Boxwood Cafe

Sparkling Rosé

Maybe it was the warm September afternoon. Maybe it was the pastoral, park setting with hipsters and children running through the manicured lawn. It could have been the sound of the fountain, or the bubbles in my Punto Rosa sparkling rosé. All of these things married together to create the perfect environment from which to enjoy all of the sustainable, fresh offerings at the Boxwood Cafe. 

Husband and I were fresh from a long walk in Fish Creek park on Saturday afternoon. It was, quite literally, the most beautiful autumn day. Yellow leaves were falling through the warm breeze when Husband inevitably asked, "Where should we eat?" Hmmm. As many of you know, this is a really, really difficult question for me to answer. I am often torn between places that I have been, and know that I love and trying something new. I have to take proximity into account, and location, and what I am wearing at the time. I thought about it all the way up Macleod Trail, and finally came up with my choice. "How about Boxwood?" Husband reluctantly agreed (as previously noted, he would rather eat a sandwich) and off we went in search of this tiny concept perched on the corner of Central Memorial park. 

Canadian Cheese with Honey Comb

We decided on an early dinner, but they do not serve plates until 5:00pm, only snacks. So we opted for drinks and appies while people watching in the park. Our appetizer was a delectable collection of cheeses, a bleu from Blossom (a Salt Spring Island cow, of course!), ash ripened brie and oka. These were served with what tasted like lemon cured olives and honey comb. I have never eaten honey comb before, but, it spread like sweet butter across my salt & pepper crostini, and was heavenly with each of the cheeses. We also ordered House Made Bread with House Churned Butter. There might be nothing on earth more satisfying than fresh bread. My sandwich starved husband agrees. 

Our entrées were very simple and elegant. Steelhead trout and roast chicken with clean, flavourful accompaniments. The sides were served a la carte, and we chose the new potatoes made crisp with butter and flavoured brightly with lovage. We ended our meal with a seasonal berry crisp and french pressed coffee by Phil & Sebastian. All were uncomplicated and classic. You could maybe even make this food at home, if you wanted. Sadly, we don't live in an urban oasis, so the food seemed to be made better by the sweet smells of falling Autumn leaves. 

The setting combined with the thoughtful, locally-sourced, simple food truly creates an atmosphere of community. Their website says that they "serve local, seasonal and sustainable food and want to connect more people, more often to real wholesome and delicious lunch, snack and supper." I say, well done Boxwood Cafe, well done. 

Burgerthon Restaurant Numero Siete: Alley Burger

Ok Burgerthoners. This is the big one. The elusive, wildly popular, ALLEY BURGER. For those of you that know me well, or even if you have just been following me on Twitter, Alley Burger has been tops on my must-try burger list for ages. The buzz around town drove me bonkers with all of those tweets and updates about the fabulousness of this sandwich. I lamented not being able to connect my schedule with the Alley Burger's. 

The Alley Burger Food Truck 

If you don't know, the Alley Burger is an off-shoot of a late night craze started by one of Calgary's best restaurants, Charcut. They lauded fresh, simple ingredients compiled in a burger that they handed out for $5 at their back door, in the alley. They advertised the day and time on their social media pages, and once they were gone, too bad for you. Then the crowds grew to overwhelming proportions, and folks would wait for hours to get one of these burgers. 


In response to their followers, and to get on board with another foodie trend, Charcut launched a food truck in Calgary, bearing their signature handle. Now Alley Burger is available several days a week, in various locations across the city. And last week, I was able to get my mitts on one!

The Alley Burger??

Maybe it was the excitement of it all. Maybe it was the countless tweets, reviews, blog entries, and dreams that I had, building this up to be the greatest burger experience of my lifetime...and sadly, maybe inevitably, the burger was lousy. They only serve two burgers from the truck, the Alley and the Whole Truck. Mine was a dry, flavourless, seemingly machine-formed sausage patty, on a pre-purchased bun, with one or two cheese curds and sauce. I was expecting a signature, Charcut worthy Alley Burger of freshly ground, Spragg's Pork, on a house made bun, bountiful with cheese curd. Additionally, and much to my chagrin, the poutine was mediocre at best, with very little flavour, or gravy. The remainder of my group had the Whole Truck Burger (an all beef burger with your choice of toppings) and they said it was just ok. Woe are we. 

Poutine

After our lunch encounter, I promptly tweeted my disappointment. Our friends at Alley Burger were quick with a message for me to provide feedback to let them know what I thought, and how they could improve. Grateful for the opportunity, I wrote them back. 


I am hopeful for a day that I can go back for a rich, juicy, well-made Alley Burger. Unfortunately, that burger eludes me still. 


For an optimistic future, I give the Alley Burger 1 out of 5.