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Calgary Recommendations


merlin

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Merlin, funny how you mentioned Sequentia - that's the only Black Hills they have so far from my search - The Cellar on Stephens Ave. has it - a dessert wine which I don't mind myself - love the "stickies" comment - how true!

I'll check out the Black Hills Website - a case might be a little out of the budget for me, might possible to get someone to share? will find out more info...

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  • 3 months later...

I see that the last post in this thread was in January. Did a neutron bomb hit the Calgary folk? If there are any survivors, here is my query: I'll be in Calgary for a first-time visit in mid-May. Would appreciate pointers to restaurants--top-tier, midrange, ingeresting cuisines. Is there a Calgary cuisine? (Is it moose?) Silence, what's the sound of one hand clapping. Seriously, any help gratefully accepted.

Edited by Parmhero (log)

"Yo, I want one of those!"

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Parmhero:

If you scroll back a tad you will see Daddy-A's link to the best of Calgary but otherwise I would recommend the following.

River Cafe [www.river-cafe.com]

In a beautiful location on Prince's Island in the middle of the Bow River. Mere steps away from Eau Claire Market and a bustling downtown but "miles' away from everything if you are out on their deck watching the ducks float by enjoying a good glass of wine.

Excellent regional fare...no moose but I have heard that they can skin and spit-roast a smart-ass tourist especially if from Toronto quite quickly :laugh:

Good wine list with a number of otherwise hard to find Cdn. selections.

Divino Wine and Cheese

On Stephen's Avenue toward the Calgary Tower, Mariott. Eclectic and very, very good. I always eat here at least once when visiting "Cowtown". Their reversed ravioi is to "die for"...accompanied by lobster claw and seared scallop, black truffles...yummm

Very personable and competent staff. Known and enjoy their wine.

Belvedere

Just a couple of doorways down from Divino. Very good.

Caesar's

Old time steak house. Quality. If you are a carnivore this is the place to go.

Lot of other steak alternatives in town. Smuggler's down south on MacLeod Trail, the Owl's Nest in the Westin, Carver's up at I think the Sheraton in the NE and Murietta's Grill on Stephen's Ave. to name but a few.

Teatro

Also on Stephen's Ave. Italian influenced. Almost nouvelle cuisinse in some ways. "Sister" establishment to River Cafe. In beautiful structure of renovated old bank building. I prefer lunch to supper.

Catch

Opened a few years ago. Micheal Noble from Diva at the Met "poached" from Vancouver to open a seafood restaurant in Calgary.

Disappointing for us upstairs at their higher end restaurant. Have enjoyed the food and particularly the oysters at their main floor oyster bar.

Centini

Again in very much the same location as many of the other Stephen's Ave restaurants. Higher end, up scale Italian. Less pasta. Esquisite duck.

Muse

Across the river from downtown in "trendy" Kensington. Had just about the best lamb I have ever there.

Living Room

Restaurant on the "Red Mile". Trendy to a "T" but the food did not disappoint. Great fondue and other options.

Brava Bistro

Down the road a away from the Living Room. Again, restaurant aka nite club with the "trendoids" but the food does deliver. Their lobster gnocchi was very good.

Capo

This is a new restaurant in Calgary. My favourite place to eat Italian used to be Il Sogno in Bridgeland...the area immediately north of the river and Center Street but the chef apparently left there and has opened Capo. I am heading there the next visit I am down south. Hopefully while the Oilers are continuing in the playoffs and the Flames have "flickered".

Lots of Italian alternatives. Dolce Vita, Sugo, Tavola to name but three.

Those are the spots which immediately spring to mind. Have heard good things about La Chaumiere, The Ranche and Tribune but have not been there myself.

Enjoy your trip.

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  • 7 months later...
My parents just moved to Calgary and were big fans of the fine food scene in their old hometown of Montreal.  Is there any sign of life out here for those who love to dine out? 

Thanks!!!

Nope. Tell them to turn the covered wagon around. Nothing here. It is still campfire beans, cowboy coffee and whatever meat a mishap on the cattle drive delivered....

Just kidding. As a former Montrealer I can attest that things in the culinary world are booming as is everything else in C-Town. I do not live there but visit from time to time and have many friends and some family in the area.

