins to straighten up and he’s been drooling slightly, I grab a couple of napkins and hand them to him – he thanks me, she still there and proceeds to ask the man if he’s hungry and if she can get him something, he’s so relieved and grateful, he thanks me for the napkins and sits back down, the lady is grabbing him some food and he’ll be on his way. I leave heading to my meeting, feeling so good inside about this public display of humanity.
Check out ValerieMoss.ca for more information including, menu, pictures, and links to both restaurants.
Thanks for listening, if you’ve tried out either of these places, let me know your experience and if you have a restaurant you’d like me to try out please pass this on…we are all about food in my family, good food with a good experience around it!