Easter Feasting!

In our family, Easter Sunday was traditionally the day when we sprang out of bed as soon as we woke up and rushed outside in search of chocolate eggs. We suspended disbelief and quite happily imagined a bunny rabbit doling out chocolate eggs, even though none of that makes much sense no matter how you try to find some science to back it up. Bunnies don’t lay eggs. Eggs come from chickens and definitely are not in the least bit chocolatey. 

We didn’t always prepare a big Easter dinner (my mother was just as likely to take us all on a family outing somewhere and treat us to a meal at a restaurant), but when we did, I seem to recall that both ham and cornish game hens made an appearance on the family table. 

Much later, after I developed a taste for lamb, that became my go-to celebratory meal at this time of year. 

Let the Chefs Cook for You

This year, several local restaurants are putting together some delicious-looking feasts to grace your table this Easter. Here are a few that I’ve found, but please share if you have found an offer others might enjoy.

Iron Goat

Phone : (403) 609-0222
703 Benchlands Trail

The Iron Goat in Canmore has turkey and ham on the menu. Choose one or the other or a bit of both. Mashed potatoes, pan-roasted carrots, green beans, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls round out the dinner. Pick-up or, depending on demand and availability, have yours delivered. 

Image @sagebistroandwinelounge on IG

Sage Bistro

1712 Bow Valley Trail
(403) 678-4878

Sage Bistro never fails to deliver the tasty goods! Order your heat-at-home Easter Dinner ahead of time and then decide when it’s most convenient for you to reheat the dinner for your family.

Order by Friday at noon so you don’t miss out on Sage’s three-course dinner, which includes Sage-roasted turkey and Valbella ham with all the trimmings.

Don’t forget the wine! There’s a full list posted on the Sage website. After you’ve had a chance to browse the wine list, send your order off to Todd by email (todd@sagebistro.ca)

Cornerstone Catering

1988 Olympic Way
(403) 678-2400

Cornerstone Catering is also offering an Easter feast for Canmore locals. Like Sage Bistro’s meal, Cornerstone’s dinner arrives cold and can easily be reheated. For $35 (plus tax) per person, the meal will be delivered curbside in Canmore for free. 

Fully-cooked and ready for reheating, the Cornerstone Easter Dinner includes:  

• Maple glazed spiral ham

• Buttermilk mashed potatoes

• Grilled asparagus

• Strawberry poppyseed salad

• Roasted rainbow carrots with honey orange glaze

• Homemade gravy

• Roasted Maple Yams

• Apple Sauce

• Homemade apple pie

With delivery date options of Good Friday, Saturday  or Easter Sunday, there’s lots of flexibility in terms of how you plan your weekend. The meal will arrive at your place via safe, no contact, curbside delivery.

All eating establishments are following Alberta Health Services Regulations and recommendations to help keep everyone safe and healthy.

Le Chocolatier

701 Benchlands Trail
403) 679-3351

In my book, Easter is not complete without chocolate eggs. Here in Canmore, we’re lucky to have our own creator and purveyor of fine chocolates and as long as you plan ahead, you may be lucky enough to be able to hide some fancy, schmantzy Belgian chocolate eggs from Le Chocolatier.

Note that the shop is only open limited hours and that Easter stock is also limited. (Note: Vegan options in dark chocolate are available, but call ahead as quantities are limited). 

Whether you prepare you own meal or order in (and, every time you do, you are supporting a local business and helping to ensure your favourite eateries will be around when restrictions are lifted), take time over the holiday weekend to appreciate this gift of time with those who live with you. Connect with your wider circles of friends, family, and loved ones via online options. Stay home. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Happy Easter, everyone!

Tips and Tricks for Eating Out With the Kids

Growing up, we often ate at restaurants. It wasn’t because we were super wealthy - we weren’t. But my parents enjoyed dining out and didn’t believe in babysitters. That meant either they didn’t go out for dinner, or they took us along. 

My mother’s strategies for dining out with the whole family revolved around protecting everyone’s right to enjoy a pleasant meal together without disturbing anyone else at the restaurant. We were all drilled about table manners at home - you know, the basics - no elbows on the table, how to hold (and use) a knife and fork, not speaking with our mouths full of food. We chewed with our mouths closed and asked politely for someone to pass the salt rather than reaching across the table and helping ourselves. There were drills about appropriate pleases and thank yous and we didn’t get up and walk away when we were done - we waited until everyone at the table was finished before asking, “May I please be excused?”

