Ongoing Calgary and area restuarant recommendation/review thread

[GreenLantern]

Went to the Distrikt last night and had a great time. The food was awesome, we shared the Brie Cranberry Chicken sandwhich, yam fries, a small poutine and some selected meats and cheeses on the board.

They were out of the Propeller IPA so I was a little let down, but their Ambush Pale Ale was actually one of the better micro brewed Pale Ale's I have had. Paired great with the Elk Sausage and Duck Bacon. The GF had the Lynchberg Lemonade and loved it.

Overall the atmosphere was pretty cool, I really liked the feel of the place, but you were right, around 7:30 the youngins started showing up and it got significantly louder. I really liked how everyone just kind of walks around and checks out the boards though, makes it feel more social and cozy.

The service was horrible though, we sat for ten minutes without a server, then a guy came by asked if we had been served and said he would send somebody over, took another 5 minutes for her to get there. She was rude the entire time and seemed annoyed when we asked for something, like another drink. She got about a 10% tip, I am usually a very, very generous tipper, but both of us having worked in the industry know that it is your job to make the people you are serving have a great time. Nobody gives a crap if you are having a bad day or are in a bad mood, you force a smile and make it fun for everyone. After the bigger groups showed up we were almost totally ignored as well, when I have to go to the bar to get a drink you are a bad server.

Other than that, great time, great food, great recommendation.

We also did breakfeast at The Loop, no clue where it was... across from a Fergus and Bix or something? That was great as well.

[PsYcNeT]

It's funny, I went there for the first time since November last week and the service really has gotten absolutely abysmal. The servers prior were typically good to fair, but last week our server was so angry and spiteful that we had the AUDACITY to order FOOD and DRINKS in her establishment.

Suffice to say, next time we go back, I'll ask the floor manager to give us another waitress if we get saddled with that one again.

Food was still unquestionably delicious however.

[GreenLantern]

Just out of curiosity, was she asian with a lip ring?

[PsYcNeT]

Naw she was mid-30s, white, dyed black hair, about 5'6" and overweight.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Had my dinner at Cibo last night. Overall it was a really great meal. My first thought when entering the restaurant was "Holy crap this place is huge". If you're looking for a more intimate setting, maybe this isn't the place for a Valentines dinner. The food though was really top notch. I had some ravioli with a beef pork and mushroom ragu, and a creamy gorgonzola cream sauce, topped with truffle oil. Really good. A few at the table ordered pizzas, and they looked really nice. A nice airy crust and interesting toppings like wild boar bacon. The best part was they had Grandville Island Winter Ale on tap for $4.95 "pints". Love that stuff. I put the pints in quotes because they were probably only 14 oz glasses.

8.5/10, would bang again

The most amazing thing about Cibo is that it used to be a Rogers Video. Unbelievable transformation. Can't wait to try out the patio.

[OldDutch]

I have been doing my best to recommend Sidewalk Citizen Bakery and Deli in Kensington. I never bought bread from the bike, but had heard good things.

Anyways, have eaten lunch twice and gained a few pounds from the baked goods. Absolutely delicious.

They do sandwiches, pizza, and salads for lunch. Only downside is there is no seating so you'll have to take it home or wait for a mild day. Totally worth it tho.

[CaramonLS]

Cibo is pretty solid. I really enjoyed their Pizza when I was there.

However, be prepared to wait. It was over an hour after we ordered before we got our food.

[East Coast Flame]

I enjoy the atmosphere at District and the food is pretty decent, but as others have said the service is just atrocious. Every time I've been there it has been awful. I havent been at exceptionally busy times either, so I don't really know what the problem is!

[rd_aaron]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Went to the Distrikt last night and had a great time. The food was awesome, we shared the Brie Cranberry Chicken sandwhich, yam fries, a small poutine and some selected meats and cheeses on the board.

They were out of the Propeller IPA so I was a little let down, but their Ambush Pale Ale was actually one of the better micro brewed Pale Ale's I have had. Paired great with the Elk Sausage and Duck Bacon. The GF had the Lynchberg Lemonade and loved it.

Overall the atmosphere was pretty cool, I really liked the feel of the place, but you were right, around 7:30 the youngins started showing up and it got significantly louder. I really liked how everyone just kind of walks around and checks out the boards though, makes it feel more social and cozy.

