Calgary Weekender: June 14 through 16, 2013

Friday, June 14
Head for après Friday at the Fairmont Palliser’s Oak Room; a mix of the martini crowd and the microbrew crew, you’ll find what your palate desires. Grab a perch at the bar, nibble on their homemade potato chips and sip a libation to start your weekend off right.

Their Summer Solstice rooftop party next week is already is sold out, but the Cellar Wine Store will have a flight of scotches to taste at the Scotch for Dad tasting Friday at 7pm. From the basics of production to different styles and regions, the educational tasting is $75 and would be the perfect gift for Father’s Day. Or if you had a hard week, it’s the perfect gift for you too. 

Saturday, June 15
This Saturday is the first day of the Millarville Farmers’ Market season. It’s a beautiful drive down to Millarville and you can be sure you’re buying local when it’s the farmers and bakers that you are transacting with. Go hungry and grab some fresh baked goods for breakfast. The market is open from 9am to 2pm and runs each Saturday through to October.

Have you been to the new J. Crew at Chinook Centre yet? If not, stop in on your way back to the city.  Calgary’s first installation of the preppy-chic US brand opened last week. While your outfits scored abroad might not have the same hard-to-duplicate caché, shipping costs are now avoidable.

If you’re in Inglewood or just want to head over for a stroll, stop in at Zyn for bubbles, rosé wine and cupcakes. Between 12:30pm and 3pm, The Purple Pastry Chef Mobile Cupcake Van will be out and the Zyn’ers will be pouring bubbles and rosé to try before you buy. They have an extensive collection of microbrew beer as well, so it’s anyone’s scene (in case you need to do some convincing). For more information visit zyn.ca

Saturday night the party continues at Hotel Arts for Tonic: Mix It Up for a Cause. The event is for the Children’s Cottage Society, whose aim is to prevent harm and neglect to all children by offering crisis care, respite and family support services to families and their children free of charge. The shindig is going down from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. There will be a Gatsby-inspired, best of the Jazz Age aura with cool eats, live entertainment and a rockin’ silent auction. For more information and tickets surf over to tonicforacause.com.

Sunday, June 16
Take Dad to brunch on Father’s Day Sunday. If you’re down South, head to Cravings Market Restaurant; choose between one of two seatings, 10:30am or 12:30pm Make sure you call ahead for a reso (403-252-2083) to avoid having to make brunch yourself. 7207 Fairmount Drive, SE.

If you’re closer to the Core, Craft Beer Market has an awesome brunch from 10am to 3pm. Their extensive buffet will satisfy every appetite, from chicken and waffles to charcuterie and a seafood bar. You can also score some beers on your Beer Club card while entertaining the fam. 345 10th Avenue SW

After some eats, show your Dad how that trip to France really paid off and take him to Rendez-vous cInéMAGINE. It’s a first-time event from the group who promotes French films to Albertans. The flick at 4pm Le prénom (What’s in a Name) centres on a man coming up with a name for his future son – totally Father’s Day related. And it has English subtitles, so if you can’t exactly recall all that you learned in French class, you’ll be fine.

Top photo courtesy Cravings Market Restaurant