We looked scarily like the kids in this photo when we sat down for dinner. We sat up straight, kept our elbows off the table, and our hands where they could be seen at all times… Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

If all of that sounds like something out of a Dickens novel, for us it was second nature and we didn’t really think anything much of it unless someone else pointed out our good manners. Those basic ground rules were firmly established before any of us were allowed to eat in public. 

When two younger siblings joined my brother and me (there was a ten-year gap between the oldest and youngest kid), they made full use of highchairs and booster seats when they joined the family on restaurant outings. The special seating kept them contained and at eye level with the rest of us. When one of the youngest began to get fidgety, one of the older kids was assigned to take the younger outside for a walk while everyone else finished up. 

Paper and pencils were entertainment kit essentials whenever we ate out as a family.

Entertainment Kits to the Rescue

This rarely happened, as it turned out, because my mother didn’t expect us to sit quietly listening to the grownups talking about mundane adulty stuff. We didn’t arrive at restaurants empty-handed. Each of us brought what we called ‘an entertainment kit.’ We all had our preferences - I often brought a book, my brother loved comics, and we all liked to draw. We packed along a selection of drawing paper, coloured pencils, crayons, and felt pens as well as puzzle books - search and finds, mazes, and dot-to-dots were favourites. Colouring books were popular and we always took full advantage of whatever the restaurants had for us - paper placemats and crayons were well-used at our table! 

New Generation, New Entertainment Tools

When my youngest brother’s kids came along years later, the colouring books and pencils were largely replaced by iPads and phones - but the strategies remained the same. The next generation of kids in our now extended family are rarely left out of the dining out experience. They know how to entertain themselves while the adults are chatting and everyone - from youngest to oldest feels part of the eating out experience. Nobody feels dragged along (or left out), and the adults don’t feel rushed through their meals and conversations. 

Most restaurants these days have kids menus, but if you have a youngster with a smallish appetite, it’s also easy enough to ask for a side plate and take a little from the adult portions to create a small, custom meal.  

Is there a time and place for an adults-only meal out? Of course. But with a little planning and forethought (those entertainment kits were fabulous!), eating out with the kids doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Au contraire. Those family meals we shared in restaurants became our equivalent of the traditional Sunday dinner. They were a time spent together in one place, catching up on each other’s lives, and maintaining the close bonds of family over a good meal. 

Share Your Family Dining Tips

Do you have some good tips to help make sure the dining out with kids experience is a pleasant one? Share your thoughts in the comments below - that’s one easy way to earn menu hunter points and be eligible for some fun foodie prizes! 

Looking for family-friendly restaurants in Canmore? Have a browse through our online menus right here on the TasteMagazine.ca website (just click the orange ‘EXPLORE’ button on the homepage).

Happy Eat Your Noodles Day!

On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed.

My very first memories of noodles date back to my early childhood in Australia when, as a treat, my parents took my brother and me out for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I remember the candles on the tables, the while linen tablecloths, and the spaghetti bolognese we always ordered. With parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, this meal also usually had us singing, ‘On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese…’

When we took a ship from Sydney to England when I was about five, I was shocked to discover green pasta on our plates in the ship’s dining room. The Italian waiters laughed at our response and explained that the pasta derived its colour from spinach. Though this sounded positively horrifying (spinach infused pasta??), it was delicious and we quickly moved past our initial reluctance and gobbled up our meals. [Curious about how we were taught to eat our spaghetti as kids? Read this article about whether or not to use a spoon to roll your spaghetti strands onto your fork.]

Ancient Noodles Unearthed in China

According to an article in National Geographic, a bowl of millet noodles discovered in an archeological dig in China is the oldest example of the dish ever found. The noodles, estimated to be 4,000 years old, suggest people have been making and enjoying some version of long, stringy dough for a very long time. 

What makes a noodle a noodle? The shape of a noodle (long) is one distinguishing feature. But from there, the variations are endless. Noodles may be flat or round and may be made from a number of ingredients. There are still areas in China where you’ll find millet noodles, but wheat-based noodles are more common in Italian pasta, udon noodles from Japan, Indonesian bakmi noodles, and several other varieties, too. 

Rice noodles are popular in a number of Vietnamese or south Indian dishes, while others are made from acorn meal (dotori guksu from Korea, for example) or mung beans or potato starch (cellophane noodles). 

