The Arden, owned by Calgary songstress Jann Arden and her brother Patrick, has a motto "Darn good Canadian Comfort Food," and The Arden certainly delivers.
A group of us went to The Arden for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Upon entering the diner, we were impressed by the "neo-retro" décor. With paintings created by Jann, her friend Margo, and some local artists adorning the walls and the chrome furniture, it felt strangely homey. We were escorted to a booth, where we were presented with a couple of comprehensive menus – one was brunch, the other was the regular menu.
The number of breakfast and brunch menu items was noteworthy (There are 15 items on the brunch list alone). Some of the options available are Bacon and Eggs, Two Eggs Any Style, Eggs Benedict, and Steak and Eggs. The Arden offers Veggie Benedict, Greek Omelette, Cinnamon French Toast and Blueberry Pancakes as well.
The diner serves up burgers for every taste – from the more traditional cheeseburgers to Bison Burgers, grilled chicken, vegetarian, and the intriguing Big Blue Arden Burger. Each comes with your choice of one of Fresh Cut Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings, Caesar Salad, Organic Greens, soup, a Fruit Cup and Poutine (for an extra $2.50).
The Arden also offers classic dinner food such as Grilled Cheese, BLT, Classic Turkey Club and Reuben sandwiches, as well as a bit more exotic fare in the Baby Shrimp and the Ahi Tuna, both served with Wasabi Mayo. Like the burgers, each of the sandwich items also includes your choice of an accompanying dish.
Additional menu items include Appetizers ranging from Salt and Pepper Dry Ribs, Pot Stickers, Poutine, and Chicken Wings; Main Courses including items like Chicken Stir Fry, Traditional Fish and Chips, and Steak Sandwich, and Soups and Salads.
Impressed with the selections on the menu, it was difficult to decide what we wanted to try, so we decided to sample a variety of the dishes.
One of my companions ordered the BBQ Beef. The thinly sliced Alberta beef was cooked to perfection, and the sandwich contained generous amounts of moist beef along with a tangy BBQ sauce.
Another one of my lunch dates ordered the Big Blue Arden Burger with onion rings. She was impressed by the large beef patty topped with lots of mushrooms along with lettuce, tomato, onions and mayo on a sesame bun. The addition of the blue cheese, however, made the burger a memorable dish. The taste of the cheese was subtle and added a unique twist. It was definitely a favourite at our table. The onion rings, which accompanied it, were crispy and not overly greasy.
We also sampled the Turkey Dumpling Soup, consisting of chunks of carrots, mushrooms, celery and turkey, with dumplings. We agreed that this hearty soup was the perfect meal for a cool day – or a day that you’re craving comfort food.
Being a hot dog fan, I decided to try the Cheddar Cheese Hot Dog with all the fixings. My all beef, ¼ lb flame broiled hotdog served on a Vienna roll was stuffed with fried onions, sauerkraut and bacon. Is it the best hot dog in town? I can’t say with any degree of certainty, but it does have my vote. I requested an order of sweet potato fries, and decided that it was my new addiction.
Like traditional diners, The Arden offers Ice Cream Floats. Customers can pick their ice cream flavour – vanilla, chocolate or strawberry and their choice of fountain pop. They also serve real milkshakes – chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. We decided to try both – a root beer vanilla float and a chocolate shake, so we could have a real "diner" experience. The float created instant nostalgia for summer days, and the milk shake was a smooth chocolaty treat without being overly sweet.
Despite our satisfied stomachs, we were anxious to try some of the desserts, all of which were priced at $5.50, with the exception of the bowl of ice cream that is $2.75. Although the NY Cheesecake and Lemon Meringue Pie both looked appealing, we decided to indulge in the Apple Crumble and the Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownie. The Apple Crumble made with Granny Smith apples and served warm with ice cream was a taste of heaven. The Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownie, prepared with Lindt chocolate, cream cheese, and complemented by a raspberry sauce made a rich, delightful treat.
One of the wonderful things about The Arden was that although the restaurant was quite busy, the service was friendly, polite and helpful.
Our group agreed that during our next visit we’d like to try many other items from the menu. Macaroni and Cheese - which is made with the unique combination of Cavatappi noodles in an Asiago, Cheddar, Mozzarella and Blue Cheese sauce – struck us as particularly tempting. Joan’s Meatloaf, made from Jann’s Mom’s recipe, also looked intriguing. For a snack, we’d consider the Poutine, and the Mini Burgers sounded like a perfect with friends.
Jann Arden’s Web site, www.jannarden.com, describes the restaurant by saying "whatever the magic, you certainly want to return time after time." That statement holds true for my lunch companions and me - we are looking forward to our next meal at The Arden and to returning many times after that.so we could have a real "diner" experience. The float created instant nostalgia for summer days, and the milk shake was a smooth chocolaty treat without being overly sweet.
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Contributor M. Zelda |
Locale Calgary |
Person Jann Arden |
Topic The Arden Diner | Food |
