The Guild

The Guild

200 8 Avenue SW,  Calgary, AB

(403) 770-2313
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.theguildrestaurant.com

It was a co-worker's birthday this week, and I wanted to take him out for a nice lunch to a restaurant that neither of us had been before, a real feat for a passionate foodie. Then I remembered The Guild, a restaurant that opened their doors just over a month ago, located right on Stephen Avenue and built into the main floor of The Bay building.

As per their website, The Guild prides itself on the finest traditions of butchery, cookery and bar-keeping, while using local beef, game and fowl and utilizing traditional cooking techniques over wood and coal. I was intrigued.

Because it was such a nice day, and no severe thunderstorm warning flashing across my phone, a rarity these days, we decided to sit on their large patio that has the capacity to hold up to 200 people, but not before peering in to see the inside the restaurant. I was happy to see that they didn't go with the same old cookie cutter look that new restaurants seem to be going for, which is either a minimalist or industrial approach. Instead, the space borders on a sultry 70's feel, with warm metals throughout, parquet flooring, riveted light wood tables and leather bound chairs & booths in black, grey and olive green. Definitely the focus within the space is the large and unique wrap around bar with the open kitchen situated just behind, a place where any single person or couple could sit comfortably and enjoy one of their many drinks like the Original Canadian Mule made with Crown Royal, ginger beer, maple and lime($10), or a classic cocktail like a Manhattan or Dirty Martini ($13).

Once my co-worker and I were seated on the patio, our friendly server came to our table wearing an old fashioned yet trendy uniform of suspenders, dress shirt and dark jeans which I found to be a nice touch with the restaurant going for the whole guild house theme. I also liked that our server was a good balance between professional and friendly, and was attentive enough throughout our lunch that it wasn't too over the top.  

When going through The Guild's menu it's both eclectic and rustic, with their menu broken down into raw, hot, soups, classics, salads, mains and mains to share. As I skimmed through it, I saw options like raw Gin and Tonic Salmon ($17), Blood Pudding ($14), Alberta Greenhouse Gazpacho ($12), Deep Fried Mac and Cheese ($9), Cobb Salad ($18), Chuck Burger ($18), Maple-Glazed Brisket ($29) and Slow-roasted Pig's Head ($39). 

We decided to share the Deep Fried Mac & Cheese with truffled ranch dressing to start, and then I ordered the Cobb Salad ($18) for my main dish and my co-worker chose the Chicken Poutine ($19) for his.

We expected the Deep Fried Mac & Cheese to be an appetizer size, but when it arrived there were four extremely large block pieces that could easily have been a main. As we bit into the savoury and comforting twist on a classic, it wasn't greasy at all in spite of it being deep fried, and the macaroni & cheese inside had kept its nice creamy consistency.  Though it would have been a bit flavourless on its own, dipped in the truffled ranch dressing turned it into a heavenly creation.

Shortly after we finished our appetizer, the mains arrived. My Cobb Salad was a good size plate of fresh organic greens with large pieces of moist chicken tossed in, along with small pieces of pancetta, blue cheese and pickled celery  Though it wasn't stacked full of the classic ingredients or prepared like a classic Cobb Salad, I really enjoyed all the flavours, including their homemade citrus dressing that just lightly coated everything. My co-worker thoroughly enjoyed his poutine as well, that was a combination of cheese curds, homemade chicken gravy, large chicken pieces, cabbage and pancetta. When I had a taste, I had to agree, that it was one of the best poutines we had both had in a long time.  

Overall, I would recommend The Guild to anyone craving something different from the norm, as I find their menu, décor, as well as their overall theme to be refreshingly unique. I have no doubt they're on the right track to being a great success!

 

 

Posto Pizzeria and Bar

Posto Pizzeria and Bar

1014 8 Street SW,  Calgary, AB

(403) 263-4876
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.posto.ca

If I was forced to choose one food that I had to eat everyday for the rest of my life, it would be pizza.  Pizzerias have come a long way from the days of offering basic pizzas like pepperoni and Hawaiian, with many now taking on the culinary challenge of turning pizza into a gourmet food option.

