Tracks Pub, Olds

Located right by the train tracks (near the Scotia Bank) in Olds is a great pub/live music venue! According to their website, they have been open since August of 2009 and have hosted many Canadian musicians including  Bend Sinster, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, MAD COWBOYS, Joshuas Habit, Billy The Kid, Locomotive Ghost, The Rocky Fortune and illScarlett.

I was surprised to find a full menu!  I had heard that they had pizza and I expected them to have burgers and nachos, but surprised to see steaks, salmon, meal-sized salads, sandwiches, etc! After much deliberation, I ordered a pint of Keith's and the BBQ chicken pizza.  I had heard that the pizza was good and I saw on the menu that they made their own crusts, so I was excited to try it.

It was definitely enough to feed one very hungry dude or two not-so hungry dudettes!  Luckily, I was pretty famished.  The pizza had lots of flavour, the crust was crispy and it wasn't too greasy.  Really good!

Yummy!

Anyways, Blaine ordered the halibut fish and chips.  I'm not a fish fan and he couldn't convince me to try a bite, but he said it was good.  Maybe not quite as fresh as he'd like, but good.  Nice and crispy.  And the fries looked hand-cut, which was cool. 

The waitress was lovely and the atmosphere was good (we went on a quiet Monday early-afternoon).  Tracks won lots of awards last year, which is quite impressive considering it had only been open a year (or less) before receiving those awards!

I was especially impressed with these two:

Best live music venue (I can definitely vouch for that one) and best place for a pub night (agreed).

Now for the constructive criticism.  I'm holding nothing back, as stated in a post below.  I don't mean to hurt the business or hurt anyone's feelings.  This is just an observation.  If you don't want to read it, then don't scroll down.  There.  You've been warned.




Tracks has been open for almost 2 years now and I think it's time for a major clean-up job!  Although it is mostly kept clean and tidy, it could use a dusting on the window coverings and some touch-ups on the paint here and there.  I never noticed before (probably 'cuz I usually go at night, when it's dark), but during the day it's really noticeable.  Not a big deal.  Just an observation.  :)

Summary
ambiance - good! There always seems to be new stuff on the walls to look at!  Love it! (but, needs a thorough cleaning/touch-ups)
value - very good!  (about $14 for a 11" pizza)
flavour - excellent! I love the homemade quality to the traditional pub-style food.

PS> They are starting up BEER PONG on Mondays in September.  Not sure about the rules for Beer Pong?  Check here.

My experiences, my opinion!

Wow, I have had A LOT of comments about this blog in the past few months!  I took some time away because of some of these comments.  I've been accused of dividing the community, tarring the oil rig camp business, and have been called a busy-body!  Wow, calm down everyone.

I originally started doing this blog because I think there are a great number of excellent small town restaurants in between Red Deer and Calgary!  It seems that a lot of people drive into the city for a nice meal instead of supporting their local establishments.  I wanted to promote these local restaurants.  I wanted to provide citizens with a place to get new ideas for good restaurants in their area.

I will continue to eat at local restaurants and report on my experiences.  I will continue to tell it as it is.  I will not hold anything back.  If you are an owner of a restaurant who receives less then stellar reviews, then maybe take it as constructive criticism.

If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen!!

Alberta Oil Rigs - A meal in the life of a rigger!

So... I haven't posted a restaurant blog in awhile.  The truth is, I've put myself on a tight budget and restaurant food doesn't exactly fit within that budget (thanks, Dave Ramsey!).

Warning: this blog contains info about opposing beliefs!
I'm an environmentalist. I volunteer for the Green Party, run an Environment Club at the local elementary school, and I reduce, reuse, recycle and repair.  My husband works on the drilling rigs north of Fort McMurray in Alberta. When Alberta can offer my husand work (that pays $25/hr plus overtime) building solar panels, I'll do my best to convince him to change careers - until then, we have to pay the bills!

Blaine (my husband) has gone back to work on the drilling rigs.  Recently he sent me some pictures of the food on his camp north of Fort McMurray.

This meal consisted of pork, applesauce from a can, reheated and unspiced frozen beans and baby potatoes.  Blaine was excited because he was used to chicken fingers and hot dogs.  I'd like to dispell a little myth... Rig Food is not delicious!  Blaine has been on plenty of drilling rig camps and always complains about the food.  Usually the biggest complaint is the lack of variety.  When you're being served chicken fingers 5 or 6 nights a week for 6 weeks... well, that just sounds yucky!

And here we have a chocolate eclaire donut.  Yummy!  :)

Summary

ambiance - hmmm... A bunch of riggers sitting in a trailer?  My rating: Poor!

value - "He works hard for his money, so you'd better treat him right!" (isn't that a song of some sort?)

flavour - repetitive and bland!

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!

Cowboy & Co. Coffee Cafe, Olds

If only this coffeeshop was open when I was in high school... I could have just walked across the street for a delicious cup o' java and a nanaimo bar for lunch!  Would that have been any healthier than the KFC fries and gravy I chose instead?  :)

Located across the street to the south (not along the highway) from the old Olds High School, this quaint little coffeeshop is right out of an old western movie!

The barrista says that the antique copper espresso machine came from Italy.  It is a gorgeous piece of equipment and it made a lovely latté!

My favourite part of the whole experience though was when a couple of older gentleman were leaving.  The barrista politely called out, "see y'all later!"  Oh wait, maybe my favourite was the fact that they carry Roger's chocolates - imported from Victoria, BC!  Mmmmm....

Summary

ambiance - unique, fun, interesting

value - good

flavour - caffeine-a-licious!

The whole "western theme" of the place got me thinking about a conversation I recently had with a friend.  She was talking about how much culture there seems to be in eastern Canada and the eastern States because of the older buildings, older history, etc.  I argued that we have just as much culture as places like Québec City, even if we don't have as much history.  Our culture is that of the Calgary Stampede, cowboys, hockey, winter sports, etc!  We may not have cobblestone or century-old cathedrals, but we have culture. Yahoo!

What do you think?  How old does an area have to be before it starts to develop its own culture?  Is it more difficult for someone to recognize their culture while they're immersed in it?