May 2008
You are currently browsing the articles from Review and Things written in the month of May 2008.
Dinner time again and again no time or energy to cook myself so this time I wanted something a little different then the normal chain restaurants that you find in Calgary. OK maybe Applebee’s is not that special for some of you but there are just very few in Alberta and there is only 1 in Calgary (707-388 Country Hill Boulevard).
It was last night around 7.30 that I went to eat at this Applebee’s and I was a little bit surprised that there was a wait to get in. The wait was not long but still on a rainy day like this at this time I was just not expecting it. The lady at the front was nice but she didn’t give the option to sit on one of the free high tables in the bar area while there where 3 of them empty I don’t know if they where reserved or something or if they didn’t have staff to serve them.
But no worries after 15 minutes or so a nice place in front of the window showed up and that gave a nice view on the rain falling hard on the pavement.
Let me start with how this Applebee’s looks now I can be short it looks great nice layout with the bar area in the middle with no big Tvs distracting me from my food. They offer a lot of other distraction on the walls, I saw all kind of stuff hanging there from Calgary Flames stuff to old photo’s from Calgary from movie starts to a section about trains. The only place that could be a little bit nicer decorated is the washroom not that they don’t look like great toilets but it is a BIG contrast with the restaurant.
The menu of Applebee’s offers a lot of choice and the pictures on the menu look almost to good to be through.
I went for my normal food that I normally try at all those food places so this time again it was an Hamburger and let me tell you it was cooked to perfection the beef patty was nicely done and tasted like a real piece of beef and not like one of those processed piece of meat. The order was nicely put on a plastic kind of serving dish and to me that was a little bit disappointing specially together with the plastic drink glasses personally I don’t think it is a smart thing to still use plastic in restaurants specially with all those stories about bad plastics these days.
After my very good tasting meal there was room for some more, YES the portions are not to big to finish OK they are not small either but they offer a changes of some nice deserts.
Here in Calgary Applebee’s offers some small deserts there is a choice of 4 different shooter size deserts for $2.99 each and I got myself the Apple one (can’t remember it’s name) it look great and smelled liked freshly baked apple pie. The taste of it was great and almost to good. To bad that there was something artificial popping up on my taste buds and I guess it was the caramel sauce.
My conclusion for Applebee’s is great place to go eat at just a shame that Calgary only has one it would be great to have some more Applebee’s to compete with the Montana’s, Earls, Tony Roma’s and all the others.
This Applebee’s stays on my lists of place to eat at and I will not think twice about visiting it and leave some room for desert 
Written by George on May 30th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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I was looking for a new credit card and thought the PC Mastercard looks nice because you can get points that you can use for free groceries at Superstore.
So all said and done I tried to apply online but every time the site crashed and after 3 times i gave up. I got a paper application for and send it to President’s Choice Financial and after weeks 3 or 4 they called me to check my information this phone call took like 15 minutes to check everything i wrote on the application form. Then they guy told me that maybe they needed some more information but that they would send me a letter about it.
Now 2 weeks latter I got the letter and guess what it is in French and I live in Calgary and they don’t speak French here and neither do I. The letter also doesn’t offer much changes for me to respond it doesn’t have a phone nr but it has a Fax nr but who still uses those??
My conclusion after all this hassle is that I will stay away from those nice people from PC bank and will just apply for a card at a normal bank.
Written by George on May 28th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Lets start this little book review with saying that I hope that this book never comes true.
Brave New World is a famous that got lots of opinions of lots of people there are even books written just to talk about what this book really is about.
Brave New World
is all about what could happen if we would let our industrialization and research run our world.
The story is about a world build around people that are created by tubes instead of by love between people, a world created by people that never had parents but where trained to be perfect in the one thing they where designed for.
And the people believe in a God that is called Ford and he is almighty. And then there is something called Mosa basically a pill that makes you feel good and the population of the world all enjoy there highs from Mosa that to me basically is a drug to keep people in check.
The story build around a few people and how they live there strange lives and have fun with new people everyday.
And then two of them go on a holiday to a place where there are still people living that are not part of this new world and one of them comes back to the Brave New World with them as kind of an experiment.