It may not have the "history" in the cooking world but it certainly has people who are prepared to invest and take a chance and others prepared to spend on good food. I am astonished on visits to see how busy Calgary bars and restaurants are even early in the week.

Yes, you are always going to get those from the East...usually Montreal and Toronto who spend their time complaining that the West is not this or not that or you cannot get this or that...those who stop whining and get out and enjoy themselves usually do.

What type of food did your parents enjoy in Montreal? What restaurants?

I grew up in the east end so my tastes were a tad more pedestrian than my more "well heeled" friends. Magnon's [road trip], Schwartz', Montreal Pool Room, Slovenia Meat Market, Trattoria dai Baffoni on Dante, Elio's, Rib'n Reef, ...places like that.

On a recent trip back "home" I enjoyed Club Chasse et Peche, Au Pied de Cochon, Feireirra's and yes, again, Schwartz'.

There are a lot of good places to dine at in Calgary. To name but a few. River Cafe on Prince's Island. Divino Wine and Cheese on Stephen's Avenue and its neighbours Belevedere, Murietta's Grill, Teatro, Centini.

Off in Inglewood that Kloom mentioned there is a wonderful Italian restaurant called Capo where chef di Gennaro from Naples is doing an outstanding job after having moved from Il Sogno in Bridgeland. Sorry Kloom, I think Capo may have replaced Istanbul in that same space.

Across the river just north of downtown in Kensington I can highly recommend Muse. Hey, head up a few minutes further and they can even get their fill of bagels from "Wayne's Bagels" which are close but admittedly not exactly the same as my favourites from St. Viateur or those the rest of the family preferred from Fairmount.

The Living Room and Brava Bistro on 16th Avenue offer upscale eclectic fare in a more lounge like setting.

There is a lot of fine dining in Calgary. Let us know what your family are interested in and I am sure that someone will have suggestions although the Calgarian participation here of late has been not as active as certainly Vancouver.

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Thanks so much Merlin. These are great. My parents were old-school Montreal as well, but definitely loved the fine dining scene more than anything else. Le Caveau, The Cube at the St-Paul Hotel (when it was great, sigh!) Da Emma in the old port, Lucas, Rib and Reef. My mom loved Chasse et Peche the last time she was in town. She even got into the scene at Garde Manger afterwards (kind of a new place if you haven't been to the city recently).

They are young at heart and usually willing to try anything, except Indian food. My dad absolutely will not budge on that one. Don't ask me why.

Thanks again for all the help, will send you our reviews of any experiences.

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I haven't had much of any time to contribute for the Calgary contingent of late and for that I apologize... but I can say that Merlin's list of great dinning in Calgary would closely match my own.

I would add just a block away from Muse on Kensington Cres. NW there is Pulcinella's. They do an outstanding job of Napelitana pizza as well as other southern italian appetizers. Centini downtown on 8th Ave and 1st SE (across from Teatro) is also at the top of my list for fine Italian dinning, but this is likely due to the fact I have not made it to Capo.

I recently had the opportunity to try Q Haute Cusine (the old La Caille on the Bow location). Our group had the 7 course tasting menu and were all very pleased. Content was varied and not the "usual" fare by any means. Of particular note were the sea perch poached in butter and the braised elk short ribs. Service was a little slip shod, but that is sadly very normal in Calgary right now as staff are very hard to come by, but it did not detract badly from the experience.

Vanderb

Edited by vanderb (log)

Vanderb (ever hungry)

Amateur with dreams of grandeur

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  • 4 months later...

Just back from a few days in Calgary. Most of the time I was in the Sheraton Eau Clair hotel and just grabbed quick bites, but one night seven of us went to the River Cafe on the island. It was, apparently, the first night of the new menu so there were no specials, but the menu was impressive and expensive. Some of the beef entrees went as high as $42. And the wine list was brutal. It took a great deal of searching to find a reasonable bottle for $40; most everythinig was in the $60 and up range.

That said, the food was very good. I had a mushroom and leek tart opener, a roast pork entree, and a cheese plate dessert with a glass of tawny port ($12 for the port alone). My friends enjoyed dishes like bison-hump soup, bison roasts, and various pieces of beef. I had hoped that the cheese plate would offer local artisanal cheeses, but most of them came from BC (hey, I live here!) and France.