Over the past several years there has been a revival of this beloved food, as restaurants have begun to experiment with various toppings not traditionally found on a pizza like fancy cheeses, herbs, various sauces and spreads, seafood, lettuce, and even fruit, marrying the most delicious flavours together in a very unexpected way. Then there has been the transformation of the crust itself, with many abandoning the cookie cutter crust and turning to more of a  Napoletana style pizza that transports you back to the heart of Italy, with every bite.

As you walk into Posto, there is an instant warmth, making you want to cozy up for the night with a friend or partner with it's rustic décor of weathered wood, concrete and marble accents, accompanied by bold hanging lights that give off a soft glow.

As my date and I walked in, the staff were engaging and friendly. Once we were seated, our server took really good care of us, guiding us through the wine list and pizza options, as well as recommending personal favourites.

Because it was Sunday night, our server told us that they were offering 1/2 price pizzas, making the pizzas $9-$10, which was an added bonus.  Besides pizza, they also offer other options like various charcuterie boards of meats and/or cheeses ($7-$38), appetizers such as lamb meatballs, Humboldt squid and ricotta ravioli ($8-$10), as well as the option of starting with a delicious salad like kale, warm tomato or homemade Caesar ($10-$11).

We each decided to pick a pizza and share, so we ordered the spinach, shallot, garlic, wild mushroom and grana padano pizza ($19) as well as the chicken, almond pesto, goat cheese and red pepper pizza ($19).  Both pizzas arrived at our table in a reasonable amount of time and had been perfectly cooked in the wood burning oven.

We absolutely loved the flavours of the spinach pizza, with our server commenting that this pizza was definitely one of the staff favourites, but unfortunately the chicken pizza we ordered fell flat in comparison, with it being quite flavourless as well as dry, especially the chicken itself. Overall though, the one underwhelming pizza wasn't enough to deter us from returning again, especially as we saw the gorgonzola, fig, potato, radicchio and rosemary pizza ($21) pass by our table.

Overall I would highly recommend Posto Pizzeria and Bar for a nice night out with friends or a place to snuggle up with a date and enjoy some comfort food, as it offers a nice ambiance, friendly service and delicious meals made with quality ingredients at reasonable prices.

 

Trolley No. 5 Restaurant & Brewery

Trolley No.5 Restaurant & Brewery

728 17 Avenue SW,  Calgary, AB

(403) 454-3731
www.trolley5.com

My friend and I decided to stop in and try Trolley 5 over the long weekend, which is a relatively new craft brewery and restaurant that was built in place of the iconic Melrose Café and Bar. It's a large two storey structure, with an open front and large patio section. When you step in, it feels like you're entering a funky warehouse with the space feeling quite industrial with a mix of stainless steel, light wood & metal tables, wooden walls, modern oversized lights, exposed ceilings and retro faux leather beige booths. Overall I think they did a great job of decorating such a large space and keeping everything consistent within the theme.

Right from when we entered the restaurant, all the staff were extremely friendly and attentive, including the owner.  We really enjoyed the level of service from our Server as well, who was personable and engaging and eager to check on us regularly to make sure we weren't in need of anything as we moved through our dining experience.

One of my most favourite meals on a weekend is brunch, and I'm always eager to try a new restaurant that offers one.  For me a test of a good restaurant is how well they put together a breakfast, because if they fail when it comes to one of the simplest meals they can possibly make, it's not likely I will come back to try their lunch or dinner.

On Trolley 5's brunch menu, they offer an array of options from the Classic Breakfast ($12), Eggs Benedict ($14) to a BBQ Breakfast Poutine ($15). For their drink special that day, they were offering Mimosas for $6. 

Both of us were in the mood for the comfort of a Classic Breakfast, which at Trolley 5 is two eggs any style, choice of meat (sausage, bacon or ham) along with toast and hash browns, and we accompanied this with some Mimosas.

