Menggu Grill is back, well not really, but it might as well be. This time around the new owners are calling the restaurant “Asia Garden”.
Is a change of name, but the same style of food a good business venture or not? Probably not, because as most people in Medicine Hat are aware of, Menggu Grill had big issues regarding breaching health regulations some time ago as described on our Menggu Grill Closes post, and after struggling afterward, they were forced to close down. Even the restaurant which existed before the Menggu Grill, named Fortune Gardens had health issues previously. I think most people have given up hope for restaurants in that building, but who knows, maybe these guys can set it right!
Even though Asia Garden is run by different owners, and is a bit different in terms of food and style, I wonder if people will be persuaded by the new name even though the building has been previously plagued with health problems.
Richard Rose with fiancé Shirma Dewis and daughter Mikyla - Photography by Ian Sorensen, Medicine Hat News
Richard Rose is taking the steps that too many people thought would be a good idea but never dared to tread. He has big plans to open up a video gaming center in our own Medicine Hat, up till now there has been no such thing combining all the latest consoles and PC gaming, and even in bigger city centers like Calgary or Toronto, places that do both console and PC gaming are rare.
The name of this establishment will be Empire Gaming and its location will reside at 104-7 Strachan Bay SE, with an anticipated opening date of mid-August. There is currently a Facebook group, “Gamers of Medicine Hat”, which will have updates on progress and upcoming events. The fee is expected to be around $5 an hour, and a yearly membership can be purchased anywhere from $50-$70 which will give special offers and discounts – it does not offer free play. The hours of operation will be 9:00AM – 9:00PM every day of week for the first couple weeks, after such time, changes will occur. There will also be all night events and tournaments scheduled later on.
Carrying all top of the line consoles, there will be 2 Wiis, 2 PS3s, 13 Xbox 360s and 20 PCs. The reason for these ratios is due to the amount of games per console dedicated to multi-player gaming. It is definitely an all-out experience, the Wii’s will have 92″ projector screens with surround sound and sub woofers.
So far all the feedback has been positive and encouraging except for one remark to the effect of “Why pay for something you can do at home for free?”. Well, I’m certainly not rich enough to afford all the consoles or even the high-end gaming computers they have, but it isn’t even so much about that. I’m certain with the opening we will see that gamers really are social people and just haven’t been given the proper opportunities. As a gamer myself, I think it’s very difficult to find friends with similar interests simply because – all those people are in their basements gaming themselves to play on a common stereotype.
ElectroGlide Logo
ElectroGlide is the only custom amplifier business in the city, making it a great business to feature here. Bill Gill, a local resident and no stranger to the local music scene started the business a couple years ago; however he’s been working with amps and electronics for 15 years. Recently, as far back as four years ago, he has been making and building custom amplifiers for a number of local and national musicians. He also does re-wiring, customization and other repair as well to existing amps, making him one of the few people (or only?) in town where you can get your amps repaired or modified.
Blurb from the website:
Peerless tone and reliability are paramount for me along with the right fit for an artist’s style. And like those artists, all of my amplifiers while similar, are not identical and each is an individual in its own right. So whether you’re like the semi-pro, pro and Juno award-winning artists who use and enjoy my products, or just a keen amateur player who values his own voice, I’m sure I can find a “fit” for you.
The website features tons of photos of his custom creations, live performances and recordings of many of the amps and contact information.
Premium Sausage is a meat store that is located in Seven Persons, Alberta, and was started by Ralph and Elaine Erb in 1990, who began selling their homemade sausage at the request of their friends. Ever since, business has boomed and the store now offers a great selection of meat products and operates somewhat as a general store, offering many canned goods, as well as some baking.
The store can be easily identified just off the highway in Seven Persons by the architecture of the building, which is in the likeness of a grain elevator. Upon entering, the aroma of fresh meats fills your lungs – a smell most people relish; however, I am sure I would, as most people would, get sick of the smell if they were surrounded by it for too long. Regardless, their meat selection is huge, fresh, and affordable. What is more, Medicine Hat residents can have their orders delivered free of charge if they exceed $50 in cost.
Despite being about 20 minutes south of Medicine Hat and about the same distance from Bow Island, the store seems to enjoy a great amount of business.
Premium Sausage can be located off Highway #3 in Seven Persons, Alberta.
Store Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30AM – 6:00PM, Saturday: 8:30AM to 5:30AM, Sunday: Closed.
http://www.premiumsausage.ca/
Mr. Chi Pig - Photography from CBC.ca (Jess Watt)
Just got a Facebook message alerting me that SNFU, the popular Canadian skate punk band is returning to play in Medicine Hat. They were last in the city nearly a year ago, a little bit after we first started this site, although we didn’t write about it at the time even though Sean and I both went. They played in the now late Doghouse, which burnt down shortly after they played there.
This time they will be playing at The Ottoman Lounge which means you we get to see first hand the weird and twisted, gross-out humour displayed by the band’s lead singer, Ken Chinn (Mr. Chi Pig) up close and personal. They have a weird assortment of stage props and masks that Mr. Chi Pig just loves to sing with.
I also shouldn’t state that they are a “skate punk” band because they do tend to delve into more hardcore or melodic punk as well. SNFU, as a band have recently (2007) reassembled after several previous break-ups and have been touring and playing quite steadily since, even though they haven’t released a new CD since 2004. However, according to some articles, they are gearing up to begin recording their new album this year.
