- Today we're in Calgary.
The largest city in Alberta, Canada,
known for Stampede, a massive July rodeo festival,
but also known as the gateway
to the beautiful Banff National Park.
For all travelers visiting Calgary,
I'm on a mission to help you discover
what to eat for breakfast, lunch, midday snack,
dinner, and late-night snack.
Of course, we're gonna be in central Calgary,
but I hope it gives you an idea of the types
of wonderful food you can get here in the city.
Let's go!
Whoo!
Special thanks to Travel Alberta for hosting me.
I stayed at Hotel Arts in downtown Calgary,
and started the day bright and early for breakfast,
like really early.
(beeps) Okay, guys, so for breakfast,
we're up bright and early
because this breakfast spot gets really, really packed.
So I want to be the first one here, that's right!
That's OEB Breakfast.
(upbeat music)
(bell dings)
Good morning, everybody!
We're starting the day here
at a breakfast hotspot in Calgary,
and that's Over Easy Breakfast or OEB Breakfast.
They take all of your favorite breakfast foods
in the most fresh, flavorful, and might I say, fabulous way.
Fun facts, are you ready?
This is a farm-to-table restaurant.
So you can actually see all the photos of the farms
in the back wall.
Yeah, take a look.
Take a gander.
Wow, fresh! (bell dings)
Fun fact number two,
everything on this menu takes only six minutes to make.
Right in front of me,
I ordered some of their most popular dishes.
This is the Gold Digga.
This is their breakfast poutine.
It's a take on the popular Canadian poutine,
except they're adding Hollandaise sauce over it.
And right over here,
we've got these large chunks of roast pork.
(whistles)
Grab a piece of this roast pork.
Mmm, good.
The Hollandaise sauce is actually very, very light,
paired with that creamy yolk and that crispy potato.
What a winner.
Right on top of this Benedict is braised butternut squash,
porcini and truffle mushrooms.
And of course,
that beautiful Hollandaise sauce just drizzled on top.
Here we go.
Take a bite.
Mmm.
It kind of almost tastes
like it has a caramelized glaze over it.
I really like butternut squash
because you bite into it,
and you feel like this stringiness.
This one is particularly fresh.
Send me to breakfast heaven, man.
Next up, this is on their Blue Plate Special.
It's the Duck Leg and Waffle.
Look at this sexy duck leg,
just chilling on top of these waffles.
Cut into this duck.
Ah, yeah.
Can you just taste that through the screen?
Look at that.
Oh.
The waffle has definitely got a sweetness to it,
but then paired with that spicy caramel sauce
and savory duck,
this is the ultimate sweet and savory breakfast food.
You guys,
the menu told me to not even go there
and I still went there
and now I have this gigantic submarine!
(giggling)
It's huge!
This French-style crepe is packed with vanilla custard
mixed with berries and bananas.
Top is fresh whipped cream and of course,
a side of maple syrup for you to drizzle.
Ah, (giggling).
Whoo!
Mm-mmm.
And this is just breakfast. (giggling)
(upbeat music)
(bell dings)
It is time for lunch.
It feels like we just had breakfast not so long ago.
We're currently here at Alumni Sandwiches.
This is a relatively new restaurant.
Fun fact, this sandwich shop used to be a Subway.
So the owner bought it from Subway.
It used to be the largest Subway in Canada.
And now it's revamped into this amazing sandwich shop.
Still a sandwich shop but even better.
You guys know that hot chicken craze they have in L.A.
where people line up two hours just to get a sandwich.
Well, guess what?
You can get a sandwich just as delicious
if not better right here in Calgary.
Spicy, crispy chicken, loaded with slaw, pickles,
sauce on an amazing bun.
I mean, the cole slaw is literally
waterfalling out of this sandwich.
I just touched the chicken slightly,
and there's already spicy sauce on my fingers.
(smacking lips)
Oh!
Oh, my God!
I just had a lick, and dang, that is spicy.
All right, let's do this.
Oh, dang.
Whoo!
The spice is like,
there's salsa dancing on my tongue right now.
It's insane.
You really have to eat it with the pickle and the cole slaw
because it cuts through some of that spiciness.
