| Good fast food in America's Most Wanted building
The mixed-use apartment building at 333 - 17th Avenue S.W. is notorious in Calgary for at one time housing a criminal who was caught by virtue of the television program America's Most Wanted – ever since, it's been known as the America's Most Wanted building.
But located on the main floor are a couple of hidden restaurant gems that you'd miss if you blinked while driving by. The food in these places is good value, plentiful and well prepared. The restaurants also capture what's best about the Calgary food scene – you can find a Caribbean diner right next to a Vietnamese sub shop and bubble tea place. I love this town.
PHAT CAFÉ
Aren't Vietnamese subs the greatest? Barbecue pork, carrots, cilantro, celery and hot sauce on a crisp Vienna roll – and they're invariably cheap. While Phat's subs are not as inexpensive as elsewhere in town (approximately $5 per sub), they're excellent. The barbecue pork was perfectly roasted and juicy, the shredded carrots and cilantro were crisp, and they use lots of hot Maggi seasoning. The rolls were also fresh and toasty. I'd recommend abandoning Subway in favour of a Vietnamese sub shop.
We also had a spicy tuna salad ($5.50), which wasn't really spicy but was large and fresh. The tomatoes were tasty and the tuna had lots of mayonnaise. The owners also get their egg tarts from a family bakery in Chinatown, so you're guaranteed high quality. And, wonder of wonders, they have Cherry Pepsi (which my wife loves and I can't stand), all types of bubble tea, decent coffee and a smoke-free lunch hour. I think this place will do just fine. The café is open every night until 9 p.m. and Saturday until 2:30 a.m.
WHAT'S UP? RESTAURANT
It's always a good sign when the owner tells me that "I'm a food guy, not a bar guy" – and the food at the What's Up? Restaurant (phone 209-0977) reflects that focus. It's also voluminous – they serve the largest portions of hearty fare I've seen in a long time. My companion and I ordered dinner for three, and the owner commanded us not to order more than two main dishes because the portions were so big.
The jerk chicken was more of a stew, with chunks of tomato and tender, well-seasoned chicken that wasn't dried out, along with tons of black beans and rice. The roti, a blend of meat and vegetables in a thin corn-based wrap, had chick peas, chicken, potato and spices. Although the roti had some heat to it, we found that a blast of Matouk's hot sauce made it even better. The spicy cucumber salad was very simple, but an excellent foil for the heavy food. The corn bread was also good and slightly sweet.
What's Up? is not fine dining – it's traditional, rib-sticking, home-style cooking and it's a fantastic value – all the above food was $15. There's also oxtail on the menu, as well as rice pilau, and, if you call ahead, the owner will make ginger beer. |
