Tim’s Gourmet Pizzeria is located just off of Main Street in Cochrane.

Today we headed to Cochrane for a caffeinated beverage, and decided to have some lunch while we were there. We actually stumbled across Tim’s Gourmet Pizzeria as we were looking for a particular coffee place which just happened to be across the street from Tim’s. Has to be good place with a name like Tim’s. Ha Ha

The decor has a French bistro feel with a rustic flair. There is a cool chandelier over the cash register. There is about a half a dozen tables in the place along with a long table in front of the window. There is some counter seating where you can watch them make the pizzas.

The menu is quite limited and seemed a bit pricey, but the food was really good. The pizzas they have on their menu aren’t just the standard ham and pineapple or pepperoni, which they have. What really shines is their great original flavours.

We started with the bruschetta. It was served on warm home made bread, with fresh tomatoes, and seasoned just right. It was excellent. The 2 pieces we ordered were not enough to fill you up but just enough to get you ready for the pizza.

Then we ordered 3 Little Tim pizzas. The spolumbo pizza, the honey bunch pizza and the teriyaki chicken without cilantro as I am not a fan of it. Next time I would order the Tim’s size or the Big Tim’s size as the Little Tim’s is more of a kids size. The little Tim’s could be used as a sampler size which is a good idea and gave us the opportunity to try more than 1 kind. All 3 pizzas had really good flavour. The spolumbo pizza had spolumbo sausage, prosciutto ham and cranberries and was really good but, the most interesting pizza was the honey bunch pizza which had actual honey on it as well as thyme, prosciutto and goat cheese. It was very interesting to eat but very good.

Tim’s also sells frozen pizzas from here as well. We did see a few people had come in to get some.

The host/server was very friendly. He was very attentive and eager to make sure our experience was a pleasant one.

The only negative thing I could say about the place is that the restaurant was very hot inside.

Red’s is located in Old Ramsay in southeast Calgary not far from the Stampede Grounds.
Old diner atmosphere with the original old floors and a nice industrial decor with lots of windows. They also have some cool artwork on the walls. They have 13-14 tables inside and a few more outside on the patio. There is a counter bar for about another 10-12 people can sit at.

It is very busy and full. They are very quick to clean off tables and get the next people seated. Staff very friendly and service was great. Within a minute of sitting down, our server was there with water and ready to take our drink order.

The servers were going non-stop. They were constantly on the move. The kitchen was fast paced as well, getting out quite a bit of food while we were there. Everybody seemed pretty happy with the food they were getting.

Today we ordered the vanilla latte and a london fog. Both drinks were pretty good.

There is lots of choices on the menu as well as a daily special, and they serve breakfast all day. They have some healthier choices on the menu and some not so healthy choices. Pretty much everything I seen coming past the table looked terrific.
Since breakfast is good anytime of the day, we decided to have breakfast this afternoon. We ordered a bowl of assorted fruit, the Ramsay Bennie which has artichoke, prosciutto with homemade hollandaise with a balsamic drizzle. We also ordered the Red’s Big Breakfast, which is basically bacon, sausage and eggs and comes with a pancake. The portions were very large. There was a huge portion of potatoes on our plates that we couldn’t even eat. Prices weren’t the cheapest but the food was really good.

I did see quite a few people ordering milkshakes, they must be good. They have some interesting alcoholic drinks including some what they call Boozy Milkshakes. I don’t even drink and I could see myself having one of these.

Parking is street parking so you may need to drive around a little bit to get yourself a spot.

Today we left Red’s very full and satisfied. Even though there will be a line up when you get there, it will be worth the wait.

We stopped by Cappuccino King today to stock up on some coffee supplies. it is located just off Edmonton Trail on 23rd Avenue NE.

They have a huge assortment of syrups, they have some of the best coffee beans in the city, and a big assortment of coffee equipment.

Every time we have been here the staff has always been very friendly and very helpful.

Check this place out, you will be glad you did.

First off Luke’s Drug Mart doesn’t sound like your typical coffee place but they do sell coffee and by the number of people coming and going, they sell a lot of it.Luke’s is located down in Bridgeland just off Edmonton Trail. It has been around since 1951.

It’s funny before we even walked in a older guy was walking out of Luke’s, and seen me taking a picture. He commented on me using my IPAD, saying that is a pretty big camera. Then he asked if we were going in and of course we were, he said that he had lived in the neighbourhood for about forty years, and had seen the changes with Luke’s and didn’t seem to happy about the changes. He said he knew the original Luke, and then talked about him handing the drug mart over to his son. Now his son is making it his own and making more of a place for the younger crowd, selling records, and putting in a coffee shop etc.

This place sells everything and I mean everything. They have a little food market downstairs. Upstairs has a post office, a lottery booth, a pharmacy, they sell turntables, socks, underwear, some clothing and they even sell vinyl or for us older guys, albums, records whatever you relate to. This is a one stop shop.

Then at the front of the place they have a little coffee shop. They have a very simple menu, and a limited variety of pastries. The place was very busy with people coming in and getting their beverages to go. There was a woman in line after me who ordered 5 lattes to go. The guy making the drinks told her to make herself comfortable as it would be a while as there was only one guy making the drinks, so things were a little slow. There was also quite a few people just leaving because of the line up for coffee.

While I was waiting for our drinks, it gave me some more time to check the place out. Not a lot of places to sit and enjoy your drink, a few benches outside and a few stools inside.

Today we ordered the London Fog and a Dulce Latte. the drinks were pretty good with nice flavour. They also sell an assortment of coffee beans, which includes Four Barrel Coffee and my favourite Stumptown Coffee from Portland.

If you are looking for a cool place to go for a coffee, buy some vinyl or pick up a few groceries, check this unique little place out at least once.

