James C.
Yelp
#114 It's 10:45pm on a Friday night.
You're hungry.
You don't want a burger or pub food or any fast food (sorry Denny's, McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Wendy's but I just played volleyball for 2 hours and I need sustenance without sickness).
Options.. options... telephones.. telephones.. why do hotels always hide their telephones (in my best Bugs Bunny voice, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transylvania_6-5000_%281963_film%29 for a description of where this quote comes from and why)?
See, this is what happens when you are hungry after a long workout!
Anyway, my friend suggested a trip to Calgary's Chinatown.
Those who know me know I am very picky when it comes to Chinese food since one of my Vancouver friends (when I visit) takes me to Richmond to the best Chinese places outside of China.
As we parked, we walked 2 blocks to the Calgary Court Restaurant (which apparently open to midnight on Friday and Saturday nights).
Court is now in session with the honourable judge James at your service.
We were acknowledged immediately and got to choose our own table and we got one a few feet from the window but in view of an either 26", 27", or 32" TV (hard to tell but I can see the Chinese program that is apparently Vancouver-based as all the commercials were for Vancouver and I recognized some of the businesses) across the restaurant. I think the TV should be replaced with a 42" personally.
The waitress seem sort of timid or maybe nervous but she was courteous and prompt to bring hot tea (which normally I do not drink but it was -26°C which is -15°F (for my American friends and relatives) so a hot drink was just what the doctor ordered). She made a few menu recommendations as apparently they have a regular menu available all day and a 1 page front/back of specials that time of day dependent.
I almost got the spicy Szechuan chicken (on the 1 page front/back menu) as a group of people 3 tables had that and it looked good but it was comfort food weather so I got the House Special Fried Rice for $11.95. I expected not so fresh vegetables, rice, etc. However, I was proven wrong and then some. It was what looked like an average size plate but by the halfway point, I was almost full. The rice tasted so good (though I would like to have a spicier blend but I am willing to bet that on my next trip, I can ask for that), the vegetables included peas, carrots, and some kind of green shoots (all which tasted good and enhanced the flavour of the rice), and tiny shrimp and I believe either beef or sausage as well. By the way, I put some of the creme soup (mentioned in the next paragraph) on the House Special Fried Rice (yet another good idea by yours truly).
My friend got a dish (I don't remember the name but I just remember the portion was huge and tasty) for $17.95 that had a bowl of rice (separate) with pork chops, beef, chicken, Chinese sausage, french fries (which I thought was odd but they were good), and a bowl of some type of creme soup (which I sampled and it was delicious!!!!). He also got an iced tea (and him being Canadian/Calgarian-born Chinese and me being American, you'd thought I would have gotten the iced tea since Americans more often than not get drinks with ice in them).
From what other reviews have stated, this place was affected by the flood so I do not know what it looked like before but now the interior is very clean, ample table space, well-lit, and can have lots of people with their own conversations without intruding on the one at your table.
I did notice there were very few white people (two to be exact) in the restaurant. As a white person, if I see very few Asians in an Asian restaurant, I will not eat in said restaurant because this tells me it's not very authentic or very good.
Again, reading other reviews regarding the service, my personal experience was very positive so much so that I will be heading back again this week.
The Court has adjourned and the judge has left the building.
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