The Things We Did: Phil & Sebastian Coffee and Chocolate Pairing Class

Chocolate and coffee are some of our favorite (not to mention staple) food and drink choices. When we saw that Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters was hosting a coffee and chocolate pairing class, we were definitely intrigued and knew we had to sign up. The class has room for 8 people at its Marda Loop location (2043 33rd Ave SW) and we were lucky enough to get a spot!

Our class which began at 6:30pm had 7 people and was hosted by head chef, Leslie Morrow and supported by the events manager, Brynne Steinbrenner. We were first given some history on the origin and initial users of cocoa - it was interesting to learn that cocoa was used by the Mayan and Aztec people in drink form as far back as 1900 B.C.! We even got to try a sample of chocolate that resembled the form it would have been in hundreds of years ago. The chocolate had pockets of cane sugar and was a rough texture. We learned that this was because there were no processes that long ago which could refine the texture or smooth out the chocolate evenly. 

Photo credit goes to Lauren Popadiuk from Phil and Sebastian. She did a great
job of capturing all of us hard at work learning about the history of chocolate
from head chef, Leslie Morrow (on the left side). Clearly the engineer in Gajra
must be taking notes as her head is down scribbling away on a note card.

The Things We Did: Learning to Ski

So there's a saying that goes "when in Rome do as Romans do". When we moved to Calgary we applied this saying and participated in a number of events Calgary had to offer. It started off with the Calgary Stampede in the summer of 2013 which we definitely enjoyed (maybe enjoyed a bit too much...). We also indulged in the Sun and Salsa festival in Kensington along with the Taste of Calgary in Eau Claire, and of course we rafted down the Bow River. But alas, summer and it's wonderful festivals only last for so long and it was time for us to become truly Calgarian and learn to enjoy winter in the mountains.

As Edmontonians, we both had enjoyed skiing at the local hills such as Snow Valley and Rabbit Hill when we were younger. We quickly realized that although they were a good place to start learning to ski, they did not exactly prepare us for the mountains. Also because neither of us had skied for over 10 years, we realized that lessons and a lot of practice would be necessary! We had heard from our well-seasoned skier friends that Nakiska Mountain Resort in Kananaskis was a good place to start. Being only an hour away from Calgary, it was recommended as a great ski resort for day trips that has some of the friendliest instructors from around the world. We were lucky that they offer a fairly reasonable deal called the "Telus Performance Package" which includes 3 lessons, full day lift tickets, and high performance equipment rentals for $259.00 + GST.

The Things We Ate: Corbeaux Bakehouse

Calgary's 17th Avenue has some of the city's best restaurants and bars. Needless to say that anything new that opens there is definitely going to get a lot of traffic and if it is good, it will be the next hot spot. When we heard that Analog owners were opening Corbeaux Bakehouse, we could not wait to try it! Being big coffee fans we both have enjoyed Analog coffee many times since we have moved to Calgary. If the owners could do such a great job with coffee, we couldn't wait to see what was in store at Corbeaux Bakehouse.

We were able to snag a seat at the front of Corbeaux, facing
17th Ave. Corbeaux is located at 730 17th Ave SW, just steps
away from Analog Coffee and Clive Burger. This picture
showcases just one side of the bakeshop goodies which
include sandwiches, scones, muffins and other
deliciousness that you must go experience for yourself.

When we walked in the first time we saw that Corbeaux was energetic and bustling with people - with good reason though as it had lots to offer. The front of the venue resembles Analog coffee where you are encouraged to sit down at high tables and enjoy a cup of coffee with a baked good or two (or 4 in our case...). The left side of Corbeaux is a dining area with booths and tables. The back and right side have additional seating for coffee drinkers and a fully stocked bar to enjoy if you are just out for drinks. We quickly decided that we would not be able to have the full experience in one visit so we decided we would just have to go twice!

The Things We Bought: Fitbit

So in order to be a true foodie you really have to be okay with indulging. In order to be okay to indulge and not gain excessive amounts of weight, you have to try to stay fit! Lately activity trackers have been all the rage, so obviously we had to see what the hype was all about.

