Recent Highlights and Lowlights…
Even though I consider their wine list to be a sham….I have to admit that my lunch at Blink was a pleasant surprise. I like the room, the service was very good and the food really surprised me. The red wine braised boneless short rib ($24.95) I had was fantastic. Served in a mini cast iron ramekin I thought the portion would be light…but was impressed by how much food they packed in that little pot of joy. The meat was cooked perfectly and was easily managed with my fork. The veggies complimenting the meat were firm, tasty, and thanks to the cast iron it was all warm throughout my lunch. While I am still not sold on this place…I am intrigued enough to come back for an early dinner before the steroid-monkey and club-girl crowd shows up. Still can’t believe what they’re trying to charge for E&E Shiraz so value remains a question….but I digress.
Once in a blue moon I ignore my expanded belly and need to satisfy my cravings for good fish and chips. Fortunately there is the Chowder House Seafood Restaurant (609-1st Street SW) a block away from my office in Petro Canada. Two times in a row I have been served excellent fish and chips by friendly, attentive staff. The batter is crispy crunchy good and the chips don’t taste of fish…which tells me they’re operating different fryers…thank the heavens. There’s also a nice selection of different types of fish you may choose from for your battered pleasure. The other dishes I have seen served around me on my trips here have also looked good…so maybe it’s time I tried more than their fried goodies.
I am a BBQ nut. If you smoke it, grill it, char it, or put a flame anywhere near it I’ll chow down. A great little spot for cheap Chinese BBQ in downtown Calgary is Happy Valley Restaurant (100-3rd Avenue SE). You can order the lunch BBQ special with extra meat and tea for about $10. Choose from duck, pork, or Chinese sausage…or just get all three! It’s not the Ritz but about once every week or so I have to satisfy my cravings for their glazed meaty treats. I have no idea what their other food is like…cause the BBQ rules.
Denman Island chocolate bars from Planet Organic are an expensive treat at $3.75 a bar….but the espresso chunk chocolate bar with a nice glass of port is something that will bring a big smile to the crankiest curmudgeon after a tough day oppressing creative underlings. The chocolate they use is made in Belgium but it’s in BC where they work their magic with ingredients all certified to be organic. An excellent treat.
Pies Plus (12445 Lake Fraser Dr SE) chicken pot pie….TO DIE FOR. Damn they’re good and hot and flaky. Loved their comfort food expression. When I ordered my peach-apple pie and the girl asked me for $18.75 I almost fell over…but having devoured the chicken pot pie crust I figured what the hell? What the hell indeed…it was the best pie (lard in crust) I have ever had besides the pies my granny makes (sentimentality always wins). I am now officially hooked on Pies Plus...and when I bring them back their pie tin I get $1 off. It’s worth it either way. Last thing…their bathrooms were SPOTLESS.
They’ve Gotta be Kiddin’ Me…
I had read many good things from various food personas about Aladdin’s Casbah in Avenida Village. Having acquired a taste for Lebanese food and other assorted Middle Eastern delights from my girlfriend and her family (Lebanese) I was excited that maybe…just maybe we had a new ethnic specialty spot in the south of Calgary worth checking out. Alas Aladdin didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve on the night we dined there. Maybe I should have rubbed the lamp harder? The store bought pita in plastic bag, the bottles of Costco water and very odd tasting food failed to impress. I hate to discourage or flame new spots down south but our meal was not something I’d ever wish to experience again. We ordered everything and most of it was dried out, seasoned poorly or just flat out tasted bad. Not interested in going back anytime soon.
Ruth's Chris Update: Some of you may have read my account of the fiasco that was my birthday dinner at RC (it's posted in User Submissions)...to the credit of their management I received an email apology, a personal apology from the manager and even some gift certs to convince me to come back. While I was completely unimpressed with my dining experience, I was impressed by the way they handled it after the fact. A special thank you to Marcel. Cheers mate.
Best Dining Experiences in 2007
Out of Country: Tie: Bouchon's in Vegas. Pureed potatoes, boudin blanc, and escargot I'll never forget. Le Beaujolais, France. Duck confit and garlic roasted potatoes I know I'll never find anywhere else.
Out of Province: Bin 941 in Vancouver. Fried Navajo bread and a salad of fresh greens, pancetta, truffled grean beans, goat cheese and nugget potatoes were as close to food porn as it gets. There was much more...but I'll review once I go again February 22nd.
Calgary: 2007 NYE at Tribune. "An Evening in Tuscany"...6 courses of bliss highlighted by extra skin I ordered with my roast suckling pig which I promptly used to dig out veal shank bone marrow my better half chose not to eat.
