CitySearch Picks
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Shokunin
2016 – 4 St SW, Calgary, AB / (403) 229-3444 shokuninyyc.ca - VOTED ONE OF CANADA’S TOP 50 RESTAURANTS – Shokinun was born of the idea to provide exceptional food and cocktails in a room that is all inclusive. Crafted cocktails give way to charred yakitori and small plates shared among friends with a bottle of sake. Seasonal and local ingredients are combined with traditional Japanese techniques and flavor profiles to create a truly contemporary dining experience. Chef Darren MacLean is passionate about food culture, sustainability and building community. His attention to detail and superior craftsmanship is what makes him a top chef in Canada. MacLean’s Japanese style brasserie, Shokunin is listed as one of Canada’s top 50 restaurants, now two years in a row, and has gained international acclaim as a culinary staple within the country. Maclean seeks to bridge culture through traditional and modern technique achieving this through the curation and delivery of local produce to the plate. A strong player in the global food scene and featured in Netflix’s The Final Table, Chef Darren Maclean continues to showcase Canada to its global audience.
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Paula Lishman – The Original Knit Fur
Timeless, Elegant and Sustainable - Paula Lishman garments are fabricated and handmade in Canada by experienced artisans using Paula’s exclusive methods to create fur yarn and turn it into designs of the highest quality. Paula is a Canadian fashion icon and her collections include blankets, shawls, jackets and coats. The Paula Lishman look combines elegance and flair with functionality for our Canadian winters. Her designs are sold around the world. To learn more and understand how Paula believes in harmony with the land and where to purchase her designs, please visit: www.paulalishman.com
Left to Right: Tia Hamielec, Lisa Hamielec, Alex Hripko, Nancy Calvin
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Mercato Restaurant and Market
2224 – 4 St SW, Calgary, AB / (403) 263-5535 www.mercatogourmet.com - The sit-down experience at Mercato is unlike any other sit-down experience you may or may not have had. And that goes whether you’re at the surrounding Italian style counter, or your own personal table. Everything you order here is made fresh, using ingredients from its market. The open kitchen atmosphere is loud and vibrant. Thing is, when you dine at Mercato, interaction with its chefs and other customers is as common as the bread and oil you’ll find at your table.
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Sal de Ibiza
Contains over 80 essential minerals and trace elements / (587) 353-3599 www.saldeibiza.com -
SAL de IBIZA is a line of superb table salt products, all made of 100% sea-salt of the
highest possible quality. SAL de IBIZA is harvested exclusively in the nature reserve “Parc
natural de ses Salines d’Eivissa”. It contains no additives or preservatives, nor does it
undergo any form of refinement other than slow drying under the sun and gentle grinding in
ancient stone mills, enabling SAL de IBIZA to retain its more than 80 vital minerals and
trace-elements. We simply add nothing nor take anything away because a pure and healthy
sea-salt requires nothing but sun, sea, and an ocean breeze! Truly Cristal de la Vida! This
salt, with many flavors and products containing Ibiza salts is available locally via Peasant
Cheese Shop located at: 1249 Kensington Rd NW, Calgary, AB (587)353-3599.
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Honey Candles
100% Pure Beeswax / (800) 558-7292 www.purebeeswaxcandles.com - Honey Candles is a family run business with a small staff of skilled employees. They make high quality candles using sustainable business practices and manufacturing techniques. They are handmade from 100% pure beeswax at their shop in the pristine mountains of British Columbia.
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Checkmate Artisanal Winery
www.checkmatewinery.com -
Behind closed doors, a daring initiative took place over the past four years. The goal: To make new world Chardonnay and Merlot with old world elegance in North America.
GREAT WINE STARTS IN THE VINEYARDS. Five different vineyard sites, five different locations, each an expression of their soil and mesoclimate. At CheckMate, everything is tended to by hand: all the canopy management, leaf-pulling and cluster-thinning is done manually to ensure precision and gentleness. AUSTRALIAN-BORN LAWYER TURNED INTELLECTUAL WINEMAKER, PHILIP MCGAHAN, left Williams Selyem in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma, to take up the challenge at CheckMate Artisanal Winery. At CheckMate, everything is tended to by hand: all the canopy management, leaf-pulling and cluster-thinning is done manually to ensure precision and gentleness.
Phil set out to make sophisticated Chardonnays and Merlots by meticulously focusing on family-owned and farmed estate vineyards, relentlessly studying and researching rows within them to define micro-blocks. These sites, natural yeasts and artisanal winemaking resulted in a collection of remarkable Chardonnays and outstanding Merlots. He let nature take its course, with no fining or filtration to allow for the full potential of flavour expression.
Checkmate wines are some of the best Canadian wines we have enjoyed. We have enjoyed several client events at Checkmate in their tasting room and wine making facility located in Oliver, BC. Winemaker, Philip McGahan and his wife Daina, have been exceptional hosts.
