The Joys of Cowtown
Calgary's been good so far. The weather has been reasonable, which is a nice change. To all of you in the east who are now under a foot of snow, I have but one word: suckers. The only down side is that it looks as though it's going to be a brown Christmas. Then -28 C for Boxing Day, apparently.
I went for a walk in a spring jacket with the zipper undone this afternoon. Inconceivable.
The flight got off with only an hour's delay, which was pretty good considering that most people flying out the next day had their flights cancelled on them. The boredom of the Ottawa airport allowed me to get through about ten chapters of next term's Macroeconomics. The course was supposed to be a vital component of my counter-boredom campaign. It doesn't seem to be helping.
Mercules had a bit of a hard run earlier this week, during the particularly nasty weather. I came out for lunch one day, only to find that A) the power steering no longer worked and B) there was a huge mess of coolant under my truck. After waiting two hours for a tow truck (CAA was having a busy day) they finally hauled it off to the dealership. Thankfully, it was just a hose. I was bracing myself for a $2000 reverse Christmas present from the dealership.
I can't say enough good things about Van Herpt Motors. The good service wasn't entirely unexpected, but the good prices and the professionalism is good to see. Everything I've had to do with them has been quick, cheap, and easy. After being so foolish as to once take a vehicle to Canadian Tire, this is a welcome change. One time when I was a child, one of the family vehicles went in for an oil change. Except they forgot to put the oil back in. We didn't have that car for much longer after that.
Went to the Cattle Baron last night for a Baron's cut of prime rib. Fantastic. Then went to Frank Sisson's Silver Dollar Action Centre for some $2 a hand blackjack. Also fantastic. Expectant sister and brother-in-law should be here within the hour. We're getting ready to begin our Christmas Eve tradition of church and an evening at the Robertsons. This typically involves Jack Robertson's infamous hat trick, and more prime rib.
Anyone starting to notice a theme for Calgary yet? I'll give you a hint - prime rib.
posted by Ryan @ 6:24 p.m.
3 comments
3 Comments:
Riz: Beef culture's pretty pervasive here. I'm kind of surprised that they don't have greeters in cowboy hats hand you ribeye steaks as you get off the plane.
Erin: I think the Cattle Baron summarizes all that's good about steak in Calgary. But Smuggler's and Caesar's are also really good. Caesar's is the kind of place where the waiters wear tuxedos and a steak costs $40, before you even add a stuffed potato. (Incidentally, another delicious treat that I rarely find outside of Calgary)
What else is there for fun? Skiing. $2 a hand blackjack. And I think some friends and I may actually go to the pistol range tomorrow. Yee-ha! Sigh.
PS. Cuba = Booked!
Y'know, I've had Alberta beef -- in Cowtown, no less -- and... it's really not that different from Ontario's. I just hope that for all cattle ranchers across our fair nation, who have been in a pretty tough spot these days, that the U.S. opens up the borders to our beef, which has been proven to be safe. (Heck, Dubya even ate some on his recent trip north, and he seems to be fine. Well... at least no more brain-damaged than usual.)
Jason: No different from Ontario beef? Those are the words of someone who's never set foot inside a Cattle Baron. Blasphemy!
I would actually acknowledge that the beef itself is similar, but the West does the steakhouse far better. I mean, how often do you see the stuffed potato on an Ontario menu? In Calgary, a stuffed potato is par for the course. Delicious.
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