Extreme Coffee Freak

This article was written by Lucie Edwardson on August 10 2018 for CBC News Calgary. Hope everyone enjoys this one.

To view the video click http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1296472131538/

Trio of skeletons dressed in construction gear keeping an eye on hole until city fills it.

A Calgary family is having some early Halloween fun with a sizeable sinkhole that was discovered outside their northwest Calgary home last Friday.

Jordan Piraux said she and her family were enjoying a quiet evening last Friday when they heard sirens right outside their Evanston home.

When they walked outside they were shocked to see a massive sinkhole had appeared at the end of their driveway.

“We didn’t know how it started or when it happened,” she said. “It’s actually five feet wide by almost five feet deep.”

But, the Piraux family — known for their over-the-top Halloween decorations — aren’t ones to dwell on the negative, and had a more humorous response in mind.

The family set up a skeleton crew of three in and around the sinkhole’s barriers and dressed them as construction workers — with hard hats and work vests.

“We set this guy up, having him leaning on this sort of sweeping up the mess, and then we have our guy over there who’s kinda stopping traffic — we have his hand out — and then we have the one in the hole, which we thought was kind of funny,” she said.

The family said they didn’t notice the ground sinking or anything leading up.

Tim Piraux said he posted a photo of their bony friends to his Instagram page called Extreme Coffee Freak as a joke, tagging the city and Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

“It started off with one skeleton saying we’ve been waiting so long that we’ve got things crawling out of the hole now,” he said. “And then we took it a little farther saying now the city is killing their men, working them to death now as we’re still waiting for the hole to be fixed.”

The Piraux’s said they’ve been having fun with the situation and so have their neighbours.

“They were driving by, they were laughing. We’ve had people drive by and then take a second look, it was kind of funny,” she said. “And then we’ve had a lot of kids come out and kinda give high fives to the skeletons, so it’s been a great response from the community.”

Despite their good-natured demeanour, the Piraux family said they would like to have the hole fixed sooner rather than later, so their skeletons can rest up for their October debut.

Corey Colbran, manager of waste water and storm water collection for the city, said his crews have conducted multiple tests on the site and concluded there are no water leaks or main breaks that caused the hole to form.

And, with the hole having sat open in front of the Piraux’s driveway for nearly a week without anyone informing the family of when it would be fixed or what they learned, he admits the city could have done a better job of communicating with them.

“On the Friday before a long weekend we probably ran into some issues there,” he said. “In terms of communication we probably could have done a better job of communicating with the home owners.

A spokesperson for the city’s roads department said a natural event removed material from under the roadway causing it to collapse and they’ve now been given the green light to fill the hole — but  couldn’t say when that would happen.

 

 

When making my way through Calgary’s downtown, I am often get encouraged by the growing number of decent coffee establishments popping up in the area. One of my favourites while we were in Vancouver a couple of years ago was Milano Coffee. They have now opened a shop here in Calgary.

The Interior

Naturally when walking downtown, my eyes dart to and fro for great coffee, as there’s nothing as sweet as great coffee in a stylish space.

Milano’s interior is very modern, with a concrete and wood flair. They also have some huge doors that open up to a great patio. This is very similar to the great patio they have in Vancouver.

The Drinks

My wife had a London Fog, my daughter had the Iced Raspberry Mocha and I tried a Iced Cortado. My daughter could not taste the raspberry which was quite disappointing.

Milano’s roast’s their own beans.

They source, hand roast, and blend each of their espresso’s, containing up to 13 different origin coffees. Milano is a supporter of small farm estate, fair trade and certified organic coffees.

The Food

The food that I did see looked really good. We did not eat anything the day we were there.

 

The Service

The girl that was working there the day we were there was extremely friendly and helpful as we were asking a lot of questions about Milano’s.

 

The Hours

Hours are pretty standard for a shop downtown:

Monday to Friday: 7am to 6pm

Saturday: 8am to 6pm

Sunday: 8am to 4pm

 

Parking

Again it’s downtown Calgary. Parking is always at a premium and can be expensive unless you go down on Sunday when street parking is free.

 

Last words

Really enjoyed visiting this place, funny story about Milano’s. When we visited the shop in Vancouver, there was a performer in the shop and he was playing guitar, all types of music but with a latin flair. For the area he was quite loud as his guitar was hooked up to an amp. The guy with his amp drove my daughter nuts, so we could only hope that when we walked into Milano’s here, there would be an entrainer playing a guitar. But no such luck.

If you are downtown on 11 Avenue SW, go check this place out.