2nd: Lunch at The Belvedere where I had a deconstructed cassoulet I couldn't have imagined would taste so good. The cold smoked pork in this dish was nirvana. Sticky toffee pudding is a Belvedere dessert staple. This lunch was stupidly expensive (review is in User Submissions)...but totally worth it!
Worst Dining Experience in 2007
Halo, South Calgary. This was $140 I will NEVER get back or feel good about spending. Worst value I experienced. The fish was something out of a Kitchen Nightmare's episode.
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
I was so excited to have RC's open in Calgary. Though I am an Alberta beef fan all the way...I never had a bad experience at RC's while living/touring throughout the USA. The steak I had in Washington's location while trapped during the blizzard of '96 was as good a piece of meat as anything we have here and it was cooked in such a unique way...crispy on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside...my mouth still waters. After sending many friends to the Edmonton location and hearing how much they all enjoyed it I was giddy as a kid on Christmas to try our Calgary locale...and then...like the Hindenburg, expectations evaporated right before my eyes.
After waiting for 15 minutes I finally flagged down a water boy to ask if he could get someone to serve us. Promptly a waiter I had watched serve all the tables around us popped by to apologize for the delay and indicated he would "take our table since no one else had"...a clear line of bullshit designed to deflect his own blindness for having walked past us several times. As we had waited for him we were able to rattle off our complete food and drink order at once. The wine we ordered showed up 10 minutes after he left with our orders (nice Zin, good price) and our appetizers showed up just afterwards. The crab cakes were excellent...and for $23 they had better be. The shrimp cocktail was also excellent. At least the food seemed to living up to its billing. The wine service was okay, no decanter nor an offer to decant...but I figured this guy was used to screw caps (and not on GOOD Aussie wines) so I didn't bother.
The waiter we had was clearly the village idiot in the place. Let's call him Biff. I watched Biff running from table to table while his peers seemed calm and collected which, given the atmosphere is exactly what is called for. Now the fun part, after our appetizers had been on our table for 5 minutes a food runner shows up with our mains. Totally unacceptable but he apologized and took our food back with no problems...except in my mind I wondered if my food was sitting under a heat lamp somewhere dying on the vine.
Biff shows up and apologizes for the mishap and explains that because the kitchen was having issues all night he put our main course order in at the same time as our appetizers because he believed these "delays" would have seen our food come out at the appropriate time. Nothing like throwing the kitchen staff under the bus. I am sure Biff is popular amongst his peers. In any case, this is a major screw up in my world. Nice work Biff.
We finish our appetizers and our table is cleared promptly. The food runner comes back with our food and does a nice job positioning our mushrooms, potatoes au gratin and steaks. The plates sizzle with butter and come out at 500 degrees but our steaks look dead. We both ordered the filet, medium rare. Mine is brown...all the way through. The other steak is cooked perfectly on the inside but hardly looks broiled...which incidentally is what they are SUPPOSED to be famous for. Clearly one sat under a heat lamp, one came out fresh, but neither was broiled properly. For $48 a steak, they better be perfect...and they were far from it.
The sides were god awful. The potatoes were cold and the mushrooms either came out of a can or were somehow preserved given their rubbery texture and weak taste. Biff comes to ask how our food is 10 minutes later, I show him my steak and he offers to take it back...which is nice...but a dollar short and day late as the expression goes. At this point I feel physically ill....I have no idea why but I go to the restroom just in case my $23 crab cakes are coming back up...while I am away Biff HITS on my girlfriend! Can it get any better??
Rather than experiencing anymore we get the bill, get the hell outta dodge and finish our evening at Divino where Brad and Brian demonstrate to us what customer service is all about. Thanks Ruth's Chris....did I mention it was my birthday? There may come a day when I go back, and that would be the day that drinking wine with Little Penguins on the bottle is something I crave. Their motto is an "Adventure in Flavor"...it was an adventure alright...just like the Hindenburg. Worst value I have experienced in Calgary this year.
Catch Restaurant is a place I hadn't been to in a looong time. I always felt it was overpriced and the quality was lacking. My recent experience confirmed that Catch is expensive...but WOW the quality was spot on. The wine service was excellent....we ordered a pinot and out came the Riedel pinot tasting glasses. I have NEVER had that experience anywhere else in Calgary. The braised short-rib I ordered was the highlight...tender and packed with flavours. An excellent meal overall if you're okay shellling out $150 or more for 2.
