Juniper Boar
This just in. There’s food, good food, in Banff. You can spend weeks reading food blogs, publications, and review aggregators like Trip Advisor and Yelp without getting the proper understanding on Banff’s food scene. My expectations were of similar to touristy, seasonal resorts like a Lake George, Ogunquit. But we were pleasantly surprised by the depth of the offerings, and overall quality, especially of that tender Alberta beef. And six people meant a glorious amount of samplings. Heres the good and the not so.
Juniper Bistro – A few kilometers away from the city in the Juniper hotel. Comfortable setting, large windows offering nice views, albeit over the highway. Elevated, creative combinations, and great for sharing which was the case in most places. Excellent silky smooth chicken pate, wild truffle scented (probably oil) mushrooms. A gorgeously cooked wild boar loin, and Duck were the undisputed stars of the mains. Recommend!
The Bison – The second best meal of the trip. A meat extravaganza. I easily surpassed my annual Bison intake in just one plate. The magnificent Bison platter includes Bison sausages, the exceptional short rib and rib eye. Bison is leaner meat so leaner short ribs can be especially appreciated. But the star of show was the Elk Poutine which didnt resemble poutine much (good thing). Five hefty gnocchi with slowly braised pulled Elk meat and cheese curds. So good we ordered another round. By round I mean one.
The Balkan – Good Greek food. Sort of what you’d expect from a place like this. Appetizers (hummus, dips) were forgettable, but mains were solid, especially the lamb shank. If you are more than four, get the feast and the shank. Less than four, share the shank and another dish or two. Fridays and Tuesdays are belly dancer, “Opah” nights, where you can finally participate in a tradition you didnt know missing in your life. Smashing plates against the wall.
Chuck’s steakhouse – Best meal of the trip as expected. Superb quality especially from the striploin/New York cuts surprisingly over the Wagyu and Rib Eye. Very clever sides (cauliflower!) and even better desserts. I would skip appetizers here altogether and just concentrate on the prize. If you are more than three, share some cuts that add to about 8-10 ounces per person, a few sides, and you are golden. This is NYC quality stuff.
Indian Curry House – We know Indian. We love Indian. This is good Indian. By the last day we were craving something spicy and tall buildings. ICH took care of one part, while Calgary took care of the other. Not everything was super authentic like the too tomatoey Chana and the surprisingly mild beef (yes, beef is allowed here) Vindaloo (get it still), but really excellent Chettinad among other dishes
Bear Street Tavern – We know pizza. We love Pizza. This was not good pizza. But its popular pub fare, with a solid beer lineup. Skip the mooshy wings
Truffle Pigs – This serves as a nice break between Emerald Lake, and Takakkaw Falls in Yoho. Its in a little village called Field thats worth a stroll while waiting for your table in one of the only options around. Serviceable burgers and flatbreads
For breakfast head to Wild Flour Bakery and get the Frittata sandwich. One morning we picked up their fine baguettes and just bought butter elsewhere for a Parisian breakfasts in the hotel room. Best full breakfast was at Coyotes Southwestern Grill. Marginally better offerings than the busier Tooloulous next door.
Best ice cream was at….. Shell Gas Station! A fridge full of rare Magnum bars. Better than the top rated ice cream on the strip.
Try to avoid the Fairmont Lake Louise deli or Icefield visitor center cafeteria and plan lunching at the Post Hotel instead. We didnt and it was a mistake.
And dont forget to remove your bear bells from your pants before entering any of these establishment. You are safe now.
Social Media is a wonderful, powerful thing. Until its not. I dont recall how I first learned about Casa Vieja in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Perhaps I read about it on Chowhound or the excellent 
To say that Cappun Magru offers the best Cappun Magru in Cinque Terre is a fair assessment. Its the only one making it. This old Ligurian specialty is slowly disappearing from Ligurian menus, even in Genoa where its most associated. Cappun Magru is an elaborate seafood and veggie salad to put in the simplest of forms. Its most common spelling is Cappon Magro, but here at the headquarters of EWZ, with the tagline “Eating Well, Spelling Pourly” we dont care about spelling all that much. My guess is that Cappun Magru is the more ancient spelling. Sort of like Giovanni da Verrazzano ancient spelling had only one Z. If only NYC would have known about it before spending millions to change the name.
I won’t lie to you people. I rarely do. When I first saw the new Essex Market, it felt like I just discovered a new Foodie paradise as the 
This was supposed to be a post about Osteria Baciafemmine, one of Umbria’s most hidden (quite literally here) gems. But something happened during this visit. A twist. The kind I only see in South Korean movies. As good as this meal was, the little village of Scheggino, with a population of 463 (we counted) upstaged the meal. To the point that we changed plans on the last day to visit the village again.
Cutting through at the foot of Scheggino is the Nera River producing one of the only seafood items found in Umbria, trout. You can have it at Osteria Baciafemmine as is, or crusted with crunchy breadcrumbs and parsley. Osteria Baciafemmine is a local legend, Slow Food fixture, and the reason we came to this village in the first place. Rustic, all in the family Osteria, dishing out local specialties and meat raised in their own farm. Mother, father, daughter, cat, all hard at work at a space decorated head to toe with food and drink stuff, almost museum like. Toto, we are not in Staten Island anymore.
While I was sitting out on a bench on Grand and Mulberry 
There’s a common belief in the travel community that vacations should be all about you, and what you like to do. Stay in the type of accommodations you like. Do the things that interest you. Eat the things you enjoy the most in the setting you feel most comfortable in. “What type of food do you like?” is a common response to someone seeking dining advice on the travel boards. It rarely makes sense to me. But knowing exactly what you want and getting it when you want it, doesnt sound so wrong. Some may argue its living life to the fullest. In fact I’m often jealous of people who travel with their favorite cigars, coffee, rum, prunes. Yes, prunes. Prunes give people comfort.
You start this adventure before you even enter the place. About 15-30 minutes before in fact. To ensure a table its recommended to come before they open, otherwise you get an approx time slot, or risk missing out. If its lunch time, and they run out of space and time, they can put you on a list for dinner. Once they open (may not be on time), everyone surrounds the list reader like he is about to read the chosen names in a high school play, and about to give them free Focaccia. Then he goes “Prego” and bam, a mad rush inside. You are shown to your table or table that you’ll share with others.
Wind Sand Chicken at Pinch Chinese (Soho)– A tasty rendition of a Hong Kong classic. The whole bird is cooked like Peking duck. Two days of Marinating (cinnamon, star anise, other herbs and spices), drying, spanking, repeating. The skin gets thin and crispy, and the flesh redefines moist. Garnished with the sand like fried garlic which gives it the name. Update: Just made resvs for 4 this Saturday night to have this again
Pollo alla Diavola at Maialino (Gramercy) – In the sea of Roman pastas and other Italian classics, this is possibly the unsung hero. Heck, after all those years, I needed some help from a reliable insider to discover this gem. The peppery ultra moist beauty comes with a tangy sauce you’ll want to scarpetta the heck out of.
Eating With Ziggy 