Local Restaurant Thread

[Bean]

A friend sent this picture taken at Ginger Beef in Country Hills.

Isn’t shark fin illegal in Calgary? No mention that it is ‘imitation’.

Google search says city council banned it in 2002 however Calgary.ca site doesn’t return any results.


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[Hockeyguy15]

Deep fried pigeon? Pass.

[Fuzz]

I dunno, bamboo fungus sounds really tempting...

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by dubc80

Anyone tried Barbarella yet downtown?
https://www.barbarellabar.ca/

I went a couple weeks ago, the serving/bar staff looks like everyone is under 21. Why does this matter? a lack of professionalism, lots of hanging around socializing among the staff and inattentive service and just a lack of experience and training in general. Service wise this was one of the worst service experiences since the pandemic save for a terrible evening at Charcut a couple months ago.

The food was okay but the chef must be a heavy smoker as everything was heavily over salted.

We had the following dishes

Ricotta Crostini - menu says it has a chili honey but it is so sparse you don't even get a hint of honey or heat so it's basically a mouthful of Ricotta.

Crispy Calamari - best dish of the night, would definitely recommend.

Spaghetti Limone - really thick pasta noodles that were a little gummy but the lemon came through strong although very salty.

Gemelli - the combination of the salty pecorino, salty pancetta and the chefs natural inclination to over salt everything made this a complete and total salt explosion in your mouth. As in this was by far the most salty dish I've attempted to eat since I accidently grabbed the wrong bottle of seasoning and loaded up some ground beef with a heavy dose of seasoning salt instead of taco seasoning. Needless to say it was pushed around the plate for half an hour before most went back to the kitchen uneaten.

I like the space enough and the menu was interesting enough I'd give it another shot in the future once they've been open longer but my first experience was not exactly impressive.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Deep fried pigeon? Pass.

I buddy had oven roasted squab at his wedding (it was a huge Chinese feast).

It was exceptional.

[manwiches]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Deep fried pigeon? Pass.

It's not really pigeon. it's squab.

It's really good. More flavorful poultry, and excellent when cooked this way.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by manwiches

It's not really pigeon. it's squab.

Squab is an infant domestic pigeon. However you feel about that fine, but that is what it is.

[manwiches]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Squab is an infant domestic pigeon. However you feel about that fine, but that is what it is.

lol. tks for the info. i really had no idea. anyways, it's tasty

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bean

A friend sent this picture taken at Ginger Beef in Country Hills.

Isn’t shark fin illegal in Calgary? No mention that it is ‘imitation’.

lol like that would stop a Chinese restaurant.

[Reggie Dunlop]

A Brett "The Hitman" Hart themed bar is coming to the Cowboys Casino.

[Wormius]

Maybe they haven’t bothered to buy a new menu board. Does it shows up online?

[RW99]

Went to Lulu Bar Friday night. Was impressed with the menu and small plates. We tried a lot of the menu and almost all were tasty. Not bad for pretty much non-drinkers!

[calgarywinning]

Pigeon Hole bump, new chef, new menu. The food was all mostly geared towards family style. Everything, from service to cocktails and the bang up dishes was very very good! Be sure to get the hashbrowns and scallop ceviche.

[Iggy_12]

I finally got around to ordering Noble Pie and wow that was absolutely excellent. Price was pretty wild but its really good pizza

[FunkMasterFlame]

Big Fish & Open Range opened up recently in Marda Loop, replacing the old Publico.

Very good mussels and oyster selection. Girlfriend had the butter chicken and lobster which tasted very authentic, and I had the 8oz Elk Sirloin which was absolutely delicious.

Thumbs up; will go again.

[Fuzz]

Open Range is awesome, love the elk diane there. Try the scalloped potatoes.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by you&me

For parents (if they're like mine), I'd be going to Hy's or Caesars. Both have excellent service, the traditional / old school dishes and relatively quiet rooms (especially on a Sunday).

Went to Hy's on a client's dime a month ago...it was like walking back into the 1970-80s....fun in a weird sort of way. Cheese toast was decent, steak sammie (blue) was pretty good as well, as were the fries. Bananas Oscar were unchanged from ... well, forever.

Would I spend my money going there? No.

For the same $$ I'd eat at Pigeonhole or Brigette Bar.
For a different experience: Lonely Mouth.
There IS actually interesting food in Calgary and it doesn't involve 1970s steaks. I'm probably your parents' age.

Agree on the quiet rooms at Hy's though...wish there were more places like that (also bars).

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by FunkMasterFlame

Big Fish & Open Range opened up recently in Marda Loop, replacing the old Publico.

Very good mussels and oyster selection. Girlfriend had the butter chicken and lobster which tasted very authentic, and I had the 8oz Elk Sirloin which was absolutely delicious.

Thumbs up; will go again.

Great news! We have a condo in Marda Loop and I was wondering when they'd open up. Next visit....!

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by RW99

Went to Lulu Bar Friday night. Was impressed with the menu and small plates. We tried a lot of the menu and almost all were tasty. Not bad for pretty much non-drinkers!

Glad to hear that! (I have a son who works there.) I enjoy the food but it's definitely too loud and busy for me in the evening. The afternoons work, though.

[curves2000]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

Went to Hy's on a client's dime a month ago...it was like walking back into the 1970-80s....fun in a weird sort of way. Cheese toast was decent, steak sammie (blue) was pretty good as well, as were the fries. Bananas Oscar were unchanged from ... well, forever.

Would I spend my money going there? No.

For the same $$ I'd eat at Pigeonhole or Brigette Bar.
For a different experience: Lonely Mouth.
There IS actually interesting food in Calgary and it doesn't involve 1970s steaks. I'm probably your parents' age.

Agree on the quiet rooms at Hy's though...wish there were more places like that (also bars).

I agree that there can be some interesting food places in Calgary for a higher level meal outside of steakhouses. I do think Calgary and Calgarians lack a little of the outside the box thinking that other major Canadian cities do in dining options.

Where I think the appeal of steakhouses is and has been for 100+ years and will be for another 100+ years is on value and knowing what you get.

Far too often in today's environment you don't know what you are getting in some ways. A little bit of protein, some filler and off you go. Lot's of 35- $40 6 oz "chef created" roasted chicken or $30 pasta dishes.

With a steakhouse you usually know what your getting. They may not be cheap with the sides and the 300% on the wine but rarely does someone feel ripped off if it's a comparable meal.