Charcut’s New Concept ‘CHARPOP’ set to have its premiere pop in the new year.

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants, Thoughts     Aviv Fried, awesome, calgary, CHARCUT, Charpop, Connie Desousa, Grant van Gameren, John Jackson

You know what they say…out with the ‘cut‘ and in with the ‘pop‘. This week, the owners of top Calgary restaurant, Charcut, announced their new culinary endeavor entitled ‘Charpop‘.

This three day dining experience is a collaborative effort between Toronto chef Grant van Gameren (pictured below, I stole his twitter avatar, formerly of Toronto’s The Black Hoof), everyone’s favourite baker Aviv Fried, and, of course John Jackson and Connie Desousa.

This pop-up concept is new to Calgary and I’m happy it’s finally here! As written in their press release, ‘Culinary pop culture gives new meaning to short ordercooking. A truly exclusive, limited-window dining experience is in the works.’
so I’m sure in the coming months we will some more places following in their footsteps and…well…popping up too!

Although the location is still to be determinded, you can safely mark down these dates in your calendar: January 15th, 16th and 17th. The ‘restaurant’ will open at 7PM with a set menu (I believe, but don’t quote me on that) and tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

Hey, who knows, you might even catch me moonlighting as a host on one of the evenings…we’ll just have to wait and see…

Thinking of all the individual successes/accomplishments of partners involved, and if the whole is, in fact, greater than the sum of its parts, then folks, we’re in for one hell of a meal!

Follow Charcut or Charpop (@YYC_CHARPOP) for updates, as well as check out www.charpop.com for more information and tickets (when they become available, though, is anyone’s guess. How mysterious!)

My Brunch is Cooler Than Your Brunch: Eating at Diner Deluxe (and a new Food Network Canada series is coming to town!)

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     awesome, brunch, calgary, Diner Deluxe, Food Network Canada, You Gotta Eat Here

Sorry, that sounded aggressive, but I can defend the title statement…

Just a couple months ago, Calgary was lucky enough to have ‘Eat St.’ pop by to film some of our great food trucks. Well, now it’s the non-moblies turn.

A brand new Food Network Canada show entitled ‘You Gotta Eat Here’ is set to premiere in Spring 2012. Hosted by comedian John Catucci, the program is currently traveling across the country filming segments at different establishments that boast one-of-a-kind dishes.

The production company contacted me this past summer to provide them with some recommendations of restaurants that would be interesting to feature on the show. I thought long and hard and short listed it to five: Diner Deluxe, Tubby Dog, Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus (can’t go wrong with Dutch pancakes!), Silver Inn (allegedgly the birthplace of ginger beef) and Jelly Modern (arguably a ‘trend’, i.e. the new ‘cupcake’, but still interesting). All of which (I believe?) will be featured on ’You Gotta Eat Here’ in its inaugural season.

Now, for the best part…Today and tomorrow they’ll be filming at Diner Deluxe, which is, in my opinion, one of Calgary’s best brunch spots.

The last time a friend and I went to the diner for some food, I had their Yukon Gold Potato Pancake dish for the first time. The potato pancake itself was about 1″ thick and as big as my head (mild exaggeration). It was topped with some cilantro sour cream and came with some tasty pork sausages.

Now, I’m not talking gross, out of a package, skinny, little breakfast sausages, but the kind of sausage that you eat and say: ‘Yeah! That’s a real sausage!’ You know what I mean!

My friend had the pulled pork hash with caramelized apples, grainy dijon mustard and poached eggs. Kind of like the rough and tumble cousin of an eggs benedict. I’ve had this one before and it makes for a pretty stellar breakfast.

The mini cast iron skillet also doubles as a handy weapon if an alien invasion were to occur. Always be prepared…

Lastly, and luckily for you (and me!), tomorrow between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. the restaurant is letting friends, regulars and any other Diner Deluxe lovers have an opportunity to be a part of the You Gotta Eat Here filming!

If you’re free, just send an email to info@dinerdeluxe.com to see if they can squeeze you in! Come on and join in the fun. I know you want to.