Noodles and soup go together like… spaghetti and meatballs.

Boiled, Baked or Fried - Noodle Preparation

Preparation varies from place to place - noodles may be boiled, baked, chilled, or fried. Perhaps my favourite way to consume a noodle is in soup - chicken noodle soup is a comfort food I first grew to love in childhood. My German grandmother made a delicious version using delicate vermicelli broken into shorter pieces and finely chopped green onions. Much later, I discovered the delights of Udon noodles in broth. A good bowl of ramen is something I still enjoy today. 

How Do You Like Your Noodles?

What about you? What’s your favourite noodle dish? Let us know in the comments. That’s one easy way to earn menu hunter points and be eligible for some fun foodie prizes! 

Looking for some great dining options in Banff? Have a browse through our online menus by clicking on the big orange ‘EXPLORE’ button on the homepage of TasteMagazine.ca.

Slow Down and Smell the Pancakes

What’s your favourite topping for pancakes?

Pancakes are on my mind because yesterday was National Pancake Day and there are few things I love more than a good flapjack topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I’m also a fan of real maple syrup and bananas on top of my stack. 

My father prefers his pancakes on the thin side, heading in the direction of crepes. He then squeezes liberal amounts of fresh lemon juice on his pancake, adds sugar (preferably a fine, white sugar) to offset the tanginess of the lemon, and carefully rolls the pancake around the topping before slicing off pieces of perfectly balanced sweet and sour. 

My father never rushes through his pancakes. He enjoys the process of squeezing, sprinkling, rolling and then eating. 

In our family home, we were more likely to have pancakes for dinner than earlier in the day. We prepared the pancakes one by one in the small, copper-bottomed frying pan we dubbed ‘the pancake pan.’ We all sat at the table and took turns waiting for our next pancake. We weren’t allowed to leave the dining table until we had all had our fill. This meant the meal could sometimes stretch out for a while, but the wait was worth it. The pancakes were delicious and we had a chance to sit, chat, and catch up on whatever was going on in our lives as we waited for each pancake to cook.

You Can’t Rush a Pancake

Remembering this slow, thoughtful act of preparation (you can’t rush a pancake) and consumption led me to think about how we often rush through our meals, grabbing something on the go, not always taking the time to sit down and share a meal. While our lives are chaotic, it seems to me that’s exactly why we need to make sure to make time to sit down and eat together with others. 

It may not be practical to carve out several hours to prepare a big, complicated meal every night or to expect every member of our hockey-playing, French-horn studying, overtime shift-working family to be there for every meal, but a decision to commit to even one meal a week together should be within our reach. 

If the meal preparation part feels overwhelming, then choosing a restaurant that offers thoughtfully prepared meals can be a fabulous option. My mother, who ran a business and did not particularly enjoy cooking, delegated the cooking task to the rest of us. My dad and the four kids took turns making meals, and when it was my mom’s night to cook, we ate out. 

Here in the Bow Valley, we’re fortunate to have so many restaurants to choose from (have a browse through our online menus to see what’s available). We’re always eager to hear about your dining experiences - leave a comment and let us know where you love to go out and eat and why? What makes a really great meal? How do you make sure you find the time to share meals with those whose company you enjoy? 

Join Our Dinner Clubs

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you join our local dinner clubs - we have one in Banff and one in Canmore. Watch for updates here in this blog as well as in our Facebook groups. You never know where we may be dining next, but one thing you can count on - we won’t be rushing through our meals!   

Does Spaghetti Grow on Trees? Can You Use a Spoon?

Spoon or no spoon? How do you eat your spaghetti? [Source]

If my mother had had access to YouTube she would have shown us this all too convincing documentary about where spaghetti comes from. Who knows how long it would have taken me to figure out the truth?

My mom was full of … surprises. She taught us kids a lot of useful things like how to tie our shoes, how to read, and how to address the Queen, should she ever come calling.

She also told us that spaghetti grew on trees. I was dubious, but when we visited the Old Spaghetti Factory in Vancouver, they had a photograph of women harvesting the long strands from trees…

Who knew? If my mother had had access to YouTube, she would have removed any lingering doubts we may have had by making us watch this now-famous BBC documentary about the spaghetti harvest.