This article was written by Stephanie Babych on August 7, 2018 for The Calgary Herald. Thank you so much for bringing this to light. Hope everyone enjoys the article and our take on what to do with Sink Holes.

Hey, it’s Extreme Coffee Freak’s daughter and I had the opportunity to visit Hot Black Coffee in Toronto, Ontario. I was so happy that I got to visit the coffee shop. It has been on the list of coffee shops to visit for a while. I only wish I would have been there a couple weeks prior when they still had the fire pit in the secret patio area.

When I seen the shop across the street I was getting so excited, it looks amazing on the outside and I couldn’t wait to walk inside.

The Interior

Walking inside it is not as big as I expected. There is tables all in the front area on the right side. On the left side, the menu is displayed all on the wall followed by the food and barista area. Near the back there is more tables and a door outside to the secret patio. 

Secret Patio

There is a patio out back that is amazing. It is so nice and secluded. I really hope that I can go back during the winter to see the fire pit. For the summer there are picnic tables which would be a very nice place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee. 

The Drink

I looked over the menu and was very excited to order a Vanilla Latte. It was so delicious and amazing. I drank it so fast. I would want to try other menu items when I go back.

The Food

I didn’t order any food, but everything they had on display looked amazing.

The Service

Everyone I talked to was absolutely amazing. They were so excited to be working and talking about the coffee shop. Everyone seemed so helpful and amazing.

The Hours

They are open Monday to Friday 7am-7pm and Saturday to Sunday 8am-7pm. So there is no reason why no one can go and visit the place of the Best Coffee Ever.

Parking

I didn’t have to worry about parking since I walked down from the place I had gone for breakfast. If you were to drive it would be street parking.

Last Words

This was my favourite coffee shop that I have been to in a while. If you are in Toronto I recommend you stopping by Hot Black Coffee for the Best Coffee Ever.

While we were out in Okotoks for one of my sons soccer games we decided to head to a coffee shop that we have had our eye on for a while. Last time we were out here it was closed, but this time we got to visit Tribal Connection Market. It is a little shack off the main road.

The parking lot was full when we got there, so it was going to be busy.

The Interior

When you walk in through the front door, on the right side it is all the beverage bar and on the left side there is a ton of product. Off the main area there is a bunch of little rooms with more product located inside. There is so many colourful items everywhere.

There is a little seating inside all the way at the back of the shop. Where there is also a stage, so I am guessing that they do live music there as well.

The Drinks

After reviewing the very large menu, we settled on a Chai Tea Latte, an Iced Vanilla Latte, and an Blended Latte. The drinks were so good, it really helped us cool down on such a hot day.

The Food

We didn’t order any food, nor did we see any food on the menus. So maybe they just have snack items for purchase.

The Service

The service we had was quick, not much talking between us and the barista. There were other people in line, so there was very little interaction between everyone.

The Hours

They are open Monday to Saturday 9:30am-5:30pm and Sundays 11am-5pm.

Parking

There is a lot located next to the shop as well as street parking. All free parking so that is a bonus.

Last Words

We are happy to have gone here, but I know there is other coffee shops in Okotoks that I would prefer to visit.

 

On our last trip to Edmonton we wanted to find a new coffee shop that is very unique. We found it. Driving past you would not think that it is a coffee shop, you would probably think pub with the name Block 1912.

We were so excited when we walked up, we were greeted with a giant door. It was so rustic and amazing. We could not wait to enter.

The Interior

Walking into the coffee shop you would think you were in the past. The wall to your right is all exposed brick and the left has a nook of books. It was amazing. There was not that many people in there when we got there, but as we sat there more and more people started to show up.

The Drinks

After looking at the menu online and then arriving, their menus are different which was kind of sad since there was a drink on the online menu that we wanted to try and they couldn’t make it in store. We eventually decided on Vanilla Lattes and a Hot Chocolate.

The Food

They offered so many different food items including sorbet, pies, cheesecakes, soups, and sandwiches. We decided to not get food, but my daughter seen the Oreo Cheesecake and she had to have a piece. It was so delicious.

The Service

The staff are very friendly and helpful. The baristas we talked to were very knowledgable about their products.

The Hours

They are open Monday to Saturday from 9am to midnight and Sundays and Holidays 10am to Midnight. So there is no reason why you couldn’t go check this place out.

Parking

There is only street parking since you are on a busy road in Edmonton. So you will most likely have to pay for some parking.

Last Words

If you find yourself in Edmonton looking for a coffee shop to visit, definitely go and check out Block 1912, you won’t be disappointed.

We have been wanting to visit this little bagel shop in downtown Calgary for a while.  Driving down we parked a block away since downtown parking is never that great. 