Simply Italian: Dinner at Borgo Trattoria

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     Borgo Trattoria, calgary, Capo, eating out, italian, Restaurants

It seems like we’ve been getting a lot of new restaurants popping up in Calgary this past little while, and that is a good thing! Similar to my excitement for Ox And Angela, the massive sign for Borgo Trattoria caught my eye repeatedly for weeks prior to it’s opening in early September.

My friends and I popped into Borgo on a very busy Friday night. The interior of the space is amazing. Really fantastic light fixtures (On a side note, I’m so sick of those ‘vintage’ light bulbs lounges/restaurants are overusing these days…(*cough* Local 510/522 *cough*), great bench seating in the back half of the restaurant by their open kitchen, with a central bar area.

Borgo has quite extensive hours of operation. They are open from 8 a.m. until ‘whenever the chef is done’ which, the few times I’ve eaten here, has been around 11 p.m.

They start the day off as an espresso bar, serving the standard drinks (illy espresso of course, pictured), as well as home-made pastries. Turning into a lunch spot at 11:30 a.m., afternoon snack spot from 3-5, and a full-service dinner destination from 5 p.m. on. Wow, that was a lot to say…

The menu here has a lot of options. Small bites, Pastas (both half and full orders are offered), as well as different cuts of meats. Since there was four if us, we decided to order every item from the evening’s Cicheti (small bites) section. Some items were available by the piece, while others were a set price per plate. The Cicheti offerings change frequently, so you might not be able to enjoy the exact same dishes we did on this particular night.

Here were some of the highlights from the small plates that we ordered…

The veal and pork meatballs (ordered by the piece) were nice and tender. There was a very simple marinara sauce on top and just a sprinkling on parmesan cheese.

On this board, sat some crispy little crostini, proscuitto, and a melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella. Topped with some micro-basil as a finishing touch. Classic pairing here, I love a mild mozzarella, this did not disappoint.

We were all fighting over the last few bites of this mushroom dish. Sauteed wild mushrooms in a rich sauce, topped with parsley and some bread on the side to soak up all of the sauce. Which we did.

Saving the best for last, these beauties would be Borgo’s eggplant ‘fritta’ with a little pail (cute, hey?) of fennel yogurt dip. Eggplant can get mushy easily, so it was fantastic to enjoy the vegetable in crispy ‘french fry’ shape. I will always order this dish every time I’m in the restaurant. Even an eggplant hater would succumb to the tastiness of this dish. No joke!

After digesting the entire small bites menu, we were still a tad hungry, so decided to order some gnocchi to share, as well as some swordfish (fish option changes daily), followed by their dessert platter which featured four Italian desserts including a chocolate-dipped cannoli and a heavenly sweet panna cotta.

As far as drinks go here, Borgo offers a solid selection of wines and cocktails, but what I found most interesting is that the restaurant has three Italian beers that are imported directly from Italy (like the Birra Moretti, pictured) and are exclusive to the restaurant, well, in Calgary anyway.

Lastly, I just want to mention that the price point of the menu here is absolutely amazing. The most expensive dish we ordered was the gnocchi, which was only $16. Small bites ranged from $2-$8. If the IKEA ‘Start the car!’ commercial pops into your head when you get the bill, that’s ok…it happened to me too!

The Ox Rocks: Supper At Ox And Angela

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     awesome, calgary, delicious, eating out, Latin-inspired, Ox And Angela, yyc

Myself along with probably (at least) a few thousand other Calgarians have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Ox And Angela.

Prior to it’s opening in mid-August I had been walking by, perhaps too often, to check on the progress. When renos appeared to be nearing completition my friends and I were, essentially, clawing at the door. Mild exaggeration, but, needless to say, we were excited.

Located about one block south of it’s sister restaurant, the 17th Ave hot spot, Una, the establishment took up residence in the old Bungalow building once it (finally) closed it doors in the spring.

