Celebratory beer.

Well, my degree has actually come to a finish. No more papers, assignments or exams to hinder blogging, even come September. So to celebrate we met up with some friends at Sugarbowl for a beer (or two) this past Monday. We managed to snag a table by the open window and our favourite server took care of us for the evening - excellent.

 Milk Stout - Seriously, it had lactose in it. Though it wasn't my favourite (a little 'sour' and not quite smooth enough) it was an interesting way to start the evening.

For Charles - A hoppy IPA.

Also at the table was Half Pints' Little Scrapper IPA and the amazing Alberta Crude Oatmeal Stout from Wild Rose Brewery. The stout is truly lovely - creamy and smooth yet light enough for a warm (or rainy) summer evening. And since it's only been released on tap, I encourage you to head to Sugarbowl for a pint.

Popcorn Adventures

A few weeks ago Charles and I were wandering through Wild Earth Foods and ran into a shelf housing about seven different types of Fireworks Popcorn. Previously we had been lamenting the lack of kernel options, so this seemed right up our alley. After lingering in front of the jars for some time, we eventually decided on the Autumn Blaze variety - small kernels with a subtle crunch, and a light, crisp texture.

We got rid of our popcorn maker over the winter and I was a little worried about using the stove - my brother and I burnt the bottom of our mom's pot utilizing this method when we were younger. But these kernels worked well on the stove and almost all of them 'popped'. We did 2/3 1/3 cup popcorn to 2 tablespoons canola oil.

 

This variety definitely has a great flavour - movie popcorn-ish without all the salt. Next time though I think something with larger kernels is in order. Maybe the Harvest Blend or High Mountain Midnight... At any rate it was a nice accompaniment to Where the Green Ants Dream.

We spoiled ourselves with a little bit of butter.

A Da Capo breakfast

On Sunday Charles and I made our way over to Da Capo for a comparatively quiet breakfast, whilst lineups around us at Sugarbowl, High Level Diner and Urban Diner twisted out the door.

This is the second time I've had their goat cheese and vegetable frittata ($12) and it hit the spot once again. The egg was incredibly light with pockets of lovely, tart goat cheese and roasted zucchini and red pepper throughout. Hash-browns are well spiced, though a little more crispness would be welcomed.

 Breakfast under the looming clouds.

Compared to other spots in the area, we greatly appreciate that Da Capo makes fresh juice to order. This orange juice was sweet and full of pulp - the perfect breakfast accompaniment. As for Charles latte, it was smooth and rich as per usual.

Da Capo Caffe
8738 109 Street
Breakfast until 11am on weekdays and 12pm on weekends.

*I'll stop posting on Da Capo... one day...

Catfish Tacos

Catfish tacos made up last Friday's dinner, all enjoyed out on the patio. Hope you're all out savoring the sunny evening!

Andy Warhol with a little Da Capo

This past Friday evening Charles and I ventured downtown to catch the Andy Warhol Manufactured opening at the AGA. After throwing around dinner suggestions we finally decided it would be easiest to stop off at Da Capo which was en route.

We ordered some favourites. I went for a Rochefort 8 and Charles a Chimay Blue, and food wise we shared the truffle salad and a Di Matteo pizza (tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, ricotta and black pepper). Everything was enjoyed on the patio - a little mosquito-y and slightly breezy, but pleasant and refreshing nonetheless.

 Almost done...

Must have been contemplating the pizza...

There was complimentary bubbly at the opening, and whilst speeches were on we made our way up to the third floor to check things out. This is definitely one to visit with a smaller crowd - it's fairly sizable and includes some of the Edie Sedgwick footage.

*Edit: Charles suggested I mention that I wasn't double fisting, but was holding both of our glasses whilst he took some pictures :-)

My favourite part was the Silver Clouds installation on the fourth floor. It's tons of fun and we can't wait to head back.

The ride home was particularly lovely.

*For some reason Blogger has been reducing the quality of our photos within posts themselves. If you click on the picture everything looks great though...