CALGARY, Alberta – Three new gastro-centers have sprung up in Calgary over the last couple of months and 2P News has finally had time to sit down with the owners to discuss their new and refreshing ideas.
The eateries we’re talking about are the much famed Doghouse Delicious Steak and Waffle restaurants owned by Nathan Shilling and Harvey Deffuit.
After a collective 50 years in the oil and gas sector, the two decided to move laterally in their careers and start a series of oil and gas-based stomach-filling stations in Calgary. Targeted towards PNG staff and professionals, success was all but a sure thing, and all 3 locations are doing exceptionally well.
We started up the first one and hoped for the best. After a couple weeks of standing room only, we opened our other two locations. All 3 are in the downtown core, and really not that far apart, but we had to do it. Demand was just too much for us to handle with one spot. – Nathan Shilling outside DDS&W Station One on Stephen Ave.
Each location is unique, but the theme is definitive. Rig parts for chairs and tables, hard hats and coveralls for servers, and of course, the stellar, oil and gas themed menu. Everything about this place boasts Oil & Gas to all comers. Without giving away too much, we have decided to center this article around 5 of our favorite items from the menu.
- Wabasca Waffles: These checkered beauties are a tribute to all who have ventured to Wabasca and lived to tell the tale. Baked with a special blend of local flours, these bannock themed waffles are soaked with pure pine syrup and served with a side of Mule Deer sausage and a dipping sauce that resembles barite laden diesel fuel. A truly great way to start your day.
- Montney Hash & Dawson Dumplings: This ground beef concoction takes us all the way back to the outskirts of nowhere, which is where it was conceived. A mix of what we guess is 4 or 5 random cans of crap from WalMart, this goulash is served with a tasty side of Dawson Creek style dumplings. And if you can get manage to bust through the work camp style crust, they are quite delicious.
- Redvers Roast with Souris Salad: This moose roast is brought in from Saskatchewan where it is locally shot and killed, sometimes from a drill floor. The moose roasts are slow-cooked for 3 days to soak up the secret blend of spices developed in partnership with ChipSlick Fluids. The roast is served with freshly cultivated and flown in Souris River swamp grass, providing a true flavour of southern Saskatchewan for diners.
-
Bakken Beans Steak & Bakken Baked Beans: Steak is steak. Easy. Add into the mix a large side of proprietary Bakken Baked Beans and you have a meal that would win any of today’s over wrung cooking shows. The special surprise of the Bakken Beans is the amount of gas they produce if you eat enough of them fast enough.
- Rainbow Lake Ravioli: This dish involves a great pasta meal, but the ambience is where it gets interesting. If you are brave enough to order this, you get to sit outside on the roof by yourself and eat it in the cold. Just like Rainbow Lake.
Oh man, I love this place! I feel at home at DDS&W – it’s the real deal and being here reminds me of my time in the field coupled with my mom’s home cookin’. Some people might think that it smells a little bit like crude and drilling fluids in here, but that’s just because the safety gear that the servers wear and the drilling equipment decor wasn’t really cleaned that well. But I love it. – Dirk Doodlesun, P.Eng., former career rig hand.
According to the general manager of the west Stephen Avenue location, DDS&W plans to bring on a former well site geologist who has designs on introducing a tasty new dessert called Basement Pull-a-Parts. Stay tuned in the coming months for a formal critic’s review from 2P News’ lifestyle editor Yu Mii.