Turning the corner, we got really excited. It is a small little shop that smells amazing as soon as you walked in. They make all the bagels in house fresh daily. So you know that the food is going to be amazing with the fresh made bagels.

The Interior 

As soon as you walk, the first thing you see is a peg board with pegs full of bagels that were made that day. This place is quite small only seating about 15-20 people. As we were there, most people were grabbing their food and leaving.

The Drinks

After reviewing the menu, we decided on some drinks, my wife got a London Fog, I got a Vanilla Latte, and my daughter got a Hot Chocolate. Everything was delicious. We have seen other coffee shops selling their bagels and we got excited to get our food. 

The Food

It was so cool to choose whatever kind of bagel you wanted for your food. 

For our bagels we got a Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a Plain Bagel, and two Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato on an Everything Bagel and on a Cheese Bagel. Everything was so good and so fresh. 

Their Cinnamon Buns looked amazing and we would definitely go back and try one. Once we finished our breakfast we decided to get some bagels to take home. We got 12 bagels, three Everything, three Cheddar, three Cheddar Onion Garlic, and three Jalapeño Cheddar. We also got a couple homemade cream cheeses, Herb and Garlic and Jalapeño and Herbs.

The Service

The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Service, all staff members go above and beyond. By the time you tell the person working the till what bagels you want, they have them over to you bagged and ready to go.

The Hours

Their hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm. Please remember they are downtown. It sucks for a guy like me who works nowhere close to downtown. We have been there a couple of times now, and plan to down there on my next week day I book off.

Parking

What can a guy say, it’s downtown Calgary. Find a spot and open up your wallet.

Last Words

If you get the chance to go and check this place out you won’t be disappointed.  

We decided to go down to the Core Shopping Centre and try out a new coffee shop called Caffe Trieste. Walking into this cafe it really reminded us of Cafe Artigiano.

Once walking inside, to the right there is coolers full of delectable baked good, water, cold beverages, and puddings. On the left there is a very long bar that extends all the way to the back of the cafe.

There is a lot of different items on the menu that sounded amazing. Choosing a beverage was very difficult. We decided on an Iced Chai Tea, an Iced Vanilla Latte, and a Hot Vanilla Latte. The beverages were delicious, but next time we would definitely try some of the food.

While we were sitting there, sandwiches were walking by and they looked amazing.

For being a mall based cafe, it was very quiet because they had seating away from the mall walking area. It was amazing just to sit there and not feel like you are sitting in a mall.

There was a bunch of photography all over the walls from Paris and Italy it looked like. Really reminded my daughter of her time in Paris.

It is a great mall based cafe, I would definitely go back and try some of their food. 

There are few things that rival a beautiful, sunny drive through the hills and streets of Evanston in Northwest Calgary. While the area still remains largely unexplored to me, I have had the pleasure of venturing into a lot of side streets in the area. Evanston Towne Centre has numerous shops and now has a new coffee establishment. Vibes Coffee Bar is now open in Evanston. It is great to finally have a coffee shop other than a Timmy’s up there.

 

The Interior

The interior of Vibes has a very simple décor, the walls are white and the one wall has a long black narrow shelf on it. In the one corner there is a couple of different styled chairs in front of an electric fireplace. All other tables are all the same and have small vases on them with some flowers.

 

The Drinks

The day we were there we ordered the following drinks, my daughter and myself went with the Sweet Latte. This is a latte made with condensed milk as the sweetener. If you haven’t had one, you should try one. I had one complaint on that day and that was that my drink tasted like it was watered down. My wife had the London Fog it had pretty decent flavor, it wasn’t anything special.  Vibes Coffee Bar is serving Rosso coffee Roasters.

The Food

We didn’t order any food that day but was thrilled to see that they are serving Bagelino’s bagels (check out my review of Bagelino’s). The other baked goods looked really good and according the Vibes website, the baked goods are made by a local Evanston baker named Rita Elias. All the baked goods on display looked very appetizing.

The Service

The service was pretty good, some of the staff are pretty talkative while others are not. We stopped by this past weekend and a few different people in there serving and were very friendly.

 

Parking

Lots of parking at the Evanston Towne Centre.

 

The Hours

The hours are limited, their sign says they are open until 6pm during the week and on weekends, but one night last week, my son stopped by only to find out they were closed and it was 5pm. Not sure if their limited hours will hurt them. Only time will tell.

 

Last Words

Albeit I am excited we now have an independent coffee shop up in our area, I do hope that their coffee skills get better. Sorry, but not a fan of watered down latte’s. I think these guys will have some challenges especially with a Timmy’s across the street.