Who doesn’t love some delicious finger food? From amazing wings at a pub to liver parfait with crostini and oysters, here are what some of Calgary’s food lovers opt for when they’re out for a bite to eat sans-cutlery.
Alloy Lobster Tempura
“I think everything at Alloy is meant to be eaten with cutlery, but tempura is a dipping thing, so to me that involves fingers!” -Janet Henderson, City Palate magazine, @foodoirs
Briggs Kitchen and Bar Potato Tic Tacs
“Finger food? You are speaking my language; tapas is my jam. My fave craving right now are the potato tic tacs from Briggs. As a vegetarian, it is sometimes difficult to find finger foods that aren’t all about the meat. But deep fried fluffy potato and cheese? It’s all you need in life.” -Alyssa Berry, PR manager, Tourism Calgary, @aly_b_yyc
The Calgary Farmers’ Market Wild Fire Wings
“They serve up Sunworks Farm certified organic chicken wings, in a ton of great flavours. My personal fave is parmesan and garlic. The best part is if you buy three pounds you get a fourth pound for free, which is great when you’re eating for two.” – Amanda Langbroek, director of marketing, Calgary Farmers’ Market, @amandalangbroek
Cucina Chicken Liver Parfait
“Does a pt count? Because I absolutely adore the chicken liver parfait at Cucina. Why? It’s creamy, decadent and full of flavour. And the portion size is extremely generous. I always have to order extra crostinis on the side. Plus, it also pairs perfectly with a nice red wine.” -Bonnie Huang, food blogger, Scrumptiously Fit Food, @scrumpfitfood
Meta4Foods Fresh Oysters
I’m going to say that my fave is any oyster that is sold by Meta4Foods and shucked by Anthony Wing … I’m not much of a bar eater kinda guy, but I do make a special trip for those oysters. Anthony was one of our shuckers way back at Catch, as was Eric [“the oysterman” Giesbrecht] actually, and they just know their stuff.” -Michael Noble, chef/owner, Notable and The Nash restaurants, @chefmnoble
MugShotz Salt and Pepper Wings
“The name understates the beauty of these wings, which are nicely seasoned with the requisite salt and pepper but other spices, including chili flakes and then all topped with sauted red and green peppers and onions, taking an otherwise standard wing flavour to new heights.” -Gwendolyn Richards, food writer/author, @gwendolynmr
NTNL Bowl Queso
The queso (warm cheese fondue) here is as savoury and gooey as you’ll find in Texas and the guacamole has that perfect ratio of lime to cilantro. I’m also a fan of the tacos – they’re not too overloaded that the filling falls out, but packed just right so you can nosh on one hand and swig back a tequila-based cocktail in the other.” –Jody Robbins, travel writer/blogger, @jody_robbins
Pig and Duke Pig Knuckles
I love these things. Fall-off-the-bone, short and stout pork ribs in a sweet, smokey house barbecue sauce with some chipotle aioli on the plate to get extra saucy in. If I’m using my fingers to eat, it may as well be messy, right?” -Dan Clapson, Avenue food writer, @dansgoodside
Teatro New Bar Menu
“Shameless plug! We have a new bar menu at Teatro, which has grilled chorizo and gherkins, as well as some prosciutto wrapped asparagus with lemon aioli that I’m addicted to right now. Of course, I will always love Anju’s wings and fried tofu, but I’ll have to wait until it opens in May for those dishes. -John Michael MacNeil, executive chef, Teatro,@zeolobsterboy
Una Pizza Roasted Cauliflower
“It’s a great balance of salty and sweet. Delish and perfect with a beer too. Weird, right? Not technically a finger food, but it is when I eat it.” Paul McGreevy, corporate chef, Craft Beer Market, @chefmcgreevy