Kulinary Kids

We had a blast at Kulinary Kids!! Everyone was relaxed and having fun and enjoying the experience. For all the food and the educational aspects I thought $30 plus tip was very reasonable. Of course eating earlier would have been preferable but the wine helped with the hunger pains.

Chef Stephanie planned a menu of beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and yams, sauteed zucchini and roasted carrots and parsnips served with a blueberry reduction sauce. Dessert was a no bake pumpkin pie (baked crust). The food was simple yet tasted divine...I do admit I had a second helping of potatoes and I would have taken home all the leftover spuds if it would not have made me look greedy. Although we did not leave with recipes in hand I believe they are to be forwarded to us soon.

Chef Stephanie is a big fan of sushi, Vietnamese and Indian food. Her favourite restaurants in Calgary and area are Inn on the Lake Bonavista, the Banff Springs Sunday Brunch, Sushi Kinjo, Glory of India and the Oriental Phoenix.

A big thank you to owner and former teacher Kim and Chef Stephanie for the great evening and all their hard work.

Escoba

Escoba was excellent. I had the Linguini Fresca pasta along with Debbie and Joc (sans mushrooms). A nice fresh vegetarian pasta with a hint of heat that filled me up and left no room for dessert. Glad I came early for the wine tasting as I enjoyed the Ruffino Chianti (sangiovese) provided by Darren the sommelier (not sure if was actually a sommelier but he gave a nice run down on the wine and the region where grown). The service was good and our waitress was spunky and had a great personality.

The hand painted artwork was a nice touch, as were the antique architectural pieces hanging on the walls.

Allison was prepared bringing her over large calculator...but did it get used? Nope, not necessary, as the restaurant divided the bills up individually. My meal was very economical coming in at around $22.00 including 18% gratuity. Wine was free as we had a pre-arranged wine tasting before dinner. I would definitely come again and try more of the appies. I noticed the menu was not extensive (its all about the wine) and there were not a lot of dairy-free options. Even the pasta I choose, which I thought would be dairy-free as per the description, came topped with parmesan. I wish the server would have come around asking if you wanted parmesan on top and then freshly grate it for you, like they came around with the pepper, so I could have avoided the cheese.