alley's Profile
Model Milk - Calgary
Opened 3 days ago. The room is great reminds me of nopa in San Francisco. Open kitchen high ceilings mezzanine. Kitchen still working on executing against the ambitious menu but overall did a good job with potential to be great. I tried the calamari and the walleye both good and i think they will get better with practice. Good wine pairings. Service was enthusiastic and professional. Looking forward to another visit to try the steelhead confit and burger. Happy that they are finally open.
Calgary court restaurant
Curse you pasaker, you have ruined Chinatown for me. Now all I can think about when I get near there is this baked pork chop. The only time that I get to anywhere else in Calgary's Chinatown now is when Calgary Court is too busy and I'm too hungry to wait in line!
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Calgary Court Restaurant
119 2 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0B2, CA
Calgary - Petite: A little too warm, but great food
I enjoyed Petite, and I'm glad they're reopening soon. But I'm disappointed with the choice of a new location. What I liked about Petite, besides the execution in the kitchen, was the intimacy. You could see and hear and feel everything happen. It was often crowded and it must have been a pain to work in, but it was a great atmosphere. I haven't seen the results of the Il Giardino makeover yet, but I don't see how they can come close to recreating anything with a similar feel in that space. I am sure it will be a good restaurant. I am not sure that it will be special anymore. I guess we only have a few more weeks to wait and see. At least with all of that space they should be able to handle the overflow from Model Milk at the other end of the block - whenever it finally opens.
Ogden Restos
Sorry, didn't see this until now. Smokehouse has cheap breakfasts, haven't been there in a long time - there are better places to go. Never been to Sunny's, although FFWD included them in their burger quest and gave them a thumbs up.
BTW Ogden Pizza in the same area has consistently good pizza.
One night in Calgary - where should we go?
Tacky? On a nice spring or even better warm early autumn evening, I can't think of another place in Calgary that I would rather dine at than River Cafe. I've taken friends and business colleagues there from New York, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, Reykjavik and Tokyo and they were all more than happy. They were delighted by the quality of the food in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. This is what I look for when I think of a great night out in Calgary.
Alloy on a good night in the kitchen is a great night out. River Cafe on a beautiful evening outside, can be exceptional. I had one colleague from New York tell me after a chef's tasting there on a perfect autumn evening that it was one of the best restaurants that he had been to anywhere - and this is an exec who has thoroughly exercised his expense accounts over the years.
Unpasteurized feta cheese in Calgary?
A friend is asking where to find unpasteurized feta cheese. I know not why. Any ideas (on the where, not the why)?
One night in Calgary - where should we go?
The Ranche and River Cafe are both unique experiences, great settings. The Ranche for game. Wine selection is better at River Cafe, and you can arrange a tasting menu - I had an excellent tasting menu with wine pairing there.
I also like Alloy a lot.
Sushi Kitchen info? (Quarry Park Calgary)
I had dinner there the other night: assorted sashimi and some rolls. The fish was fine, nothing fancy, the rolls were simple but well-made. The dynamite roll was especially good, with a tempura shrimp and an asparagus spear and some lettuce - not a combination that you see often in Calgary, and according to the owner, this was how the dynamite roll was first created in Toronto.
Apparently the owner has taken over the kitchen personally and replaced the chef that he originally hired. The owner used to run a sushi place downtown (I think he said it was called Sushi Cafe) and before that a sushi restaurant in Kensington, but I can't remember the name.
Sushi Kitchan isn't fancy, but I didn't see anything wrong with it - the owner taking personal control of the kitchen seems to have made a difference in the quality. I'll go back and try it again when they have their liquor license (they're still waiting for it) because I think sushi goes better with beer or sake :-)
YYC breakfast spots
If you are in the south (a little south of Chinook) I would recommend Cravings Market Restaurant. Breakfast from 7-9 Mon-Fri, Sat from 8am to I think 11.
Standard choices, some breakfast bowls, eggs benedicts and very good omelettes (my favourite is spinach, cheese and mushroom).
