E & W Chinese Buffet

I travel often with my husband when he is doing his circuit of library visits, which means I get to see a lot of small towns in the southern Alberta region.  Today, it was Trochu and Three Hills that we were set to visit.  Both of these little towns have great libraries, by the way.  If you're in Trochu, you should stop and shop for shoes, and stop at the dollar store downtown, where the librarian in town assures me that the coffees on offer are truly stellar.

Some towns are better than others when it comes to lunchtime offerings.  As a matter of fact, some towns that have libraries don't have a restaurant at all - or even a gas station for that matter!  But the Trochu and Three Hills area has several, and on this particular day my husband was in the mood for Chinese food, so we stopped at E and W, which provides a lunchtime buffet of Chinese and Western food.  More accurately, to my view, what it provides is Westernized Chinese food.

 You'll find it located at 1011 2 st. N, with this lovely mural on the building facing the parking lot. Inside, you seat yourself and can order from the menu if you'd prefer not to sample the buffet offerings.  Still, when you're new to a restaurant, I find that it's often best to try the buffet, so you can choose a little bit of everything just in case the thing you order turns out not to be what you're looking for.

To a certain extent, that was the case here.  Most of the food on the buffet is deep fried and slathered in thick sauces, which isn't always the tastiest, and definitely isn't the healthiest option.  The wonton soup did turn out to be a surprising, light, and delicious start to the meal, chock full of dumplings and green onions in a flavourful broth.  I often find wonton soup to be far too salty, but this was just right.

As for the food, it was a mixed bag.  The onion rings were wonderful, if a bit oily, but perennial favourites of ours such as the sweet and sour pork and ginger beef were vastly disappointing, both soggy and lacking in flavour.  On the other hand, the chicken and asparagus and the steamed vegetables were both delicious.

My Plate

We both found that the noodles had been sitting under the heat lamps a little too long.  My husband sampled the chow mein and I tried the shanghai fat noodles, but we were both disappointed in the results. They had that stale, stiff taste that happens in these situations, though to be fair, the woman working the front register did offer to make a fresh batch of chow mein for my husband, when she noted his dissatisfaction with it.

My Husband's Plate

The buffet contains a small salad bar (with two types of chopped lettuce, a few bottles of dressing on ice, potato salad, orange slices and cookies) and a heated area with the basics of a Chinese menu, as well as two soup offerings.  Soft drinks are from cans, not from a fountain, and refills are not free.  In addition, the drinks were served warm, and with no ice.  I'd recommend requesting either a glass of ice or just ordering ice water instead of getting a soft drink.

Still, it's an inexpensive lunch; buffet and one drink for one person is $11.50 at the register, so if you are looking for a quiet, quick lunch that will have you in and out as fast as possible, this is a good option for the area.  Because of the quality, it only garners a three star rating.

Dining: Ironwood Stage and Grill

Recently, a friend of ours organized a large group outing to have dinner and then see a show at the Ironwood Stage and Grill in Calgary. I was excited about the event, as I hadn't been there before, and I'm always looking to try out new places.  The establishment is located in the SE of the city, fairly close to the Zoo, so not obnoxiously far away.  I also love walking around in the cute Inglewood neighborhood where you can find something new and interesting nestled inside of each of the little storefront shops.  Like these crazy, enormous gnomes.  So cute!

 At any rate, this is 9th ave, where you can find the Ironwood Stage and Grill.  There are pay parking lots on each corner of the opposite side of the street, within just a couple of minutes walking distance. This shot was taken from the parking lot at the far end of the block.  There is also street parking in the evenings, on the same side of the street where the Ironwood is located, but since we were headed in from the opposite direction, it was easier to just park in a lot than try to turn around, make our way back, and parallel park!

Ironwood Stage and Grill
1229 - 9th Avenue S.E. Calgary Alberta Canada T2G 0S9
(403)269-5581

 See that sign all in lights?  That's the front of the Ironwood.  The sign proudly proclaims whatever is playing that night, and the Ironwood has lots of shows.  As a matter of fact, you can pick almost any day of the week and find live entertainment of some variety on the schedule.  Check their entertainment listings here, for some very interesting variety, musical, and comedy acts local to the Calgary area as well as some touring shows.

Reservations are recommended for performance times, and I'd second that recommendation.  We arrived early; around 6:30, and there was only one other table of diners in the place.  However, as the clock crept forward toward show time, we were grateful for the reservation for our large group (there were 12 of us) close to the stage because in this small venue, prime space fills up fast.  The Ironwood is long and narrow, with the low stage taking up one of the short ends, and the fairly high bar stretching along a good portion of one of the long sides.  This means many views from halfway back and further are obstructed, so it's going to pay to get a good seat early if you want to be able to see what is going on.

When it comes to service, I wish I could give a better review.  I have a feeling that it wasn't entirely our server's fault; there didn't seem to be many people on staff, and the waitress had a lot to handle with our large group.  However, I have to admit that it was more than a little lacking.  Drink orders were initially filled quickly, but food service took a long time, and arrived spottily.  For my part, my dinner was served more than ten minutes after the rest of those seated around me (though I had ordered the special, which four others around me had ordered as well) and was partially incomplete (the garlic toast arrived another ten minutes or so later).

Some of the food served was lava hot in spots, as though it had been re-headed in a microwave (as Gordon Ramsey would skewer the kitchen staff for were this an episode of Kitchen Nightmares!) but for the most part, the quality seemed good. Additionally, drinks are pricey (expect to pay five bucks for a soft drink) and refills (which are not free) seemed to be difficult to order and slow to arrive.  There were long waits for almost anything.