Bolero is Calgary's answer to Brazilian BBQ. I have to admit I was skeptical....especially on a Monday night....but for $35 I was really impressed with the variety of food and the quality was really good overall. Any all you can eat MEATHOUSE is going to have a few flaws when it comes to food quality but if I had to take a group of my buddies out without breaking the bank...this place would fit the bill nicely. Their winelist is a disaster which is really a shame given all the good protein in the house. The pineapple roasted on spits is a GREAT dessert...which calls out desperately for ice cream topping! LOL
Bouchon - Las Vegas
Thomas Keller’s entry into Sin City…assuming you can find the place on the 10th floor in the Venetian this spot is well worth the hunt. “Bouchon” refers to the Lyon based café style that has existed for hundreds of years. The Vegas entry is modeled after the California location in Yountville, CA. In case you haven’t heard….Keller is arguably the greatest Chef in America (it’s him or Charlie Trotter)…his French Laundry restaurant is legendary (as is the cookbook).
I wasn’t sure what to expect given the hike we had endeared and upon arriving I was taken aback at the loud, lively, boisterous environment…I had expected snooty, laid back, traditional stuffy wannabe French atmosphere full of high rollers looking down their noses at the masses. This joint was alive and fun! Having been in Paris this past spring…it brought back great memories of the bistro scene I found so invigorating.
Seated at the bar while we waited for our table I enjoyed a glass of Cali sparkling ($13, Roederer Estate, NV). The wait wasn’t an issue and before long we were seated and the experience began. I say “experience” because this meal was spot on in every aspect (wine service aside) though the room was surprisingly small and while decorated in a classic French style (quite appeasing to the senses) the acoustics, maybe by design, were awful.
For appetizers we enjoyed Mixed Greens with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Warm Goat Cheese & Herbs de Provence & the best Escargot I have ever tasted ($15). Each snail had an individual puff pastry dollop on top for dunking in the creamy butter and garlic sauce underneath. I am ruined for life after this classic rendition. Every time I order escargot here I’ll be haunted by rubbery texture and over use of garlic. The salad, while lovely, was nothing out of this world but the cheese was tangy and fresh. A steal for $9.75 and REAL red wine vinaigrette really is a blessing.
The entrées proved to be very precise in their execution and represented excellent value given Vegas markups. The Roasted Chicken with green lentils, pearl onions, bacon lardoons and sauce Chasseur ($27.50) was cooked to perfection. I couldn’t resist the Boudin Blanc with potato purée & sautéed prunes….absolute nirvana. The potatoes had to be helium injected to be THAT light and flavorful. For $24.50 I couldn’t have been happier. For dessert…Pot de Crème($8.50)…so full of creamy fattiness I could feel my ass expanding as I ate it. The only problem with this menu for me….wayyyyy too much looks good. I could have eaten here every night, had something completely different and wanted to come back for more. I encourage you to surf their online menu…but you will salivate so be careful Pavlov!
The down side of Bouchon for me…yes....the wine service sucked. Once again I was disappointed by the lack of attention to detail in this realm. What’s worse…they actually have an antique-like cart for displaying and storing wine bottles, glasses, and decanters…which is great IF they actually offer the service.
It was somewhat shocking to me that I’d order Sea Smoke Pinot Noir (Botella) for $136 and not even have the sommelier offer to decant. But it wasn’t just our table…NO ONE in the room had their wine decanted. I asked him if it would be a problem but he happily agreed and even stored our bottle and decanter on the fancy wine cart…but why’d I have to ask in the first place? And why or why did the glassware have be those ridiculous en vogue wine bowls that kill any chance of fully appreciating a fine Pinot? The wine’s temperature was perfect so I guess 1 out of 3 isn’t a total write-off…but it’s the small details that separate really good experiences from the outstanding.
The menu at Bouchon is highly seasonal so be assured that some of the items I enjoyed may not be featured as described. In sum, Bouchon is perfectly executed French fare at prices ANYONE can afford. This is your must-have dining experience in Vegas given the prices and brilliance of their kitchen. Enjoy!
Tropika is a spot I tend to forget about, especially when the construction on Centre Streetmakes it a major pain in the ass to get there. I don’t know what’s changed in the kitchen but the food has gotten better…and it was great to begin with. Even the service has improved! The Satays are scrumptiously tender, cooked perfectly and the homemade Peanut Sauce is unreal. I always have the Rojak because the Spicy Curry Sauce is the perfect compliment. The Nasi Goreng is cooked to order and comes out piping hot and full of fresh veggies and assorted meats. No trip would be complete without the Tropika Home Style Chicken. Though it’s located in a strip mall….it’s well worth the trip…and Centre Street construction is finally done so it’s easy to get to again!
