Bar Tartine lowers the bar

Bubbly to start

On my last visit, I had dined at Tartine Bakery for lunch and had eaten a moolicious grilled cheese sandwich with grilled sourdough bread and a beautiful melange of melted cheese. Their lemon cream pie was tart, without being too tart, topped with an ample amour of whip cream and surrounded by a crispy pastry shell. On this visit, I opted to try their sit down restaurant, Bar Tartine, located just around the corner from Tartine Bakery. 

Elephant and Castle Gift Card Giveaway!

Elephant and Castle Pub and Restaurant has been a fixture on Whyte Ave in Edmonton for as long as my humans can remember. Their menu combines classic British pub fare with North American dishes. In order to keep up with the changing and burgeoning restaurant landscape, they’ve launched a summer menu filled with lighter options, perfect for patio dining on a hot night! The dishes include mussels steamed in a beer cream sauce, a spicy tempura shrimp, a shawarma style grilled chicken breast wrapped in garlic naan bread, as well as a honey dijon salad.

Drink Up at Edmonton Craft Beer Festival

Moo sized beer mug

I have drunk so little beer in my life that the opportunity to try a variety of different beers in a single venue without having to commit to a whole pint was an opportunity too good to pass up! Having received media passes for the Edmonton Craft Beer Festival, I knew that going to a festival like this would help me to discover more beers that I liked or didn’t like, as there would more to sample from than I could likely handle.

Since I’m not much of a beer connoisseur, I won’t even attempt to review the beers I tried. I didn’t try very many by the way as I’m a light weight, and I’ve found in the past that too much beer equals a very painful head full of stuffing the next morning. I’ll just tell summarize what I liked about the Edmonton Craft Beer Festival and what I think could be improved upon to make it a better festival.

Breathtaking and Tranquil at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Lake Beauvert on a clear day

I had never been to Jasper before and had been wanting to go for years. So since we didn’t have any vacations planned for this year, the humans and I decided to indulge by staying at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for a luxurious mountain escape. Located a short drive from the town of Jasper, located along Beauvert Lake, the resort is isolated and serene. Although tucked away, the property itself is expansive at over 700 acres! Their onsite amenities and activities are numerous, including a golf course, riding stables, outdoor heated pool, jacuzzi hot tub, a spa, on site stores, restaurants, fitness center, yoga classes, bicycle, canoe and paddle boat rentals to name a few!