Laurier Lounge

Before coming to Laurier Lounge, the last few times we went to eat, I kept on mentioning how I had a craving for Laurier Lounge. That's why we went there again. I had their Filet Mingnon burger, which is what I was craving. It did not dissapoint now, just like the first time I tried it. It is fucking spectacular. We had poutine to start, followed by the burgers. The waitress seemed baffled at how we can eat so much (even though it was me finishing most of the poutine!). For the wine we had, well, read below, it was Wolfberger something. One note, our orders were mixed up. Smiling Vandal got the burger with no onions, which was intended for me - we switched plates rather than asking them to take it back. Overall, the apetizer and main course = fucking delicious.

Now, onto the dessert. The last time we were here, neither one of us ordered dessert. I don't know WTF we were thinking. Their desserts are fucking spectacular. I had the crepes, but tried the creme brulee. They were both pretty orgasmic. After we finished them, the waitress, once again, seemed in awe. Not in enough awe to forget the bill though. Regardless, the desserts at Laurier Lounge are pretty much on-par for the best desserts in Calgary (that I've tried so far). I don't want to downplay the main dishes because those are amazing too. Basically, Laurier Lounge has it all: great meat, great wine, great desserts. Swallow like your life depended on it! 

Laurier Lounge... spit or swallow?

.... Zarkotic is obviously speaking from experience in regards to the 4 sluts.

This is actually the second time we went to Laurier Lounge. It looks like a house.. and probably was, way back when... but interesting setup nonetheless (aside from the 2" wide staircase). More so when you find out that the restaurant is known for their gourmet burgers and poutine.

I have tried the Cajun Chicken Hambourgeois (first visit) and the Filet Mignon Montreal Hambourgeois (second visit). Considering I'm having a hard time remembering what the Cajun Chicken Hambourgeois tasted like I don't think it's right to comment on it. Though I do remember that my overall experience at Laurier Lounge was fit to be swallowed (hence going there a second time).

Now, the second time there was wonderful, and I remember it vividly. The Filet Mignon Hambourgeois is one of the best burgers I have had. However, keep in mind that I rarely order burgers at a restaurant... or ever, for that matter. Poutine was good, though if it was drenched in gravy made from Smuggler's Inn, THAT would be heaven.

I ended my meal with a Baily's Creme Brulee with Cappuccino Gelato. I'm usually hesitant with ordering Creme Brulee at restaurants since I can make my own Creme Brulee. But seeing the BAILY'S addition, who could resist? And it was a very VERY wise choice.... now to try and make it at home.

Along with all this, we ordered a bottle of Wolfberger, Gewuztraminer and again.. yum. This is the second G wine that I was impressed with.

Swallow, swallow, swallow... good shit

Laurier Lounge
1111 7th st SW
Calgary AB
43-228-3771
Rating: Swallow

Pulcinella: Italian style pizza in Calgary

So we went to a bunch of places, but I have not updated the blog. This is going to be the first of 4 or 5 new entries. As Smiling Vandal said below, we went to Pulcinella a few weeks ago. The place is pretty casual. They specialize in pizza. If you like cooler temperatures, ask for a table closer to the window. If you like to be warm during your dining experience, ask for a table at the back. We did not have reservations, so we got a window table and our area was significantly cooler than the back (closer to the kitchen, bathrooms). There's not much to say about this place, aside from "the pizzas are good." I think our 0 readers may like this place more than we do since we have been spoiled by Vogglio's locally, and real Italian pizza having went to Italy about half a year ago. Both of those sources provide us with better pizza, however that does not mean Pulcinella is bad. It just means there's better. Verdict: swallow. Oh, and there were 4 loud sluts sitting next to us, they swallow for money.

Riesling, Round 1, Dr. Loosen VS Markus Molitor

Not much to say about this. Markus Molitor had a bit of a weird taste for me. Dr. Loosen was just straight up good. I think I may prefer Riesling at a cooler temperature than Smiling Vandal. Our 0 readers should keep that in mind for future Riesling rounds, because at some point, undoubtedly, we will disagree on the better Riesling.

Pulcinella... Spit or Swallow

This post will probably be very short and sweet since we tried this restaurant... a few weeks ago, my memory is starting to elude me.

The interior of this restaurant surprised me. It was very contemporary; I was not expecting that. I've got to admit, I really liked the numerous jars of Nutella they had lined up along their kitchen bar table... thing. It's a disgracec that Zarkotic did not notice it, even with his "better than 20/20" vision and love for Nutella. Had I not been sitting in their lounge area, they would have been missing a few jars of those Nutella..

As for the food, we tried their Brushetta Misto which I found plain. It was not bad, but there was nothing special. I could probably go to the nearest grocery store and pick out a few tomatoes and a jar of fire roasted peppers and made the exact same thing. As for the pizza, we decided to get two different kinds (Diavola and... Speck? well, if it wasnt Speck, I'm sure Zarkotic will correct me) and split them. You can search for Pulcinella's menu to see what these pizza's contained. I'm too lazy to list out the ingredients. I was intrigued by the interesting use of ingredients; far from the norm of Canadian or North American pizza, which is a nice change. However, the homemade flat bread was bitter due to the dough being burnt. So as much as I'd like to die young, I would rather die from other means other than cancer; though i'm sure eating the burnt bottom of the pizza took a few years off my life.

So after trying Pulcinella, it has sprung up the idea of creating our own pizza sometime in the future with our own concoction of ingredients, also making our own pizza dough. (this will be fun. keep an eye on the front page headlines for two deaths or a huge house fire). Before that time comes, I'm still willing to swallow Pulcinella's pizza - but keep in mind that Pulcinella's only salvation being it's difference compared to those other pizza parlors where the delivery kid has a face that looks like the mirror image of the pizza being delivered.

Pulcinella
1147 Kensington Crescent NW
Calgary AB
tel: 403-283-1166
Rating: Swallow

Riesling, Round 1, Dr. Loosen VS Markus Molitor

After probing two local wine stores, and to no prevail at finding a Kalinda Riesling, we decided to start the tasting with another pair of Rieslings that we had (Pair 3). The way we went about determining the procedure of the tasting was not very scientific. We chose to drink the Dr. Loosen first because it was colder. Our alcoholism got the best of us and we did not want to wait for both Rieslings to be chilled to the right temperature. Whether this caused us to be biased or not, who cares. That's why we have the loser's redemption.

I could go into an elaborate description of each wine and list specifically which aspect of the wine we liked and disliked, but I'll spare you and let Zarkotic describe it with his awesome vocab. I'll just give you the results... Drumroll please!


Tada. Dr. Loosen wins. Not that Markus Molitor was BAD, just compared to the Dr (fuck yea! The Doctor... motogp reference), it was not as great. So there you have it! Our tournament of intoxication is finally on it's way...

Note: Due to momentary numerical dyslexia, some of the numbers assigned to the wine are wrong.... I will get on to fixing that... sometime.. whenever. (fixed)