Telegraph Tap House, Lethbridge, AB

I had supper this evening at the Telegraph Tap House.  What attracted me there was their beer selection.

Since I am in Alberta, I ordered the Rib Eye steak medium (with no veggies) and it came medium/well, exactly how I like it!  It was really good as were the mashed potatoes.  I'd get it again.

Two Guys and a Pizza Place, Lethbridge, AB

I love love love pizza and had lunch today at Two Guys and a Pizza Place.  They have won a lot of awards and have been on the Food Network's You Gotta Eat Here.

You can get slices to go

Sisters Pub & Grill, Lethbridge, AB

I had supper this evening at Sisters Pub & Grill.  It seemed like a cute spot.

Book ~ "D is for Deadbeat" (1987) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ When Alvin Limardo walks into P.I. Kinsey Millhone's office, she smells bad news. He wants Kinsey to deliver $25,000. The recipient: A fifteen-year-old boy. It's a simple matter. So simple that Kinsey wonders why he doesn't deliver the money himself. She's almost certain something is off. But with rent due, Kinsey accepts Limardo's retainer against her better judgment.

When Limardo's check bounces, Kinsey discovers she's been had big time. Alvin Limardo is really John Daggett - an ex-con with a drinking problem, two wives to boot and a slew of people who would like to see him dead. Now Kinsey is out four hundred dollars and in hot pursuit of Daggett. 

When Daggett's corpse shows up floating in the Santa Teresa surf, the cops rule the death an accident. Kinsey thinks it's murder. But seeking justice for a man who everyone seemed to despise is going to be a lot tougher than she bargained for - and what awaits her at the end of the road is much more disturbing than she could've ever imagined.

Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA.  She is hired by Alvin Limardo to deliver a cheque for $25,000 to a 15-year-old boy named Tony.  According to Limardo, Tony helped him through a tough time in his life, leaving him indebted.  When the retainer cheque bounces, she discovers that Limardo is actually John Daggett, who had recently been released from prison.  As it turns out, Daggett had been driving drunk a couple years ago and ran into a car, killing everyone but Tony.  Daggett is then found dead on the beach a couple days later.  The police say he got drunk and drowned but Kinsey thinks he was murdered.

Kinsey is then hired by Daggett's daughter, Barbara, to find out what really happened.  Daggett wasn't well-liked so there could a lot people who wanted him dead.  And who was the blonde woman he had been partying with the night he died?

I thought this book was just okay.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  I found there were a lot of characters involved and I had a hard time keeping them straight.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.  I wasn't crazy about the ending ... I found it kind of sad and think it could have ended better.

This is the fourth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, yesterday), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.  They are all set in the 1980s before everyone had a computer, cell phone, people still smoke in public places, etc.

Boccone Trattoria Veloce, Mississauga, ON

I flew to Lethbridge this morning and had breakfast at Boccone Trattoria Veloce before my flight.  I usually go there for lunch (they make delicious pizzas!) when I'm at the airport but I was too early for the lunch menu.

I asked my server about the pancakes and she said they weren't good and advised me not to order them.  So I went with bacon and eggs.  When it arrived, everything was cold.  I didn't have time to send it back and have it redone so I ate it.  I was finished when my server checked in on me to see how everything was.  I told her how everything was cold.  She said she keeps telling the chefs/cooks that but they apparently get all huffy and don't listen.  She asked the couple next to me how their breakfast was and theirs was also cold.  She took theirs back and had it redone.

Book ~ "Y is for Yesterday" (2017) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ The darkest and most disturbing case report from the files of Kinsey Millhone, "Y is for Yesterday" begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate - and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace. 

Now, it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents - until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find.

It's 1989 and Kinsey Millhone is a 39-year-old private detective in Santa Teresa, CA.  Ten years ago, Fritz was a teenager going to a private school and he and his friends shot a "movie" that showed the rape and sexual abuse of their 14-year-old friend, Iris.  In addition around that time, one night after a party, Sloane, another of their friends had disappeared and was found dead.  Fritz had fired the gun that killed her so spent the last ten years in prison.  He's just been released and his parents, Lauren and Hollis, have received a blackmail letter demanding $25,000 or the tape will be handed over to the police.  They refuse to pay and hire Kinsey to find out who is behind it.