The service was fine, if a bit slow. The room itself is beautiful. The only real downer to the experience, besides the Manhatten-like prices, was room temperature. The staff insisted on keeping the patio doors open for the few keeners (and I guess smokers) sitting outside. As a result, everyone inside froze. A server actually had to bring one patron a blanket. Hey, when I'm paying that sort of money, I want to be comfortable, so they should shut the damn doors.

Paul B

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  • 5 months later...

Wife and I off to Calgary for 4 days, any updates on this list? It looks good, just wondering if there are any good new places (downtown) or any closures to be aware of. She's been to Calgary on business and went to River Cafe and Mariettas and liked them, if that gives a clue. Any and all kinds of food, any price range, we'll eat anything and love good wine, but hate overpriced wine lists. Also is there a good wine shop downtown? Thanks!

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Best fine dining in Calgary I'd say are Teatro and Il Sogno. (I will admit to being a little biased though)

The Belvedere isn't the same since the chef left (to Il Sogno), and I haven't been too impressed with the rest of the 'fine dining' scene. Then again, alot of the places serve competent cuisine, not terrible or anything, but somewhat average.

Edited by Mikeb19 (log)
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  • 2 weeks later...

Merlin's and my previous list are still valid and are all still in business, it's strange with all the loot in town and all the money being made there still aren't any new establishments of note.

If you're looking for some outstanding home style Italian and don't mind getting to Kensington I highly recommend Niko's Bistro. It's not high end fine dinning but it is great food, extremely well executed in a friendly and intimate setting. The wine list is a bit irritating but the food more than makes up for it. The Penne a'la crema and the spaghettini Fruiti di Mare are both outstanding and very consistent.

As for good wine shops downtown, there's Metrovino on 11th Avenue and 6th Street SW (Beltline area), Wine Cottage in Banker's Hall and if you're in the Kensington area at Niko's, Muse or Pulcinella's you can always hit the Kensington Wine Market.

Edited by vanderb (log)

Vanderb (ever hungry)

Amateur with dreams of grandeur

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Merlin's and my previous list are still valid and are all still in business, it's strange with all the loot in town and all the money being made there still aren't any new establishments of note. 

If you're looking for some outstanding home style Italian and don't mind getting to Kensington I highly recommend Niko's Bistro.  It's not high end fine dinning but it is great food, extremely well executed in a friendly and intimate setting.  The wine list is a bit irritating but the food more than makes up for it.  The Penne a'la crema and the spaghettini Fruiti di Mare are both outstanding and very consistent.

As for good wine shops downtown, there's Metrovino on 11th Avenue and 6th Street SW (Beltline area), Wine Cottage in Banker's Hall and if you're in the Kensington area at Niko's, Muse or Pulcinella's you can always hit the Kensington Wine Market.

Thanks that sounds great, not a foodie question, but any neighbourhoods worth investigating for walking, shopping, having a coffee etc?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for the slow response, burried at work these days with very little time at home to check up on things.

The above mentioned Kensington area is always good for walking and coffeeing and is easily accessible from Downtown. Otherwise you're looking to head south from downtown (about 10 blocks on average) to 17th Avenue SW. Same idea as Kensington but a much longer stretch of walking and coffeeing. You may also know 17th Ave by it's other moniker... "the red mile".

Vanderb (ever hungry)

Amateur with dreams of grandeur

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I wanted to add a few places to the list for Calgary:

The Coup - a really funky, tiny, vegetarian place with locally grown organic food. It's healthy, but the flavors are out of this world.

(on 17th ave SW)

Red Door Bistro: Upscale casual, with a nice wine and cheese menu

(on 11th ave SW)

Murritta's - Fine dining, amazing deserts. The Bananas Foster with Baked Alaska dish made me actually see God.

(on Stephen's ave)

There are so many outstanding little ethic places too.

Notables:

Aida's- a Mediterranean bistro on 4th St SW, in Mission

Chili Club Thai House- 11th Ave SW

The Casbah- wonderful Morrocan Food on 11th ave as well.

I also have to send it out to Divino Wine and Cheese, The Living Room, and Globefish (sushi).