Our breakfast arrived promptly,  and when it was placed in front of us, it was instantly underwhelming.  The eggs were small, the brown bread was dry and barely toasted, the two little pieces of bacon looked like one piece cut into two,  and the store bought, frozen hashbrowns were little bits of over fried potato nuggets that were dry and unseasoned.  Everything tasted just how it looked, bland and flavourless, with me capable of making a much better one in my own kitchen. My friend and I both agreed that absolutely no effort was put into the meal before us, and not one thing stood out as being delicious. 

Though I know it can be hard to reinvent the wheel when it comes to a classic breakfast, there are still ways to make it stand out, like providing customers with fresh bread bought that day from a local bakery, homemade jam, organic farm eggs with rich and colorful yokes, a nice quality meat supplied by a butchery and hash browns done in-house. Those are the types of breakfasts that make me want to come back again, and unfortunately in this case, no matter how great the service was or atmosphere, both of us said we wouldn't return.

A restaurant that slaps together meals cheaply, using sub-par ingredients, just tells me that they're focus is more on quantity and making money, rather than taking pride in producing quality meals and valuing the customer who is left to consume it. In the end if you are known for your excellent food and service, I believe the success of a restaurant will come without having to cut corners.

As the saying goes, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day", so I say make it a good one, and unfortunately Trolley 5 just seemed to miss the stop.

 
 

Model Milk

Model Milk

308, 17 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB 

(403) 265-7343
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.modelmilk.ca

So I went on a first date this past Sunday.  First dates are a funny thing because you never quite know what you're walking into.  If you discover that the chemistry isn't there, that you're not quite clicking, or that they're an awful human being, then there's nothing worse than being stuck sitting across from them as each course comes out, being forced to converse painfully for several hours.  Fortunately for me (phew!) it didn't turn out this way. It was clear that there was chemistry between us early on, and our conversation flowed easily.

My date had picked Model Milk for us, as it was one of his favourite restaurants, and on Sundays they offer "Sunday Supper", which they describe as a feast of wholesome goodness, served family style.  The cost is only $40 per person and an array of beautiful dishes are placed on your table to share.  That night we were able to enjoy pork belly placed on top of a creamy cheese and pesto sauce, steelhead salmon accompanied with steamed kale, green beans tossed in chilies, breaded and fried cauliflower and a homemade nanaimo bar for dessert. For a wine, we decided on the 2014 Wagner Stempel "Gutswein" Riesling at the price of $65 a bottle, which paired perfectly with our supper.

Every bite of food was absolutely delicious and everything tasted wholesome, as they had described on their website.  The size of the dishes weren't overly big, but after enjoying a taste of all of them, we were both full and completely satisfied. 

I was also impressed with the decor,  which has a rustic industrial theme, but still manages to carry warmth throughout.   Oversized colorful lights hang from large wooden beams attached to extra high ceilings and the walls are exposed brick with a light grey hue to them. Light wooden tables are placed throughout, with adequate space between the tables, which as you know is important to me.   In addition, I found all the staff to be friendly and accommodating throughout our dining experience.

After we finished our meal, my date asked me if I had thought about what I wanted to do after dinner.  The truth was I hadn't at all.  I had just wanted to see how we got through part A with the hope that all went well.  Fortunately it had, so part B wasn't out of the question.  We decided to head to a local pizzeria, sit on their patio and continue our conversation while we sipped on more wine.  Well unexpectedly,  our conversation ended up going till 1:30 am with us arranging to continue it two days later.

It had been a great evening, full of stories and lots of laughter, making my exhaustion due to an early wake-up call of 6:30,  fully worth it the next day. He had passed my criteria to earn a second date.  He was a foodie like me (check), he knew how to use his cutlery (check), he didn't talk with his mouth full (check), he dressed well (check), I was attracted to him (check), and most importantly he was sweet, genuine, and could hold a good conversation (check, check and check).

Now I would just need to find out the answer to my next big question, Do you have an empty fridge?  If so, then it's very possible that I may have found my match. 