Location: The Ottoman Lounge
Where: 502 South Railway St. SE.
Tickets: $15 (available now)
When: Saturday, June 20th
Start Time: Show will start around 10PM
Pasta-Bilities is a quaint restaurant tucked away behind a small facade in the Starbucks/Joey’s Only parking lot off 13th Ave SE and TransCanada Way. The restaurant offers a large menu consisting of pasta courses and desserts, as well as a pasta-of-the-day which is not only filling, but affordable as well. The courses are always available to have add-ons put in, such as meat balls.
The pasta, sauces, and desserts are all prepared in-house by a nice elderly man who is also the resident Chef and owner and ensures that you will have a freshly prepared meal. The ambiance in the restaurant is wonderful. The front facade of the building is all windows, allowing much sunlight in. The colour scheme of the decor is primarily green, white and red, reminiscent of the Italian flag, and soft Italian music floats through the air to top off your dining experience.
Apart from a delightful dining experience, the restaurant also offers pasta products and sauces, as well as a few other things such as pasta makers.
I have never had a poor meal at Pasta-Bilities, and plan on going back many more times.
Pasta-Bilities is located at 1290 Trans Canada Way SE, across the parking lot from Starbucks.
Bif Naked (Beth Torbert) Live - Photo from MySpace
Bif Naked, popular Canadian rock band is scheduled to rock the Esplanade June 22nd, 2009 at 8:00PM. The show will be all ages and will cost $32 a ticket. I also wanted to mention how illogical it is to have these kinds of shows at the Esplanade, I mean, there’s no standing row, it’s all seated. Prepare to “rock out” or dance whilst sitting! But all that aside, it’s nice to see a band like this coming to Medicine Hat as always. Beth Torbert and her band, Bif Naked has been touring to promote her newest album entitled “The Promise”.
I started listening to Bif Naked back when she/they released “I Bificus” in 1999 when I heard the song “Spaceman” plastered all over Much Music at the time. I was also into a lot of other rock bands at that time as well like The Tea Party (ugh) and Smashing Pumpkins so I was digging Bif Naked as well. In the recent years I haven’t really kept up with her music other than listening to the casual single off of each new album. Videos and links supplied after the jump.
A couple of days ago as I was on my merry way home to my farm roughly thirty miles outside of The Hat, listening to some tunes, enjoying the scenery when I noticed an obnoxious blemish. Someone had driven ten miles out of the city to abandon their dumpy couch. I have to wonder what this individual was thinking when they decided to spread their refuse across an otherwise beautiful piece of scenery. Perhaps they thought magical garbage fairies periodically clean the sides of highways, or maybe they just don’t really care that the side of that road is pretty much the equivalent of a few dozen people’s backyard. The furnace at my house is about to crap out, I might consider loading it into the back of a truck and dropping it off in Kin Coulee when its life is finally over, that makes about as much sense as abandoning it on the side of the highway.
This seems to be becoming a fairly regular occurrence as washers, dryers, Realtor signs and the like seem to find their way into the ditches of rambling country roads. It almost seems illogical to me. These items can hardly be loaded into a fuel-efficient Honda Civic, therefore these litterers are spending more than a pretty penny driving their large vehicles this far out of the city to dodge the $5 charge at the city dump. Although I am by no means an Al Gore-style environment enthusiast I would like to encourage people to use the city landfill so we can at least let our disgusting garbage congregate in a place where it isn’t such a nuisance to rural inhabitants, perhaps we’ll even save a few dollars in gas money while we’re at it.
The Medicine Hat Municipal Landfill is open Monday to Friday 8-6 and Saturday and Sunday 8-5 right through to the 31st of October and with a very low standard $5 charge with some additional charges depending on what is being dumped let’s do our best to use it!
The village of Suffield is hosting their giant community walk-about sale this weekend. There will be a huge variety of items including furniture, appliances, antiques, coins, stamps, sports cards, memorabilia, and fishing equipment. If you have some time to spare on the weekend then take a scenic drive down the Trans Canada Highway and check out the goods!
Suffield’s Community Walk-About Sale
Saturday and Sunday, June 13th and 14th
10:00AM – 3:00PM
For more information please call: 403-544-3696
Google Map
I told you there would be more of these types of events this summer! This one is not a running event, but a walking event, meaning anybody should be able to join and participate. Judging by the name of the event, you could also be able to guess this a Alzhemier cure event brought to you by the Alzhemier Society and Investors Group.
It will be taking place in several locations throughout Canada on June 20th, 2009, but in Medicine Hat, it will take place in Kin Coulee Park. Registration is at 10:00 AM and the walking starts at 10:30 AM. For more information please call 403-528-2700. The registration fee is $15 dollars after June 1st and you are encouraged to raise/pledge money in an effort to help “Alberta make history by raising $200,000”. This goal will be shared with all Alberta events which takes place in 6 locations within Alberta so it’s quite possible. All money raised will go to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and there is several prizes and rewards to win for raising money.
You can register and find more information at the following sites:
Events
Community
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Press & Linking
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Medicine Hat Media Press Kit PDF
Logo & Other Elements
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