I go there sometimes on a weekday morning, it's not busy at all, busier on Saturdays, but the food is good, service is fine, Starbucks coffee, and you can get some nice baked goods for a treat after if you want.
BTW I went there the other night for a wine club dinner: about 60 people showed up to sample wines paired with Indian food (the theme of the night). A lot of fun. I don't think a lot of people know about this place, it's a bit out of the way.
7207 Fairmount Drive SE
Green Chili-new location on Bow Trail SW
Apparently the location on Macleod Trail south is up for sale. The setup is bizarre: it used to be a convenience store which is now mostly empty and a kitchen in the back for takeout. They had an immigration problem and lost their chef a few months ago not sure what is happening i haven't ordered anything from there for a while
Mi Tierra Tu Taqueria-Calgary
Yes I was surprised. I was there on Sunday and there was no mention of closing. Then drove by earlier this week and it was closed. Will try to find out from the other restaurant what is going on.
Mi Tierra Tu Taqueria-Calgary
Tu Tierra is closed for renos until mid October. Mi Tierra is still open.
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Mi Tierra
10015 Oakfield Dr SW, Calgary, AB T2V, CA
Tu Tierra Restaurant
8316 Fairmount Dr SE #30, Calgary, AB T2H 0Y8, CA
Kensington Riverside Inn
I have a soft spot for The Ranche this time of year: it is so pretty out there right now. No tasting menu, but if you start off with the Charcuterie plate, then appetizers, main and dessert you will have more than enough to try.
I had a tasting menu at the River Cafe a while back - you may be able to arrange something if you call ahead. It was excellent, one of the best meals I have eaten in Calgary. And again, this time of year, if it's not raining, it will be beautiful there.
Praga Cafe Calgary
I stopped by Praga Cafe earlier this week for lunch with 2 colleagues. I tried the special of the day, it was Thursday so it was Chicken with Czech dumplings and paprika sauce. Tasty, not spicy, and the dumplings were large and a bit bready. I liked the dish. My table mates each ordered a potato pancake dish with pork, chicken and vegetables and a spicy sauce. It was good, but they could have shared the dish, it was generous and rich. It would have been better to get a couple of appetizers or soup and share the main.
There were some other interesting dishes on the menu, and interesting specials: Friday special was beef goulash. There is also a good selection of Czech beers and liquors. Service was friendly and professional.
The only downside was that it was pricier than expected for lunch: the dishes were in the mid-to-high teens, and big. On their website they show a more casual and reasonably priced menu, but it wasn't available, or at least not offered to us - I suspect we got the dinner menu. So yes if I was in the area and in a Czech mood for dinner, I would give it a try. The closest place I can think of comparing it to is Jonas Place Hungarian restaurant: Praga it's not as good or as inexpensive as Jonas, but it's a good second place and similar Central European experience.
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Praga Cafe
6008 MacLeod Trail SW #108, Calgary, AB T2H 0K1, CA
Canada Dosa Corner - Calgary
I stopped by for dinner Wednesday night - dosas were on special. I ordered a masala dosa and string hoppers because, like John Manzo, I was interested to see a restaurant serving string hoppers in Calgary. I was told that the string hoppers dish an excellent choice as the chef was just making some up fresh.
My masala dosa was excellent: not greasy, a bit crispy, large portion, accompanied with some chutney and daal - I beleive t was supposed to be sambar, it wasn't, but it was good nonetheless. The best dosa I have had for a while, with sambar it could have been even better.
About 20 minutes later I got a bowl of kothu roti instead of a serving of string hoppers. It was tasty, but not what I ordered, and I am not crazy for this dish regardless. The service was friendly and eager but everything was crazy slow. This was a Wednesday night around 6pm, there were 3 other tables and a guy waiting for takeout. The guy getting takeout waited at least 40 minutes for his pickup (I don't know how long he was waiting before I showed up), but he seemed happy to get it. Dishes show up when they're ready, so if you aren't planning to share, it could be awkward, as there can be quite a delay between serving dishes to a table - I watched a table of 2 adults and child get their dishes served out over close to an hour, the man was still waiting for a dish when I left. A Sri Lankan couple at another table ordered a special curry of some kind around the time I made my order, and received it around the time I paid and left. Another couple had problems with the debit machine and the guy had to leave to find an ATM to get cash to come back to pay.