I have to say that I expected more from Brave New World but maybe it is just not to strong any more because lots of the things happening in this book could be real if we wanted them to happen like this.
But it still is an interesting read and worth your time and effort.
Written by George on May 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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I was in need of a toaster oven and I found a great deal on this Black & Decker TR0651 or at least that is what I thought when i got it.
This Toast-R-Oven from Black & Decker looks really nice with it’s roundish shape and the big glass door. But let me tell you this looks are not everything and with this toaster oven i would say the looks are the only thing going for it.
Let me start to talk a little bit about the buttons. So there are 3 big buttons the top one lets you choose what temperature you want or if you want to toast or broil. and with this button you will find already a big flaw because if for instance put it on 250 degree’s but you want to make toast and then you go to the lowest button the one with you can select how long you toast needs to toast then nothing will happen but the timer will start ticking and will ring when the toast normally should be done but because the top button was not on toasting nothing happened and you bread is still cold and bread 
The middle button you use to time the cooking time and this will end with a nice bell to remind you food is / should be done.
OK so now you know about the nice buttons so now lets make some toast. Making toast in this toaster oven is not easy and I played a lots and lots of days with it and still i can’t get a decent slice of toast out of it.
You are able to put 4 slices of bread on the rack in the oven and then the fun will start because now the two slices in the front will be only half brown and he once in the back will be way to brown (almost black) so your best bet is to only put 2 slices and try to place them in the middle.
The other night I tried to make oven fries in the Black & Decker oven and also here the Toast-R-Oven did a bad job. the fries on the front of the glass door where still soft and not cooked well while the once in the back where black and not eatable any more.
I guess this oven is going back to where i got it from and lets hope they refund me my money because this machine is not fun to have to deal with every day. Maybe it is the roundish shape that makes it work so bad or maybe Black & Decker should stay with producing hand tools instead of cooking products.
Written by George on May 22nd, 2008 with no comments.
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BubbleMania Cafe is situated on Highway 1 (16 Ave NE) between Edmonton Trail and 4st NE it has some parking but sometimes it fills up. For the people who want to go eat early keep in mind that bubblemania only opens at 5 pm
The ambiance at BubbleMania cafe is nice with nice tables and nice ambiance lights. On game night they have a projection of the games on a wall so that people can really enjoy the game but still it doesn’t have to interfere with the people that don’t like to watch it because you can sit on the side of the projection so that you don’t see it at all.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays it is wing night at bubblemania and there wings are very good and get served in no time at all. On the other nights of the week they also have some real good food deals going on it is definitely worth giving it a try.
Next to the food menu they also offer a big selection of bubble tea’s and although they are a bit sweet they are very good.
Service at BubbleMania is good at start and you order is taken fast and after that you will not see the staff again till you go and pay (unless you wave them).
Conclusion is that BubbleMania Cafe is a nice place to go for some wings and enjoy some drinks the atmosphere is different then at the big chains but i prefer that.
Written by George on May 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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North Hill Diner is one of those real family style diners and where you the customer are more then just a customer.
Finding North Hill Diner is easy it is just situated on High 1 (16 Avenue NW) on the corner with 7th Street NW but you can’t miss the sign 
The Ambiance at North Hill Diner is very nice and almost feels like home. The staff takes good care of there customers and when you run in to the owner (and she is there often) you will get even more attention.
I visited this restaurant a couple of times till now and every time it felt good not to busy.
The menu is nice with more the enough choices and that gives you enough opportunity to changes you order on every visit. Taste wise there is nothing to complain to the normal menu items what i had till now all tasted great and it feels that they where prepared by a competent kitchen staff with lots of experience.
One thing that I was not really fond about was the deserts the cheesecake i had was not something i would like to repeat so maybe next time i will go for some ice cream instead. But with restaurant doesn’t have an item on the menu that is not like you prefer it.
The conclusion about North Hill Diner can only be good and I will definitely go back there time after time for some great food in a nice atmosphere without big loud TVs in my face. And I am sure that the owner makes sure I come back to
Written by George on May 19th, 2008 with 2 comments.
