Author: Hitting the Sauce

Bakery · Dessert · French · Restaurants

Macarons and pastries at Yann Haute Patisserie

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L and I started a new tradition. We go out to a restaurant to celebrate Valentine’s Day on any day other than February 14th. The reason is that most restaurants are far too busy to give us the experience we want. For this post, let’s listen to “White Wedding” by Billie Idol.

L picked up a lovely sake, a dozen long-stemmed red roses and he made my favourite dish, spam musubi. I, in turn, surprised him with desserts from Yann Haute Patisserie. I have to say that we both killed it this year. The roses were gorgeous, and the sweet sake and salty spam musubi pairing hit the spot. However, the star of the show was the desserts.

I ordered a set of Lovely Eclairs ($16), Paris-Calgary ($7.90), and Mille-Feuille ($7.90). The pair of eclairs came in chocolate and vanilla. The chocolate was intense – the glaze, the chocolate itself and the ganache filling. In comparison, the vanilla eclair was light, and the vanilla bean flavour filling was pronounced, but in a wholesome way, like an old-fashioned vanilla ice-cream cone. Of the two, I preferred the heavy, luxurious flavour bomb of the chocolate.

I let L eat the macaron that crowned the Paris-Calgary dessert. He said the macaron tasted terrific. The dessert itself was like a Ferrero Rocher but with high-quality, fresh ingredients. The center was piped with hazelnut praline and cream. The flavour reminded me of a chocolate hedgehog. L couldn’t believe how much work went into this dessert – the gooey center, crispy shortbread, cream and puff pastry.

The mille-feuille was made of beautiful crispy layers of caramelized puff pastry, oozing with thick, creamy Madagascar vanilla bean cream. L exclaimed that whoever made this dessert has mad culinary skill. I concur.

L loved that all the pastries weren’t too sweet. He said all the desserts were excellent yet different from each other. I’m not a sweets person, but I’m such a fan I plan to return to buy some more cakes. Honestly, I would be happy to make a meal out of these creations. The pastry chef at Yann Haute is so talented, I’m turning over a new leaf. Hitting the Sauce gives Yann Haute (and L) two phat thumbs up.

Beer · Pizza · Pubs

Richmond Pub: Thursday pizza and beer deal

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I was texting my brother Jacuzzi about a series of unfortunate events. He must have noticed the melodramatic tone in my messages because he immediately ordered me to go out for dinner. I told L and he agreed with Jacuzzi. As always, they are correct. For this post, let’s listen to “Cherry Bomb” by Joan Jett.

L was in the mood for pizza. I suggested Richmond Pub because their pizza rivals Spiros, Hanni’s and Inglewood Pizza. On the night we went, a 12″ pizza and a 60 oz beer were on special for $30. For drinks, we picked Duke Lager, an easy-drinking American-style beer. For pizza, we went for the gut filling Rocky Balboa.

I also ordered hot wings ($14.50). Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the wings and beer because my photography was worse than usual. If a picture is worth a thousand words, my photos that night would be worth only a sentence fragment.

The menu states Richmond Pub only uses fresh wings. I thought the wings were great – the skin was crispy and the meat was white and plump. The hot sauce was pleasantly tangy and spicy.

The pizza is heavily layered with pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, red onion, and blanketed with a thick layer of gooey cheese. The tomato sauce was bright and zingy. The crust was crunchy and thick enough to stand up to the ratio of meat and cheese.

Thanks, L and Jacuzzi – it turns out all I needed was a night out. Hitting the Sauce gives Richmond Pub’s pizza two phat thumbs up.

For more reviews like this, see my picks for best pizza in Calgary.

Mexican · Seafood

Fonda Flora – Elevated Mexican cuisine in Calgary

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On Saturday, Kournikova, Québécois, and I got together for dinner. We started the night off with bubbles at Kournikova’s house. Québécois brought over champagne to toast to my new job. After finishing the bottle, Kournikova’s doting husband Zuber dropped us off at Fonda Flora.

Both Québécois and I appreciate the non-pedestrian wine list at Fonda Flora. This was Kournikova’s first visit and she was keen to try the food, as she loves Mexican food. For this post, let’s listen to “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates.

We left Québécois in charge of selecting our wine. After watching her study the wine menu, I realized knowledge could be a curse. Kournikova and I happily chatted away as Québécois studiously compare the regions, vintages and casks. I jokingly told Québécois to hurry up because I was losing my buzz. She laughed good-naturedly at my winegryness and selected N.V. Radice Paltrinieri, a bubbly from Italy. The wine was dry yet refreshing, with subtle berry notes. Her hard work paid off – we all enjoyed this bottle.

The best dish of the night was the Scallop Aguachile ($22). The scallop was served sashimi-like – cool, silky and pure tasting. Kournikova raved about the macha verde. I enjoyed the spicy heat, the vibrant flavours and the peppery slices of watermelon radish. The scallops were Kournikova’s favourite dish of the night. I would order this again. Kournikova mentioned that all the appetizers were larger than she expected.

Québécois told us her husband recommended the octopus. Oh baby – the Tacos de Pulpo Endiablado ($17) was fantastic! The grilled octopus was plump and tender – the texture was just incredible. Unfortunately, I found the tortilla itself a tad dry. Not a big deal, as I followed Kournikova suit and skipped the carbs. There’s a reason why she’s in tip-top shape.