The south of Calgary is dying for good restaurants…and there is no relief in sight. Halo advertises itself as a steak and seafood house with a great wine list…ummm….yeah….right. This place is like walking into an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Disasters. First of all…they were out of the first three wines we ordered…I won’t even comment on the wine service, some things are best left unsaid. The escargot I ordered…a triumph of flavorless chew. The menu is all over the place…but given their steak and seafood “focus” we ordered prime rib and halibut…the prime rib was tough and tasteless. The halibut we ordered was clearly frozen in a bag, poached in boiling water to reheat, slapped on a plate and then covered in sauce. Terrible. When the waitress asked us if we wanted dessert she made a point of emphasizing the fact that ALL of them are homemade (the implication being…nothing else there is). In short…this was $140 I’ll never get back. To end on a positive note, at least they spent some money making the room look nice.
Lunch by the pool at Raw Bar is something everyone should do when the sun is out. What a great setting! It’s like eating in LA or Miami…minus humidity and smog of course. I really enjoyed the experience and found the service to be excellent. Their homemade soup of the day arrived piping hot (cream of cauliflower) and really surprised me with its flavor (in a good way). The pulled pork sandwich I had was excellent. It was moist, nice bread and just the right size. The wine list provides a nice selection of by the glass whites and reds. It couldn’t have been better and works very well with the menu overall. The whole hour was like stepping out of Calgary and into some other world. It’s a great lunch hour escape and I’ll definitely go back.
Friday night….very hungry….very lazy….very hot….let’s order pizza. Generally I am very loyal to Sammy’s in the South of Calgary (since I moved away from Sophie’s Pizza delivery zone) but on this night I dared to be different…and paid dearly for it. Tom’s House of Pizzais a self-proclaimed Calgary institution. "Self-proclaimed" is right because after what I had from them I was left scratching my head as to how they have not only remained open all these years…but even managed to expand. Zoinks! I had never met a pizza I didn’t like until this night. We ordered two pizzas, one Special and one Hawaiian. Both were loaded with toppings (the highlight being the unpeeled pepperoni) but lacked cheese and the cheese they did put on the pizza was underneath the toppings thereby ensuring everything falls off when you try to lift the soggy crust out of the box. Should I even mention how stone cold it was when it arrived? Tom is not welcome in my house, nuff said.
My favorite patio in Calgary is still Bonterra. I ate there a few times over the summer and they remain a consistent force in Calgary’s restaurant scene. The food is always fresh, well priced, and the portions are excellent. The Grilled Marinated Calamari ($12) and Gnocchi ($15) keep me coming back in the summer…but the Osso Buco ($32) and Braised Veal Cheeks ($24) are what I’ll look forward to in the fall and winter! The wine list is functional though I was disappointed there was no Rosé to drink. If there is anything I could complain about…it’s that it’s time to revamp the menu a bit and roll out some new dishes to compliment what they have always done well. Either way it’s still one of Calgary’s fine dining gems for value, ambiance, and service. Enjoy.
So Big Fred talks me into hitting Belgo on a Friday. I haven’t been since my last experience last summer (not positive). I really don’t get how oxygen thieves in the media keep writing how wonderful this place is. I am at a loss. Sure the space is nice, service is decent, but the food is wayyyy overpriced and generally isn’t good. Fred’s first mussel was spit out as it was rancid. How does a kitchen serve BAD mussels at $22 a pop? It’s not like you can miss that distinctive eau de poop is it? Wow. Then comes the Leffe Braised BBQ rib appetizer ($15)….it should be called road kill because that’s what the pieces of meat looked like. Boiled meat drenched in bad sauce…yum. At this point I am ready to leave but Fred sucks it up and crazily orders the Lemon Lobster Risotto ($8) from the a la carte menu…to my amazement it is good and given the other prices in this place how it only costs $8 surprises me. Other than having a nice selection of expensive beers and a really good front of the house guy in James Belcher I can’t see why media think Belgo is so good. I must be missing something when it comes to their food but have no desire to spend any more money trying to figure it out. I’ll stick to the beer.
Tazza Deli & Grill, 1105-1st Avenue NE (www.tazzafresh.com): A family owned Middle Eastern spot in Bridgeland reminiscent of any coffee house found in quaint neighborhoods. The difference…the fresh food served inside...handmade by the Traya family.
The word Tazza is Arabic for “fresh” and this partially describes everything we ate. The other word that comes to mind is flavor! I am not an expert on Middle Eastern cuisine but their dishes were excellent and my Lebanese “food guide” was in heaven as their food tasted just like her grandmother used to make. It was zesty, aromatic, well portioned, did I mention fresh? Definitely worthy of the trip to Bridgeland.
