Three Pizzas in Three Days

To say that we relied heavily on our GPS during the trip to Spokane would be an understatement, but despite my geographical ignorance, I had fully researched different restaurants to sample while we were there. The debate on "Best Pizza" seemed to center around Bennidito's or David's, so both places were definitely on the itinerary. But how did that plan become three pizzas? Well, as we were passing through Coeur d'Alene Idaho we were surprised to spot a MacKenzie River Pizza company, and within the distance of one block, made the decision to go back.

According to the writing on my glass, this is the only MRPC located outside of Montana but we were pleased to find that it was just as tasty as those found in the home state. We ordered a half and half Good Ol' Boy (Pepperoni for the kids) and Hot Hawaiian (Sweet & smoky BBQ sauce, roasted chicken, bacon, pineapple & jalapeño peppers for us). Our server was first rate, she gushed over Deacon, had cups with lids for the children to prevent spills, and then gave them free ice cream for desert. In a show of appreciation, Heather and I also ordered a slice of cheesecake.





The next night we tried Bennidito's where we ordered their Meat Primo (mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, salami, italian sausage, prosciutto ham, panchetta bacon, meatballs & canadian bacon). This pizza justified the trip down. Simply amazing. The meal was even more special due to the fact that we ate it on the patio in the warm sun. The trip to Bennidito's also took us to the South part of town and I don't think I have ever seen such beautiful streets or such stately homes as those found in the neighborhood surrounding Manito Park.







At supper time on the third day we found ourselves in the parking lot of David's Pizza, debating whether or not we really wanted to have pizza again. My vote was for the dinghy looking Vietnamese place across the street but we finally decided to try David's just so we would know for ourselves which was better. The restaurant had kind of a pub-feel to it and I'm sure it is a regular haunt of Gonzaga students. The Garlic Chicken and Mushroom pizza we had was a New York Style thin crust that was purportedly hand tossed (although we couldn't see it made from where we sat in our giant booth behind a basketball-court-hardwood table). The pizza was very good and if it had been our first stop instead of our third I may have been more excited about it, but on the other hand, it was a little pricey compared to what we had received at Bennidito's and our server tried to short me $5 when I got change for the table-top Pac-Man machine.





The arcade game was a nice touch by the way - it brought back fond memories of a similar machine that used to be at the used-to-be-Tops restaurant in Claresholm where I would sit and watch dad get the kind of play/$ mileage from of one quarter that would blow the mind of any modern arcade gamer. David's also has a "Pizza Response Team" emergency vehicle that would be the envy of any small town fire department, and which is reportedly capable of catering for up to 3000 people. If I was throwing a party, or was a college kid (with more pizza-money than the average college kid), I would pick David's. Otherwise, Bennedito's was our family favorite.



On the fourth day we actually made it back to that dinghy Vietnamese place (I never did catch the name). Despite the appearance, it turned out to be pure gold. The "Bun" vermicelli was the best that we have had - handily beating our local standby. We also ordered some Western-Chinese sweet-and-sour breaded chicken and almond breaded chicken (covered in plain old gravy if you can believe it) with sides of chow mien and fried rice. It was a feast and we still had enough leftover to fill a takeout container. We had a good laugh reading each member's Chinese Zodiac from our place mats (Dad and Ella - Snake, Mom - Horse, Mason - Sheep, Tyson - Rooster, and Deacon - Ox).





But the best part about the unnamed Vietnamese restaurant...?






... It wasn't pizza!!


- C

The Land of Apples and Tigers

This past week we were able to take a family trip to Spokane. Chad was asked to go to a conference down there for work. It's not a place we had ever thought about going to. It was so unexpected and last minute and the kids wound up missing almost a week of school, but I'm so glad we decided to all go. It turned out to be a blast. It was one of the prettiest places I've been. The drive was mostly through the mountains in BC and then through a really pretty area of Idaho. We were in Salt Lake a couple years ago and the drive through Idaho to get there is nothing spectacular, in my opinion. Just some weird brush in the ditches. Here there were beautiful golden fields with huge trees lining the road. Huge lakes with cool bridges and Spokane was even better. We stayed downtown at the Red Lion Hotel. It was probably the most amazing hotel we've ever stayed in and the kids were so sad to leave it. They had two swimming pools. An outdoor one and an indoor one.



It just seemed so amazing that we were actually able to still use the outdoor one at this time of year. I guess we had nice weather here while we were gone, but that usually is not the case. Anyways, all we had to do was walk out the back of the hotel and cross a bridge and we were at this huge park with walking trails leading to various spots in the downtown--shopping, a huge wagon made into a slide, a 100-year-old carousel and a gondola ride. The gondola ride was a bit disappointing, but the kids loved the wagon and the carousel. There was also a fountain that they played in a couple times.







