We’ve all been there: the “high-end” chain restaurants. Perky hostesses, ageless servers, leather-bound menus, Asian appys, signature dip and (insert name)-size drinks. Why do they all end with S — or apostrophe S?
But we go because these places are easy and inoffensive. The standbys are there and they won’t break the bank. It won’t be awesome but I also know it won’t be bad.
When I moved east from Vancouver, I thought I’d never see a Milestone’s again, but it has migrated as I have, so when Gwendolyn invited me to brunch there, I was interested to see how far it’s come from the portobello mushroom chicken and Bellini Tuesdays of my youth.
It’s kind of an unfair comparison though because I’ve never tried or even considered Milestone’s for brunch and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The downtown Calgary location is huge, so there are no problems getting a table. Sometimes I just don’t feel like lining up to eat on a Sunday morning.
The brunch menu has a decent selection of omelettes, benedicts and miscellaneous but no bacon and eggs. At the same time, you can also order from their lunch menu if you’re so inclined.
There were five of us trickling in so we saw a lot of our server — “You’re the only table I’ve got right now so just yell and I’ll come running” — Randy. He became our new BFF as soon as he heard Gwendolyn was recovering from birthday high jinks. “I haven’t slept in two days!” he shared happily.
“Just keep the coffee coming,” I thought.
My Joe’s Special was quite good, a pile of seasoned ground beef, fresh spinach, mushrooms and scrambled eggs, with herb-rubbed toast and some roma tomatoes. However, it was my lucky day as everyone else’s dishes, while tasty, were cold.
Gwendolyn’s grilled shrimp California benedict looked really good with spicy house-made avocado salsa, double-smoked bacon, and huge pieces of shrimp, as did Colette’s strawberry French toast with mango cream but I think the temperature issue prevented everyone from cleaning their plates.
Portions were huge and we never felt rushed with Randy more than content to ply us with coffee and repeated offers of “Caesars? Anyone want a Caesar?” I was convinced there was some sort of Caesar-selling contest underway among staff.
Our BFF came through in the end with a surprise slice of some sort of turtle pie, sparklers and a Polaroid of us, tucked in a genuine Milestone’s memory cardboard frame.
Milestone’s, 107-8th Ave SE, Calgary, (403) 410-9521. More info here, 32 locations across B.C., Alberta and Ontario.
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