We ate a Shawarma platter (served with various pickles, hommous, pita, tabouli, two of their fatayer (chicken & spinach/feta) and then...more tabouli. All of it was indicative of old world food prep…which is made daily or on demand. I really enjoyed the place and even though I gorged myself the meal was not heavy. The veritable cherry on the sundae for me was the Pop Shoppe soda (www.thepopshoppe.com), a total throwback to the 70’s…I don’t even remember the last time I saw their products. Lunch for two…$28 and worth every penny. I wish we had saved room for their delicious looking desserts. Tazza is run by very nice people, their food is excellent value and there is no reason not to go back…and I will.
The Living Room: I don't know what it is but I believe their beef tartare is the best in Calgary, even at $17. Maybe it has too much "zip" for some people but I've never found better. The oysters were excellent, totally fresh and no odor of the sea ($3.5 each)!
For entrees we had the halibut (cooked perfectly) and the side mac n' cheese that comes with it was superb and surpisingly light. Was is worth $32....not sure about that. My trio of duck was really good but not worth $33. All three "mini" duck dishes were moist but the breast piece was at tad overcooked (though in fairness many places serve duck without pink these days because people are afraid it). Both entrees were presented well but the portions, for my taste anyway, were a tad on the small side given the prices. I don't expect to gorge like a wild beast...but I shouldn't leave hungry either. The creme brulee for $9 was bang on and is underpriced given the 2 chocolate truffles and praline-fresh fruit-caramel whipped cream topping it comes with!
As usual the red wine we ordered (Cambria pinot noir) was warm as all their wines behind the bar are but after the first glass we were offered a fresh bottle from their cellar which was served at a nice temperature. I don't understand why they can't fix this as it is has been a problem as long as I have been going there. I'll keep sending back my reds until they get it right. If you're going to pay $13 a glass I think you have right to get decent wine service.
In summary, we spent $105 on food and another $100 on various glasses of wine. The service was warm and friendly, the patio renovations were structural but nice, and it was a great evening to be dining "Al Fresco". You pay a premium for atmosphere like this in Calgary so prices here are on the high side. It just chaps me that we were hungry again by 10:30! Anyway I'll still go back because overall I enjoy the place, the people, and "little bits" of food they serve.
The Belvedere: Lunch at the Belvedere isn’t something I do often…but as the sky went cloudy and the thought of another mediocre pub lunch on a chilly patio crystallized in my mind I exited Stephen Avenue and figured the timing was spot on to treat myself. At least I hoped it would be a treat because I knew it wouldn’t be cheap eats.
The Belvedere has become a bit of an oddity and I say this having been a regular there years ago. It’s not the inviting environment that it used to be and while other places on 8th offer a less stuffy formal dining experience The “B” soldiers on. They still have a great wine list and wonderful menu prepared by Chris Walker (new Chef since Alain Chabot left) but the lounge banquette looks run down and is dire need of a “restaurant makeover”. Thankfully the dining room has maintained its elegance and is wonderfully lit during the lunch hour, even on a cloudy day.
Upon reviewing the lunch menu I instantly saw a dilemma. They offer way too many GREAT sounding dishes and it’s a shame to only choose one! Having recently been to Paris I chose a distinctly Parisian route and began with the daily soup…French Onion. I didn’t care for this as it had too much sherry vinegar (or some kind of vinegar) and not nearly enough onion flavor. The bowl of soup was served with two pieces of baguette topped with melted cheese so it was hardly the boring old school onion soup you get in many places. For $10, even though I didn’t enjoy the broth it was a nice dish (the table next to me seemed to enjoy so it may just be that my taste buds that didn’t appreciate the flavor). The glass of 2000 Chateau Duplisses Bordeaux ($12) I ordered was the perfect temperature but was too oxidized to be fully expressive. The vinegar in the soup didn’t help the wine either.
Along with the soup and wine the waiter brought me 3 kinds of bread (rye, red pepper, and baguette) and all were excellent. It is such a small thing but so many places serve whatever crappy cardboard their baker sent over that we lose sight of the fact that great bread is…well…great. I scarfed down the rye and red pepper to try and kill the vinegar taste in my mouth but saved the baguette for my next course.
For my entrée I ordered the “Game Sausage and Smoked Sturgeon Valley Pork Cassoulet”. Presented in a deconstructed fashion this dish was superb. Even though the waiter told me the dish was served traditionally (e.g. in a cassoulet bowl) I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the look of this classic Parisian offering. The flavors in the sausage and pork were the closest thing to food porn I have had in some time. When I inquired as to how the pork was smoked yet devoid of any smoke ring I was told that the pork is “cold smoked” on site by Walker and his team. All I can say is…WOW! For $26 this dish was worth every penny. I drank a glass of 2004 Duckhorn “Decoy” Meritage ($20) with my entrée and it was a perfect compliment…a little extreme in price but an equally sexy assault on the senses. Soaking up the leftover “thyme jus” with the baguette was the perfect way to clean the bowl. The portioning of this dish was perfect so I figured…bring on dessert.