We decided to stay an extra night and that was awesome as it allowed us the time to find some of the orchards down there that allow you to come and pick your own fruit. We wound up going to only one, but I loved it. The kids went through a little corn maze there, then we shopped at a little store that had some really fun stuff and then we picked some apples.



We didn't get too many as we weren't sure what we could bring back over the border, but it turned out that they didn't ask, so I guess we should have found some peaches and other stuff. Oh well, we'll sure enjoy these delicious apples. The kids have decided they will not eat any other apple! I think it would be so awesome to live there and have some of this beautiful land. I don't know that I would want all the work that comes with such a huge orchard, but I figure if we had a couple apple, peach, pear and cherry trees we could eat all we wanted fresh and then put away enough to enjoy all winter too! Oh, of course we would need some raspberries and strawberries, but seriously we'd be all set.

On our way back from the orchard we found this zoo called Cat Tales. It wasn't very big, but it was very neat. They had a couple bears and cougars, a lion and a baby lynx and tigers. We seriously were so close. It was so cool. Ella even fed a tiger. That was definitely a highlight!





It was such a fun trip and I'm so glad we were given the opportunity to go! There will be a future post reviewing all the delicious pizza we ate there. Maybe I will make Chad do that though.



- H

Mace's Snakes

Ever since we visited KJAMBD, our kids (and one of us parents) have really wanted to get a pet lizard or snake. I had been speaking to a couple people on kijiji about buying their corn snakes and back on the 9'sth we tried to find a bearded dragon at the pet store. Heather and I ended up resolving to just stc (stay the course), and that was the plan, at least until this past Friday.

I had just walked the kids home from school. After checking the mail box with Ella, we returned to our side of the road and found Mason standing almost in a trance, staring down at the neighbors' lawn. He told us that he had seen a snake sitting right there only a moment ago. I was pretty skeptical until I heard a rustling in the bush. I had began combing through the leaves with my fingers when Ella suddenly exclaimed, "I see it". Sure enough, a little garter snake had popped out onto the grass on the other side. I managed to catch it and learned in the processes that sometimes scared snakes spray. It was a stinky musky smell and it reminded me that I had never caught a snake before. We named him Haku after a character that takes the form of a serpentine wingless dragon in Miazaki's excellent movie, Spirited Away.



This evening I got home from a training conference and Mason met me at the door with a lunch box and a challenge to guess its contents in under three tries. I got "another snake" on the first guess and Mason introduced me to... Floppy (that's what happens when I'm not around to help out with name suggestions).

Here is Mason with his second, larger snake just before releasing it:



I was so proud to hear how he'd caught it all by himself. I mean, he is only six years old and already he catches snakes, wears a Masters of G wristwatch, and has beat Super Mario Brothers on his own. So much ahead of where I was at his age...



- C

The 9's

To celebrate 09/09/09 this year, we first took the kids to a pet store in Calgary. To them it was almost like a trip to the zoo. They fell in love with a bunch of different animals but we still managed to leave empty handed. Next we went for dinner at The Olive Grove, one of our favorite pizza restaurants. We had the usual - #19 - and to make the day even more special, we gave the kids pop and a promise that I wouldn't get upset at them for anything... a certain amnesty that I reserve for vacations and celebrations.



After dinner we surprised them each with a wrapped present (DS games - thanks Lorin). Our waitress came over after the unwrapping and tried to guess what the occasion was. She just looked at me funny when I explained it.



Then we went to play at the park. The weather was perfect and I remembered to take a couple pictures of Deacon. He has changed a lot but I haven't really kept up with those changes in our posts.



We weren't prepared with streamers like we were for the 8's, but when we went home we still played together and had a lot of fun. The really big one will be December 12, 2012. That will be the last time that the year/month/day have the same number for a thousand years. By the time our family celebrates 3001/01/01 together, I don't even know if we will be using the same (or any) calender, so... the 12's will be kind of a big deal.



- C

What I Did Over Summer Vacation - by CHEMTD

I am going to summarize an entire Summer's worth of activities using fewer words than I have used to describe a hamburger and french fries. (The truth is, it is not as much fun to post catch-up blogs. And Heather just made me a Hula-Joe Sandwich and I don't want it to get cold).

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We took our annual The Guys Family Camping Trip. This year it was in Wasa and we played at the lake and spent a day at Ft. Steele.



