Sometimes when you think you’re headed out to eat one thing but end up eating another can be a bad thing. More often than not, if you’re an adventurous, easy going soul, this can be a very good thing.

I’ve yet to sample Dim Sum though I’ve heard plenty of good things about it. Katie and I decided we’d like to sample some of the Dim Sum in Chinatown’s Silver Dragon restaurant so we made a reservation and off we went — only to discover when we showed up around 7:30 p.m. Dim Sum is a lunch time fare.

Onward and upward kids, onward and upward. Silver Dragon is the kind of decadent, vintage looking place you might expect to see in an ’80s action film starring Chuck Norris or Dolph Lundgren — in other words, it was fantastic.

Even more fantastic was the staff. We were amicably greeted and I had my chair pulled out for me. Water was poured immediately and throughout the evening our servers were very attentive without being overbearing.

We started with a spring roll ($2.25) and a cup of hot and sour soup ($3.75). The spring rolls were delightfully hot and the wraps crispy as all get out. I am a bit of a hot and sour fiend so mowed mine right down. Being it was Katie’s first go at the spicy soup, she wasn’t super keen on the texture which was a little gelatinous for her liking but thought it was tasty nonetheless!

For our main we tried the curry seafood hot pot ($18.95) with a side of steamed rice ($4). Now let me tell you, let me tell you for reals, this piping hot … pot was tres delicious with veggies and mushrooms and shrimp and squid but the star of the dish was the scallops.

My scallop experiences in the past have usually been pretty disappointing.The little chunks of ocean meat were a little drab, sometimes spiked if wrapped in bacon but definitely not living up to my expectations. These bad boys however were fan-freaking-tastic. This was my first seafood curry so I will be holding all others against it and it will be tricky to beat. Katie agreed the curry was “very yummy” and said while it wasn’t the est green curry she’s had, the hot pot was perfect for sharing.

If you aren’t aware of YYC Burger Week (yycburgerweek.com) yet, you sure should be pilgrim! Until May 10 (THAT’S FRIDAY!), several of Calgary’s best burger establishments have created signature burgers in order to donate $1 from the sale of each of those burgers to a good cause.

Included on that list, is Lounge Burger on Macleod Trail, a place I’d never been before and was looking forward to checking out. Lounge Burger is large and in charge but still allows for quiet conversation. There were televisions everywhere so while I was enjoying my dinner I could also keep an eye on the NHL playoffs (WIN!).

I ordered the Burger Week special (left) while Gaby went with the Tuscan Chicken (right). We also ordered a side of waffle fries ($3) to share, excellent foresight as our burgers were HUGE!

The Burger Week special was a AAA beef patty, caramelized onions, an onion ring, cheeses and sauce ($12). The bun was a beautiful thing all puffy and fresh and the perfect size to encase all the ingredients.

The onion ring really was the star of my burger, the salty batter and sweet onion coupled with the caramelized onions made for some major texture love (though I suggest you bring gum … or a mint). The patty itself was a biggun’ and if I could make one change to the dish at all, it would be to jazz up the patty’s flavour a bit.

Gaby said her Tuscan Chicken, complete with bruschetta, frizzled onions, lettuce, Swiss and a basil aioli ($14) was tasty, filling and good bang for your buck, her only suggestion being the chicken was just a bit dry for her liking.

*Check out the YYC Burger Week website to vote for your favourite burger and learn more about participating restaurants and charities.

So, I love fried chicken.

Like if fried chicken had a good job, enjoyed long walks on the beach and had no reservations about chasing a giant burger with a Fat Elvis milkshake we’d more than likely get married.

Always on the lookout for new places to get me some fried chicken, my co-worker insisted I try out the Smokehouse Diner on Ogden Road. Sweet baby platypuses it was wonderful (I’ve yet to actually determine which I like better, Smokehouse or Chicken on the Way…will require several more eating tests).

Firstly, the chicken…

The batter wasn’t too thick, the meat maintained its juiciness (though not so much in the breast) and for all things good and holy, the crunch people, the crunch! I could eat this fried chicken ‘til the cows come home and with the variety of portion sizes on the menu, could have the opportunity (Two pieces start at $4.95 — you can get as many as 40). I had the spicy fried and it has a very pleasant kick to it MMMM. Seriously.

And then there were the fries…

I love them, I really love them. I’m not really a fan of thick cut fries but for some reason when there’s wedges involved, I am all up in their potatoey grills. These fries had good crunch on the outside and beautiful tender flavour on the inside.

I really can’t say enough about how awesome I thought this place was and its become a bit of a Thursday regular at the workplace. If you love fried chicken as much as I do — even if you like fried chicken half as much as I do, check it out.