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  • 2 months later...

I checked this thread out before a business trip to Calgary last weekend. I ate a Divino (http://www.crmr.com/divino/) one night and Blink (http://www.blinkcalgary.com/)the other.

Wine list at Divino was excellent. Brad, the sommelier, was very cool and helpful. I had a fantastic 1/2 bottle of Condrieu and a bottle of Nicolas Potel Bourgogne. I ate a basic Lyonnaise salad. Simple and good. I normally don't play chef when I am dining, but I did ask them to leave the tomatoes off. It is the middle of January! Main course was Buffalo noisettes with morels, gnocchi and english peas. Flavors were very good. Too bad the buffalo was burnt from a too agressive sear. Once I filleted the seared side off of each large medallion, it was very tasty. Gnocchi were average. I was a bit worried when I first ordered that they were shipping in fresh english peas. I would like it if they just said, "frozen"- there's nothing wrong with that.

I was able to taste a few more things at Blink, because my wife was able to join. You'll notice I drank less wine though! BTW, we had an excellent bottle of Amarone. Overall, the list is a bit too mainstream for my taste, but not bad.

We started with a Golden beet salad with anise scented goat cheese and a Foie gras parfait. The beet salad was excellent, in part because of its distinctiveness. The beets were earthy, instead of the ubiquitous roasted sweet. This allowed the sweetness of the goat cheese to shine. But the star was clearly the foie. Perfectly creamy and delicious with a nice layer of fat surrounding. Mmm.

Split a Crispy pork- perfectly crispy skin; perfect proportion of tasty meat to succulent fat; whole mustard seeds in a bit of jus; with a puree that I think was apple, but can't remember.

For the main courses we had Beef ribeye and a Short Rib special. The ribeye was cooked a perfect medium rare and came with butternut squash, crosnes and a couple of other tasty ingredients. The braised beef shortribs was a special. Perfectly tender with crosnes, thumbelina carrots, lardons, mushrooms and a rich, flavorful braising jus.

Service was excellent. Brittany put up with a lot of questions from us and either knew the answer or quickly found out. For example, where is the lamb from? What are Saskatoon berries? What is their season? Some of the answers we didn't really like- e.g. the lamb was from New Zealand. We found great Alberta raised lamb at the Calgary Farmers Market the next day. Which, btw, is a fantastic market.

The most entertaining bit of the night was the amateurish behavior of the couple next to us.

They only had entrees, although the menu is clearly laid out for at least a couple of courses. They ended the meal by excoriating Brittany, who we thought was quite good. They were complaining that they were still hungry and trying to prove they knew what they were doing by saying they’ve eaten at the Four Seasons Maui. Who cares?

Overall a great meal. Exceeded my expectations even with a couple of missteps- new Zealand lamb and fresh raspberries in January on the dessert menu.

Especially when compared to the culinary wasteland I was expecting, Calgary was outstanding. The Farmers Market did have a bit of flown in crap, but overall one of the best market's I have ever been to. Rivals Green City Market (Chicago), Alba~Italy, etc. I know that at the peak of the season, the other ones may be better, but this is Calgary and it is open year round!

Anthony Nicalo

Farmstead Wines

www.farmsteadwines.com

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 year later...

I'm eating Calgary while on a business trip, and I'm staying downtown. So far both Destino (mentioned earlier) and Avenue Diner for Breakfast, http://www.avenuediner.com/ Have been terrific. At Avenue the waitress turned out to be a slow food nut and immediately recommended three more which I haven't tried; I will report back if I get a chance. Here they are

http://www.rougecalgary.com

http://www.cafekoi.com/

http://www.thecoup.ca/

Advice welcome, as well as given. :)

"Gourmandise is not unbecoming to women: it suits the delicacy of their organs and recompenses them for some pleasures they cannot enjoy, and for some evils to which they are doomed." Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

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My last run through Cowtown was over a year ago, but I must say I enjoyed the town and the food culture that's developed. It's a fairly tight crowd, like most Canadian cities, with everyone seeming to have worked with everyone else at some point.

Good eats and wine at Rouge, cocktails at Raw, and cheese and wine at Divinos all come back immediately to mind.

I'll look forward to hearing about what's new.

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