The whole ‘spaghetti grows on trees’ story wasn’t the only not-quite-accurate information she shared. When it came to spaghetti-eating, my mother was adamant that the only right way to consume stringy pasta was with a spoon and fork. She drilled us about not taking too many strands of spaghetti onto our spoons at one time so that when we rolled up the spaghetti (by pressing the tines of the fork into the bowl of the spoon and then twiddling the fork) we didn’t wind up with a bundle of spaghetti too big to fit in our mouths. 

We had practice sessions and were made to do it properly. This lesson was right up there along with always saying please and thank you, keeping our elbows off the table, clearing our plates when we left were finished, and not leaving the table before we asked permission. 

Mother Knows Best - Or, Does She?

I accepted all this as gospel until I moved in with a bona fide Italian who took one look at my two-handed spaghetti rolling skills and shook his head. “Italians don’t eat spaghetti like that.”

Wait, what? My mother was wrong about something like this? It hardly seemed possible. 

I did a little research and while it’s true that most restaurants provide a spoon and fork for pasta patrons and none other than Emily Post declared that both were necessary for acceptable spaghetti consumption, in fact, Italian kids learn to twirl their spaghetti without the help of a spoon.

Well. I. Never. 

When in Doubt, Ask an Expert

Still in denial that this could be true despite mounting evidence to the contrary, I chatted with Nick, a nine-year veteran of the Old Spaghetti Factory (the Banff location) to see what he had to say on the matter. “I’d say about 2/3 of the customers don’t use a spoon.” 

I was astonished. No spoon assistance at all? Nope. Though Nick did say that some customers “…may use a knife to cut off a stray strand.” 

A knife? That hadn’t even entered my mind as being a possible solution. Back at home, my mother insisted that nobody over the age of four should have their spaghetti cut up for them. It was a rite of passage to graduate from an adult cutting our pasta for us to being handed a fork and spoon and being taught the ‘proper’ way to do things. 

Don’t Believe the Expert? Ask Google

Except, apparently, it isn’t! Further research revealed that in Italy, only very young children and hopeless people (and tourists) use spoons. 

Not that you will be made to feel bad if you go to the Old Spaghetti Factory and ask for a spoon. “As long as our customers are enjoying their meals, it doesn’t matter,” Nick says. “It’s a matter of personal preference.”

As for Nick, he avoids the prickly issue altogether by avoiding spaghetti. “I prefer shorter pasta - penne or tortellini.” 

However you choose to get your spaghetti strands to your mouth (or if, like Nick, you prefer your pasta on the short side), you’ll find lots of options on offer at Victoria restaurants. I’ve listed a few below to get you started.

Old Spaghetti Factory
703 Douglas Street
A family favourite for decades, come for the pasta and stay for the spumoni!

Can’t decide what kind of sauce to go with your spaghetti? Check out the Pot-Pourri Spaghetti with Meat, Mushroom and Clam Sauce - it’s a sampler for the undecided and includes generous portions of the Old Spaghetti Factory’s most popular sauces.

An evening at Il Terrazzo is always a special occasion.

Il Terrazzo
537 Johnson Street
There’s a reason Il Terrazzo has been consistently named the best Italian restaurant in Victoria. The place serves great food and the ambience just can’t be beaten!

Take your pasta tasting up a notch with their Spaghettini con Capesante served with seared scallops, mushrooms, smoked bacon, leeks, fresh lemon and cream.

Pagliacci’s
1011 Broad St

The bustle and energy at Pagliacci's is a given, as is the line to get in for lunch and dinner. This longtime Victoria institution, serves fresh, delicious and fun Italian fare that is a favourite among Victoria’s locals. 

Just reading the menu at Pagliacci’s is fun, in fact. Take the Spaghetti Western description:

Spicy meatballs & linguine in tomato sauce with parmesan “You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.” -Eli Wallach as Tuco in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

See what I mean?

Zambri’s
820 Yates Street

Zambri’s is about a whole lot more than just a helping of spaghetti. This great Italian restaurant focuses on the whole experience and has set the stage to sit and enjoy a Prosecco from their impressive wine list. Paired that Prosecco with a new dish or an old favourite.

If you love tuna as much as I do, you might want to give their Spaghetti alla putanesca a try. Tuna, olives, capers, anchovy, and tomato sauce add something rather special to a spaghetti meal.

For a more comprehensive list of Victoria restaurants and their full menus, have a browse through our online menu blog.

Spoon or No Spoon? What's the Official Way to Eat Spaghetti?