It's cheap, the food was good especially the dosa, and maybe the string hoppers would be great if you got them. It's definitely not a professional kitchen, by North American or Sri Lankan standards - and yes, I've been there, and I was cutting this place a lot of slack. I'll give it a thumbs up for being the only Sri Lankan place in the city, and I might try it again and see if I can get string hoppers if it is still in business in a couple of months. If you go, be patient, be prepared to wait, be prepared to get something different than you ordered, and bring cash.
Sunday Brunch in Calgary?
shhhh. Undiscovered and it should stay that way. OK, tell a few friends so that they get enough business and continue to offer brunch, but if it gets busy and we can't get in on a weekend, I will know who to blame.
Looking for authentic Japanese restaurant to take visiting Japanese ex-pat
I second the recommendation for Sakagura: if you are careful with the sake selection, you don't have to spend too much and it is authentic.
I would also recommend Kyo Ya in the East Village: authentic, not too expensive, kaiseki-style.
Both places have great atmosphere.
Neither of these places have a wide selection of sushi/sashimi, but the selection that they do offer is interesting and high quality.
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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Kyo Ya
94 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
birthday restaurant south calgary
Smack. I forgot Wellington's, it is consistently good. Not as special as The Ranche, but great for steaks, the Beef Wellington is excellent.
Calgary - Petite: A little too warm, but great food
I returned to Petite for the first time in a few months, had an excellent meal. I noticed some recent reviews on other sites complaining about the air circulation, this must be a recent problem, as I did not notice it on earlier visits, but it was definitely over warm in the room. Other than that: everything went fine; the service was friendly, they seated me without a reservation (I took a risk and knew it, this is such a small place and usually busy, I was lucky to get in without checking in advance), and my waitress was helpful and creative in coming up with wine pairings. The charcuterie board was excellent (and paired with 2 half-glasses of wine, one red and one white, which was especially fun), and so was the halibut.
Hopefully they will be able to fix the heating problem - I didn't get around to asking them what was going on. This is still one of my favourite restaurants in the city, the food is consistently great and like the small and intimate feel. I have yet to be disappointed at Petite.
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Petite Restaurant
344 17th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T3C, CA
bad pizza in calgary
Personally, if I had someone in from out of town who wanted pizza, I would choose Pulcinella or Una: they are both more of an "event" place, a place that, while maybe not to everyone's taste, would show case something interesting, different, and they are both busy and fun. Most of the other options are good pizza joints, or small family places that are fine but nothing wow: much as I like Il Centro, for example, I wouldn't go to all of the trouble to take someone there from out of town unless we were close by and compliant with their limited hours, and same for Rea's: it's good, sure, especially if you happen live close by, it's a warm and busy family place, but I am betting that there are similar places in Edmonton
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Rea's Italian Cucina
431 41 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E, CA
UNO
, New York, AB , USA
Il Centro
6036 3 St SW #106, Calgary, AB T2H 0H9, CA
Pulcinella
1147 Kensington Crescent NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1X7, CA
North Calgary Delhi Darbar?
This is interesting news. Delhi Darbar at Glenmore Trail was sold a couple of months ago, and the original owner/chef has left, I forgot to post this news. The Glenmore Trail restaurant is now known as Tandoori Palace. I didn't enjoy the food at Tandoori Palace as much for dinner as Delhi Darbar, it's nothing special (I stick to Green Chili now for take out), but the lunch buffet still seems decent and it's cheap if you're in the area. I'm skeptical of the rave 5-star reviews for Tandoori Palace that you'll find through google, all placed within a day of each other, showing an alarmingly similar lack of care for spelling and grammar, if you know what I mean.
So here is hoping that Sanjay is ready to open his new Delhi Darbar restaurant (I heard that he specifically wanted to keep the name, it was a condition of the sale), although it looks like it is much further away from where I live today.
birthday restaurant south calgary
I second the Ranche in Fish Creek Park, it is a lovely place this time of year, a historic ranch house, a special place to visit, creative and delicious food made from local ingredients, one of my favourite places in the city. They definitely take reservations. I am pretty sure that they are wheel chair accessible, call ahead to check.
