The Cowboy Trail

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

One of the awesome things about Calgary is what lies just outside the city - expansive prairie skies, the majestic Rockies, golden fields, and of course, good food.

B. and I went on a mini-road trip south on Highway 22, aka The Cowboy Trail during the May long weekend. (Yes, I understand that that was two-and-a-half weeks ago... bear with me here.) The trail actually stretches north to Mayerthorpe, and forks out on Highway 3 just east of Crowsnest Pass, but we played it safe and just hung around the Black Diamond/Turner Valley/Longview area.

We had originally planned to check out the opening day brunch at Bar U Ranch, but sleep won over and we didn't find ourselves heading out until much later than intended. Everything turned out ok, because it just meant more room for burgers at Chuckwagon Café.


Fellow Calgary food blogger Gwendolyn had gushed about the burgers there in an article that was also published in the Herald, and we'd been meaning to go since November, when the now-defunct Calgary Foodie Group was planning its side-by-side burger comparison outing.

Chuckwagon Café is very much your typical small-town greasy spoon, when we went in, men were sitting at the bar scarfing down their brunches, and the waitress did call us "dear". He ordered the House Burger with fries, while I ordered the Swiss Mushroom Burger. I'd originally wanted fries too, but I had a sore throat that day, and after some coaxing from B. I asked the waitress what the soup of the day was, which was beef barley - my favourite :)

Photo by Brian Low

The burgers' slightly charred exteriors held in the juicy and tender meat inside, complemented by the fresh and crisp vegetables. These were indeed worth the hour-long trip.

Photo by Brian Low

But you can't forget the sides - my beef barley soup was hearty and filling, with nice big chunks of beef and vegetables. Also, unlike most soups at restaurants, this one wasn't too salty at all. However, I couldn't stop myself from reaching over and picking at B.'s fries - shoestring cut, they were crispy and lightly seasoned. Also worth the hour-long drive.

After filling our bellies at the Chuckwagon Café, we continued heading south on The Cowboy Trail in search of the world's best jerky...




The Longview Jerky Shop has an impressive selection of jerky, pepperoni and sausage, ranging from ordinary flavours like original and barbecue, to more exotic flavours and meats like Mandarin and Ginger jerky or Buffalo Blueberry Sausage.




After some tasting from the samples available, B. and I ended up buying a total of seven different kinds of jerky and pepperoni, including the aforementioned Mandarin and Ginger (which my mom ate and said it wasn't very mandarin-y or ginger-y... just sweet), some turkey jerky and some elk jerky.

We ate the honey garlic turkey jerky during the drive home, and it was sticky and sweet. I had the chipotle elk jerky with me over the next few days, and it had just the right touch of spice that it dances a little on your tongue.

I should also note that both Chuckwagon Café and Longview Jerky Shops also serve as butcher shops, and you can get cuts of 'AAA' beef at both, as well as pork and buffalo at the jerky shop.

Chuckwagon Café
105 Sunset Blvd
Turner Valley AB T0L 2A0
(403) 933-0003
Open Mon-Fri 8 AM-2:30 PM. Sat-Sun 8 AM-3:30 PM.

Longview Jerky Shop
148 Morrison Rd
Longview AB T0L 1H0
(403) 558-3960
Open Mon-Thu, Sat 8 AM-7 PM; Fri 8 AM-9 PM; Sun 10 AM-9 PM.