Local Restaurant Thread

[Julio]

Tubby Dog's Lease is up, moving off of 17th:

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...om-17th-avenue

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Actually he said overnight was best.

I salted overnight on the weekend, also leaving the ribeye on a wire rack in the fridge for 24h to completely dry out the exterior and I ended up with the best crust I've made in a cast iron before.

[NuclearFart]

They just opened up the next three months of reservations for Eight, today at noon. Going very very fast though...

https://www.exploretock.com/eight/

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

They just opened up the next three months of reservations for Eight, today at noon. Going very very fast though...

https://www.exploretock.com/eight/

Wow an 8 seat personal chef experience. It already sold out!

Is there a place in Calgary for the Omakase style sushi version of this? Personal sushi chef who makes each piece for you, Anthony Bourdain-esque experience?

[InglewoodFan]

Tried Trullo on Saturday night, new Italian place from the Purlieu owners in the spot where Involtini was in Oakridge.

Bigger and louder room than Purlieu, but as my wife said it suits the cuisine. The menu is really "polished" Italian and it is pretty tight. Four pastas, four appetizers, four meat dishes from what I remember. Some pizza/flatbread options. Everything we had we very tasty and good portion sizes, which for me is not huge. Just the right amount rather than a mountain of pasta. Service was pretty on the ball for the first month. Tables and chairs were comfy.

The cocktail I had I would put in the top 10% of what I have had in Calgary. Just a stellar Boulevardier. They also had a nice Montepulciano by the half litre.

All in all, a nice "suburb" night out. They were suitably busy and I'm hoping they catch on as it is nice to have nearby options. Especially since Goose went out of business.

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Wow an 8 seat personal chef experience. It already sold out!

Is there a place in Calgary for the Omakase style sushi version of this? Personal sushi chef who makes each piece for you, Anthony Bourdain-esque experience?

Nothing that I know of in Alberta. Nupo & Shokunin offer an "Omakase", but its not really close to what you are asking about. They just sort of truck out an array of pre-set dishes, none of which is actually personalized or unique to your table, nor do you get to speak to the chef. It's basically just a set menu.

It's very fitting you mention Bourdain, because the closest place that I can think of for that high level Omakase, is in Vancouver at Tojo's, if you pay the premium to sit at his sushi counter.

[troutman]

KOR Korean Street Food just opened at Market Mall food court. They have some growing pains - service was slow and disorganized, and they offered to comp my next order. It was tasty though.

https://www.korstreetfood.com/kor-at-marketmall

Try the Duck Confit Tacos at The Derrick:

https://thederrickyyc.com/wp-content...21_digital.pdf

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by troutman

KOR Korean Street Food just opened at Market Mall food court. They have some growing pains - service was slow and disorganized, and they offered to comp my next order. It was tasty though.

https://www.korstreetfood.com/kor-at-marketmall

Try the Duck Confit Tacos at The Derrick:

https://thederrickyyc.com/wp-content...21_digital.pdf

I've noticed most of the Koryo fast food places have closed. There's only one left at Crossiron Mills.

That's too bad since I really like their style of grill.

Most of the new Korean fast food places are just serving Cup-Bobs mostly.

[troutman]

Korean BBQ House is still going at Mac Hall.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by troutman

KOR Korean Street Food just opened at Market Mall food court. They have some growing pains - service was slow and disorganized, and they offered to comp my next order. It was tasty though.

https://www.korstreetfood.com/kor-at-marketmall

Try the Duck Confit Tacos at The Derrick:

https://thederrickyyc.com/wp-content...21_digital.pdf

Only if you like refilled booze bottles..

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

They just opened up the next three months of reservations for Eight, today at noon. Going very very fast though...

https://www.exploretock.com/eight/

I landed a reservation to take my wife - anyone been?

Is it worth the money, or did I just throw away a bunch of money on an OK meal?

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I've noticed most of the Koryo fast food places have closed. There's only one left at Crossiron Mills.

Koryo used to be one of my favourite “fast food” stops.

But last time I checked, a beef and chicken combo was like $17 Needless to say I passed…

[CRXguy]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Koryo used to be one of my favourite “fast food” stops.

But last time I checked, a beef and chicken combo was like $17 Needless to say I passed…

I just want the potatoes.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

They just opened up the next three months of reservations for Eight, today at noon. Going very very fast though...

https://www.exploretock.com/eight/

I had tickets for the original opening and then COVID hit, and when it reopened I opted for a refund.

If anyone goes let me know as well. It was like $800 for 2 if I recall, and I am not sure if it was the right decision.

I am leaning to yes, but never know

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I had tickets for the original opening and then COVID hit, and when it reopened I opted for a refund.

If anyone goes let me know as well. It was like $800 for 2 if I recall, and I am not sure if it was the right decision.