 

Das Wirtshaus

  

Das Wirtshaus

101, 1324 - 11 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB 

(403) 452-4853

www.wirtshaus.ca

Another friend's birthday had arrived with 15 of us heading out for dinner to Das Wirtshaus, a relatively new German restaurant known for its schnitzel.  It's tucked in a little building off 11 Avenue where the Ruan Thai restaurant had been for years.  

Das Wirtshaus had been on our list of restaurants to try for awhile and had been chosen for the birthday boy who has a severe garlic allergy, as garlic is generally absent in German food.  His allergy is so severe that one night he ended up in emergency with his passage ways closing up, due to kissing his wife after she had eaten something with garlic that was still lingering on her lips. His wife wanted to ensure that he wouldn't receive another present consisting of another visit to the emergency room.

I've been into German restaurants in the past that felt like I had just entered Oktoberfest, but in this case, they have chosen a bit more of a modern décor.  It's simple, with taupe walls, dark wood tables, brown leather booths and wood floors.  Where I found some of the old mixed with the new was on their walls, with old fashioned oil paintings of mountain and village scenes as well as an extremely large moose head attached to the main wall.  

If you haven't tried German food before, you'll find it very simplistic in its flavours with very little spice.  Pork is their main meat, with potatoes as the most common side.  When looking through the menu, they offer a soup of the day ($7.90)  along with two salads, garden or chef ($10.90), served with either yoghurt or balsamic dressing.  The mains run from $10.90 to $21.90 in price.  They're most known for their schnitzel, but they also offer sausage and meatball dishes that all come with a choice of side, mixed vegetables, fries, warm potato salad, potato wedge or  fried potatoes.  For vegetarians there is spätzle, which is a pasta dish made with egg noodles mixed into a simple cream sauce.  

They have nine types of schnitzel dishes, which consist of breaded and pan-friend pork loin cuts with various toppings such as blue cheese sauce, mushrooms and onion & parmesan sauce. I decided try the Paprika Schnitzel which had red pepper sauce drizzled over the pork, thinking it would probably be the most flavourful of all the sauces offered.  It came with a complimentary garden salad or cream of potato soup and I settled on the garden salad with yoghurt dressing.  I also ordered the rosemary potato wedges as my side. I paired it with one of their German beers on tap, Radeberger, a light pilsner ($7.50). 

The food arrived with an extremely large piece of  breaded pork, smothered in creamy red pepper sauce with chunks of  red peppers throughout. I enjoyed the flavour of the sauce, which reminded me of a creamy red pepper bisque.   Without the sauce however, it would have been quite a dry piece of pork and I also found the potatoes to be quite dry as well, so the sauce helped to flavour and moisten everything. I wasn't overly wowed by my plate and neither was anyone else at the table, all mentioning the dryness of their dishes.

Unfortunately, we weren't anymore impressed with the service than the food. We found the staff to be extremely you and unprofessional.  Two servers had been assigned to our table and struggled to organize themselves properly to take our orders, with them having to constantly check with each other as to who ordered what. There was also no fill-ups of water unless you asked, and didn't bring the bill to our table when we had finished our meal.  We were expected to go up to the till, look at the bill there and pay our portion. 

Gratuity was automatically added to the bill because of the size of our group, which is standard practice, but sometimes I find that servers are less inclined to work as hard at providing top notch service and that was definitely the case when it came to our experience. 

We also found it strange that all three servers suddenly stopped serving us at 9:30 pm, with them standing behind the bar visiting and staring at us,  even though we hadn't finished yet, and there was still another table behind us.  If we wanted another beverage, one of us had to get up and go over to them to put in our request.

We hadn't paid attention to when the restaurant closes, as we enjoyed our final drinks, but as soon as the servers stopped serving us, we began looking for the hours on the window which showed 10:00 pm.  Usually a table continues to be served until the guests are finished, as this shows good customer service and that you value return business but not in this case.  Though we aren't the type of people to take advantage and hang out for an hour past closing time, we also don't feel bad staying a few extra minutes to finish up our last beverage. 

