=== Food Review - Moose McGuire's (Calgary) - Sports Pub -- 8/10 ===

This was our first food stop of our adventure in Calgary on our honeymoon. It was a late night visit to a sports pub which wasn't too busy at the time... In fact that were maybe three other tables currently in use. Of course that isn't an indication of the quality of the place; late night on a Sunday right before the labour day football game... the heavy business was probably due for the following night.

The service upon entering was prompt as a result of the small number of other people around. So I definitely have no complaints about that because I love having prompt and efficient service! I assume most people would prefer quick and efficient service when visiting an eating establishment. Our server was very friendly and super helpful when it came to providing suggestions for Carley's drinks.

I ordered myself a tray of lemon pepper the buffalo wings. Some wings you order our absolutely drenched and sauce and soggy when you bite into them which can make you question whether or not they're actually finished cooking, but these ones were nice and crisp and crunchy between my teeth. The flavor it was absolutely fantastic with a nice lemon kick. In fact they were so good that I totally forgot about how awful buffalo wings are when you reheat them in a microwave. If you're looking for a good set of wings to eat, these are a good way to go.

I often like ordering a caesar salad to start my meals; this one was.... blah. It certainly wasn't awful and inedible, but I honestly thought I could get the same thing when ordering a takeout pizza from a pizza place. It was a good enough salad, but I wasn't terribly pleased with it considering what I was expecting. I could brush it off as it was only a sports pub, but I have experienced a higher quality of food at other sports pubs and brew houses.

For Carley, she ordered a double cheese & bacon burger with sweet potato fries. I didn't see any issues with her food and she definitely had no complaints about it (and she's pickier than I am when it comes to her food). This seemed like a great comfort food for the type of person who would like a good burger to eat during their stay.

For some reason I didn't take any pictures of her drinks and I really don't remember what it was she got, but the service for getting the drinks was pretty great. Our server was quite helpful for recommending drinks when Carley didn't know quite what it was she wanted and they were very accommodating right up to making a special drink just for her which wasn't on the menu.

Verdict

Lemon Pepper Wings: Great for eating in the restaurant; not great for leftovers. Nice and crunchy. 8/10

Caesar Salad: Nothing special which couldn't be ordered for delivery from a pizza place. 5/10 

Double Cheese & Bacon Burger: No complaints from the wife about her food. 8/10

Service: I was pleased with how much attention we got and super please with the server being able to give us recommendations and even getting the bartender to make some special drinks which weren't in the menu. 10/10

Overall, I would say our experience there was excellent! I'm giving Moose McGuire's 8/10; even though the caesar salad didn't excite me, the rest of the food was the good comfort food we were looking for and the service was stellar. After a long drive, we just wanted somewhere quiet to sit down and enjoy some nice food; This was exactly what we received during our visit.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

Back to Honeymoon Adventure

Some Of My Thoughts On Sports

     Okay, so I've been thinking recently about how I feel about hockey. Maybe this will blow your mind, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only Canadian who doesn't like hockey. Or well... I don't MIND it, but it's just not very interesting to me. I guess if I'm being honest, I don't really like many sports in general other than curling. So in reality, I'm sure I'm not the only person who doesn't like hockey... but why don't I like hockey?

     It's too slow for me. Many people would say otherwise, but I get bored of only seeing 2-3 points scored in a whole game. And yeah, sure, they skate back and forth across the ice from one side to the other, but then they sit there... passing the puck... over and over and over again. I realize they're looking for the right opportunity for someone to slip up and give that opening where they're able to shoot the puck through the throng of people and into the goal; it takes so long though. Unlike in basketball where there are points being scored all the time; tons and tons of points over and over again! Wow! Look at all those points! They scored again! And again! Wow! And... they scored... again... and again.... oh.... again.

     Okay, so I'm not a huge fan of basketball either. Yeah, it takes a lot of skill to be able to accurately and consistently shoot a ball into a basket, but come on... they score way too much! To me, this means there isn't a good enough way to play defense in this game. You're not really allowed to touch anybody, and there isn't really anything stopping you from doing a layup into the basket over and over except when you miss; I just don't really get it. And once again, this is a game where people go back and forth across the court from one side to the other again and again and again. What am I missing here? Why is this so much fun?

     These are two sports where (to me) they either score not enough, or way too much. And all the action seems very repetitive to me. That's not to say I don't support anybody who plays these sports, I just don't personally understand the appeal to either watching or playing these games. Maybe it's because I view these games as a little bit less skill-based, and more fitness-based. Hockey, basketball, and football (which I enjoy watching a little bit more) are all games which seem predominantly endurance games. They play for a long time and have to have a very high fitness level to be able to continue to play throughout the entire game. I'll say, that is pretty cool that people are able to have that sort of level of fitness that they can do such a thing. My type of game is a little bit different though.

     My sport of choice Curling. Now, if you really want to be the very best at curling, yes, you do need to actually be fit and able to last for a long time. But there is also so much strategy and thinking that goes into this game that I just don't find anywhere else; though I'm sure it exists in other games as well. Curling for me is like playing a game of chess where you not only have to decide on the best play possible, you also have to throw your piece with the correct amount of power that you get there. It's an amazing combination of strategic thinking, muscle memory, and fitness that all gets put to work at the same time. Just thinking about this makes me miss being able to curl; this year with school, a family on the way, and having to budget our money a little tighter than previously, I just wasn't able to participate.

Even as a nerd, some sports are still fun to me.

~ Kyle Welykholowa