Ox exudes a sort of sexy Latin American kind of feel. The white exterior is bright and inviting. Once you walk through the doors you’ll have a sort of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ decision on your hands (except neither choice will end badly, I promise). To your left, there’s ‘Angela‘, the dining room, and to your right, the lounge, ‘Ox‘, is waiting for you. You can actually take a seat with Ox if you wish, who takes shape as a metal sculture in the front corner of the lounge. He won’t bite. Wait, do bulls bite? I digress…

As I sat in the lounge, waiting for my friends to arrive, I tried out one of their signature cocktails, of which they have many. As it was my first time here, ‘The Ox’ cocktail seemed like a good option. It was a combination of Guatamelan rum, white grapes, bitters infused sugar, garnished with some green apple slices.

The majority of the drink menu consists of pre-prohibition style cocktails, all of which pack an appropriate punch. Who likes a watered down drink anyway, right?

Their play on masculine/feminine is also seen within this menu which splits the drinks to ‘Ox’ on the left page and ‘Angela’ on the right. Gentleman, don’t feel insecure about ordering from the latter, as their Ox and Angela Collins is fantastic. (pictured below)

Once my friends arrived, we decided to move over to the dining room. Only small plates are offered in the lounge and seeing as it was dinner time, we were in the mood to have a nice sit-down meal. The warm atmosphere of the restaurant definitely encourages sharing food amoung the table, so we decided to order an array of appetizers and mains to go around.

It’s kind of a shame we couldn’t order/eat everything. I rarely say this about a restaurant, but almost every singe offering sounded absolutely delicious. Our table actually debated for about fifteen minutes about which dishes we would opt for. At some points, it came down to a vote. Seriously. Oh well, that just means we’ll have to go back again, and again.

The first few dishes that came to the table were Proveleta (fried provolone with fresh oregano and pickled tomatoes), Taco (citrus poached monkfish soft tacos), and Pulpo (spice-rubbed octopus with grilled watermelon and shaved radish).

The fried provolone was nice and crisp on the outside, not too oily, and the pickled tomatoes added a nice zing to the dish. It was my friend Mealan’s favourite appetizer. We probably should of ordered two…

The monkfish tacos had some great flavour to them. The tomatillo salsa had some heat to it, which I welcomed. The flour tortillas were grilled prior to filling and had a nice char on them. The poached lobster sat on top of curtido, a sort of cabbage ‘relish’, which was made in-house. We had dug into the cheese and octopus dishes prior to the tacos, leaving them a bit soggy, so if you’re going to order them with other appetizers, I’d say eat these little guys first.

The spice-rubbed octopus was my personal favourite out of this round. I love octopus, but hate when it’s over-cooked and chewy. Here it was cooked perfectly, nice and meaty. The grilled watermelon was added a nice, fresh and slightly sweet compliment to the seafood. The spice rub could of been a bit more pronounced, but overall, I loved the dish. It just embodied summer to me.

Moving on to our main dishes, the table decided on Camarones (giant prawns, serrano ham, mango salsa), Chorizo (house made, stewed peppers) and Bistec (20 oz ribeye with chimichurri). For sides, we went for their Patatas Fritas (smashed lemon rosemary baby potatoes), Masa (citrus buttered grilled corn) and Polenta (corn, oregano, pickled tomato).

These were easily the largest shrimp I have seen thus far in my life. Wrapped in serrano ham, the two giants sat on top a bed of sweet mango salsa.

The chorizo, made in-house, had a nice texture, but was lacking the kick I’ve come to love in this type of sausage. Luckily, the stewed peppers added an extra level of flavour.

I’m hopelessly devoted to a solid chimichurri sauce and this particular one rocked. Needless to say, this 20 oz ‘cowboy’ steak was huge and cooked to a nice medium-rare. Definitely the table favourite out of the mains.

We were all surprised by how good the grilled corn was. I know most people enjoy corn on the cob, but it is rarely a stand-out at a dinner, let alone a restaurant. The citrus butter definitely elevated it to a delicious level. We fought over the last piece.