Otherwise there is Tango Bistro which is good and fun (I saw a group from a nearby retirement home there the other day enjoying lunch so it should handle wheel chairs), it's all small plates so you can try many different things especially if you have some people together, check the other reviews here for Tango.
If you want to consider further south, the dining room at Priddis Greens golf club has got good reviews, but I haven't been there myself.
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Tango Bistro
6920 MacLeod Trail S, Calgary, AB T2H 0L3, CA
Alloy in Calgary
Regarding your question on why do you expect less on certain days: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and New Year's Eve are to be avoided at any restaurant. The restaurant is overbooked, the kitchen and wait staff are over worked, the menus are usually reduced to "specials", and the owners are trying to squeeze as much profit out as they can, even at the best places. The only reason that a restaurant might reduce prices is that they also reduced portion sizes - and they're more likely to increase the cost regardless. I used to wait at a hotel dining room, and dreaded these special days. Read "Waiter Rant" for more on this.
BTW girlwithafork, I agree that Alloy isn't up to the standard of the best in Calgary. It's one of the best restaurants south of downtown (and north of the Ranche), but it is expensive and it's not at the standard of Capo or Rush or River Cafe or Teatro, and I would pick Petite for example over Alloy. If Tango holds up, it will probably become my favourite restaurant in the area - not as high-end, but better value for the money.
YYC Indian Dinner Buffets Extinct
The food at Delhi Darbar is good. I prefer ordering off the menu, but the buffet is decent. Show up at prime time though: the lunch buffet is popular, at dinner the restaurant is not always busy so not sure how fresh everything is kept.
YYC Indian Dinner Buffets Extinct
According to their website Rajdoot still runs their dinner buffet Sun-Tue night. I have not been for a while to their dinner buffet, but their lunch buffet was decent.
Mimo Calgary - Surprisingly good Portuguese food
I've meant to try this place for a long time, finally found it (not easy) in a strip mall off of 17Ave SE. It's a small, family-run place that shares the kitchen, washrooms, wait staff and a thin wall with a sports lounge. Not much for atmosphere, the sound of the sports lounge / pool hall carries over to parts of the restaurant, and once the place got a bit busy the service wasn't fast, but it was competent and friendly.
But the food was surprisingly good. Portuguese, via the Azores (I think, or the Canary Islands?): rich and more spicy than mainland style. I had the made-from-scratch kale soup, which was hearty and tasty; some house vinho verde wine (fresh and delicious) and an amazing paella: at $27.95 the paella wasn't cheap, but it included a lobster tail, large prawns, crab legs, mussels, clams, chicken, and probably something else all served in a large hot iron pan of spicy rice. It took me at least a half hour of concentrated effort with lots of tools and concentration just to get through it, and it was worth every minute.
There was lots more to try on the menu, the soups especially looked interesting, lots of seafood and meat choices. I was put off initially because Portuguese isn't my favourite cuisine, but now I wish I had tried Mimo earlier. Not a fancy night out - it's for Portuguese families or people who want good, interesting food.
YYC Indian Dinner Buffets Extinct
Delhi Darbar in the southeast (Glenmore and Ogden Rd) has a dinner buffet Mon-Wed night
Best Burger in Calgary?
I tried LoungeBurger with a friend over a month ago for lunch. He assembled a burger, I had one off the menu, we each had a glass of wine. It was good. Not exceptional, but good: food, service, the room. Nothing to get excited about. You're paying a premium for the experience: the crowd, the vibe, pretty wait staff. It's not fine dining and it's not a an especially good deal for a burger either, it's a gimmick for what's turned out to be a popular bar. Good for them.
If you want a really fine burger (at about the same price level) try the lounge at Rush. I like to take out of town guests to Rocky's for the burger and make them sit outside and eat on one of the picnic tables on the hill overlooking the parking lot. That's fun.