The one dessert the Belvedere is known for is “Sticky Toffee Pudding with Treacle Sauce and Devon Cream”. I hadn’t had this in years…my mouth watered with anticipation…and then POW! This is one of “THE” things I think every foodie in Calgary should try. It has perfect texture, just enough the sweetness and the cream compliments these characteristics in such a way that you cannot wait to get another forkful in your mouth. I would eat this every day if I could.
Spending this kind of money on a lunch for one would generally make me feel guilty…it is quite extravagant and not something I do often…after this lunch I felt REALLY guilty! Not only did I feel that it was worth it…I’d do it again…and next week you might find me back there enjoying a quiet lunch for one! Cheers.
Tribune: Having hammered River Café (hated to write it because I really like the restaurant and their staff) I wanted to highlight great value in Calgary’s fine dining fish bowl. My criteria are…service, atmosphere, food quality, and wine service/selection. If I have to pay $100-$200 for 2 in a “fancy-schmancy” (can’t eat A&W every night) spot I am damn well going to be discerning in my selections. What sucks more than spending the cash and feeling like some street rube afterwards? Oh…I know…being hungry!
“Value” is in the eye of the beholder...but I have found something that is worth every penny. Without further ado…the Tribune is your best value in fine dining. Let me build the case for you because it’s time people started trying new spots and stop raving about the same 4-5 places over and over. Some of our current standbys are vastly over-rated but to suggest that any one of Calgary’s “sacred cows” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be might cause the general public to panic…we’re not nearly as cosmopolitan as the O&G revenues have us believing.
Why Tribune? Service and atmosphere are both excellent. I have never had a service issue there and neither will you. Whether it’s your first time or you are a regular you will be treated well. There are two rooms (lounge upstairs/dinner downstairs) and both are gorgeous yet there is no pretentiousness from the staff. Everyone has a good time, it’s simple.
As for the food…this menu offers any budget the most options in Calgary without making you feel like you cannot afford to be there in the first place. Whether you want to spend a little or break the bank you’ll feel comfortable. Sit in the lounge if you like…it will be okay…really!
My favorite appetizers include items such as the Goat Cheese Soufflé ($12.93), Beef Tartar ($16.24), and the Marinated Seafood ($16.28). The mains feature bargains as well. There are six pasta dishes and each can be ordered as half portions for as little as $12.24! My favorite entrée is the Half Chicken intarragon-citrus marinade served with a root vegetable fricassee ($23.91). I rarely order chicken because it’s boring and I can cook it myself…but this dish is heavenly. For $23.91 I challenge you to find something that tastes this good at this price. HUGE portion. Excellent value.
As an aside, there are only TWO mains over $30 on the dinner menu and there is a lounge menu with a separate list of items priced accordingly. Both menus are available upstairs and the only criticism I have of their food is that the seasoning is off sometimes. It’s like they forget to add enough salt…but I can fix that…ask for sea salt.
Lastly, the wine list is good. It’s not as good Divino but you won’t find the same tired list of glass pours that many high brow “pretenders” offer. As an added bonus…you can order 3 oz. tasters rather than a full glass! Again, this represents super flexibility in fine dining. There is a lot to choose from and it’s fairly priced so I have few complaints…except for their HUGE bubble wine glasses. Those have got to go.
Bottom line on Tribune…you can enjoy a great evening of fine dining for under $100 for 2. You can spend more but you don’t have to (though you can choose to). This is the value equation people are missing and I suspect it is why there is complacency in our fine dining market. When the entrées are over $35 they don’t have to work as hard. It’s good because it’s expensive…it’s expensive because it’s good. It’s ludicrous…but it’s your dollar…so spend it wisely but stop pandering to the old guard.
River Café: Often mentioned as one of, if not THE best restaurant in Calgary, River Café continues to pack ‘em in. Having experienced some fantastic meals in the past I was excited to go on a Saturday night and take in the atmosphere and all the kitchen has to offer. It’s a special event when dining here and the heightened expectations people bring with them are often met. On this night…such was not the case for my palate. It was a bad omen right off the bat when we were seated by the front door…close enough to catch the cold breeze that seemed constant. There was a smoky haze that clouded the room (the fireplace flu didn’t do its job) so the cold breeze turned out to be a bit of a blessing. Ah yes…we were in for a rustic evening.
