Three words: pain au chocolat.
... wait, is au a word? Reason you wished you paid more attention in highschool french #563.
Butchering of the french language aside, this place took 4 stars simply because of this decadent little morsel of chocolatey goodness. The bakery is local and these cats bring in the pain au chocolat frozen and bake them up every day. How do I know this? Because the people we stay with in Calgary do the same. They are good people.
And sure... it looks like a plain ol' chocolate croissant, but something about this puffy little treasure just hooks me. I ate seven... I was staying in the neighbourhood for three days...you do the math. It's flaky and delicious and well worth a trip into this spot.
The rest of the cafe? Well for one, "cafe" is a stretch, it's a counter in an organic grocer. But on the flip side, it's a really nice organic grocer so... yeah. There's a few tables outside to plunk yourself down and whisper sweet nothings to your pain au chocolat. It's also across the hall from a wine store... which is never a BAD thing.
The coffee is ok. Nothing to write home about but a decent cup. All in all, the little coffee counter is pretty run of the mill - lovely but ultimately forgettable if it wasn't for that tasty little pastry. Bravo for making me gain 5 lbs in Calgary Vie Cafe. Keep stocking that chocolate goodness and i'll see you again next trip!