What I Thought of It

Dick Harper (Jim Carrey) is a big shot at Globodyne Corporation. He has become Vice-President of Communications, but then things go wrong and Globodyne goes under. Of course, Dick is optimistic and assures his wife Jane (Téa Leoni) that things will be all right and that he will find another job. Unfortunately for him, Globodyne Corporation was such a big employer that everyone from there is looking for a job and Dick can’t find one.

Dick and Jane’s luck worsens when they start to run out of money. Soon all their belongings have been sold and they can no longer afford their home. The couple embark on an extreme scheme to secure money: by stealing it wherever they can.

As you might suspect, Fun with Dick and Jane is a great vehicle for Jim Carrey to indulge his comical self. With plenty of jokes and crazy misadventures, this movie will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end.

Last thoughts: Fun with Dick and Jane is a movie that aims to and will bring you many laughs. It’s not my favorite kind of movie, but if you’re ready for 90 minutes of no-brainer hilarity, then Fun with Dick and Jane easily delivers.

Genre: Comedy (2005)
Length: 90 min
Rating: PG-13
Story +++
Cast ++++
Humor ++++

The Elk & Oarsman
119 Banff Avenue
Banff AB
Phone: 403 762 4616
www.elkandoarsman.com

Our plan had been to eat at The Keg in Banff, but unfortunately for them they are not open that early (3:45 pm). In need of something to fill our famished stomachs, we ended up at The Elk & Oarsman in the building next to The Keg.

The Elk & Oarsman is situated above some shops, and that offers a prime spot for people-watching on Banff Avenue. If the weather’s nice, you can even sit on the rooftop patio, with an even better view of Banff and the mountains.

The decor of The Elk & Oarsman has lots of wood with many antique objects. The result is a cozy and friendly feel. We grabbed a booth by the window so that we could enjoy the view.

The menu offers a good selection of dishes. As usual I wanted a burger, which meant a choice of Angus beef, buffalo, chicken, salmon,…but I went for the elk burger. My friend, on the other hand, looked in the fancy part of the menu and chose the elk rib steak, one of the more expensive items at $27.

With the burger you can choose two sides, so I decided to test the difference between regular potato fries and sweet potato fries. Next time it will be sweet potato fries hands-down. The burger was juicy and very flavorful, definitely a great value choice.

The much pricier elk rib steak was good but just similar to the burger in flavor. In fact, the burger tasted less “gamey”, so burger definitely wins over steak. The vegetables were also underwhelming. They were not fresh and kind of bland.

We had entered The Elk & Oarsman through the door on Banff Avenue. We went up a set of stairs to the pub, but nobody noticed us, and we didn’t know whether to sit or wait to be seated. We waited a bit and then asked. Alternatively, at the other entrance from the mall, there’s a sign that says “wait to be seated”. You’d have a better chance of being noticed that way.

Our waitress was somewhat patient in letting us take our time with the menu. She did forget to ask how the steak should be done, but she fixed that promptly.

Last thoughts: The Elk & Oarsman is a nice location to grab a bite or drink. The food is good, but make your choices wisely. I could come back here but not before trying other places in Banff, because it was also not that special.

Food ++++
Service ++++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms +++

The Paddock Pub
135 Banff Avenue
Banff AB  T1L 1A7
Phone: 403 760 8543

The Paddock Pub is part of the Mount Royal Hotel. It’s not in the hotel but actually a couple of doors down the street, below ground under the hotel. The door in the photo is the only part above ground. You go through the door and down the stairs to reach the Paddock.

This basement pub is roomy. One side of the bar has lots of seating, and the other side is an entertainment zone housing pool tables, video games, and more. The seating area consists of big benches against the wall and tables and chairs directly opposite. On our visit there was hockey showing on the big-screen TV and a couple of smaller TVs.

When we got to The Paddock around 5 pm on a Saturday, it was not busy but there were enough customers to keep the staff working. After sitting down, we waited a while before the lone server came by our table.

The menu at The Paddock Pub is very limited. It has the basic pub dishes but nothing like soup or desserts.

We ordered the Buffalo Burger and Chicken Philly Sandwich. The food looked great on first sight. I then noticed that my fries were lukewarm, not hot. Luckily the rest of the food was properly hot.

The Buffalo Burger was thick and juicy, served on a fresh bun and topped with a nice piece of melted cheese. The Chicken Philly sandwich was also tasty and well prepared. It was supposed to be on panini bread, but the bread was soft (isn’t panini hard?).