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THE PURPLE ORCHID
810A – 16 Ave SW, Calgary, AB / (403) 228-2140 -
A well-established Calgary florist located in the Mount Royal shopping district. The Purple Orchid has a reputation for creating exquisite floral arrangements.
“Nancy makes the most beautiful and outstanding creations for Citysearch and its clients.” – Lisa Hamielec, Client
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Reid’s – The Stationary Store
710 – 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB / (403) 299-4400 www.reidstationers.com - Reid’s is a family owned and operated business for over 25 years; when you do not know where to ‘find’ something, you typically can find it at Reids! They sell stationery and fine writing instruments, party supplies, giftware and more. The selection of pens is outstanding. Contact Carey to assist you to pick out the perfect pen for you for a special gift.
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Rubaiyat
722 – 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB / (403) 228-7192 www.rubaiyatcalgary.com - Rubaiyat is a destination for artful objects that illustrate refined craftsmanship at its best. Jewelry, art glass, home decor, indoor furnishings and outdoor teak furniture, large pots, garden statuary, pewter and apothecary products are available at this two-level store on 17th Avenue SW. They represent over 500 artists and designers, and many local, working in a variety of mediums. Rubaiyat has been serving Calgary clients since 1973 offering an exceptional selection of unique treasures for your home and for gifts for any event. We are very fortunate to have a destination such as Rubaiyat in our city.
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THE CEASAR...
clearly Canadian…crafted in Calgary -
The Caesar was invented in 1969 by restaurant manager, Walter Chell, of the Calgary Inn, today the Westin Hotel, in Calgary, AB. He created the cocktail after being tasked to create a signature drink for the new Italian restaurant located at the Calgary Inn. The Caesar is truly Canada’s cocktail traditionally made with vodka, clamato juice, grated horseradish, Worcestershire and hot sauce, and spices served with ice in a large, celery salt rimmed glass, typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime.
The mix for a Caesar has been classically reinvented under the brand ‘Walter Craft Caesar Mix’ and can be purchased at a number of retail outlets and online at www.waltercaesar.com.
Just add vodka!
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Tim horton’s - Always fresh
An Uber Canadian Success Story… -
Tim Hortons is a huge Canadian success story which is now a global phenomenon. Tim Hortons is a transnational quick service restaurant (QSR) well known for coffee and donuts, and now much more. It is also Canada’s largest restaurant chain; as of year 2017, there were more than 4600 restaurants in fourteen countries.
The company was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario by Canadian NHL hockey player, Tim Horton, Jim Charade and Ron Joyce who assumed control post 1974. Ron Joyce expanded the restaurant chain from just a few locations into a multimillion dollar hugely successful franchise operation. More recently, the company was acquired by Restaurants Brands International (RBI) majority owned by Brazilian investment firm, 3G Capital.
Ron has shared many stories about his career and how it grew exponentially to being uber successful. Lisa learned first-hand over many lengthy conversations about the restaurant chain, how it developed and grew with Ron Joyce’s ambitious drive to serve the customer and carefully hand select capable franchisees across Canada to embrace and grow the business. I listened in amazement to hear the stories about the days when Ron would be up all night baking from scratch… and then running to the cashier in-between to facilitate a sale and back to continuing the ‘bake’ … he did what needed to be done and had to wear every ‘hat’ back then. Ron always said ‘hire good people and look after your people’. Ron has supported Citysearch and we appreciate all he has done. Ron is a wonderful person and a great mentor and supporter of both ‘hard work’ and entrepreneurialism, and has supported the Hamielec family endeavors from counseling my sister many years ago to enter the Tim Hortons business as a multi-store franchisee, to attending family and many university events including when I was awarded an engineering accolade with McMaster University.
Thank you Ron.
Ron Joyce passed away February 01, 2019. He was 88. His family said in a statement he died peacefully in his home in Burlington, Ont., on Thursday with family at his side.
"My father had a big vision and a big heart," his son Steven Joyce said in the statement. "Through hard work, determination and drive, he built one of the most successful restaurant chains in Canada.
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FOO Asian Street Food
2015 – 4 St SW www.foofood.ca -
Drawing on influences from throughout Asia, FOO is a tribute to the Asian street food culture. FOO combines a “hawker stall” feel with a modern, edgy and laid-back atmosphere.
FOO came together as the combined vision of owners Sterling Grice and Patrick Lynch. Both Lynch and Grice spent time living and working in Asia. Throughout their travels they gained firsthand knowledge of the Asian food experience. It was the street stall food culture that left the most profound impression on them. A long-time friend of Grice, Mark Carrillo also worked and traveled extensively throughout Asia. Carrillo’s love of Asian street food – combined with a passion for fresh quality ingredients – created the perfect opportunity to bring FOO to Calgary diners.
“The butter chicken is absolutely delicious… and so are the soups. Fast, convenient and absolutely delicious.” – Eugene Pausescu