Gnocchi Alfredo

The special, which most of our table ordered, was a gnocchi alfredo with mushrooms, served with garlic toast. The gnocchi was nicely cooked, though mildly sticky, but the garlic toast was white texas toast from a bag, spread with margarine and sprinkled with garlic powder.  Not very special for a special, I'll admit.  Still, the food was filling and reasonably priced at $13.  Due to the pricing of the appetizers, we all skipped immediately to the main course; from previous experience one of the others in our party noted that the appetizers are extremely small in portion size for the price, and not really worth indulging in.

Steak Flatbread

 My other half opted for the steak flatbread, also reasonable at $16 for the portion size, which hovered between the average small and medium pizza.  He found the steak slices on the pizza to be a little tough, likely from being cooked twice, once on it's own and again during the baking of the pizza.  The crust, however, he found to be nicely crisp and light, with plenty of sauce and other toppings to balance out the meal.

Chicken Lasagna

Also at the $16 price point, one can find the chicken lasagna. Served in an individual lasagna dish, this is a very large serving almost suitable for sharing. This was the item with the inconsistent heating, lava-hot in the center.  The cheese on top was nicely crisped, and the portion was large, though it was again served with the white-bread-and-garlic-powder garlic toast.

Steak Sandwich

Another member of our party chose the steak sandwich, one of the more expensive entrees at $17. This was a slice of flatiron steak served on a slice of plain bread, topped with some onion rings.  There is an option of french fries or salad on the side.  The verdict on this was slightly tough, somewhat overcooked, and not terribly satisfying.







Additionally, those at our table that dared order dessert - a small bowl of vanilla gelato - got a bit of sticker shock when their tabs came due.  Expect $12 per small dessert here; like the appetizers, they are not worth ordering in this venue.

With seating that isn't super comfortable, we were a little stiff after a while in the evening, and while we thought the show we saw was amazing, we were left uncertain about whether or not we would return to the Ironwood for future events.  They do have an amazing variety of acts that play there, so it's a possibility.  The quality of entertainment can be stellar, but the food is mediocre and the service is a bit lacking.  Because of the problems we had and the distance of the drive, the Ironwood earns only a middle-of-the-road two and a half stars from this reviewer.  If you are really interested in a show being presented there, I'd say go for it, but proceed with caution unless you've brought a thick wallet!

Sew Delicious

Princess Magic at work!

Out in Carseland, delicious things are happening.  That's where Brenda Stuart-Berry resides, with her husband, son, two mischevious barn cats and a kitchen that is magical.

At least, I think it's magical.  That's the only explanation I can come up with for why my husband reacts the way he does to her baking.  Either that, or she sneaks crack into the fondant.  Nah, Brenda is too much of a sweetheart for that; I think it's magic.

Check out that gold leaf on the binding!

For my last birthday, I was treated to an amazing cake from Sew Delicious.  It was, in fact, the perfect cake for a voracious reader and writer, and happened to be delicious, but this wasn't my only sampling of Brenda's cakes.  In fact, you may have enjoyed one yourself, as they spring up at numerous events around town, including Quality Dog Grooming's customer appreciation parties, and events at Shoppers Drug Mart.

 Without a doubt, her cakes are beautiful, and always designed with a personal touch for the recipient.  I've seen her come up with cars, houses, laptops, game controllers, a rack of ribs and even a mountain with a tunnel that a train could move through for a very special Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party.  Whatever the subject matter is, Brenda carries it off with grace and style.

It seems almost unfair to show this when you can't taste it...

And that isn't even touching on the beauty and elegance of her wedding cakes.  Sitting down at a cake testing with Brenda is a special event.  She lays out a pretty table for her brides and grooms, with a selection of her wares, so that the nuptual pair can mix and match to their hearts content, rather than try to imagine what the frosting from this cake would taste like on that other cake with the frosting they hate. Really, when I had a tasting for my wedding cake, I just had to guess.  This is a way better solution.  Plus, you get more cake.

As for the flavours and compositions of her cakes,  Brenda has most bakeries beat from the get-go.  She offers unique options, such as her pina colada which is moist and bursting with coconut and pineapple, and makes her fondant from scratch, which means it isn't that nasty stuff you have to peel off to get to the good part of the cake; it's delicious in and of itself.  My husband is a big fan of both her fondant and of her lemon vanilla cake.  As a southern girl at heart, I really can't get over her red velvet, which is a deep, rich red, moist, and full of chocolate flavour.

Whatever you choose, when you order your wedding cake from Sew Delicious, you can rest assured that you'll be happy with the beautiful and tasty results.  Even better, while you're out there for a tasting, you can have your wedding dress or suits altered, have flower girl (or bridal) dresses made, or shop for pretty accessories like ring bearer pillows in your own custom wedding colors.  On top of the baking, Brenda is also an expert seamstress.

Check out these beautiful items from her display at the Bridal Show in Strathmore!

You can find Brenda on the web at http://sewdelicious.vpweb.ca or give her a call at 403-361-1060.  You can also drop her an email at brendastuartberry@gmail.com to book an appointment. She comes to Strathmore at least three times a week for pick-ups and drop-offs, but visiting her out in Carseland is a must for fittings and tastings.  It's about a twenty minute drive from town, a bit more if you get stuck behind a slow freight train at the crossing.  Overall, Brenda gets five stars for stellar and beautiful work, and a smile that can brighten anyone's day.