Hot Dogs In Calgary

Here's another post about eating in Calgary. I was only out there for a few days but i got in alot of eating. And some record shopping. Which is pretty much what i do wherever i travel. Actually it's pretty much what i do on a day to day basis. I lead a pretty sweet life.

17th Ave SW in Calgary is, i guess, what would be called the "cool" area in Calgary. It's a shopping area, with lots of bars & restaurants, and lots of apartments in the surrounding areas. Most of my time in Calgary I lived around 17th Ave & 4th St. SW. One of the best places to eat on 17th Ave right now is Tubby Dog (1022-17th Ave SW). Tubby Dogs is no ordinary hot dog joint, and it's completely unlike the hot dog stands around downtown Vancouver. While i guess you could get a normal hotdog with ketchup & mustard (perhaps some relish as well?), but why would you wanna do that when you could get a hot dog smothered in chili or with potato chips sprinkled on top?

It was around noon on a Saturday when i met up with my old friend Doug at Tubby Dog. I had landed in Calgary that morning and rode public transit for about an hour. I was hungry like the wolf. The atmosphere at Tubby Dog is that of a teenagers clubhouse, retro toys, posters, video games, and old cartoons playing on the screen. Sometimes have bands playing as well. Very cool idea. Me and Doug both ordered "The Tubby Dog", which is a hot dog covered with chili, bacon, cheese, onions and mustard. It was big & messy, and quite frankly a little intimidating. It made me smile but i think it scared the hell out of Doug. There was no way you could eat this with your hands, so even though i'm opposed to eating hot dogs with a knife & fork i did what had to be done. The Tubby Dog was amazing!! The homemade chili had a bit of spice, the bacon was cut into smaller pieces and the melted cheese went from one end to the other. I didn't think a single hot dog could fill my guts to the limit, but this one did and it only cost $6.75! Doug on the other hand gave up and didn't finish his. I think it was too much at such an early point in the day.

Go to their website and check out their menu.... next time i'm in town i want to try "Sherm's Ultimate Gripper" which according to the menus consists of a dog wrapped in bacon then deep fried...then topped with ham, homemade chili, cheese, mustard, bacon, hot peppers, onions and a friend egg. God damn does that ever sound insane!!

The Palomino (Calgary)

Back in the fall of 2009 i visited Calgary, a city i used to live in, but hadn't visited in about 5 years. It's always weird going back to a city you used to live in; people have changed, neighborhoods change,old buildings get torn down while new shiny building go up, and you just feel out of the loop. But the one thing i discovered about Calgary is that they have some tasty eats out there!! And the coolest part for me was knowing that a couple of my friends are involved in opening some amazing eateries.

The first one i wanna talk about the The Palomino, in downtown Calgary (109-7th Avenue SW). The Palomino is a BBQ joint similar to ones i've seen and ate at during my travels thru the Southern United States. My old boss Fred opened this place and has done an amazing job. The main floor of the place is for eating, while downstairs is for rocking. And the patio outback is fantastic. You don't even feel like you're in the middle of Downtown Calgary!

As for the food... if you're vegetarian you should stay away. This place is all about meat. Barbequed meat. The night i sat on the patio with Spencer and Sean we ate all kinds of tasty eats. My meal consisted of Bacon-wrapped corn on the cob, and pulled pork poutine. For those not familiar with Poutine, it's a dish you usually find in Quebec and it's a plate of french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds. You might think this sounds disgusting, and you might think it looks disgusting, but when you eat it you'll become a fan instantly. Simply put... Poutine is one of the greatest foods EVER! I will argue this fact until i'm blue in the face. Back to the Palomino... a few days before visiting Calgary i was checking out their menu online and when i saw the pulled-porked poutine i started to drool. And i'm happy to say that it tastes even better than it sounds. As for the bacon wrapped corn on the cob... of course it tasted amazing!! Corn on the cob is always tasty, and any time you wrap bacon around food you know you're in for a tasty treat.

I sampled bits of my friends meals but for the life of me i can't remember what they had. There might've been ribs or beef brisket... the Palomino is known for doing these dishes right. I highly recommend eating here, the food and the atmosphere is top notch. I've contemplated a weekend in Calgary just so i can eat at the Palomino.

My New Food Blog!!

Alright, after months of talking about starting a blog about food i'm finally doing it. So why am I doing this? Is it because I think i know alot about food? Nope. I'm doing simply because "I like Food... Food is good." I guess it's the same reason i have a music blog 3chordsisallineed.blogspot.com

You might be wondering what does this wanna-be fat kid have planned for this nifty little blog? I'm gonna talk about the tasty eats and weird treats that i come across in my day to day life. I've annoyed people over the last year or so by taking pictures of food in restaurants so some of those will end up here. As well you'll see some of the strange snack foods i tend to pick up (and subsequently try to convince people to taste).

So grab a snack and kick back......