Bearberry Saloon - cheap wing Friday!

About 20 minutes northwest of Sundre, you'll find a cozy little spot called "Bearberry Saloon".  Rustic and cozy, it's full of charm...and a few drunken old fellas!

The walls are covered with wooden shingles signed by the bar's past customers.  The hockey game is on the big screen and the juke box is ready for your quarters.

The service is good and the atmosphere is open and friendly.  On Friday nights they have a wing special.  We ordered salt and pepper (really dry, no flavour), teriaki, and honey garlic.  The sauced wings were okay, but quite dry.  We asked for a side of sauce for the salt and pepper wings because they were so dry and tasteless.

I'm looking forward to motorcycle season again... the road to Bearberry is curvy and scenic - perfect for a Saturday afternoon cruise followed by a beer and some munchies!
(It's easy to find - just follow the highway west of Sundre and it'll take you right to it!)

Summary

ambiance - rustic, cozy

value - $5 for 12 wings.  Not bad.  It works out to about 42 cents a wing.

flavour - alright

Chips, Beer and Live Jazz!

So maybe this post is a little bit "off topic", but I think it's going to be a good one, nonetheless!

One of the main reasons I started writing this blog was to try to promote local restaurants, in an effort to convince small town Alberta-folk to "eat locally".  Well, what about local arts?

Who would have thought that I could walk 2 blocks from my home on a Wednesday night and enjoy chips, beer and live jazz?  In SUNDRE?!?

I think there's a real disconnect in the community of Sundre.  On the one hand, you have individuals and families complaining about the lack of opportunities, the lack of activities and entertainment in our town.  On the other hand, a live jazz trio comes to town and only 20 people attend, restaurants and small business struggle to make ends meet, and activities and events organized by Greenwood Neighbourhood Place or Sundre Public Library have low attendance.

Perhaps if these events were better attended, more events and opportunities would be offered?

The ABtrio was young, talented and entertaining!  Chips and salsa, $4 beer, live music and friends!  What a great evening... thank you, Sundre Arts Centre!  I look forward to some more great small town evenings spent in your company....

Summary

ambiance - dark, cozy, toe-tapping

value - $20/ticket typically; $4/drink - GREAT VALUE!

flavour - depending on your musical taste and the selection of the evening, but the jazz... quite palatable!



What do you think?  Leave your comment below!

Little Country Cappuccino, Sundre

The coffee shop war is on! 

Who has the best coffee shop in small-town south-central Alberta?!?  Cowboy & Co. has an excellent, fun and cozy atmosphere... but Little Country Cappuccino has got to have the best ice cream, smoothies and sandwiches!

One of my favourite things about Little Country Cappuccino is that the owner, Allison, will take my order and payment for a coffee and sandwich in the morning (on my way to work) and have my sandwich ready for me to pick up at noon (so it's not soggy)!  I feel like a princess - I walk in, past all of the teenagers waiting in line during their lunch break, grab my sandwich and scram!

The story of this little coffee shop is unique...

... it started as a little shop on their property, 17 miles northeast of Sundre.  Now they're open seven days a week and even do catering for the Sundre Arts Center productions!

One of the reasons I like Little Country Cappuccino more than The Koffee Binge is because Little Country has Splenda sweetener and The Koffee Binge has that nasty Sweet N' Low stuff that has an aftertaste!

So, I suppose I should say something somewhat negative about this place, otherwise you might think that Allison is paying me (in lattés, of course).  I like the idea that they have about having a library and kids' play area downstairs... but it seems like a bit of a dungeon down there! A new coat of paint would really freshen it up!

Summary

ambiance - homey, warm, friendly/ downstairs could use an update

value - good

flavour - excellent!