Unfortunately as we exited the restaurant, we all agreed that we wouldn't ever return to Das Wirtshaus again.  Though the lack of garlic had gotten us there, the bad customer service and mediocre food would now keep us away.  

In spite of our less than desirable dining experience,  we were still able to call his birthday a success.  The birthday boy never did see the inside of an emergency room that night, and he was able to safely kiss his wife.  

Full Circle Pizza and Oyster Bar

 

Full Circle Pizza and Oyster Bar

933 17 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB 

(587) 351-3141
Reservations can be made on OpenTable

 

It was time for us three besties to celebrate a birthday.  We love pizza and the birthday girl loves oysters, so we decided to try the relatively new restaurant called Full Circle Pizza and Oyster Bar.  When you walk in, it has a New York kind of feel; industrial, simple, with exposed brick, concrete floor, wood tables and a subtle color palette. The space is long but narrow, with the bar placed middle right, the open food prep area far left back, and then the tables placed at the front, middle and back of the room. They've done a great job of not overcrowding the space and keeping the tables separate enough that you don't feel like you're eating with others you didn't invite (one of my pet peeves, as you know).  

The menu is a quite eclectic and I have to say, a little bizarre.  When you read through some of the items, it makes your stomach turn to think of biting into a pizza slice with steelhead trout, mascarpone, roe and chives on it (California Pi) or a pizza slice with braised octopus, bonito flakes, seaweed and corn (Dr. Octo-Pi),  but we were assured by our server that anything we ordered, we'd be pleasantly surprised to find that all the ingredients really do work well together. 

Not everything on the menu is strange though, and there are many normal options for various taste buds, from salads ($9-$12)  pastas ($18-$21), calzones ($16-$17) to mains of beef, pork and catch of the day ($26-market price).  

 

Our Dutch friend was extremely skeptical when first scanning the menu, being a connoisseur of the blandest of flavour palettes (which she admits), and she was not about to try any of the pizzas,  so she settled on the Farfalle pasta with meat ragu ($17).  The birthday girl, who will pretty much eat any food combo, even if it's been in her fridge and has formed a layer of mold, decided to start with oysters ($3-$6 each) as well as the Beef Carpaccio pizza with grana padano, aged balsamic, egg yolk and arugula ($19).  As for me, the one who can never get enough spice, but will throw out food in three days at risk of contamination, decided to try the spiciest pizza on the menu, Flaming Moe,  with hot peppers, calabrese, sriacha and red onion ($19).  I had fresh arugula added to mine for some fresh greens. 

 

The food arrived promptly and smelled delicious. My Dutch friend's pasta was loaded with tender pulled beef throughout, with a beautiful smoky flavour, topped with big flakes of grana padano on top.  My pizza looked a bit sparse and underwhelming when it came to the amount of toppings placed on it, but when I took a bite, it was full of so much flavour. Though it was advertised as spicy, it was quite mild, so I think they could definitely intensify the heat level. Birthday girl's pizza was also delicious, with nice thin, tender pieces of beef on top that melded with the egg and balsamic, which formed a nice sweet sauce.  

 

At the end of our meal, we all were craving a little something sweet, so we ordered the smores ($8 for 3).  They were perfectly done, with a two crisp graham wafers, a smoked, half melted marshmallow in-between, with chocolate drizzle on top. I think "heaven" was the word we used as we bit into them. To top things off, the server presented birthday girl with a complimentary smoked oyster that she thoroughly enjoyed as well. It was the perfect way to finish the evening. 

 

By the end, we went from skeptics to customers who talked about returning again.  Though we probably won't ever try octopus or trout pizza, we look forward to coming back for another adventurous meal (ok, except for our Dutch friend who has already settled on the Carbonara pasta next time). 

Hey that's okay, we may all have different taste buds, but the one thing we share is a love for food. More importantly though,  we love each other, and that's the best recipe of all. 

