There’s a tall structure that most Calgarians are familiar with in the northwest corner of the city, and that’s the ski jump at Calgary Olympic Park. Used for the 1988 Winter Olympics, one would imagine that a ski jump doesn’t have a whole lot of use during the summer. As it turns out, there’s a zip line that starts at the top of the jump. That zipline happens to be the fastest in North America. And the ride? Fun as hell. Continue reading »
You could almost taste the desperation last night as Canada’s trainwreck treasure BA Johnston played the Palomino. It was a small crowd, but BA busted out the hits with aplomb.
If you missed BA play last night he said he’d be returning to Calgary around March, 2012 with a new record
If you happen to be in Calgary and need a vinyl record fix, don’t bother with HMV’s sad collection – go to these independent record stores instead! I’ve gathered all the information about the stores (addresses, store hours, etc.) into this one handy page that you can print out in case you are planning a record-buying binge. Continue reading »
After a short period of being closed, Brewster’s on 11th Ave SW has just recently finished renovations, and the dark cavernous atmosphere has been replaced with a brighter motif. The bar has been replaced, and natural light now flows in to much of the dining area. The menu is the same as it was before the renovations, although I’ll get to why that’s good and bad in a moment.
The black leather chairs next to cozy fireplaces have been replaced by booths and open windows. Given Calgary’s sometimes perpetual winter, I’m not entirely sure this has been a good move, as the window seats will be chilly. However, this move does provide slightly more seating. There are now televisions all over the walls, and while that would be good for watching sports at night, I find that too many televisions in restaurants is too distracting, making it hard to have conversations. They didn’t take the television trend to the extreme like Hudson’s Taphouse (which is sensory overload in a bad way), it’s still a bit much.
My friend and I opted to eat on the patio, which they’ve repainted black and removed the flowers. It was mid-September, so it wasn’t too bad, but I think the paint job may backfire when the July sun beats down on the city next year.
The menu is the same, which is mid-to-high end pub fare. I ordered the pretzel bun beef dip and had a pint of their house Hammerhead Ale to complement it. The quality is the same as before, but so are the prices – and this is where I think the main problem of Brewsters lies. When I first came to this pub a few years ago you could get an excellent meal, a beer, and give a generous tip for 20 bucks. Since then, the price has continually crept up, and now just a burger and beer will run you more than 20 with tax. Their food and service is good, but given the other lunch options in the immediate area (the Blind Monk comes to mind quite quickly), it’s simply not worth the price.
So what’s my verdict? If you want to be assured a good meal and you’re eating on someone else’s tab, by all means go. But if you’ve been going out of habit, try looking at the other options to save a few bucks – you won’t regret it.
Brewsters seems to be desperate since they’ve started losing their crowd to the newly-opened Craft. I’m sure they’ll get some people back with the new look (the old bar was getting a bit grubby and the tables were wearing out), but I think they would get more people back with a well-advertised price cut.
Game 1 of the three game series between the NPF Diamonds and the USSSA Pride finished this evening at Foothills Stadium with the Pride taking the win 6-5. With the Diamonds being a traveling team it has given the chance for Calgary to witness the National Pro Fastpitch league (formerly the Women’s Pro Softball League) up close. The evening attendance was 1,048 fans, well beyond the anticipated turnout. Given the action of the game and the stellar performance by both teams (several of the players also play on the US and Canadian Olympic teams), I wouldn’t be surprised if the next couple nights have similar crowds. The teams will also be playing Wednesday and Thursday (August 3rd and 4th, 2011), so make sure you see it while it’s here!
