Fatburger 1505 Mayor Magrath Drive

Well, what a great way to start a new year. People all around us are setting New Years goals, joining health clubs, going on diets, etc. but we the Lethbridge Lunch Nomads started the new year by going to Fatburger.  No, we are not trying to make a statement, it was just because we are running low on places to try out and this was one of the last places to eat before we start all over again. Regardless of why, we ate at Fatburger today. It has been very busy since it's recent opening and it was quite full today too. I was impressed with this new burger place. The inside was very welcoming, like a real restaurant not a warehouse. I ordered a Big Fat Deal today. A double burger california style (guacamole and jack cheese), fries and a drink. It was served right to the table and was steaming hot. The burger was great, very flavorful and full of toppings, yet not so many that they all squeeze out on the first bite. The fries were hot and fresh, crispy on the outside and nice and hot inside. In fact even the last ones to be eaten were still hot. The bottomless pop, or soda as they say (we're really becoming Americanized aren't we!) is probably a big bonus for many people. For me I drank more pop today than I usually do in a couple of months.  This was a big meal, I was pretty full when I was done. If you are trying to keep your resolutions I wouldn't come here very often, but for the occasional burger, this place was great. I was impressed and will definitely recommend it as a burger joint to try out.   "J"

To be honest I was never really that excited to try Fatburger. It just sounded like something I wouldn't like. I guess I just had the image of "the other guys" in my mind. (Which is a pretty good place after all, I guess sometimes the thought of a huge messy burger doesn't always sound great) Anyways I ordered the "Big Fat Deal", I think we all did. I thought it was so dang good. I ordered mine with onion rings, which were ok, a little big and too thick of onions for me. The burger. WOW. It was awesome, I even liked it a bit better than "the other guys" I thought the place was super clean, really nice and trendy. I will for sure be back again. I thought my "Big Fat Deal" was a good deal, I actually finished everything. If you haven't tried it yet, Fatburger is a must. I loved it. "M"

FATBURGER ROCKS! Finally a place to satisfy BA's appetite. I too was a little hesitant to eat here today. My wife and I ate at the Calgary location once during one of our IKEA trips. We weren't very impressed at that time. So needless to say I wasn't jumping for joy at the thought of eating there again. But, STOP THE PRESSES!!!! THIS JUST IN! FATBURGER Lethbridge is killer.  I ordered the 'Big Fat Deal'. I love how all the employees shout back 'Big Fat Deal' when one is ordered at the till. If they don't show enough enthusiasm they recall it till everyone shouts in chorus 'Big Fat Deal'. I love it. Finally somewhere fun to eat. I really liked the atmosphere, decor, and pleasant staff. I wasn't aware that it was a full service restaurant. WOW. I didn't even have to fill my own tank.  The burger was grand. The rings were colossal. The bottomless 'pop' (we are in Canada) was stellar. I was left in a true GFM. (Good Food Mood - for those of you just tuning in). The service was top notch and my opinion of the FATBURGER franchise has been completely redeemed.

THANK YOU FATBURGER. You made my day. 'BA'

Happy New Year!

Well, we have decided to keep the blog going for 2012, We think that we have pretty much been to all the locally owned restaurants in town. We have a few more to go yet, and  we've always tried to stay away from franchise chain restaurants. What we think would be a good idea for this new year is to take suggestions on certain meals or dishes from some of the people who follow our blog. This week we will try to go one of the places we haven't tried yet, but for next week we may end up at one of the places we've been, but order something completely different. Send us your ideas and we'll try to get to them this year.

- The Nomads

Merry Christmas to everyone

The Lethbridge Lunch Nomads would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the coming year. This really is the "most wonderful time of the year" to be able to focus more time remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and all that He means to each of us. We hope you all will find room for Him in your lives.

See you in 2012

Penny Coffee House 331 5 Street South

We recieved a suggestion to try this place this week, so we did! We were told to try the "Avocado BLT or the "Spicy Grilled Cheese" So, "J" and I  each ordered one and split them. I thought they were both "Delish" My favourite was the BLT, I loved it. It was so fresh and tasty. Wow! I ordered a side of pasta salad because again, it was one of the suggestions. To be honest, I didn't like it. (and I love pasta salad) The noodles were undercooked, I couldn't finish it. I seriously hope I just caught them on a bad day because the flavour was awesome. I could come back for lunch again, and soon. It was a nice little place and I feel like I got my money's worth. Thanks Penny's for the great lunch. I hope they cook the pasta just a little bit longer next time, then I can just imagine how awesome my lunch would have been. "M"


Well, "M" pretty well said it all. We went to the Penny today on suggestion from a  reader and I was very pleased. "M" and I split our sandwiches and they were both real good, but today I preferred the BLT. I had soup with mine, vegetarian chili, and it was very tasty. "P" came with us today and he didn't like the soup, I think it was too spicy for him, but I thought it was a great addition to a sandwich. We have discovered that the local coffee/sandwich shops here in Lethbridge are really popular and so if you want to go there for lunch you need to arrive early. We got here shortly after 12:00 and placed our order right away. Before long the line up was 10-12 people. That just goes to show how popular the Penny is and also how well Lethbridge supports our local restaurants. Be brave, break away from your regular routine and try out the many places to have lunch in Lethbridge. We did and we have discovered some fantastic restaurants, including the Penny Coffee House.   "J"