In the meantime, Ned, a serial killer from Kinsey's recent past, is still on the loose and looking to get even with Kinsey.  He almost killed her once and he's determined to not let her get away this time.

Kinsey's neighbour, landlord and friend, Henry, has allowed a homeless couple and their dog, Killer, to camp out in his backyard because they have nowhere else to go.  Plus there's another storyline featuring Anna, Kinsey's cousin.  There was a lot going on!

I thought this book was okay.  I liked the writing style.  It bounced back and forth from 1979 (when the tape was made and Sloane was killed) to 1989 ("present" day) and I was okay with this.  The chapters are labeled with the dates.  It is written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice when it was 1989 and in third person perspective when it was 1979.  The book is almost 500 pages and there was a lot of details and descriptions that would have been cut out to make the writing tighter.  As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and adult activity.  I kinda when "huh?!?!" at the end with the "whodunnit" ... I think the ending could have been better.

This is the 25th in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone ... one more to go and the series will be over.  I discovered them in the mid-1990s and have read them all ... the first one, A is for Alibi, was written in 1982.  I've actually started rereading them again from the beginning.  They are all set in the 1980s (this one takes place in September 1989) before everyone had a computer, cell phone, people still smoke in public places, etc.

Hot Shawarma, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today in my 'hood at Hot Shawarma (at Queen Street W and Gladstone Avenue).  I've walked by it a ton of times but have never checked it out.

The store front looking east is Hot Shawarma.

The store front looking south is Burger Fighter.

Same restaurant and same entrance, though.

I ordered the cheeseburger combo special (burger, fries and a can of pop for $7.99 [$9.03 including tax]), though I passed on the cheese.  It was an okay burger, better than I expected.  There was a lot of food for the price.

Free samples at SampleSource.com - October 2017

A couple weeks ago, I had answered an emailed survey from SampleSource and a box of free goodies (free!) arrived today.  This is the sixth box of samples I've gotten from them.

Here's what I received along with some coupons ...

 Looks like some fun stuff to try!

Bellissimo Restaurant & Lounge, Winnipeg, MB

I had lunch today at Bellissimo Restaurant & Lounge on Waverley Street.

I've been there a few times over the years.  It's near my client's office and is the only restaurant nearby ... and I'm always happy that we have time to go.

I love love love pizza!  I ordered what I always order ... a pizza with pepperoni and tomatoes.  As always, it was delicious!

My clients go there often so the servers know them and are really friendly.

Best Western Plus Pembina Inn & Suites, Winnipeg, MB

My home away from home Tuesday night and last night in Winnipeg was the Best Western Plus Pembina Inn & Suites.

There was a pool area (which I didn't use) and a fitness room (I spent time on the treadmill yesterday morning).

Barley Brothers, Winnipeg, MB

I had supper this evening at Barley Brothers on Pembina Highway.

Best Pizza & Donair, Winnipeg, MB

I had lunch today at Best Pizza & Donair on Pembina Highway.  It's not a fancy place but I found it comfortable.

I ate it at the table in the corner

I ordered a donair (HOT & FRESH DONAIR — comes with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion and your choice of sweet sauce, garlic sauce, or tazikí all wrapped in a pita) with tomato and sweet sauce.

What is donair? 

Donair is a Middle Eastern dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. In a prepared dish, seasoned meat is stacked on a vertical spit in the shape of an inverted cone. It is turned slowly, cooking against a vertical rotisserie. A tomato, onion or pineapple may be placed at the top of the stack for additional flavouring. The meat is cooked by an electric burner. 

The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption. The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. While cooking, the meat is shaved off the stack with a large knife.

Donairs are a big thing back home in Nova Scotia so whenever I come across them on my travels, I try them (amazingly I wasn't a fan of them until just a couple years ago).  This was a good donair.  The meat was spiced nicely and grilled or fried to heat it up so it was a bit crunchy in places.  The sweet sauce was sweet and close to how it tastes back home.