Last thoughts: Although the menu at The Paddock Pub is not extensive, I would go back there. The food was just good, no question, though they should put a couple more servers on the floor.

Food ++++
Service +++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms +++

Q Lounge
2359 Banff Trail NW (inside the Quality Inn)
Calgary AB  T2M 4L2
Phone: 403 289 1973

The Q Lounge is the pub inside the Quality Inn Motel, one of the motels in Banff Trail’s Motel Village.

As soon as you enter the Q Lounge you feel like something is missing. The place is basically a room with a bar and 15 Video Lottery machines, 2 pool tables, and some tables and chairs. There is no atmosphere to speak of. If you were to put all this stuff in your basement, den, or garage, you would probably end up with a more pleasant hangout than this lounge.

The staff do nothing to help the ambiance. They are friendly but not really (their smiles are more like smirks), and they don’t really listen. I got ice in my drink after requesting no ice.

Thursday is Wings Night at the Q Lounge. Chicken wings are only 20 cents each and there is no minimum order of each flavor. You can choose from a long list: barbecue, honey garlic, teriyaki, lemon pepper, mild, medium, hot, etc. The wings are pretty good and very meaty, better than most cheap wings elsewhere that cost 25 cents per wing. The wings even come with ranch dip, something you’d normally pay extra for. The dip went really well with the barbecue and honey garlic flavors.

The server asked if I wanted another drink, but it was not a free refill. I was charged for 2 drinks on my bill.

Last thoughts: The Q Lounge probably gets most of its business from motel guests who come to kill time on the gambling machines. The wings were actually great, but with such a bland atmosphere this place will not see me back anytime soon.

Food ++++
Service +++
Ambiance +
Washrooms +++

Toad ‘N’ Turtle Pubhouse & Grill
2475 27 Ave NE
Calgary AB T2E 8M1
Phone: 403 717 0670
The Toad ‘N’ Turtle on 27th Avenue is next to Barlow Trail just north of Highway 1. The ambiance is more than just your neighborhood pub - it’s elevated by tasteful decor infused with lots of wood, warm colors, and eye-catching knick-knacks. If you’re in the mood for distraction or not being able to hear your companions, this small-ish pub boasts no less than 7 TV screens and extremely loud music.

We dropped by the Toad ‘N’ Turtle on a Saturday evening around dinner time and were surprised to find it relatively empty. It turns out we were just early, because the place was buzzing by the time we left.

Service did not seem to be a priority at the Toad ‘N’ Turtle. It was 10 minutes before we were acknowledged by a server. Though our food didn’t take long, at the end of our meal the bill took more than twice as long to arrive.

Our server seemed intent on ignoring us as much as she could, such that I had to walk to the bar to ask for ketchup.

The food was okay. I ordered the bison burger, which wasn’t too bad. The bread was nice and the burger was tasty, though dry. I guess the cook at the Toad ‘N’ Turtle doesn’t share my preference for juicy burgers. My friend got the fisherman’s pie, which the menu likened to shepherd’s pie, but made with seafood instead of ground beef. In reality it was more like fisherman’s soup. Everything under the mashed potato topping was swimming in sauce. The saving grace of this meal were the sweet potato fries, which must be some of the best in Calgary.

Toad ‘N’ Turtle Pubhouse & Grill offers WiFi Internet, but it’s free only for the first 20 minutes (and slower than normal, too). After that it’s $2.50 a day or $5.00 a week, a bit steep if you ask me. I believe pub patrons would use WiFi just to quickly check something online, like e-mail, so the WiFi access should be free like it is in most WiFi-enabled establishments nowadays.

Last thoughts: I’m not itching to pay the Toad ‘N’ Turtle another visit. The service bordered on rude and the place was way too noisy. But maybe - just maybe - I would go back for the sweet potato fries.

Food +++
Service +
Ambiance +++
Washrooms +++

The Grizzly Paw Pub Restaurant
622 Main St
Canmore AB  T1W 2B5
Phone: 403 678 9983
www.thegrizzlypaw.com

Most people stopping in Canmore don’t bother to go farther than the strip next to the highway, which means that if you’re hungry you’ll be stuck with one of the fast-food options.

But if you drive a couple more minutes into town and get onto Main Street, you’ll notice that Canmore has more to offer than the usual fast-food franchises.

Today I dropped in at The Grizzly Paw around 3 pm for lunch/dinner. The Grizzly Paw is a 3-in-1 - pub, restaurant, and brewery - and also has a retail storefront selling Grizzly Paw merchandise, such as beer steins and Grizzly Paw soda.