Darn good burn.
Let's go in for another bite.
Oh, I'm gonna bite in from this end.
This end looks epic.
Whoo!
I'm sweating.
One bite into that chicken,
I thought I could really handle that spice.
But that spice is coating my mouth.
But that chicken is so juicy.
It is so thick, and that nice,
beautiful crisp on the outside, amazing.
Oh, moment in silence for my butthole. (giggling)
Just kidding. (laughing)
Legit spicy.
Just got a little tear in my eye. (grunts)
All right.
Next, we have the Rosemary Beef Dip
with nice strips of beef, sandwich sauce,
mushroom, mozzarella, arugula.
Oh, goodness, you guys,
look at these beef strips just resting in there,
having a nice little cheesy sleepover.
We're gonna go ahead and dip it, wake them up in the pool.
Ready?
Here we go!
Ooh, yeah, I like it drenched.
I like it wet, ladies and gentlemen.
Wow, this jus right here,
which is just like mixture of stock, veggie,
all the good stuff, but once it's dipped with the sandwich,
that's already flavorful by itself,
I mean, this combo is just magical.
Look at that nice coating, pretty.
Mmm, you just can't eat this sandwich
and expect to have a clean face.
I love the chew on this beef
and little bits of pieces of arugula in there,
just adds a nice little crunch.
And this dip is straight-up magic.
I would like to take a shower in this dip, please.
Hell, yeah.
(upbeat music)
I'm in need of some sugar!
And I'm not talking about myself. (giggles)
Ah, the jokes just get lamer as I get older.
(bell dings)
Quick pit stop at a dessert shop called Made by Marcus,
known for their absolutely delicious ice cream flavors.
They got a couple weird crazy flavors
such as Malted Chocolate Honeycomb,
Sea Salt and Goat Milk Caramel,
Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk, Whisky Hazelnut Praline.
I mean, the list just goes on and on.
And they consistently change flavors.
So, if you guys come here in another season,
you might get something special.
I got their Happy Camper.
If this is not the most Instagram-worthy sundae ever.
Get a scoop of this, oh, I'm ready for that sugar rush.
Wow!
Mmm.
I get why this is called Happy Camper.
I really feel like a happy camper.
I'm not cold!
Before we have dinner, somebody messaged me, was like,
"Hey, TJ, Canadians say, Calgary as Calgary."
So is that correct?
Calgary.
We are in Calgary.
On the scale of zero to Canadian, how Canadian am I?
A hundred, okay, thanks so much, let's go.
♪ Feeling free ♪
♪ Free to live my life ♪
♪ Free ♪
(slurping)
- All right, now we can start.
♪ And it is time for dinner ♪
By the way, guys,
you guys can switch up the places if you want, you know.
Alumni's sandwiches could be really good
for late-night food.
Lulu Bar can also be really great for lunch.
But we're here right now for an early dinner.
The food here (bell dings)
at Lulu Bar is really a fusion.
So you can expect influence from the Pacific Northwest,
also Hawaiian food, also from Southeast Asian food.
They come up with really unique flavor and dishes,
such as the Hot Dog Bao, ding.
Also, Lobster Dumplings, ding.
I'm just gonna shove it all in my mouth. (laughing)
Just kidding!
I can definitely do it though.
Oh.
Whoa, the hot dog is red,
not just because it's like a hot dog,
but it's actually char siu.
So you can taste that smokiness from the meat,
and then there's this nice, sweet banana ketchup
coating everything.
Mmm.
One of their most popular dishes here
is actually the Lobster Dumplings.
Oh, we've got some mushed up lobster filling in there.
The dough is looking super soft.
Whoa.
Wow!
You know what these remind me of?
The Vietnamese dumplings, they have the translucent dough,
and more of like a pork filling on the inside.
It feels like taking this very homey, classic,
Vietnamese dish, and kind of leveling it up
into what I think are these Lobster Dumplings.
Ow.
Mmm.
They also have different types of skewers here
like Thai Sausage, Grilled Chicken Satay, Beef Tongue.
When I read there's beef tongue on the menu,
I just want to get it because it's just so tender.
Mmm, oh.
I'm in love, I'm in love with the satay.
