On the Road: Calgary or should I say the Deerfoot

Hey all, this is the start of a two week adventure. I am heading to Montreal for work and while I hope I can find a few good vegan restaurants, most of the time I will be stuck in a hotel. Then, I will be going to Atlanta and Savannah, possibly other places in Georgia, but this is where I will be sure to go.

First though, I went to the big city of Calgary. I wasn't sure if I would post this at all, because I am not going to do the city justice (I will go back some time soon and have a better report, promise!)

I spent two days on Calgary and spent 99% of my time at the Deerfoot Inn. Maybe I should call this my trip to the Deerfoot Inn rather than Calgary?

The Deerfoot, is not a very vegan-friendly place on the menu. When I arrived, I was hungry and tired. By the time I hit my room, the in-room dining was closed. In the rooms, they have free snacks, but unfortunately the only vegan thing available was a bag of chips. I called downstairs and the nice people at the front desk brought me some fruit which hit the spot.

The next day, I was able to eat at their main restaurant, the Mohave Grill. Again, not vegan-friendly on the menu, but the staff was. They have a flatbread on the menu that sounded fantastic, so I asked them to make me one without the meat and cheese and with more roasted vegetables. It was amazing!

The next place I tried was the restaurant inside the casino. It had a few things that looked vegan on the menu, so I ordered veggie spring rolls and the spinach salad without the cheese. The salad was so good. I cannot even begin to describe how yummy it was. I forgot to ask if the dressing was vegan (a lot of dressings have egg in them, beware!) Maybe ask if you go, but I almost don't want to know.

Lastly, during the conference I was at, the banquet staff were on to the fact that again, the menus are not very vegan-friendly, so they had the kitchen make me a stir fry with deep-fried tofu. Oh my, another amazing dish! I wish I could replicate this at home (I am not talented in the world of stir fry).

So, all in all, Vegans can eat at the Deerfoot, but they keep it on the down low. Ask and you will be rewarded with some yummy dishes. Don't ask and you'll be stuck eating potato chips and french fries with a side of lettuce. This is a lesson to vegans out there. Always ask!!

I hope sometime I can do a better tour of Calgary. I rarely leave the hotel when I go to this city, but from what I have heard, this is a very vegan-friendly city. They may even have better options than Edmonton.

Next.. Montreal... better watch out, angry vegan is on her way!