Text 28066, 89 rader
Skriven 2009-08-30 23:15:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: Michael's Visit 1
=========================
I picked up Michael at the airport Wednesday night. I noted in
passing that Pierre had taken over the airport restaurant and added
it to his growing empire after the previous contractor there got
busted for dealing crack cocaine on the premises.

On the way home we stopped at a neighbourhood pub for a quick one,
which had Alex Keith's (an old Nova Scotia brand, now under control
of the Labbatt's arm of Inbev) on tap. But it was their new light
ale and not the famous pale ale and so it was quite disappointing. I
should have listened more carefully to what the bartender was saying
before we ordered.

Michael came with gifts. The most remarkable one was a duty free
26er of Old Weller (no relation) 7 year old 107 proof bourbon. And a
very fine bourbon it is, smoother and more mellow than many younger
cheaper 80 proof whiskies. Very easy on the palette taken neat. As
well, to round out his duty free allowance a mickey of tequila which
didn't get opened until after he left.

En route he also generously picked up three bottles of wine at full
retail in Calgary: one of Pillar Box Red (an Australian Cabernet-
Shiraz-Merlot blend with lots of red and black fruit, a little oak
and tannin, with an ever so slight sweet note... lovely stuff) and
two of the Peter Lehmann Clancy's, another good Cabernet-Shiraz-
Merlot blend, with the Shiraz aspect coming on strongly, drier with
more acid and tannins.

Plus he played courier with Dave's (thanks Dave) two excellent
cigars (which are waiting for the right moment to be enjoyed) and
the infamous smoked bacon salt. I had a taste and Roslind had just a
sniff. Yep, nasty ash tray smell and taste. Since I am apparently
supposed to either consume it or pass it along to a new home it is
now sitting by the front door awaiting Tommy's next visit. It might
help his turrs! (Dave, I will try to track its continuing journey
and ultimate fate for you.)
        
Ah yes, there was also a large canister of Brown & Haley Cashew
Roca for Neekha, who appreciated the gift very much but promised
nicely to share with Alex and Charlee.

Aura will be pissed when she reads this but the Northern Lights
appeared for first time this fall upon his arrival even though the
sky at midnight is just dark blue not black yet. He also got to
enjoy unseasonably warm weather, as high as 26 C, just one degree
off the record for late August.

Michael wanted to try new tastes without necessarily going high end
so we passed on Pierre's elegant L'Heritage French place (after a
reviewing a menu I had at home) and the five other good restaurants
in town in favour of such places as KFC which he hit for a late
breakfast Thursday morning. Why? Because the YK KFC is the only one
in North America that serves burgers (Harland Sanders himself OKed
the deal way back when, with the first owner on a handshake deal at
the outset.) So Michael had a very ordinary and greasy little double
burger in an interesting venue while I drank coffee and worked
briefly next door at my office.

He passed on my suggestions of going to A&W, having gotten his root
beer fix at another one in the Calgary airport the night before, and
Tim Horton's, having had their doughnuts at some point in the past.
             
For lunch we hit the historic old Wild Cat Cafe, a small log
building with low ceilings and sloping floors which was built in
1936, the year gold was discovered here and the population jumped
from 10 to 500+ overnight. It is open summers only and Pierre had
won the tender to operate it this year so Michael did get to eat at
one of (lesser) places. Lunch was beers and a muskox French dip with
home fries which we split as it was an incredible $19. Now that is
understandable as Muskox is harvested in very remote areas in the
high arctic and the hunter's quota is small as it was until recently
(1980) an endangered species but the fairly ordinary (farmed not
wild) bison burgers were a stupid $17 up from $12 the year before
and $8 the year before that.

Later we toured the city and dropped in on Kim's Asian store
where we bought a lychee and coconut water soda (I didn't notice the
country of origin) and a bundle of garlic chives for home cooking
later on. There was no durian that day (or any other fresh fruit for
that matter as the cooler was out of order). We spotted but didn't
bother purchasing both duck balut and Halal goat neat.

Cheers

YK Jim


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