To use a spoon, or not to use a spoon… that’s the spaghetti question! [Source]

When I was a kid, my mother was adamant that the only right way to eat spaghetti was with a spoon and fork. She drilled us about not taking too many strands of spaghetti onto our spoons at one time so that when we rolled up the spaghetti (by pressing the tines of the fork into the bowl of the spoon and then twiddling the fork) we didn’t wind up with a bundle of spaghetti too big to fit in our mouths. 

We had practice sessions and were made to do it properly. This lesson was right up there along with always saying please and thank you, keeping our elbows off the table, clearing our plates when we left were finished, and not leaving the table before we asked permission. 

Mother Knows Best - Or, Does She?

I accepted all this as gospel until I moved in with a bona fide Italian who took one look at my two-handed spaghetti rolling skills and shook his head. “Italians don’t eat spaghetti like that.”

Wait, what? My mother was wrong about something like this? It hardly seemed possible. 

I did a little research and while it’s true that most restaurants provide a spoon and fork for pasta patrons and none other than Emily Post declared that both were necessary for acceptable spaghetti consumption, in fact, Italian kids learn to twirl their spaghetti but without the help of a spoon.

Well. I. Never. 

When in Doubt, Ask an Expert

Still in denial that this could be true despite mounting evidence to the contrary, I chatted with Nick, a nine-year veteran of the Old Spaghetti Factory in Banff to see what he had to say on the matter. “I’d say about 2/3 of the customers don’t use a spoon.” 

I was astonished. No spoon assistance at all? Nope. Though Nick did say that some customers “…may use a knife to cut off a stray strand.” 

A knife? That hadn’t even entered my mind as being a possible solution. Back at home, my mother insisted that nobody over the age of four should have their spaghetti cut up for them. It was a rite of passage to graduate from an adult cutting our pasta for us to being handed a fork and spoon and being taught the ‘proper’ way to do things. 

Don’t Believe the Expert? Ask Google

Except, apparently, it isn’t! Further research revealed that in Italy, only very young children and hopeless people (and tourists) use spoons. 

Not that you will be made to feel bad if you go to the Old Spaghetti factory and ask for a spoon. “As long as our customers are enjoying their meals, it doesn’t matter,” Nick says. “It’s a matter of personal preference.”

As for Nick, he avoids the prickly issue altogether by avoiding spaghetti. “I prefer shorter pasta - penne or tortellini.” 

However you choose to get your spaghetti strands to your mouth (or if, like Nick, you prefer your pasta on the short side), you’ll find lots of options on offer at Banff restaurants. I’ve listed a few below to get you started.

For a more comprehensive list and for full menus, have a good browse through our online menus.

Old Spaghetti Factory
317 Banff Avenue

Can’t decide what kind of sauce to go with your spaghetti? Check out the Pot-Pourri Spaghetti with Meat, Mushroom and Clam Sauce - it’s a sampler for the undecided and includes generous portions of the Old Spaghetti Factory’s most popular sauces.

Ticino Swiss Italian Restaurant
415 Banff Ave

Ticino Swiss-Italian Restaurant has been family-owned and operated since 1979 and the owners are proud to support local suppliers (like Valbella Meats, local farms, BC wineries, the Banff Roasting Co. and the Banff Tea Co.). That kind of passion for local combined with a love of European dining means a memorable experience you’ll want to linger over. Be sure to try their Spaghetti al Sugo con Verdure Grigliate (spaghetti with meat sauce, garnished with grilled vegetables). 

Castello Ristorante
405 Spray Avenue

Craving a taste of the “La Dolce Vita”? Reserve your table at Castello Ristorante now to feel as though you are gazing at the Coliseum from a tiny Italian bistro. At Castello, the pastas are hand-made, the pizza is perfection and the desserts provide the sublime end to any meal.

Catello’s Spaghetti main dish comes with house meatballs, Parmigiano Reggiano, basil, and marinara sauce. 

Meatball Pizza & Pasta  
337 Banff Avenue

Meaty, cheesy, carby deliciousness is what the Meatball Pizza & Pasta is all about. Look no farther for all of your Italian-inspired favourites from Bruschetta to in-house-made gnocchi, and of course, spaghetti.

Do Tell! Spoon or No Spoon?

You know we have to ask… how do you like to eat your spaghetti? What did your Mama tell you about the ‘proper’ way to do things? Or, like Nick, do you prefer penne? Share your pasta-consumption strategies in the comments below!

For more Italian dining options, have a look at our selection of online menus.