On to the appetizers…having grown up in Edmonton I had to begin with the braised organic beef perogy and it was fantastic. Give me 11 more please! I then ordered 3 oysters and Talia had the roasted hedgehog mushrooms. This is where things went a tad sour…the oysters smelled fishy and while swallowing I wondered if I’d be praying to the porcelain bowl later that evening (I did not). The smoked chipotle fire mignonette killed their fishiness but I did not enjoy them. The roasted hedgehogs didn’t impress either. They were under seasoned and while intentionally served at room temperature the scallion pancakes were punchless (to quote a gourmand sitting adjacent to our table).
Wine…The River Café possesses one of the best wine lists you’ll find and certainly offers a wondrous variety. We chose some sparkling and then some pinot noir and both were served in proper glassware and at perfect temperature. True wine snobs probably would have drunk beer given the smoke in the room…but I am partial to smoky pinot noir so I rolled with the punches and enjoyed immensely despite the hazy room effects.
Main courses…I hate to nitpick but a menu with seven entrées over $34 is a tad pretentious…and if any of you are willing to pay $23 for beech mushroom and barley risotto you’re braver than me. In any case we settled on the braised elk shank ($45) and the slow roasted wild boar shoulder ($39). Now...when dining at the River Café you’re going to shell out some cash and that’s okay because you expect everything to be extraordinary…but on this particular evening neither entrée impressed…especially at those prices. Both were dry inside, over sauced and not well seasoned. The portions were small and the experience left a bad taste in my mouth…no pun intended. On a high note, I ended with the espresso crème brulée ($9) and it was a silky, pornographic-like dessert. I could have eaten 5 of them and would have been happy being jacked on espresso all night.
Overall this trip to the River Café was disappointing and presented the worst value I have experienced in my visits there over the years(+$150 for 2). Kitchens of this caliber should never have an off-night. At least the service was very good but again, I expect nothing less from them. Next time I go it will be for brunch. Here’s hoping my memories of perfect scrambled eggs are relived and someone opens the fireplace flu.
Caesar's cooked my steak perfectly and the seasoning was spot on. The price included onion soup, salad, and a side...and unfortunately none of the extras came close to being in the same league as the steak. The "consume" (their spelling, not mine) was onion flavored dish water. The salad came from a bag, had no peppers, cucumbers or tomatoes, etc. The stuffed potato was dried out and tasted like an M&M Meats shortcut. If it wasn't for the steak I doubt I would have paid the bill. Should I mention the watered down gin martini? Nuff said...but there's more...Talia's chicken neptune was cooked very well...but they sliced the shrimp on top in half to make it look like a generous portion. 2 whole shrimp halved to look like 4 at the price we paid was pathetic. The meat is great, the value is poor overall. I'll stick to their lounge menu IF I ever go back.
Skylark Restaurant serves up some mean Indian food. Overall the curries we had were quite flavorful (quite colon clensing too) with the highlight being the spiced up goat. The beef and vegetable samosas were very good. In particular, the vegetable samosa was spicy, moist and crispy on the outside. Easily the best I have had in Calgary. For dessert, the galub jamun was the best I have ever had. There were some disappointments...chicken vindaloo was bad, garlic naan was awful (they had no fresh garlic, used powder), and service was slow but overall Skylark was exceptional value. 6 of us ate for $156. So...the décor is bad, the place is in a strip mall, but I'd go back again...just not on a Friday night. If you like it spicy, Skylark is the place for you. Check out their dessert counter too!
Haddock n' Hoof: If you are a Fish n' Chips type of person....run don't walk to the Haddock n' Hoof on 17th Avenue. The fish and chips is the best I have eaten and the portions are HUGE. I have no idea what the rest of their food is like but our salads were fresh, the fries were great (cooked in a separate fryer so no fishy taste) and the batter on the fish was light and crispy. I think I was served an entire side of Haddock. It was a monster.
Misato: There are too many BAD sushi restaurants in Calgary. If you are eating discount sushi you deserve the bacteria your body has acquired. My new favorite sushi bar is Misato on Signal Hill. Horrible location but the best sushi and overall Japanese menu I have tasted in Calgary. They don't have a fancy dining room....and in fact are usually overrun with the well-to-do families of Signal Hill but their food is incredible and the prices are stupidly cheap. Look for a more detailed review soon.
2 User Reviews by Sho & Mal
Red Door Oyster Bistro and Liquor Bar, Chef Andrew McDonald (when we were dining.) 607 11 Avenue SW
Rave Review for the Red Door!
