When I think of Alberta, the first thing that comes to mind is nature
The Rocky Mountains, beautiful blue fresh water - all great things
but this wekend, we're getting away from nature and into the city
Calgary is one of my favorite cities in Canada
It's got amazing people, and food, and this weekend there's a ton of excitement around the JUNOs
an annual celebration of the very best in Canadian music
Our first stop is Hotel Arts, a beautiful modern boutique hotel downtown
-All right, just checked into my hotel and I got a little gift bag
Located in Hotel Arts is Raw Bar, an Asian fusion restaurant and lounge
with an extensive cocktail menu of very Instagrammable drinks
and a ton of different food options that are perfect to share
-What we're best known for is our steamed buns, so if you're dim sum fans
-Oh my God!
Cheers!
The next day, we went to Bridgeland, a hip neighbourhood in Calgary
that's home to a mix of condos, houses, and local businesses
like Shinki Menya, a popular ramen joint with a lineup before the place was even open
Shiki Menya has a very distinct vibe
that becomes apparent the moment you step into the restaurant
from the music selection to the decor to the staff uniforms, you can tell that this place is cool
But what about the food? To find out, we ordered three different ramen dishes
that were prepared by the owner, Koki, and his team
-We've got our miso classic, this one's a miso garlic, and this one is our chili goma
While ramen may be the main attraction, Shiki Menya serves up
some amazing other items like these tacos
Because Shiki Menya makes their noodles in-house and their soups from scratch using local ingredients
they serve a limited quantity of bowls every day
Today the day the magic number is 150 and once that last bowl is served, the place closes up
So if you want a seat here you better get there early, and follow the restaurant on social media
I can definitely see why this place is so popular
-So we're at the Tool Shed Brewing Company
This is the biggest tool shed I've ever seen
Tool Shed is leading the way when it comes to craft beer in Calgary
and it was really cool to get a tour by one of its founders, Graham
a very passionate and animated entrepreneur
-You're gonna see how fresh beer is right out of the tank
It'll blow your skull apart how good and fresh and beautiful beer is out of that bright tank
and now I gotta get that beer from that tank to your face in the best quality possible right?
-There's a lot going on in my head and my face right now
-Yeah exactly
As we discovered, I'm not too good at the tasks required to make beer
-Oh this is heavy! Holy Sh- Oh my God! How strong are you?!
That was like two small children
But drinking it is a different story
Noon! It's noon!
-Heyo!
We had a great chat about taking risks and following your passions
I was really inspired by Graham's story - not only was he able to build a hugely successful business
but he's supporting other brewers along the way
This seems to reflect the entrepreneur community in Calgary
If you've got a great idea this is the place to make it happen
Although it was still under construction when I visited
no doubt one of the most exciting things to come to Calgary this year
is Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre
Here you'll find exhibition and performance space, art installations, studios
and even an artist residence program
This will be the destination to learn about and celebrate Canadian music
and I'm excited to visit again once it's open
We capped off the day at Shokunin, a Japanese izakaya-style restaurant
I won't hesitate to say this was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had
which has nothing to do with the fact that they kept bringing us food
-We're just getting a lot of things on this table and it's great
-Cheers
-This is so good it's stupid
Having chatted with chef and owner Darren MacLean
what impressed me most about Shokunin was its mission statement
to be sustainable, accessible, and impressively local
from the ingredients right down to the plates on which our food was served
If eating is a social experience for you, this is a place to check out
-It has a very similar logo
It's Gunnarolla! It's a match made in Heaven, it was meant to be!
JUNOFest is an opportunity to check out Canadian music acts
performing at different venues across the city
and Calgary has some pretty cool venues for live music
The next day we went to the Simmons Building, home to a few local businesses
like Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, who produce a wide range of baked goods, pastries, and desserts
fusing tradition with innovation
One of their most unique items and when you have to try is the charred avocado spread
-I thought it was gonna be a spread but they actually just halved an avocado, charred it
and it has this sourdough bread
Gotta wait though, gotta take all our pictures
There's a science behind this
Throw a little filter on that
Oh my god
Spread that on there
I feel very loved here
-Do you need a hand?
-Do you actually want to read this to me?
Can we like access out as if it were a one-act play?
-What am I reading to you?
-It's just it's from a poem on your napkin
-How are we trying to say it here?
-Well just pretend you wrote it
-"You came and I was longing for you You cooled a heart that was burning with desire"
How's that?
-It's beautiful
-Did you feel something there?
-Could you continue?
Could you just improvise or something?
So after all the amazing food we had in Calgary
one of my last meals is going to be something that I'm more accustomed to
It is a tad dry
Look at the ham and the swiss
-Did you eat like both sandwiches at once?
-There were two sandwiches?!
So it appears that there are actually two sandwiches that I decided to consume at one time
Because I'm very efficient and, uh,
sometimes you just gotta eat two sandwiches at once
-You're presenting an award today
-I am
-What'd you do to prepare for this?
-Absolutely nothing. I don't even know what award I'm presenting
I'm just gonna say you won you're gonna be in the audience right?
-I appreciate that
-Come up and we'll both get tackled offstage
-Canadians are so modest and polite, we need to bring some drama to this show right?
-Yeah, let's do it let's
Let's get viral tonight right! Let's get viral!
-I love it. Who are you excited to see tonight?
-Uh...
...you.
-OK, you can tick that off your list
-That's it.
JusReign may have been excited to see me again
but there was only one comedian that I wanted to reunite with
-Nicole, come on in! Come hang out!
-What up, Gunnarolla?!
-We can't seem to avoid each other!
-And I'm happy to see you, not awkward
[crowd cheering]
I had an amazing time in Calgary
and every time I come back, I learn more about what a great city it is for people, food, entrepreneurs and music
I can't wait to come back