Author Archives: nutmeg

About nutmeg

Ginger and Nutmeg is a Food and Travel blog for Active Foodies hooked on travelling. We love food, history and digging into cultural traditions. This is a blog with a bit of humour, informative travel information and some great recipes.

Smokin’ Hot BBQ Charlotte North Carolina

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Not too long ago Nutmeg was on a business trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It was one of those trips where you could have been pretty much anywhere as the agenda was something like this:

  • taxi to hotel
  • check in
  • out for dinner
  • 8am start in a meeting room with no windows
  • working dinner
  • hotel
  • sleep
  • do it all over…

The second morning of the trip, Nutmeg decided to go for a run at 06:00am and was stunned by the intense activity on the main drag.  It turns out that day was the start of Charlotte’s BBQ and Blues and this is serious stuff. The vendor stands were set-up and the smoking had started big time at 6am!!  These folks are not worried about half-caf-skim-milk-no-foam lattes…. they are preparing rubs, injections and getting the temperature on their smokers “just right” for  Smokin’ Hot BBQ.   This whole scene was quite overwhelming for Nutmeg who likes berries, yogurt and granola along with her fancy latte at that hour in the morning. Continue reading →

Chaisso Coffee Company a new name in Coffee

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There is a new game and a new name in coffee in Calgary, the Chiasso Coffee Company.  They have a brand new location at 17th Avenue and 8th Street SW, it is just barely two weeks old.  The name is Italian and translated apparently means chaos, commotion, racket.  However, chaos is the furthest thing from your mind when you step into this oasis just off that busy intersection.  They have done a great job on the finishes, including hardwood floors, granite counter tops and a mix of comfortable seating options.  The place is spotless and refreshing after some of the other coffee house options in the area. Continue reading →

Summer Market Corn Salad Recipe

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Ginger used to think Alberta Taber corn was pretty good, then he moved out east to work in the “big smoke” aka Toronto and realized he was mistaken.  He would often borrow Nutmeg’s car and drive to Buttonville airport for flying lessons.  On his way back home, he would stop at a farmer’s road side stand and load up with the freshest seasonal corn and tomatoes.  The corn (peaches and cream variety) was literally fresh picked that day and the tomatoes were to die for.  So dinner was easy…peel the corn cobs, boil until just right and serve with sliced tomatoes.  Yum! Continue reading →

Northland Village Market in Calgary

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This is a RE-POST.  Technology as you know can be a benefit or a curse…  So in case you missed this the first time.  🙂

Nutmeg is not directionally challenged (that she will admit) although it is possible that she may not always consider the directions exactly.  She was pretty sure that she knew exactly where to find this market.  Well not quite – after battling rush-hour traffic and circling the whole of Market Mall she realized that the Google Map instructions would have been helpful… In any case she arrived and it was fun despite the cold weather. Continue reading →

Rimrock Cafe at Whistler

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It has been years since Ginger and Nutmeg had last been to the Rimrock Cafe in Whistler. So all it took, was for some Vancouver friends to suggest that it was their favourite restaurant in the valley, for Nutmeg to make a reservation.  The restaurant has been around since 1987, it specializes in fish and game.  The inside is very cosy with two operational fireplaces in the winter months.  Outside they have two patios, a garden patio in the back and a deck out front.  Ginger and Nutmeg lucked out with a sunny evening, so chose to sit on the front deck.

The wine selection is broad and includes a very good base of BC wines (which you should try).  The restaurant has been featured in the Wine Spectator for their selection. Many wines are offered by the glass and they even have a decent selection of half bottles.  Ginger chose a lovely 2007 Laughing Stock blend called ‘Portfolio’ from the Okanagan – yummy!

The Rimrock Cafe has a great selection of appetizers, mains and a few daily specials.  Ginger tried the gazpacho soup with lobster (daily special) – excellent.  Nutmeg had the buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad – it was good although heavy on the ratio of cheese to tomatoes (they are in season right now so load them up)!  The main courses were good and our waiter was excellent.  The best part for Ginger was the side of spatzle (excellent) and the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream to finish.

If you are in Whistler or planning to go, add the Rimrock Cafe to your list of restaurants.  It is off the beaten track, it is a bit more of a locals gem and it is no where near the craziness of the main village base.  Good food, reasonable value, great service and Ginger would like to confirm excellent desert!

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A Cuppa Joe in Whistler

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If your daily coffee cravings are satisfied by the retail chain with the green and white signage, you do not need Nutmeg’s help.  For that, there is an app you can download on your phone, and several locations to choose from.   If you want to support some local businesses, and experience a bit of the Whistler Village culture, while drinking your favourite cuppa joe then read on. Continue reading →

Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver

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Nutmeg almost did it…she almost Googled Markets in Vancouver, then she remembered…. Granville Island Public Market.  Of course!!!

It is possibly the best market in Canada, and definitely the best in Western Canada. The Granville Island Market is of course, located on the spit of land by the same name. The public market is open daily from 9am to 7pm and features: a food court, specialty stands with fantastic breads, fresh bagels, seafood, cheeses, antipasto, prepared meals, unique spices, coffee bars and many permanent stands with really fresh fruit and vegetables.

Granville Island Public Market

On Thursdays, June through October they have a farmers market outside (unfortunately Nutmeg was there on a Tuesday).  The list of farmers is updated weekly, as the season progresses.

Beautiful beets

The island of has many other great features; a focus on the arts (4 pages of artisans on the web site),  the Emily Carr University, a focus on Maritime activities (sailing, whale watching, kayaking etc.), a brewery, a hotel, a music scene and restaurants.

Granville Island started “life” as two sandbars in False Creek, these were used for fishing by the native inhabitants.  The sandbars were problematic for the new settlers as water was not deep enough for navigation, nor the land dry enough for building.  So the area caused disputes and claims for many years.  Eventually, in 1915 a reclamation project was approved for the 35-acre site and almost 1 million cubic yards of fill was removed from the location for the cost of $342,000.  The island then fell into a pattern of industrial uses for the mining and forestry sectors.  The years that followed, were far from a picture of economic or eco-sustainable health.  The depression hit, a fire destroyed a number of factories and the False Creek was seriously contaminated  – this time the price tag was $50 million to clean up the area and many millions more to create the vibrant scene and island life that exists today.

Whether you are a first time tourist, a regular traveller to Vancouver or a lucky native, GO and visit Granville Island, it is like arriving in another world. See the full photo gallery.

View from Granville Island

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The Vin Room in Calgary

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Saffron was is Calgary last weekend and as you may have gathered she is always in the “know” when it comes to restaurants, wine and cool gathering spots.  She was free for dinner on Saturday night and suggested a visit to the Vin Room.  Ginger had not tried out this wine bar/restaurant either so Nutmeg was happy to oblige and made reservations. Continue reading →