Where to purchase gluten-free baking and gluten-free food products, plus how to preserve flavour and nutrients when eating gluten-free.
Celebrate May's long weekend by paying tribute to Queen Victoria and her legacies.
Dorothy was right — there is no place like home. That is, there’s no place like Calgary to take a mini-break from workaday life without the hassles and rapidly increasing expense of air travel or road trips. That’s because what many of us need to refresh and recharge is simply a change in our day-to-day routines — a new environment, a break from family and time to indulge in pleasures like culture, dining or pampering.
Downtown Calgary is the perfect place for such an adventure because of its great new and upgraded hotels, its wonderful restaurants, its quality shopping and its arts and cultural offerings, all concentrated in a small and easily accessible area. Plus, hotels are now recognizing that local visitors are a burgeoning clientele and are offering a variety of customized weekend packages.
So, whether you fancy a romantic getaway, a girls’ (or guys’) night out or some quality alone time, downtown Calgary has much to offer tourists in their own hometown.
Opened in 1914, the Fairmont Palliser is the grand dame of hotels in Calgary. With an ambience reminiscent of a bygone era, a stay at the Palliser has all the elegance one expects from a historic Fairmont property, and all the amenities one looks for in a modern hotel, thanks to a renovation completed this past spring.
The project involved the complete renovation and redecoration of the guestrooms, including the addition of amenities such as iPod docks, large flat-panel TVs and upgraded, modern bathrooms. It also added more VIP-level Gold rooms for a total of 73 — plus a private lounge, check-in desk and concierge on the penthouse level for Gold guests, who get perks like free breakfast and an honour bar with evening canapés in the lounge.
Once you’re checked in, head to The Oak Room, which features local microbrews and expertly made traditional and modern cocktails. Try the pomegranate cucumber mojito for something refreshing and delicious. Afterward, proceed to The Rimrock Restaurant to experience a small, but innovative menu featuring the very best in local ingredients. Starches — risotto, mashed potatoes and yam fries — are served family-style, so you don’t have to nibble off your companion’s plate. Request a table near the fireplace for a cozy, romantic setting.
Another excellent touristy thing to do is dine at Sky 360 (sky360.ca) at the top of the Calgary Tower, which is connected to the Palliser through the indoor mall. The recently renovated revolving restaurant is open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, and there isn’t a better view in the city.
For a different kind of view, head to the Glenbow Museum (glenbow.org), where you can visit the permanent and visiting exhibitions any time. The Karsh exhibit of photos by the famed Canadian celebrity photographer is on until the middle of the month.The artist-run Truck Gallery (truck.ca) in the nearby Grain Exchange Building also usually has interesting contemporary art on display. If jazz is your thing, Beatniq Jazz and Social Club (beatniq.com) is just a few steps away and has shows every Thursday to Saturday.
Before you check out, be sure to take a dip in the Palliser’s grand pool, where columns and a low ceiling afford a unique sense of swimming under the city. Finish up your stay at the Palliser with Sunday brunch, a time-honoured tradition. (113 9 Ave. SW, 403-262-1234, fairmont.com/palliser)
Hôtel Le Germain is Calgary’s newest, sleekest hotel. As you enter its minimalist lobby, awash in natural light, you’ll notice the welcoming natural tones of stone, wood and granite and a subtle scent of citrus and green tea in the air, which is the hotel’s signature scent.
Bedrooms are designed with the utmost attention to detail, with pocket doors to maximize space, massive rain showerheads and vanity cupboards that open to reveal plug-ins, mirrors and shelves, which make it convenient to get ready and easy to keep tidy.
The hotel prides itself on its concierge services and encourages guests to put themselves in the hands of these professionals, who are willing and happy to accommodate most requests. Lit candles and rose petals upon arrival? Check. Tickets to a show or a sporting event? Check. Booking a personal shopper, makeup artist or hairstylist? Check.
And while the concierge is happy to book dinner reservations elsewhere, the hotel’s Charcut Roast House, which features local urban rustic cuisine and has a beer sommelier on staff, is a splendid choice. Or simply relax for pre-dinner drinks and snacks in the lobby lounge, Lounge Central 899, perfect for people-watching.
The hotel offers an ultramodern 24-hour fitness facility with a view of the Calgary skyline. Should you want to leave the hotel, there’s an Audi-chauffered car service available, or it’s an easy walk to, say, the Lunchbox Theatre to catch the Stage One Festival of New Work running June 6 to 25 (lunchboxtheatre.com). Catch a “Date Night Saturday” performance, which includes a prix fixe dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House (ruthschris.com), before or after the 7:30 show. (899 Centre St. SW, 403-364-8990, germaincalgary.com)
Located a stone’s throw from the Bow River on Memorial Drive, the Kensington Riverside Inn is ideally situated for summer strolling along the Bow River pathways or meandering through Kensington, shopping and sipping coffee.
