Casual Calgary: Peters’ Drive-In & Salt and Pepper Mexican

Peters’ Drive-In
Peters’ Drive-In was recommended by several friends when I mentioned I would be visiting Calgary, so I dropped by to give it a taste . It’s clearly a popular spot with the locals. A line up in the drive through and more waiting at the walk up window was a fair indication. Picnic tables in the surrounding area were also filled with families enjoying the sunny afternoon.

We ordered one double and one triple cheese burger but sadly found them very disappointing. I thought the patty was rubbery and it didn’t have much flavour, my dining partner agreed. Consultation with a few of our local friends after the meal revealed that they too had found Peters’ underwhelming. We didn’t order fries but I took a peak at the table sitting next to us and saw what appeared to be a large serve which the children seemed to be enjoying. A little further investigation revealed that I had spotted the small serve, the large fries comes in something the size of a shoe box.

The milkshake selection is awesome with about twenty flavours to choose from and the option to mix up to three of them. I went with a tropical theme of coconut and watermelon while my partner had chocolate and banana. Both were tasty and quite thick but huge, neither of us could finish them. Peter’s seems like a fast food institution around Calgary but I’d be willing to give it a miss next time. Nothing special.
219-16Avenue NE http://www.petersdrivein.com/

Salt and Pepper Mexican in Calgary
I can’t say I’ve ever really enjoyed going out for a Mexican meal, they always seem a little bland and stodgy. Therefore it was with some hesitation that I walked into Salt and Pepper in Inglewood, Calgary.

We were shown to a great table on the patio which is decked out in bright and informal furniture. The atmosphere is very relaxed and I spotted some couches set around an outdoor fireplace that would be great spot to sit and share a few drinks with friends. Our waiter was fun and helpful, not overbearing and constantly in your face, it was possible to take more than two bites of my meal without being pounced on to check if everything was ok.

Whilst sipping on a glass of Sangria with fresh apple and lime I perused the menu which proved to be far more exciting than the usual fare of just tacos and burritos. I settled on ‘Chilles Rellenos Poblanos – two cheese stuffed poblano peppers topped with tomato sauce and sour cream’. Sooooo tasty, the cheese was lovely and gooey and the sour cream and tomato sauce were present without taking away from the great fresh flavour of the peppers.

My partner opted for ‘Chillaquiles al Estillo Samborns – Bakes layersof corn tortilla, cheese, chicken, cream and tomato sauce.’ “It’s like mexican lasagna,” he gushed when I asked what he thought of it. Both meals were served with rice and refried beans and every scrap was polished off both plates. We both thought it was the best mexican meal we’d ever eaten. It would be fabulous to tell you about the desserts but we were too full to even consider more food.

If you’re looking for a relaxing evening and want to give mexican food another chance, start off with a Sangria and enjoy the menu.
Historic Inglewood 1413 9th Ave. S.E. http://saltnpepper.ca/index.php