As usual I'm the last one to blog about our adventures today.  As mentioned, we went on the advice of one of our devout followers, and hit the Penny today.  Pretty cool place.  Even more than the menu, the thing that impressed me the most was first, the ambiance, and second the popularity of these corner shops.  Again, this place was packed!  Maybe I'm as much 'downtown ignorant', as "J" is a 'Chinese food snob'.  I know the Penny has been around for a long time but it has never even dawned on me to go there. I was thoroughly impressed not only by the food but the clientele that mosey into this place.  I mean there were celebs and models and famous people everywhere!  Well ok maybe not, but we did see some people we knew and respect, so if they eat here then we consider ourselves in good company.  You may be asking yourselves, 'Do I always talk so much'? I haven't even gotten to the meat of my blog yet.  Hey look! Squirrel!  So I too dove into the Avacado BLT.  I had mine with the pasta salad as well.  Even my picture looks the same as "M's".  Anywho,  I quite liked the salad.  I didn't mind that the pasta was a little firmer. It could have done with a little less parmesan though.  The roof of my mouth was a little tender afterwards from the toasted bread, but that was a small price to pay for the GFM that resulted.  I asked how someone gets a sandwich named after them, and I was told "just be nice to me and come here often".  So folks I'm making a prediction!  Someday the Penny will have a sandwich named "The Nomad BA".  It will be a spicey grilled cheese with avocado, bacon, and tom.  I can see it now.  It will be in lights and my sandwich will be on the Marquis.  I will be anonymously famous.  Okay it will be in chalk on the menu board, but I just want some fame and fortune.  Not shame and misfortune.  Thanks for tuning in.  Eat well!  "BA"

Streetside Eatery 317-8 Street S.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we missed our nomad lunch last week.  So I have been preparing for this week's adventure for 14 days now.  So today we drew Streetside.  I was happy and excited.  My wife and I have eaten here a few times for lunch and dinner and have really enjoyed it.  So,  I can't believe it.  I have been completely humbled!  I have to admit that today "BA" was unable to finish his lunch.  I know, I know, pick yourself up off the floor, it's true.  I didn't even snack this morning!  I ordered the pasta salad with chicken, and was blown away buy the serving size.  Holy mountain of pasta Batman! I mean seriously, I ate for 20 minutes and it was like I hadn't even touched it.  I had mine with the creamy dill dressing and it was amazing.  I have never not finished my nomad lunch before.  I have so much pride that I ate myself into a stupor.  My ears were ringing and my body could barely move.  Two people could share this and still have left-overs.  I did have to have the rest of mine packed up for a snack later.  Get this!  I wasn't hungry all afternoon.  I did indulge in some chips and salsa at about 3:30 though.  But as the Grinch (Jim Carrey) said, "Am I just eating cause I'm bored".  Tomorrow I will have a nice pasta salad snack.  So for those of you thinking that StreetSide Eatery is not somewhere you'd want to have lunch.......WAKE UP!  The service was good, it was fast, and we still were back to work in plenty of time. To top it all off, when I got up to pay the bill; our server said...."that was just the small serving".  Say what!  The small serving! Now I'm not only humbled but completely embarrassed.  I'm gonna have to do some training or something.  Well folks,  Go there, and do that!  You won't be disappointed.  "BA"

Streetside has been a Lethbridge institution for many years and today we experienced why. Good food, good value and good service.  What more can I say. I can't believe it took almost a year to draw Streetside out of our jar of restaurants, but I'm glad we went today. I had the chicken enchilada and as the old Alka Seltzer commercial used to say "I can't believe I ate the whole thing". When my meal was placed down in front of me I was amazed at the size of the enchilada so I had to get right to work on it. It was pretty darn good. Most enchiladas have the sauce on top but this one was covered in about 3 pounds of cheese. I love cheese but I almost died laughing when "M" was about half way thru his enchilada and said "I don't have enough laxative to eat the rest of this cheese". The flavor was good, not authentic mexican good, but north american mexican good. Unlike "C" aka "BA", I would like to still fit into my pants in a month and that being said I found todays lunch a little heavy. Yes I ate it all but I didn't need to eat for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I guess I could save money that way??? Next time I will look for something more lunch appropriate. My only complaint today had to do with the service. Everything was good, the server was friendly, the food came out quick but after the food was served no one ever checked to see if everything was OK. Right after getting our food we were asked if it looked OK, but that was the end of it. We ate, paid our bill and went back to work. Fortunately everything was good today as always. Thanks Streetside. I'll be back.     "J"