Cumin-rubbed, Slow Roasted Lamb with Malaysian curry.
I'm just gonna slice that.
Ooh, I'm just gonna drench it in this curry right here.
Ooh.
And the fact that it was cooked over that charcoal grill,
you know it's got that nice, smoky charcoal taste.
Mmm.
Lamb just took me to flavor town.
The cook on the lamb is absolutely perfect.
Everything just pairs really well together.
I love cilantro.
Team cilantro, where you at?
Team cilantro?
What?
No, they're here, they're here
Oh.
(grunts)
I think I'm gonna make a little pocket
from the sesame bread, put some in there.
Is this how you're supposed to eat it?
I don't know.
But if you're gonna give me bread, that's what I'm gonna do.
Here we go!
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
Bartender, give me another one.
Oh, no.
I had too many?
All right, fine.
(upbeat music)
♪ Now things are moving along ♪
♪ And I'm picking up speed ♪
♪ I'm singing ♪
- We had lunch, we had a snack, we had dinner.
It's time for that nighttime
(bell dings) munchie,
and that is Tubby Dog.
It's got this retro, funky vibe
going on to match its super funky flavors.
I was reading a lot of reviews and it seems like Tubby Dog
really is that like Calgary cult favorite.
I'm gonna try some of their classics.
Are you guys ready?
I don't think I'm ready for this heart attack.
Ta-da.
So this monstrosity in front of me,
is their classic Tubby Dog flavor
with homemade chili, bacon bits, cheese sauce.
And actually went ahead and switched out the regular dog
for the Ukey dog which is the Ukrainian hot dog.
The recipe has been passed down by the owner's grandpa,
and it is looking huge.
Hot dog smile.
Oh, man, that was some good sausage.
When you bite into the chewy meat,
you get that like toughness from the skin that I love.
I'm gonna try to get a bite with all of this crazy topping.
She's all over my face.
I got a taste of that chili and it's so flavorful.
I can see why this particular one
is one of their most popular hot dogs.
If I was a hot dog,
I would like to be drizzled in cheese
and covered with bacon bits.
Just thought you guys should know.
They also have other flavors
like Slaw Dog with cole slaw and homemade chili,
or the A-Bomb with cheese, bacon, mayo,
mustard, ketchup, and potato chips.
I think there's a hot dog in here somewhere.
But, you know,
I'll let you guys know when I finally find it.
Where are you at, hot dog?
Nice, these are their onion rings.
Look how big they are!
Hello, welcome to Calgary.
Whoa.
These are fried so wonderfully.
Look at the batter inside,
the nice, crispy outside,
and this thick piece of onion inside.
If that wasn't adventurous enough for you,
you can also choose your own topping.
Yep, you can go ham, go crazy,
put whatever you want on your hot dog.
Oh, one more thing, they have PB and J hot dog,
so they put peanut butter and jelly on a hot dog.
What?
Oh, my goodness.
I just consumed so much food.
I'm gonna go work it off by playing these arcade games.
I'll see you guys later.
You got wild hot dog cravings,
Tubby Dog is the place to satisfy it.
Yes, it is.
(upbeat music)
That's it for our food-filled adventure in Calgary.
Time for the longest food coma of my life.
I hope this video gave you an idea
of all the yummy eats you can find here in Calgary
whether it's on your way to Banff
or here on a weekend adventure.
Now, it's time where I turn it back to you guys and ask,
which of the dish from today's episode
would you love to try?
♪ When he crossed the border ♪
♪ From the land ♪
- P.S. Stay on this channel
because we're headed to another city in Alberta next.
♪ Ain't no way I'm ♪
- Let me burp.
(burps)
(laughs)
Did you get that on camera?
Switch it up to some low vibe hip-hop, feeling it.
Feeling it.
- Do the dab. - What?
- [Man] Do the dab.
(beeps)
- Oh, wait. (laughing)
Oh, my God, cut that out.
We're not gonna include that.
Okay, anyways, onto the next dish.
♪ Yes ♪
♪ Freedom left of right ♪
♪ I'm going to feel freedom ♪
♪ Wherever I choose ♪
♪ Free ♪