Québécois favourite dish was the Ceviche de Camaron con Leche de Tigre ($19). She thought she could taste something peanuty in the dish. The shrimp was raw and cold, bathed in coconut milk, yuzu and salsa matcha. I thought this dish was heavy-handed with salt. Québécois disagreed and said it was perfectly seasoned.

The Costilla de Res en Mole Poblano ($34) came with three chunks of braised beef short rib, turnips, cauliflower and baby carrots. The vegetables were beautifully cooked – so that each retained its unique texture and flavour. The beef wasn’t as tender as I would have preferred.

Kournikova enjoyed the Carnitas de Cerdo ($29) more than the short rib. The confit pork shoulder was warm, tender and marbled with fat. The accompanying salsa and mole help to liven up the flavour of the pork.

We left stuffed, tipsy and pleased with the excellent company. For our next girls’ night, Kournikova suggested Sensei Bar. I need to check out Sensei’s wine list before I commit. If the wine isn’t decent, I will counter with Orchard Restaurant. Thanks for a lovely night, girls – I’m excited about our next outing.

If you’re planning a night out, I keep a running list of the best restaurants in Calgary.

Banh Mi · Cheap Eats · Vietnamese

Bake Chef – Date night 9 out of 19

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On Monday, I met L at the University of Calgary to vote for Calgary’s new mayor – Jyoti Gondek. After we voted, we went on date 9 out of 19 at Bake Chef. For this post, let’s listen to “The Times They Are A-Changin” by Bob Dylan.

I wanted to order a cold cut sub because one of my favourite things about a banh mi is the contrast of the warm toasted baguette and the refreshing chill of the vegetables and meat. However, the last time I tried a cold cut at Bake Chef I was not impressed, so I ordered what L recommended. 

L and I both ordered the Beef Sate Sub ($8.10). We went to his office to eat our lunch. I was relieved because I know I would have embarrassed L with my banh mi photo shoot. However, even in the privacy of his office, I could sense L was nervous. His eyes darted around as the crumbs and carrots started to fall on the table. L is sensitive to food smells, so I think he was worried I’d drop the subs on the floor, which would definitely leave an odour behind. Personally, I would love to work in an environment that smelled like my most favourite food in the world. Lucky for him, no sub was injured in the making of this blog post and I left his office stink free. 

The baguette was soft and squishy, significantly lighter than Saigon Deli and Trung Nguyen. The generous amount of beef was hot, saucy and sweet. I enjoyed the gooeyness of the melted white cheese and the texture of the ribbon-like cucumbers. The carrots, red onions and jalapeño provided a crunch that help to balance out the soft texture of the beef. 

How does this sub compare to all the other banh mi heavy hitters? The vegetables were fresh, but the carrots weren’t pickled. Size-wise, this sub is packed with more meat than even My Tho, To Me Sub and MyMy Sub. L prefers the texture and taste of the beef at Bake Chef over Saigon Deli, which he finds too dry. Bake Chef’s sub is also the most filling – I was stuffed for the next five hours. The bread is light and dry, so the sub gets soggy rather quickly. The addition of the lettuce and cheese makes Bake Chef’s sate beef sub the least authentic, but that doesn’t matter to me, as the overall flavour is great. 

If you can, get out for the advanced vote. The ballot process this year is more complicated than previous elections. There are two ballots – a municipal and a provincial ballot. As well, voters will be asked to  vote on adding fluoride to our water, select nominees for the Senate of Canada and vote on referendums about equalization payments and Daylight-Saving Time.

Best bánh mì in Calgary → full list here: Best Banh Mi in Calgary.

17th Ave · Banh Mi · Cheap Eats · Vietnamese

Thai Tai – Date night 8 of 19

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I met Pedals at National on 17th Ave for half price wine. I picked National because I wanted to get a banh mi at Thai Tai after our night out. I’m always thinking ahead. For this post, let’s listen to “Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna.

I haven’t eaten at Thai Tai before because I heard the food is westernized. However, I stumbled on a post on Instagram and the cold cut sub looked good enough for me.

I ordered a Cold Cut ($7.99) on toasted white bread with carrots, cucumber, onions, and chili peppers. When my sandwich was ready, I sat outside to eat. When I took the first bite, I grunted in appreciation. The guy sitting across from me that shot me a weird look, like I was ruining his late night meal.

The combination of the warm crusty sub and the coolness of the meat and pickled vegetables was so overwhelmingly delicious, my eyes rolled to the back of my head.  It’s incredible how much joy a banh mi can give me. The ratio of meat to vegetable and bread was spot on. The thick layers of meat are double that of Trung Nguyen and Thi Thi. The pate is so subtle that I didn’t really notice it. However, I found the special sauce of garlic, chili soy sauce and sriracha bright and savoury.

I called an Uber after I ate, but I still craving something. I spoke to an employee and told him my predicament. He said he had some spring rolls I could take from another order. He just made a friend for life. The vegetable spring rolls were awesome. When I arrived home, the shell was crunchy and the filling was still super-hot. I liked that I was given fish sauce, hot sauce and plum sauce.

Colour is really weird because I took this picture in my Uber.

L said when I came upstairs, I ranted for a good twenty minutes about how much I enjoyed my sub and spring rolls before falling into a deep sleep. The two glasses of wine I consumed earlier may have intensified my enthusiasm for Thai Tai. In any case, I plan to return and try the cold cut again, so my next review won’t be influenced by outside factors.

My next stop is Bake Chef at the University of Calgary. While I’m there, I’m going to pick up a banh mi for date night nine out of 19.

Best bánh mì in Calgary → full list here: Best Banh Mi in Calgary.