I thought todays lunch was good. I ordered the chicken enchilada also, it was defintely a huge portion.  I was blown away by the size of it. It was a very "Canadian style" enchilada, by that I mean it was tons and tons of cheese and an enchilada sauce kinda mixed in to everything. To me, an enchilada has lots more sauce on top of it and less cheese. (if any cheese at all) It had a good flavour and I ended up really full. I thought the salad was good too, except I think it needed a bit more salad dressing. I guess I could have always asked for more. I was more concerned about how I was going finish the enchilada. Overall it was a good lunch. I wish it was a little more "lunch size" and "lunch price" I didn't need even half of it to be totally happy with the choice today. The place was nice, service good. I'm sure I'll be back again.
"M"

Imperial China 1903 3 Ave south

Today we decided to go to Imperial China. We were all hungry by noon and it sounded like a good idea. There is a better selection here than at some other Chinese restaurants in town. I thought the food today was ok. It wasn't my absolute favorite place to eat, but it wasn't bad. Is there some amazing Chinese food out there? Ive found that most of the Chinese in Lethbridge is some-what similar. Imperial China has some fruit and things for dessert which is nice. The food was just so-so for me today but I didn't leave hungry.

"M"

Imperial China is one of the many chinese restaurants in town that I don't go to very often. I guess I'm going to sound like a real snob because it's not because of the food, it's just the condition of the restaurant in general. Now I must admit today everything seemed a little better. I don't know if they have done some renos or put down new carpet, but it appeared a little nicer than the last time I ate here. This obviously isn't as much of a concern to other people because by the time we got here the place was very busy. As far as the food goes, I thought it was pretty good. The buffet line has quite a few items on it, including fresh fruit and salad. I had no problem filling my plate even tho'  some of the items were empty and needed refilling. So for my 10 bucks I thought it was a good pick today.    "J"

So much food......so little time!

Well I have to say that today's visit to Imperial China was probably the best its ever been.  I agree that as lunch nomads we are still looking for that mind blowing experience with Chinese cuisine.    I know we will find it somewhere.  At least they had Chili paste!  As far as today goes, it was really quite good.  Better selection than most others, and everything was really fresh and hot.  It was like it wasn't even a buffet.  My appetite was very satisfied today.  Or as my Mom used to say.  My sufficiency was suffonsified.  I have no clue how to spell that.  I don't even really know what it means other than 'it was good'.  I still feel that most places are the same.  I think that we have really Westernized Chinese food.  Perhaps a trip to China is in my future.  The staff were very friendly and the service was above par.  I would have to say that it left me in a 'GFM'.  (See previous posts for meaning).  Be well and eat tons.  "BA" aka "C" (again - see past posts)

Chelsea Cafe 511-4th Avenue S.

Well will miracles never cease? 'BA' aka 'C' is the first to post this week.  Yahoo!  So we decided today to check out Chelsea Cafe in the downtown area.  The special was meatloaf and red skin potatoes in a gravy sauce.  It looked so good, I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into it.  However, we didn't get that.  They were sold out by 12:05.  What up Lethbridge?  You can't jake the nomads out of the lunch special.  I guess it was good though cause every single patron in there was having it.  The gentleman just ahead of me got the last piece. So then my stomach and brain had to make a hard right turn and decide on something else to try.  They had a really awesome menu, so I power perused it and ordered the Butter Chicken.  I was feeling rather peckish so I kindly told my server how hungry I was and she literally piled the food on.  I'm sure that it was the regular amount, but it made me feel like they cared. LOL.  The Butter Chicken was really good.  It wasn't too powerful, kinda mild actually but it was very tasty.  It made me the happiest person sitting in my chair.  It was a lot of food and of course I finished it, but I was definitely full.  Then low and behold 'J' asked if I wanted to finish his.  Being pretty much a human garburator I agreed.  We can't have any good food going to waste can we?  Well I guess it went to my waist.  I hope that all yous peoples out there in nomad land keep places like this around.  So go there!  Now! Drop what you're doing and go! I mean it! 'BA' aka 'C'

Today was an interesting experience. I'm not quite sure why I feel that way. The food was good and we got served relatively quickly and everyone there was very friendly, but for some reason I went away today feeling unsatisfied. Not hungry, because I was full on the rotisserie chicken and potatoes I ate for lunch. In fact it was probably the best chicken I have had in a long time, very moist and tender. The potatoes were a little on the cool side and I didn't love the herb seasoning on them, but they were fine. Maybe it was the lack of seating (they did explain why so few seats) maybe it was the cafeteria style service, maybe it was a lunch special that was gone by 12:05, I'm not sure what it was. It was clean, friendly and the food was good, and it was busy which is always a good sign. So why I felt unsatisfied is an unknown. Maybe it was just me today. I'll just have to come back and give it a second try.  "J"

Ya I thought today's choice was good. It was nice to try something different. We've really set out to find these little places that you might not think to go to. The food was good, I have no complaints. I ordered fried chicken which came with the potato wedges. To this day I'm still talking about how awesome "Los Del Cid" and "Taj" were. Chelsea Cafe was a nice little place, we got a good lunch for a good price. In three weeks from now I doubt I'll be saying " Hey "C", remember the food at Chelsea cafe?" However,  I hope this place does well and sticks around because I liked it. "M"