The service was horrible though, we sat for ten minutes without a server, then a guy came by asked if we had been served and said he would send somebody over, took another 5 minutes for her to get there. She was rude the entire time and seemed annoyed when we asked for something, like another drink. She got about a 10% tip, I am usually a very, very generous tipper, but both of us having worked in the industry know that it is your job to make the people you are serving have a great time. Nobody gives a crap if you are having a bad day or are in a bad mood, you force a smile and make it fun for everyone. After the bigger groups showed up we were almost totally ignored as well, when I have to go to the bar to get a drink you are a bad server.

Other than that, great time, great food, great recommendation.

We also did breakfeast at The Loop, no clue where it was... across from a Fergus and Bix or something? That was great as well.

I had the Ambush Pale Ale last night. It was pretty solid. We did have pretty terrible service as well, and our server does not fit Psychnet or your descriptions, so I guess it's just an ongoing trend.

I really liked the Loop too but we waited forever to get in on a Sunday.

[Canada 02]

any opinions on Gaucho BBQ? Food, drinks, atmosphere

edit, should have specified the Canmore location, but general thoughts on either would be great as well

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

any opinions on Gaucho BBQ? Food, drinks, atmosphere

edit, should have specified the Canmore location, but general thoughts on either would be great as well

I have never been to the Canmore location, but the Calgary location used to be a monthly lunch tradition for me and my co-workers a couple of years ago. It's really good, but I find that since they dropped the price of their lunch special, their quality and selection have suffered. I'm not sure what the Canmore location is like, but go for dinner if you want the best experience.

As for my review (for the Calgary location) it's as follows:

Atmosphere - fairly casual but decently nice. Think of a middle of the road sushi restaurant or a fairly nice Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant.

Service - Generally friendly and good. Staff is attentive and helpful.

Drinks - Good wine selection. Not too many beers. Cocktails are good, but expensive. For something authentic, try the Caipirinha. It's similar to a mojito, but it's made with cachaca rather than rum and without the mint. Be careful, it's very very easy to drink too much of these.

Food - This is probably the best part of the place. Seriously, just different cuts of different animals, perfectly seasoned and roasted on a charcoal grill, sliced directly onto your plate. They only stop when you tell them to. What's not to love about this? There's also a salad bar, but why would you let veggies get in the way of a proper meat extravaganza?

[Kiran403]

Not really related to any specific restaurant but there's a new app out for Calgary called Takeout King that lists a ton of different takeout/delivery menus from all over the city. You can search by location, cuisine type or restaurant name.
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/take...601278808?mt=8

[East Coast Flame]

Anyone try the new Mexican place on 4th, Anejo? Thinking of heading there this weekend. I had heard good things, but Urban Spoon looks pretty mixed.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

any opinions on Gaucho BBQ? Food, drinks, atmosphere

edit, should have specified the Canmore location, but general thoughts on either would be great as well

Meat sweats.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

Anyone try the new Mexican place on 4th, Anejo? Thinking of heading there this weekend. I had heard good things, but Urban Spoon looks pretty mixed.

It's OK at best. If you want a good time with a bit of a party atmosphere, then go there. If you want authentic mexican food though, you won't find it at Anejo. Their fresh salsa is good though!

[valo403]

Any thoughts on Charcut and Rouge as pre-Flames game spots? I know nothing about either, but they look good. Other recommendations in that realm? I'l only be in town a couple of days and want to check out some of the best Calgary has to offer.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

any opinions on Gaucho BBQ? Food, drinks, atmosphere

edit, should have specified the Canmore location, but general thoughts on either would be great as well

I liked the Canmore location. It is much better value to go for brunch than dinner. Nice big room that is brand new.

The chicken stroganoff at the buffet was so good, I found a recipe for something like it on-line.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by valo403

Any thoughts on Charcut and Rouge as pre-Flames game spots? I know nothing about either, but they look good. Other recommendations in that realm? I'l only be in town a couple of days and want to check out some of the best Calgary has to offer.

Come to Winebar for a tasting.

[flamingchina]

One of our current favorite restaurants is Ox & Angela.
Certainly a place for sharing meals.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by valo403

Any thoughts on Charcut and Rouge as pre-Flames game spots? I know nothing about either, but they look good. Other recommendations in that realm? I'l only be in town a couple of days and want to check out some of the best Calgary has to offer.

Haven't been to Rouge, but Charcut didn't live up the hype that surrounds it. The duck fat + truffle poutine was a bit too oily for my liking, and the Share burger was really dense. The menu selection was also pretty limited at that time (which was about a year ago).