This establishment has a downstairs pub-restaurant and an upstairs restaurant. I did not go upstairs so I can’t tell you how it differs from downstairs.

Downstairs, The Grizzly Paw was decorated in light-colored wood and bustling with a friendly, neighborhood-watering-hole vibe. I was seated at a small table next to the front-facing windows with a view of the outdoor patio, which had a working fireplace but was closed on this winter day.

The Grizzly Paw menu boasts a decent variety of choices, including the usual pub fare. To start, I had the Beer and Cheese Chowder, which came with bread. The chowder was very cheesy with a nice hint of flavor from the beer, though the bread was not so fresh. I ended up dipping most of the bread in chowder and enjoyed that very much.

Those hungering for a burger will get to choose from four different patties (beef, bison, chicken, vegetarian). The patty of choice must then be paired with one of five different burger styles. I chose bison on a regular Canadian burger with cheese and bacon. Each burger style comes with fries or salad or both, where “both” means a smaller portion of each for the same price. I went for both and was impressed to get generous amounts of fries and salad.

The salad was a choice between Caesar and Granny Bee’s Mountain Roughage (the house specialty). I chose the latter and would highly recommend it. It had hard-boiled eggs, red beets, cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce. The ingredients were fresh and perfectly enhanced with the right amount of sweet dressing.

The bison burger looked great, with the bacon snuggled next to the bison patty and a delicious-looking piece of cheese melted on top, complemented by fresh lettuce, tomato, and onions. I prefer some kind of sauce on the bottom, but this burger did not have it, so I made do with some ketchup.

Taste-wise, all I can say is that you really have to try this burger, because you will rarely get one this good in any restaurant.

The service was adequate but not great. My server went through the motions but could have shown a little more interest in my dining experience. It could be blamed on the workload, since the place was packed even in that mid-afternoon time slot, but it’s something that needs work.

My bill came with a coupon for 10% off any purchase from the retail store (just steps away, across the alleyway), which must be used within 24 hours.

Last thoughts: Visiting The Grizzly Paw for lunch was a decision that left me happy and satisfied. The food was impressive for a restaurant in this price range. I would not hesitate to go back the next time I’m in Canmore.

Food +++++
Service +++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms ++++

Cat ‘n Fiddle Pub
540 - 16 Ave NW (see map)
Calgary AB  T2M 0J4
Phone: 403 289 0414

Cat ‘n Fiddle Pub is a typical pub on the corner of 16 Ave NW (Highway 1) and 5 St NW in Calgary, Alberta. This pub doesn’t have an Irish or English theme, just a regular pub atmosphere with lots of big TVs hanging around.

I went there on one of their “cheap wings” nights. I got there around 6 pm. It was not busy so I was expecting to get a nice and quick meal at the Cat ‘n Fiddle. With the weather being gorgeous, I first chose the outdoor patio and was assured the servers would make the rounds there. Ten minutes passed and no servers appeared. I didn’t last long enough to experience fresh-air dining, because I could taste the cigarette smoke from a table several feet away. I finally opted to sit inside, where smoking is prohibited like everywhere else in Calgary.

Inside, another long wait began. After 20 minutes, a waitress showed up just in time; I had been about to bail. She took my drink order and promised me a menu. My drink took at least five minutes to arrive, even though the staff outnumbered the customers.

I now had my cola but still no menu. I finally got one in my hands after having to ask three different waitresses. Surprise, surprise. This time, before I could finish looking over the menu, a waitress appeared to take my order. I quickly ordered chicken wings.

The wings didn’t come quick but they showed up. I didn’t get any napkins and had to ask for them two more times. The wings were okay - not too bad for the price (15 or 20 cents each) - but not as good as you can get at a lot of other places close by.

The ambiance was also okay. The sitting areas had nice decor, but the furniture looked worn with age. The whole experience felt a bit cheap, especially with video-game consoles standing nearby.

The washrooms were not too clean, either. Cat ‘n Fiddle had allowed them to be vandalized over time. Why do folks feel the need to write stuff everywhere or, even worse, melt the plastic on the ads? Of course, Cat ‘n Fiddle can’t do much about vandalism, but they can at least keep the washrooms in a condition that customers would dare to use!

Last thoughts: As you can tell, Cat ‘n Fiddle is not one of the great places to grab a bite in Calgary. You will not see me visiting Cat ‘n Fiddle again, not even if they’ll let me eat for free.

Food +++
Service -
Ambiance ++
Washrooms ++

Find Cat ‘n Fiddle Pub on the map