Savour Selects

Note: At press time, restaurants were closed for dine-in and may still be offering limited service when you pick up the magazine. Please check online or by phone to confirm level of service.

Sammie Cafe breakfast sandwich

St. Louis ribs STRONG SANDO GAME

Last year saw its share of eateries finding innovative ways to do business. In some cases, restrictions have given business owners the chance to re-evaluate what they offer, like Percilla Gutscher owner of Sammie Café and Brekkie Café did. When Brekkie was forced to close, she changed the menu to feature takeout sandwiches and poutine. Customers loved them so much that Gutscher opened Sammie Café last Fall in Marda Loop with Chef Neil Maclean at the helm. Try the iced-tea lemonades using Tea Trader tea and Phil & Sebastian coffee. Sammie Café | 113, 2205 33rd Ave. S.W. 403.457.9682 | sammieyyc.ca

A LONG TRADITION WITH A NEW CHEF Once a Lilydale poultry plant, then a discount fashion outlet, then a restaurant, the home of Bookers BBQ Grill & Crab Shack has seen a lot of history. And with 23 years in service, it’s become a part of Calgary’s history too. Serving southernstyle barbecue and seafood since 1998, Bookers continues to offer the signature dishes they are known for like buckets of crab, jambalaya, St. Louis ribs, and brisket, plus some glutenfree and plant-based options. Red Seal Chef Brendan Bohan joined Bookers to assist with the re-opening after the first lockdown bringing his own recipes and personal touches to an already established menu. Bohan has kept busy during lockdown with one of his favourite pastimes: pickling and preserving. Look for some of his creations on the menu sometime this year. Bookers BBQ Grill + Crab Shack | #10, 316 3rd St. S.E. 403.264.6419 | bookersbbq.com

Village Craft Winemaker

Looking after the winemaker in you™

Cooped up at home? Let Village Craft Winemaker craft your favourite wine and you take home 30 bottles in 4 to 6 weeks.

Calgary’s #1 Brew-on-premise and Wine kits store!

villagecraftwinemaker.ca | 105, 358 58 Ave SE, Calgary | (403) 276-1967

raclette: an event consisting of melting cheese and then oozing it onto anything and everything. caution: will result in full bellies, laughter, independent culinary creations and utter satisfaction.

Sweet treats and a lovely latte at Milano Cafe

Milano Café 100, 602 11th Ave. S.W. 403.452.6311 milanocoffee.ca THE MILANO TASTE Master Roaster Brian Turko’s Milano Café is more than just coffee. It offers take-home beans, tea beverages, a fusion of French and Mediterranean bites including items like housemade quiche, chocolate pecan babka and a variety of sandwiches. A cozy patio features a fireplace to warm your toes while you sip your cuppa joe. At press time, Café Milano was in the process of creating an online ordering system for large scale baked goods and turning the café into a market offering baked goodies to go.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT! Sometimes you just can’t wait three (let alone 10) years for whisky! So, the masterminds behind Great Plains Craft Spirits, Mike Gordon and Victor Mah, took a different approach. They acquired several batches of 17-year-old 100 per cent corn whisky from the old Potter's distillery in Kelowna and put one of them into 22 freshly emptied vintage Brandy de Jerez casks for 12 months. The result was a winner! It won the Gold Medal Award of Excellence for best new whisky at the 2020 Canadian Whisky Awards. Find this and other Great Plains products at fine local liquor stores.* Great Plains Craft Spirits 520 5 Ave. S.W. #2500, 780.699.6850 greatplainscraftspirits.com

Your view from our table!

PaSu Farm is a country oasis with an air of elegant simplicity that

nourishes the soul. Find warmth in the Gallery Shop and take in magnificent mountain views from the restaurant. Our customers enjoy a peacefulness that comforts and calms their spirits.

Every year Pasu Farm does something special for Valentine’s Day. This year we are planning a wonderful brunch on Sunday, February 14th. Call for details. 40 minutes north of the city of Calgary | 1.800.679.7999 | www.pasu.com RIPE FOR THE PICKING Stepping into Jenny Kang’s Orchard restaurant is like stepping into a magical Mediterranean garden where you can dine al fresco under the warm light of a chandelier in the dead of a Canadian winter. It’s really a must-see space. And the menu is a must-taste. Complemented by an innovative wine list and cocktail menu, Orchard’s menu is focused on quality, not quantity. We enjoyed the duck and the beef tenderloin, both of which were beautifully presented, perfectly done and nicely portioned. Born during the pandemic, Orchard has pick-up and delivery mastered and offers staged pick-up times

Tuesday through Sunday to ensure the food is the best it can be when you arrive. And, when we’re free to dine together once again, do stop by for the in-person experience.

LET JD MIX THEM

Hit by the pandemic shortly after launching their specialty drinks agency, the team at Cocktail Concierge rolled up their sleeves and developed a product they’d been dreaming about for over a decade. The Drinksmith Collection, a select series of re-imagined classic cocktails, is the brainchild of JD Darnes, a Calgary-based master mixologist who once worked at the famous Savoy American Bar in London. These premixed luxury cocktails, barrel-aged in American white oak, are a tailored blend of top-line spirits, select spices and fragrant botanicals. Their starting line-up includes a Smoked Walnut Old Fashioned, Chai Negroni, Paper Plane, Wild Rose Vesper, and others. Available at Vinestone Wine Co. in Cochrane and Vine Arts in Calgary. The Drinksmith Collection 927 17th Ave. S.W. 403.797.1532 cocktailconcierge.ca

Beef tenderloin at Orchard Orchard 134, 620 10th Ave. S.W. 403.243.2392 (text only) orchardyyc.com