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Moose McGuires is a nice looking pub with some pool tables and lots and lots of TVs to watch sports on. The ambiance at Mooses is nice with high tables and low tables but the music is a bit loud so not a great place to go if you want to have a great conversation.
This Pub is easy to find it is just two block down from McMahon Stadium at a little strip mall next to highway 1 where there is also a “The Keg” and a “Wendy’s” there address is 1941 Uxbridge Dr NW.
In summer this place is extra nice when the outside patio is open and you can enjoy the sun and nice weather of Calgary.
In general the service at Moose McGuire’s is great the girls that serve you take good care and normally you don’t have to ask for anything.
The Menu is nice and has some great option on it like the GIANT Nachos and don’t even try to eat that on you own.
At my last visit I got myself fish and chips and they weren’t bad although they seem to have more bather then fish but it tasted great. I could not finish my portion so i asked it to go and because my tarter sauce was served in a small plastic (one time use) cup i asked if they could give me the tarted sauce to and they did but not in the cup the sauce just ended up loose in the box making the food in to a big mess and as a result big parts of it needed to be thrown out because of the mess.
In general Mooses is a nice place to go. At lunch time the place can be packed but don’t worry your order still comes quick and you will be taken care of.
Written by George on May 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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If you like me don’t own a Dish washing machine then you do the dirty dishes by hand and i am lazy so i don’t dry them myself but let mother nature do that. So what are the 3 mayor problems with a dish rack?
Ok let me tell you:
- The are always in the way
- The make the counter space to wet
- The can be to small sometimes.
So now we know what the perfect dish rack should offer and I think i found one that does to.
At my visit to IKEA one day I found a nice looking plastic dish rack that offers enough space for myself and has the option to grow when i have lots of dirty dishes (look at the pictures) you can just slide it out even when it is fully loaded and that makes it extremely handy. And because normally it is so small it doesn’t take up to much of my counter space either. And then there is the point of wet counters from the dripping water also this problem is solved by this cool looking rack it has a small spout on the front that sticks out a bit and if you just let it hang over in to the sink then you counter stays dry perfectly.
The Hajdeby Rack is simple but offers everything i need it has a tree pocket basket on the end for my utensils and it is also removable so that it is easy to clean.
The IKEA Hajdeby dish rack but it is made by CreativeWare and if I where you I would put one on you shopping list
Written by George on May 18th, 2008 with 3 comments.
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Yesterday dinner came from Harvey’s. I never bin to a Harvey’s before and thought why not try it and compare
The first impression at this Harvey’s was that it was kinda empty but maybe it was that time of the day just after dinner time. The place looked nice just like you would expect with a fast food place so nothing yahoo but still pretty nice.
They have a special going right now being an Angus Burger (yes McDonalds also has one) and that sounded like a nice burger to try.
The burger is cooked in the back but then dressed by a different person in the front and the way you like it. Just tell them what you want on it and they put it for you. The bun is nice an toasted mine was a little bit black but that is what i like so for me no reason to complain.
The staff at Harvey’s where very friendly and they really seem to mean it to not like in some fast food chains where they just need to be friendly.
OK now about the food again. The Angus burger tasted great very juicy and a feast to enjoy.
And then of course you wonder what Angus burger is best the Harvey’s one or the McDonalds one and i have to say i like both and you can’t compare them at all. McDonalds has a great burger but in a fast food kinda way while the Harvey’s one taste more like a burger you would get in a restaurant.
So my conclusion can’t be different then positive and i will definitely visit another Harvey’s in the future and maybe even the one on Brentwood road again.
Written by George on May 16th, 2008 with no comments.
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Shoot Me is an intriguing story written by Lesley Crew.
The story unfold itself in the Halifax in the home of Elsie Brooks and here intriguing family.
Elsie gets a letter from here aunt Hildy who is a 91 year old archaeologist who wants to come home to die.
And as you guess from there a interesting story unfold with sex, theft, murder, great food and lots lots more.
I would say if you are ready for a new book that has lots of mystery and a great story line then I would recommend that you get your hands on a copy of Shoot Me
.
Written by George on May 13th, 2008 with no comments.
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