Of all the photos I took, this is the one I want to share because I am pretty sure it is some sort of plant or animal from another planet. Unfortunately, I lost it.



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We went to Heritage Park a couple times and managed to be there for the pancake breakfast on Canada Day.

Man, Oscar is cute.



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We went to Calaway Park. We split into an older kids group and a younger kids group. The park closed much too early though.



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We went to the zoo. Everyone thought the stingray exhibit was cool but the kids seemed most captivated by the sight of a giant condor feeding on a rabbit.





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We went to Drumheller where we found a couple geocaches, went through the museum and played at the park at Royal Tyrrell, then went to the spraypark.



Here is a photo of Mason wearing his G-Shock Mudman (Mason has excellent taste).



After the spraypark we walked across the super scarey suspension bridge. On returning to Calgary we had Vietnamese with Tan and John.



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We also made a trip down to Stirling, sorry no photos but we had a lot of fun! We got to see our our family there and play on the new water slide at the pool. One day we all went in to Lethbridge and watched UP at the Movie Mill and had a pizza picnic at Henderson Lake.

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The rest of the summer was spent doing things close to home. One day we told the kids we were going on vacation and drove them into Calgary to eat out and then watch Night at the Museum 2. After the movie they each got to pick out one toy at the toy store and then we went back home for an ice cream party.

Well, I think we are just about up to date.


- C

Restaurant Review: Rocky's Burger Bus

The truth is, I have been driving past this "restaurant" for years. It is located at 120 46th Ave. SE, Calgary, directly East of Blackfoot Motorsports. If you ever went for a walk to kill time while the motorcycle shop speed-charged a new battery for your 1975 Honda that had died and left you stranded (and your wife didn't want to drive in and get you), chances are, you'd walk right into this place.

Despite knowing it was there, I never felt the urge to eat there; I guess I didn't think that a hamburger served out of a decommissioned 1960's Transit Bus would be that good. At least that was until I read a sagely comment from restaurant reviewer Micheal Stern who wrote, "As a general rule, restaurants housed in broken-down buses are superb." This insight led to what I believe is known as a paradigm shift.

One rainy afternoon our family found ourselves in Calgary with rumbly tummies. This usually leads to a long debate over whether we should use the opportunity to try a new restaurant or visit one of our old favorites. The debate itself makes us even more hungry and on one occasion was interrupted by Mason calling out, "I'm dying" (either he really believed it or he just knew it would get our attention). On this particular day, Rocky's won out due to its fortunate proximity to a store full of motorcycles - and I am very glad I did.

I stepped up to the window behind where the driver would sit and ordered two combos with fries and pop and an extra order of fries (we never even touched the extra fries). I also ordered a side gravy because I had read that the gravy they made from the beef drippings was the best you could buy. Then when my number was called I collected my order from a window further back near where the cool kids would have sat.

The fries were steak cut and freshly made. They were cooked perfectly and would have been quite delicious on their own but of course we had to dip them in the gravy that was every bit as good as the hype. There were enough fries between our $8 combos to feed the whole family.




My photo of the burger doesn't convey just how big it is. I would say probably a 1/3 of a lb. They are hand formed and are cooked to perfection, a little bit crunchy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. We have a longstanding tradition in our family where I will eat my hamburger and then finish the leftover portion of Heather's. I believe that traditions are very important, and every effort should be made to continue them - but this time, I almost couldn't do it.




As far as burgers go, this place is at the top of my list. It might not be as good as the one I had at Ruby's Diner when we were at Newport Beach last year - but on the other hand, the Ruby's was dolled up more and had the cool ambiance of being at the end of a pier. It's tough to judge if it was the burger or the romance. I feel like I should also mention Fatburger in Heritage Meadows - a very good hamburger for a 'chain restaurant'; however, also a bit pricey.

Peter's Drive In on 16th may be one of the best known burger joints in Calgary, and I have fond memories of the many times I've been there: late nights after youth dances at the 17th Ave chapel (Peter used to keep it open for the Mormon kids), or picnics at the benches as a family. I may go back to Peter's sometime - but it would only be for sentimental reasons, definitely not for their pressed, processed patties or soggy fries. Even shakes - a Fatburger shake will kill a Peter's milkshake (they are more expensive but come topped with whip cream; the Chocolate tastes like it may contain a powerfully addictive drug, and the Strawberry is made with real strawberries).

The only reason I mention these other restaurants is so that you'll know where I'm coming from when I say, the next time we find ourselves in Calgary with tummies rumbling for hamburgers - Rocky's forestalls the need for any further debate.





- C