I am leaning to yes, but never know

I am going in February, so will let you know.

Didn't do any of the drink options as my wife doesn't drink, so just food + tip came to over $600

[Slava]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Tried Trullo on Saturday night, new Italian place from the Purlieu owners in the spot where Involtini was in Oakridge.

Bigger and louder room than Purlieu, but as my wife said it suits the cuisine. The menu is really "polished" Italian and it is pretty tight. Four pastas, four appetizers, four meat dishes from what I remember. Some pizza/flatbread options. Everything we had we very tasty and good portion sizes, which for me is not huge. Just the right amount rather than a mountain of pasta. Service was pretty on the ball for the first month. Tables and chairs were comfy.

The cocktail I had I would put in the top 10% of what I have had in Calgary. Just a stellar Boulevardier. They also had a nice Montepulciano by the half litre.

All in all, a nice "suburb" night out. They were suitably busy and I'm hoping they catch on as it is nice to have nearby options. Especially since Goose went out of business.

I went to Trullo a couple weeks ago and I really liked it. I thought that the Pomodoro Burrata was excellent and overall the food was pretty good. Frankly, I never cared for Involtini and was happy to see them go. I really like Purlieu and I think that place is excellent. I think that I still prefer Purlieu to Trullo, but I'll have to go back to Trullo another time or two to be sure.

I also enjoyed the chocolate dessert (the name escapes me now) at Trullo, but that's not particularly shocking for me when it comes to chocolate!

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

I landed a reservation to take my wife - anyone been?

Is it worth the money, or did I just throw away a bunch of money on an OK meal?

The valuation is going to be very subjective and shaped by your culinary experiences to date.

There is literally nothing else like it in Calgary. There will never be a Michelin star restaurant in Canada, but this rivals the caliber of a 1 star in Tokyo, Chicago, New York etc.

It's a wholly engaging affair with a top chef cooking 4 feet away, conversing directly with you, sharing stories, showing you exotic ingredients and cooking techniques. You can (and should) ask questions about anything, and not just relating to cuisine or behind the scenes of the TV show. Ask him if Grant Achatz is even weirder in person. Ask about the logistics of setting up a restaurant on a cruise line. Ask to hold and smell a 1000$ truffle. Ask Darren to hook you up with last minute reservations at Le Bernadin. Ask him about his 'interesting' jobs before he got into cooking. The more talkative the group, the more Darren comes alive and enrichs your experience.

The food itself is of very high standard in terms of creativity, technique and ingredients. Darren has honed his style as an interesting local farm-Japanese fusion which is quite unique in itself. Obviously not every course is going to be a home run, but you have to appreciate that Darren is often trying to push the envelope or he wants you to focus on something else besides taste, like mouth feel or a weird/underutilized ingredient. Thats what the great restaurants of the world do - guiding you into undiscovered territory - opening your eyes to what you didnt even know you've been missing.

Ultimately, you might not appreciate the value here. It is definitely not for everybody, and that's perfectly all right. But at least you've gotten a taste of what kind of next level dinning experience exists outside of Calgary.


No I'm not Darren's mom, nor do I own any portion of the business. Just a fellow foodie who's very pleased that Calgary can sustain this level of cuisine.

[Hack&Lube]

Popped up in my feed. A amateur chef couple seems to be selling Detroit style pizzas out of the Wednesday Room's back door on Sundays?

https://globalnews.ca/video/8376271/...que-pizza-shop

[woob]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Popped up in my feed. A amateur chef couple seems to be selling Detroit style pizzas out of the Wednesday Room's back door on Sundays?

https://globalnews.ca/video/8376271/...que-pizza-shop

https://www.sundaypie.ca/faq

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Wow an 8 seat personal chef experience. It already sold out!

Is there a place in Calgary for the Omakase style sushi version of this? Personal sushi chef who makes each piece for you, Anthony Bourdain-esque experience?

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

Nothing that I know of in Alberta. Nupo & Shokunin offer an "Omakase", but its not really close to what you are asking about. They just sort of truck out an array of pre-set dishes, none of which is actually personalized or unique to your table, nor do you get to speak to the chef. It's basically just a set menu.

It's very fitting you mention Bourdain, because the closest place that I can think of for that high level Omakase, is in Vancouver at Tojo's, if you pay the premium to sit at his sushi counter.

I personally know a Japanese National Sushi chef and with sushi appetite being on the decline in Calgary (O&G money drying up) we've talked about the prospect of doing a "personal chef @ your home" business. Saving on the overhead, she would visit your home and make a personalized sushi dinner for you and your guests. You can watch and speak to the chef as she prepares and serves each dish

Without going into a deeper dive into AHS guidelines if this is even possible, we've always wondered if there was such a demand for something like this