The polenta was nice and tender. Polenta seems to be a love it or hate it kind of a dish, so if you enjoy it, then go for it.

Then came the desserts…We samplied their creme brulee, house-made churros (which always make me think of going to Disneyland as a kid), and the dulche de leche (crisp pastries with a sweet milk sauce, similar to caramel, dusted with icing sugar, pictured).

To go along with the trio of sweets, we also ordered a few dessert cocktails. Above is a vanilla espresso martini. We were instructed to sip the martini, then move onto the shooter of simple syrup, followed by the shortbread cookie. Sip, sip, bite. I could get used to that.

Burnt cognac with fruit skewers also graced the table. Similar concept to the martini above. Sip, bite, sip bite. The warm cognac was so aromatic, I felt like a true gentleman sipping it in our corner table. Now, where’s my cigar?

Ox And Angela opens daily at 5 p.m. ‘Angela‘ is happy to serve you the full menu on the restaurant side until 11 p.m. (as well as takes reservations!) while ‘Ox‘ dishes out small plates and drinks until the wee hours of the night, 2 a.m. to be exact. Also good to note, the romantic Latin-inspired atmosphere inside makes this establishment an ideal date destination (call me). If our experience was any indication, I’d say co-owners Jayme MacFayden, Kelly Black and Stephen Smee (also the executive chef) have got another hit on their hands.

Wining and Dining at Vin Room, Calgary

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     calgary, eating out, Restaurants, Vin Room, wine, yyc

It’s hard to turn down a dinner, complete with wine pairings, on one of the nicest patios in Calgary. Actually…it’s pretty much impossible. It was a beautiful evening in early August when I attended a special supper at Vin Room in Mission. In this city, we don’t usually get a substancial amount of beautiful evenings, so you need to enjoy them while you can. Did I mention that September is only weeks away…sigh…

Just in case you’ve never been, Vin Room specializes in, well, wine (hopefully that’s obvious?), and great food to compliment whatever it is you decide to sip on throughout the evening. On this particular night, restaurant owner Phoebe Fung had her executive chef, Claire Cameron, lay-out a multi-course menu for our table which read as something of a whimsical fairy tale for my taste buds. Well, shall we begin?

Our first course for the evening was actually three different dishes, ‘sub-courses’ if you will? The first in the trio was a candied salmon salad. The salmon sat on a bed of arugula, fennel and roasted corn. It was topped with a red wine and seed vinaigrette. For the past while, I’ve been in love with fennel, so this was a hit with me. Can’t go wrong with candied salmon either, right?

The second ‘sub-course’ (I think I just invented that word, and I love it.) was a simple tabouli (pictured above) with toasted quinoa replacing the traditional bulgur wheat. I love the fact that tabouli always has that great fresh taste to it, this serving was no exception. The real king of the first course for me, though, was hands down the grilled calamari.

Just take it in for a moment. Gorgeous scoring, gorgeous char from the grill, accompanied by double smoked bacon, peas, mint, and sweet potato. That is one summery seafood offering if you ask me. I wanted to eat this entire place myself, but then that little voice inside my head said something to ‘No. Dan, you have to share with your friends at the table.’ Ugh, fine…The calamari was cooked perfectly. I always hates when it gets to that rubber-y stage. No one is a happy camper then!

Moving along, the table’s second course was split into two dishes. The first, a serving of israeli couscous (pictured) with rock prawns and merguez sausage. Halibut cheeks followed, topped with salsa verde, on a bed of sauteed radishes. The couscous was a rich, filling dish, and I think all of us at the table fought over the meaty chunks of prawn and sausage. Back that fork up Anh!

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Although it was cooked well, I’m not the biggest fan of halibut, so the dish was, unfortunately, not a highlight for me. I do, however, really love sauteed radishes (have you ever tried them? You should!), and the salsa verde had a nice intensity as well.