The Red Door succeeds where Belgo fails, bringing the flavours of a Parisian bistro to Calgary, while still considering a wide-range of palates. The Red Door doesn't need a lot of showmanship (read: costumed waitresses) to keep the diners entertained; instead the focus is on quality food, well presented by knowledgeable and skilled servers. The interesting menu includes a variety of choices for both foodies and newbies. Every dish was very tasty and (my personal picky point) each item lived up to its description on the menu. Best dish we had: the Roast Cranberry Duck small plate, which, by the way, isn't really a small plate at all. A confit-style duck portion is presented on a tower of really, really great stuffing of seasoned bread, savoury veg and cranberries. Seriously, this dish is one of the best I have had in years of dining out. It ranks Top 5, which means I still compare every next meal to it. We also tried the Seared Scallop and Warm Spinach Salad, delicious, not over-dressed, came with six honking huge scallops, would have sufficed as a meal itself, and the "Very Rare Steak" had okay flavour in the beef, but the crostinis were too much bread. Overall, the tartare at the Living Room is better. The Red Door Consomme (chicken and dumplings soup) was tasty too, scored big points with the soup fan in the crowd (note: the dumplings are more like meatballs than the "lard-ball" of English tradition). Our last entree was the Steak Frites which was quite nice. Divino's was better, but only by virtue of the fries. The Red Door steak is excellent, the fries are good. And, at least they made the effort to offer a different kind of fries, rather than ripping off the Divino fries like Belgo. Surprisingly, we also managed to fit in a creme brulee for dessert - scored well with both the brulee connoisseur and the not-as-a-big-a-fan. In terms of drinks, the bar is fully stocked and offers fancy cocktails. The wine list was great with offerings at three price points, and many choices we haven't seen on other menus in town. This includes an extensive and reasonably priced selection of French wines (a great way for beginners to sample without breaking the bank!) Best of all, the non-winos can try several selections from the micro-brewery next door. The black pilsner, not usually found outside of Europe, is a unique treat. Overall, we highly recommend The Red Door for the "bistro" experience: great food, french wine and unique beer. While a few items didn't live up to our high falluting expectations, there are enough hits and other choices on the menu to make for a great night out.
The Siding Cafe, Chef Tara MacAdam (when we went), 111-100 7 Avenue SW (Art Central)
Taking Sides "Yaaah Breakfast, Boo Dinner at the Siding Cafe!"
After having read Ruth Reichl's memoir as a restaurant reviewer, we decided we should hit every restaurant a few times before writing our reviews. Thank goodness we did, because in the case of The Siding Cafe, we learned a lot. Our first meal, a lazy weekend breakfast followed by a perusal of the art galleries in Art Central, was very enjoyable. The Apple Pancake with caramelized apples embedded inside and topped with whip cream was decadent, dessert-like! The Eggs Any Style with bacon, toast etc. really hit the mark with fresh, quality eggs, Valbella bacon, and flavorful hash browns. Definitely worth going again, to try the french toast, oooh, or maybe the frittata....Our second meal, dinner on a Friday night about a month later, unfortunately, missed the mark by a mile. The Chicken Corn Chowder, new on the menu, was ok, but, really, could have come out of a can (well, at least a tetra-pak). The tempura-crusted Calamari was good, tender, not over-greasy, but again, only slightly beat a franchise-offering. Still the starters were not enough in themselves to be a catastrophic dining experience. But, then we got to the entrees.... The Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Sweet Pea Risotto and a Brown Butter Honey was in a word...gross. The pistachio honey glaze on the salmon had no salty-counterpoint in its flavoring, so it was essentially like having a fishy pistachio-glazed donut. This was presented on a glob (and glob is the only word that fits) of peas and rice. (Note to Chef: We get it, risotto is hard to do, but in an age where every Calgarian with a TV can watch Gordon Ramsay scream about it, don't attempt it if you can't get it right.) The salmon donut and rice glob was swimming in a greasy pool of sweet butter and sweetened mushrooms. Our other entree, if you can imagine, was worse. The Turkey & Sage Meatballs, with Spaghetti and Citrus Tomato Sauce was cold by the time it reached the table. Cold-cold, as in the spaghetti was stiffening. After a slight re-heating (and we know they re-heated because our half-bitten meatball came back on the second try) the turkey meatballs were stiff, dry, over-cooked. We think the sauce would be good, but cold, it couldn't overcome the rest of the dish. We skipped dessert after a fishy-donut, who could stomach anything else? We hear the general manager is re-vamping the wine menu, and the Chef listed on the menu when we dined isn't the same as the one listed on the web site, so maybe The Siding Cafe is in the midst of flux, maybe we can expect something better soon? If you go, let us know; we're not planning on going back for lunch or supper anytime soon.
Tiffin: For cheap eats, I have lately become a big fan of Tiffin, just off Memorial Drive in the east. Good, fast, cheap curry, some of it is amazingly good (depends on what they choose to cook that day). And they can make up some spicy ribs (they are East African Indian, so they do the East African ribs). You might want to check it out. It’s not much for atmosphere but the food has consistently been great and it is generally packed with Indian families.