 

Happy Birthday my beautiful friend who sparkles each and everyday xo

 

The Mission

The Mission

1919 4 Street SW, Calgary, AB 

(403) 455-5775
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.mission4th.ca

A good friend was in town from Edmonton, and so a group of us decided to try out a new restaurant for dinner.  We had been watching the old restaurant, Candela, slowly being transformed into The Mission, a restaurant offering Canadian Contemporary plates with a splash of Asian Fusion, so we decided to give it a try.

When I walked in, I was expecting more of a play on a religious theme for décor, seeing the large cross logo in the entrance way, but that wasn't the case. Maybe that's a good thing for a group that hadn't confessed their sins in years, or ever. The décor is quite plain and has a very dark color palette with solid charcoal walls and ceilings, a plain taupe feature wall on the side,  rustic wood tables & chairs, wood beams, faux black leather booths at the window, as well as lit up art pieces in black & cream, partially covering the main window.  I was happy to see that they didn't go with stark white, like so many other restaurants have done, nor was anything overly bold or ostentatious.  The lighting is subtle, except for the back of the bar which is brightly lit to accent the various bottles on the shelves, a trend that you see in many new restaurants.

I really like what they have done with the space. It's got a cool, modern & youthful vibe to it.  Light electronic music plays in the background, spun by a DJ in the corner, adding to the ambience. As I looked around, there were groups in their mid 20's and into their late 30's enjoying the chill atmosphere, having great chats, sipping on interesting cocktails and sharing appetizers.

When we first sat down the Server placed a small complimentary bowl of their signature popcorn on the table.  The container they serve it in looks like one of those take-out containers that they place fish & chips in at a fair, a container that would be used more at a sports bar than a higher end restaurant.  The popcorn itself was interesting to say the least and I'm not sure who came up with it, other than I joked that perhaps someone had smoked something before putting together such a concoction.  The popcorn is cooked in coconut oil and then they toss in strips of nori (seaweed), wasabi pees, ginger pieces and salt.  I am a popcorn-fiend and have tried many flavours, but I can't say I would ever want to try this flavour again especially since many of the kernels were also burnt. My friends had to agree with me.  They could definitely skip this step, or just make better popcorn, placed in a  nice ceramic bowl.

The menu is broken down into snacks, small  plates, large plates, salads and dessert.  The items range from $8 to $26 with items like lettuce wraps, maple hill chicken wings, winter squash salad, hangar steak and duck leg on the menu.  They offer an array of cocktails, all $10, and they also have a great selection of spirits, beers, wines and sparkling wines that are reasonably priced. If you go to The Mission for Happy Hour (3 pm -6 pm), they offer select drinks for $5, 1 oz. cocktails, 6 oz. wines and select pints of beer.  They also have a large selection of reduced appetizers.

I ended up ordering one of the small plates, the @4kfarmsab Pork Tacos for $16 (3 tacos in total).  Instead of making them with standard soft tortillas or hard taco shells, they served the ingredients in nice warm crepes.  One thick piece of perfectly cooked pork was placed in the middle with carrot, green onion, radish slivers, cilantro and a hoisin sauce.  It was excellent. If you're exceptionally hungry, which I wasn't, you may want to add more tacos to the order, which they allow you to do, or order a second small plate. We all agreed that our food was perfectly executed and we all enjoyed the touch of Asian flavours added to each menu item, taking what could have been bland menu items that you see on a lot of other restaurant's menus, and making them quite divine.

As for the service we received, we found our young Server to be friendly & efficient. Our food & drinks came as they were ordered and on time.   I did notice though, that she was quite nervous and lacked a level of confidence.  She seemed unsure how to read her customers, when to approach & not approach, and she wasn't quite sure how to describe a lot of the dishes and what was in them.  With more training though, I'm sure she'll get there.  My philosophy is "We all have to start somewhere." 

There are enough appealing menu items to encourage more than one visit, and from the looks of it, they change around menu items regularly. The one menu online that we all looked at before heading to The Mission was different than the one placed in front of us when we sat down.  I like a restaurant that changes things up, especially when dealing with a smaller menu, as it keeps customers coming back to try new creations. As for returning, I definitely will.

If you're "on a mission" for some delicious food and a cool vibe, then this is a great place to go!