But the real draw for this intimate inn is the award-winning Chef’s Table restaurant, named winner of Worth the Splurge in the March 2011 issue of Avenue. Chef Craig Bojé prepares five-course tasting menus (with optional wine pairings) that change regularly and are presented in the small dining room with an open kitchen that lets diners see the culinary mastery in action.
The inn is currently undergoing a major redesign that will see the decor and amenities in all the rooms and the dining room upgraded by summer.
Given its proximity to the Telus World of Science, a stay at the inn is the perfect opportunity to catch the Titanic exhibit which runs until June 27 (calgaryscience.ca). Or plan to see a show at the relatively close Jubilee Auditorium — perhaps Jethro Tull on June 22, Brian Wilson on June 25 or Broadway’s Wicked musical, which begins June 29.
Also in close proximity is Muse Restaurant and Lounge (muserestaurant.ca), long known for its romantic setting and fine French and Canadian cuisine. Or, if it’s just a glass of wine you fancy, pop over to winebar Kensington (winebarkensington.com) and sample one of its many wines by the glass in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Or head to Spoon Me (spoonme.com) for frozen yogurt — it’s light, refreshing and the perfect foil to a big dinner the night before. (1126 Memorial Dr. NW, 403-228-4442, kensingtonriversideinn.com)
For a little taste of South Beach in the Beltline, head to the Hotel Arts, which opened in 2006 and was one of the early players in the revitalization of Victoria Crossing.
Its courtyard features a heated aquamarine-coloured outdoor pool adorned with shimmering glass tiles. Surrounding the pool is a full- service poolside patio that serves lunch, cocktails and dinner from Raw Bar, the hotel’s Pacific Rim-influenced restaurant, which offers a sultry, cosmopolitan atmosphere indoors.
Another dining option in the hotel is Saint Germain, specializing in French-inspired bistro fare in an elegant, upscale dining room that offers prix-fixe Sunday dinners with no corkage fees.
If you decide to go offsite to dine, Taste is just around the corner on 1st Street S.W. and features elegant small plates for lunch and dinner. In fact, if you haven’t walked down 1st Street toward 17th Avenue in a while, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this burgeoning shopping and dining corridor, which has seen a steady stream of new businesses open recently.
Back at the hotel, room decor is calming and contemporary, and the pool suites, which offer a view of the courtyard, include two-person spa rain and steam showers. Book an in-room spa treatment through the hotel from RnR Wellness Spa for the ultimate in relaxation (rnrwellness.com).
After a swim, and before their evening begins, women may want to treat themselves to a blowout or makeup application at hedkandi salon (hedkandisalon.com), which is attached to the hotel.
Hotel Arts’ location not far from the Scotiabank Saddledome makes it the ideal place to stay after events, such as Supertramp on June 4 or Rihanna on June 21. Or make it home-base for enjoying all the late-night festivities at this year’s Stampede. (119 12 Ave. SW, 403-266-4611, hotelarts.ca)
There are two distinct and equally appealng smells that are unmistakable at the Hyatt Regency Calgary: those from the Stillwater Spa, the city’s only full-service hotel spa, and those from Catch Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar, this year’s Restaurant of the Year in Avenue’s Best Restaurants issue in March.
The spa offers a plethora of spa treatments and salon services, from express manicures and pedicures lasting 30 minutes, to three-hour packages like the Calgary Cleanse — a detox wrap, massage and facial, all designed to cleanse the body and clear the mind. The spa also has two couple’s treatment rooms, so gentlemen are welcome, too.
After an afternoon of spa-ing, tuck into a booth at Catch’s casual Oyster Bar and treat yourself to fresh oysters, or head to the more-formal upstairs dining room for beautifully fresh and refined seafood dishes (catchrestaurant.ca).
Take in some art and culture at Art Central (artcentral.ca), kitty-corner from the Hyatt’s main entrance, where you can stroll through a collection of independent shops and galleries, and don’t miss Fashion Central (fashioncentral.ca), a short walk west on Stephen Avenue, where you can shop the wares of local designers.
Get your Stampede on early by dining at the Palomino on such favourites as beef brisket, smoked pulled pork, creamed corn and baked beans. There’s live music, the courtyard patio is an unexpected delight and the Saturday brunch is well worth a look (thepalomino.ca).
Or, for an old-school elegant experience, check out Sociale Bar & Grille (socialecalgary.com) in the beautifully restored Lougheed Building a couple blocks away, where you can wine, dine and dance like they did 100 years ago. (700 Centre St. SE, 403-717-1234, calgary.hyatt.com)
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