Eating on the road: Alberta Cheesesteak at Palomino Smokehouse in Calgary

 I visited Calgary in the spring and, before heading up the tower I popped into Palomino Smokehouse for a late lunch. It was a large and casual spot which seemed vaguely Western themed and I was there because I had a hankering for some BBQ.

I decided to order the Alberta Cheesesteak because, hey, when in Alberta. It was smoked brisket, sauteed onions and papers smothered in cheese sauce. It's hard to order BBQ on the road since it's by weight and I don't want to bring a bunch of pulled pork back to my hotel.

I could choose two sides, and I went with the Kentucky Bourbon Apples and the simple greens because I am not here for all those carbs. And the apples are not a side you see just everywhere.

It was indeed a simple salad, almost deconstructed, but it was good -- the picked onion was especially tasty. The apples were underwhelming. I didn't really get the bourbon and, to me, desert apples need cinnamon. 

On to the sandwich. The bread held up well which is very important for a sandwich of this sort. Brisket was tasty and generous of portion. The cheese sauce though, sadly, was a miss. It just wasn't that cheedy. Definitely not a Philly cheesesteak. This is a hotly debated topic and it sounds cheap I know, but for a Philly you gotta go with the whiz. That tang makes all the difference.

Anyway, it was a good lunch. Here's me looking down on Calgary. The next night I had steak.

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Eating on the road: Smoque N’ Bones in Toronto

 Regular readers will know I enjoy some good Texas-style BBQ, spoiled as I was for other options after a few trips to Austin for the real deal during my tech journalism days. So when looking at dining options during my trip to Toronto, BBQ was on my list and I decided to try Smoque N’ Bones on Queen West with a friend.

Going with a friend is important. While the company is good, menu-wise it opens up many more options. On your own, you’re likely to be confined to a sandwich or maybe one meat and side, l’est you go home with a metric ton of leftovers. While I may have ordered the sampler for two if I was on my own and risked the judgement of the wait staff and onlookers, when there are two dinners such issues are avoided.

Priced at $89, the Sampler for Two is described on the menu as: Choice of 3 SmoQued Meats: 1/2 Rack, 1/2 lb Beef Brisket, 1/2 lb Pulled Pork, 1/2 lb SmoQued Turkey, 2 Links of SmoQued Sausage, or 1/2 Chicken and any 3 sides.

We opted for the brisket (wet), pulled pork, and sausage as our meats, with the macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob (after confirming it was served in two pieces) and corn bread.

It was all too much for our little table; thankfully, it wasn’t busy so we requisitioned a neighbouring table for overflow, and it arrived very interestingly-plated on a long board. (I nabbed one sausage link before I remembered to take the picture.

It was a heaping pile of meat. The sausage was just OK, though the fried onion accompaniment was a nice touch. The pulled pork was my friend’s choice, as I usually find it dry. But clearly I haven’t been having good pulled pork. This was juicy and moist, and the bark was truly delicious. The brisket was also amazing, juicy, close your eyes to savour.

On the sides, I passed on the corn bread. The Mac & cheese was cheesy, and was good but not quite excellent. We had the corn last so it was cold (our fault) but it was excellent – fresh and cheesy and smoky.

All in all, an excellent BBQ experience and well worth the visit if you’re in the area – just come hungry and bring a friend.

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