After a disappointing start to our day, we decided to head over to Sidewalk Citizen Bakery for some breakfast in the old Simmons Building on the Riverwalk. When we arrived it was fairly busy.

We ordered the cranberry, white chocolate, orange scone and we also ordered a couple of bacon sandwiches. The scone was so good and had amazing flavour.

The scones were so good we decided to purchase 2 more to take home, along with a couple almond croissants and a loaf of sourdough bread. All the baked goods looked outstanding.

The bacon sandwiches had a fried egg, cured bacon, onion & chilli jam, garlic mayo and arugula. The sandwiches were excellent. I could’ve ate 2 of them.

We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed our breakfast. The riverwalk was a very busy place today, lots of people walking around, and riding bikes.

As we were leaving we seen people ordering lunch. The sandwiches and salads looked great. We definitely have to go back and have lunch.

Check this place out.

This is going to be a really short blog. On Saturday morning we decided to drive down to the East Village to check out Hear’s My Soul Cafe. We arrived at 11am to find the cafe closed. Some of the windows were open but no sign of anybody inside.

Since we couldn’t check this place out, we headed over to the Simmons Building to go to Sidewalk Citizen Bakery. We went and had breakfast and walked by Hear’s My Soul Cafe to find it still closed.

Maybe we will check this place out on another day. I was disappointed that we couldn’t check this place out. It looked like a cool little place.

On Friday night we headed down to Inglewood to check out the Night Market. As we walked through the market, we seen some of the same vendors from the last market but we also seen a lot of new vendors there.

One of the vendors I did stop and talk to was the mobile cart of KaffeeKlatsch. They were selling their Cold Brew Coffee. The girl that was working the cart explained the cold brew process to me. Never having it before I ask to sample the cold brew. It was pretty good but not really my cup of coffee. I am more of a latte kind of guy but are interested in trying new things.

At the market they had a live band playing outside, they were really good.

We then continued walking, making our way down to Gravity Cafe. We decided to go in and get a cold beverage. As we entered we noticed that there was a group inside Gravity playing instruments and singing. They to were really good.

 

We ordered an Iced Chai Tea Latte and a Iced Dolce. Both drinks were really good. This was the first time my wife had ever had an iced chai tea latte. She loved it. We sat out on the patio and did some people watching. It was a beautiful night down in Inglewood.

The next Inglewood Night Market is August 12/16. Make sure you come down and check it out.

Sunday morning, we headed down to Eau Claire to check out a place called Cafe Blanca.

Cool place with a very modern flair and yet is very laid back. There is a small stage with a piano on it. On part of this stage there is a bunch of cushions for you to sit or lay out on. The whole environment is very relaxing. They also have a bunch of inspirational quotes on the walls.

The have open mike nights, comedy nights as well as they have guitars just sitting there just in case you feel like doing some jamming while enjoying a beverage.

The menu is not overwhelming, very easy to read.

Today we had the London Fog, my wife said it was best one she has ever had. Cafe Blanca is known for its Siphon Coffee, so I decided to try one. They are not cheap but well worth the money. If you are indeed a lover of coffee, try this, you won’t regret it.

The girl serving us suggested the Ethiopian blend, again don’t be in a hurry, the process takes about 5 – 6 minutes to get your coffee. The girl making our drinks was excellent, she explained what she was doing through the whole process. Everything is very precise, she weighed the water, and she weighed the coffee. She let me smell the ground coffee before she started. At the end she had me smell the grounds and the pot of coffee. Last thing she did was give me a small cup of the same coffee the was brewed the traditional way. The siphon coffee is so much smoother and had a lot more flavour and not bitter. This was an excellent choice and I would strongly suggest you have one when you come here. This method is from the 1800’s seen a lot in Japan. After enjoying this coffee, I immediately called my son to talk to him about this as he is a huge black coffee guy. The next time he is in Calgary, I will be bringing him here.

We didn’t try any of the food today, but we will next time.

The staff here were excellent to deal with and extremely friendly. Even after I was done my drink, the girl came over to our table to follow up with me on how everything was and what I thought about the siphon coffee.

On July 11, we are going back for the comedy night they are having. Should be fun. I look forward to our next visit.

On Saturday we were out for a drive and thought, let’s take a drive down through the East Village on our way to Bridgeland. We came across Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters as we drove by the old Simmons Mattress Building. It’s amazing this building is over 100 years old.

The Simmons Building is right on the river walk in the East Village. This whole area has been revitalized and looks amazing. There were a ton of people on bikes, people walking all over, I even seen a guy sleeping in one of the chaise lounge chairs on one of the patios along the river.

Decor is outstanding, exposed brick every where, all exposed beams, industrial vibe with a great ambience. At the back of the store was an old safe that was being used as a storage room. Across from the sales counter there is a place where they roast coffee beans. Again it is all open with huge garage door like windows.

It was an extremely busy place, everyone coming in looked pretty happy today but why wouldn’t you be happy, they were getting a caffeinated beverage.

 

There is two other restaurants in this building as well, Charbar is right beside P&S and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery is located on the back side of the building over looking the Bow River. All three business seem to work well in this great old building.

Once I walked outside the back of the building I seen there was a really cool roof top patio, but unfortunately it was closed for a private function. After leaving the building we did walk down the river walk and came across some cool artwork along the walk.

We didn’t sample any of the food today but we did enjoy a couple of beverages. we ordered the Dolce and their version of the London Fog. It had a different taste as it was sweetened with caramel instead of vanilla.

For those of you in a hurry, you may want to try out the Phil & Sebastian Express. It is a quick service cart that they put outside on the river walk on nice days. On the not so nice days it is upstairs in the Simmons Building.