Once we had devoured the second course, the third began to arrive. Breaking back down to sub-courses within the course, the table was decorated with plates of food as colourful as they were different. Pura Vida Beef Flank Steak, Seared Chorizo, Lamb Kabobs, and Grilled Scallions, Zucchini and Endive dishes all graced us with their presences’. At this point, it only seems appropriate to continue to visually stimulate you. So, I’ll do just that…

The steak was served with some garlic green beans, and an almond picada, which I could only describe as being oddly delicious. Kind of on the sweeter side of things, but it went well with the steak.

On this plate there was Chorizo and confit baby potatoes with fresh tomatoes and herbs. The chorizo had great flavour. The only down-side for myself was that it was cut into long, thin strips, making it a bit difficult to eat. I prefer sausage that I can really sink my fork into.

The lamb kabobs was a surprise addition to this course. Phoebe said they were not to be missed, and that was very true. The ground lamb meat was seasoned perfectly, complimented by the mild curry sauce underneath. I had more than my share of this one.

The grilled vegetables embodied a great summer barbeque kind of a feel. I’ve only recently started grilling endives and scallions, and they have become a staple in my summer diet. The romesto sauce was bright and tangy. I may of dipped a lamb kabob in it. Just saying…

Did we have room for dessert? Well, sure we did!

A Brewmaster’s Dinner at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, B.C.

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     amazing, beer, Big Rock Brewery, dinner, eating out, I'm on a mountain!, Kicking Horse

Aside from winter ski trips, I can’t think of another time I’ve had to take a gondola, certainly not to just to have supper. The Eagle’s Eye restaurant is situated on the very top of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in British Columbia. Right outside of Golden, BC (about two and half hours from Calgary), this resort establishment’s tagline is ‘Canada’s most elevated dining experience’, which is most definitely true. It is the highest altitude restaurant in Canada — so high, in fact, that even when I was there for dinner, on Canada Day, it was snowing.

I came to Kicking Horse to attend the first of a trio of events in the resort’s Summer Dinner Concert Series. Entitled the Brewmaster’s Dinner, this particular night featured beer pairings with its five courses, as well as performances by a great local musician. The resort had partnered with Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery for this particular event. Each dish, along with the beer pairing, would be presented by executive chef, Sylvain Bourget and a representative of Big Rock’s. I’m a beer man through and through, so, needless to say, I was definitely looking forward to this experience.

The first course was a pan-seared pickerel served atop wild boar bacon rösti with a smoked green tomato jam. Wow, say that ten times fast. Wait, actually don’t, it will just make you hungry. The tomato jam was especially nice, and anything involving wild boar bacon is generally a key to my heart. This dish was paired with Big Rock’s Grasshopper Wheat Ale, an appropriately summer brew to juxtapose with the snow outside the restaurant.

The next dish that was brought to our table was a cute little cup of snap pea soup accompanied by an equally cute (dare I say adorable?) tomato crisp. This soup was definitely one of the main highlights of the dinner for me. It was so fresh tasting, like drinking the essence of summer. Almost in an ‘Ursula stealing Ariel’s voice in The Little Mermaid’ kind of a way, but not as creepy. A new beer to the Big Rock family, their take on an India Pale Ale, paired perfectly with the soup.

As a palate-cleansing third course, we were served a sweet corn and Warthog Ale sorbet garnished with a green baby corn. It certainly cleansed my palate, but I don’t think I’ll be heading to my local ice cream shop in search of this sorbet combo anytime soon. Nonetheless, it did its job. Palate cleansed. Next.

Ah, the main… Side note: the best/worst thing about writing up great dining experiences is remembering what everything tasted like. ‘Best’ because of the fond food memories, and ‘worst’ because it makes you hungry! This plate consisted of barley risotto and a very tender Alberta beef tenderloin in a chanterelle cream sauce. I did everything short of my lick my plate with this one. My only wish was that there was a bit more chanterelle cream, but that’s kind of like wanting more bacon; you don’t really need it. Paired up with this course was the Big Rock Traditional Ale. Definitely their ‘ol’ faithful’, it stood up to the red meat and richness of the dish.

You can read the rest of this piece on the Food Network Canada site!