Over the last year, the both of us decided to invest in Fitbit activity bands. Sheena has the Fitbit Flex and Gajra has the newer Fitbit Charge. Basically the bands are meant to be worn at all times in order to track your activity during the day and your sleep at night. The device has a (fancy) 3-way accelerometer that converts body motion into digital data. The data is then converted into user-friendly metrics such as step count, distance traveled, calories burned, and active minutes. The activity band can be used in conjunction with the Fitbit app which can be downloaded for free on your smartphone.

The Things We Did: Vin Gogh - Paint and Sip Studio

Now we all know that it's always fun to have a wine night with a couple friends every once in awhile. To mix things up a bit we decided to spend a Friday night at Vin Gogh - sipping some wine and using our creative juices to paint a picture. 

Vin Gogh is Calgary's newest and only paint and wine studio. Located on Macleod trail by Chinook Mall (7004 Macleod Trail, Calgary, AB T2H 0L3 to be exact), this studio has been open for just under three months now. The concept is a 2 hour instructor led session that runs from 7-9pm. All painting supplies including brushes, acrylic paints, an apron and the canvas are provided to you. In the 2 hours the instructor takes you from a blank canvas to a masterpiece making it easy for those who have never picked up a paintbrush before!

We booked our painting session off of the website (http://www.vingogh.ca) a week in advance. The studio is open Tuesday to Saturday for the general public unless a private event has been booked. A calendar on the website shows which paintings will be featured on the night that you choose to attend.  A wide variety of paintings are available including city and nature landscapes, animals, abstract and contemporary art, and even some that are sports themed. Seasonal paintings are also available around Halloween, Christmas, New Years and Valentine's Day just to name a few. The total cost of a session is $57.75 which includes the painting supplies and a glass of wine.

We decided that this photo was most appealing since we do love our wine...

This is the painting we were going to paint! We selected
this one cause yes, we love wine, but also because of the
variety of colours used and the additional splatter effect
over the wine bottles. Who doesn't love throwing
paint on a canvas and calling it art?!
(Photo credit: Vin Gogh Instagram - @vingoghyyc)

The Things We Ate: Via Cibo

And... we're back! Happy New Years everyone! 

Sorry guys. As bloggers we promised ourselves that we would stay on top of things and have something exciting for our readers every week. But then dinners, wine, shopping and the general Christmas and New Years frenzy hit us... and one month later we're here.

Now that the Holidaze are over we are ready to rave about one of our favorite restaurants in Calgary - Via Cibo. This restaurant was initially recommended to us by a friend. Due to its close proximity to IKEA it was our go-to place after a long day of picking out our Malm bedroom suites and Poang chairs when we first moved to Calgary in 2013.

Before the new year we had a friend visiting here from Houston, Texas. Instead of taking her to dine to a nearby restaurant downtown we decided to venture to the Southeast of Calgary to Via Cibo, and let her experience this hidden gem for herself!

Our iPhone's are not the best at taking pictures... but this the
outside of Via Cibo we captured. You can't miss it if you are in the
Deerfoot Meadows area! Via Cibo is located at: 7929 11th Street SE.

We would really like to pretend that we took this picture, but
sadly we didn't. Photo credit goes to Via Cibo itself and we
shamelessly used this picture from their Instagram :)

The Things We Ate: Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro

There are a few weekend traditions that really can't be beat. One of our favourites is indulging in some brunch. This is especially fun after a night out on the town when we have some rehashing to do with our girlfriends. On a Sunday morning we decided to try Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro. We both had heard some great things about it so it was time to find out what all the hype was about!

Monki is located at 1301 10th Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta.
The exterior is red brick and adds to the
overall unique vibe the restaurant itself has. 

One thing about brunch in Calgary is that your chances of getting in right away into a restaurant are slim to none. So if you are one to get "hangry" you might want to pre-eat just a little. We got to Monki around 12:30 pm and were told that we would have to wait an hour to get in. Luckily they offer to call you when your table is ready and so we used the time to grab some coffee at Analog and hit up the shops on 17th Avenue.