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| - I was fortunate enough to get a Friday night reservation at Bridgette bar while one of my best friends was in town visit. The space is beautiful. The very large space is separated in a way that still makes it feel intimate. We got a nice cozy spot in view of the kitchen. The variety in seating also seemed great for whatever occasion I wanted Bridgette Bar to play host to. Tables for a date, bar seating for drinks, a nice round table (a rare find) for a group dinner. On the wall near us hung a spectacular white BMW motorcycle. It inspired me to get a home large enough that I could hang a similar motorcycle on the wall. I was later informed by one of the chef's that I would need a lot more "cred" to pull that off and probably some motorcycle lessons. At least now I have some long-term goals.
Our server, Teresa, was instantly friendly and charismatic. Chatty, funny, witty and knowledgeable. We started with some prosecco and ordered a few cocktails. My friend and I have very different taste in cocktails. He likes dark alcohols and "manly" drinks. Things that Ron Swanson would enjoy. I prefer lighter, less potent cocktails. I ordered the Mary Ann Smith at Teresa's recommendation. I had some concerns that it would taste like an "apple pie" jelly bean. It was perfectly balanced and extremely enjoyable. We tried a few more that night including Pink Pompadour, The Bends, and Flatland. We found each of our selections quite enjoyable and to be exactly what we needed.
We trusted Teresa and the kitchen to order the food for us. We didn't want to know what was coming and just asked for lots of food. The garlic bread was fantastic. We theorized that any team member of Bridgette Bar would probably be alarmed if they knew how many pieces they would consume over the course of a year. It's likely a lot. The Beef Carpaccio was unexpectedly fantastic. Unexpected because I don't particularly love mushrooms. While they were a significant flavor of the dish, I wouldn't change a thing. The flavors were perfect and the mushrooms were great. We also had the Rabbit, Grilled Octopus and Tuna Crudo. The octopus was a tasty comfort food. The Rabbit on Toast was good but our least favorite dish of the first course. There was one flavor we were unable to identify that prevented us from enjoying it to the fullest. With that said, we still finished every bite so it's worth a try. The Tuna was the standout dish from the first course. It was incredibly light, refreshing and flavorful. I would have had more if I thought my stomach could handle it.
As our food arrived, we had a few different members of the Bridgette team stop by and check on things. Everyone we met that night seemed genuinely friendly. It felt as though everyone was bringing their charisma A-game.
For our second course, we had the Rigatoni, Beef Ribs and Cauliflower. The Rigatoni was likely our favorite dish of the night. Fresh pasta with béchamel and fresh, grated truffle. It's up there on my list for last meals. The Beef Ribs come with a white bean ragu. This was a massive, savory and tender piece of meat. Had I ordered myself, I probably wouldn't have selected this or the cauliflower but I was quite happy to have them both. Alternating between the beef and pasta made for a great pairing. The cauliflower came with a flavorful mayo that made it quite an enjoyable side. The bean ragu was flavourful and paired nicely with the beef.
There was more food than we could finish. We debated on getting dessert but after reviewing the menu, nothing stood out as a must-have. We decide to leave our overly full stomachs as they were. This was, apparently, deemed unacceptable as we were unexpectedly brought a piece of Banana Foster Cream Pie. I'm not generally fan of pie and when I am, I wouldn't choose banana. I was wrong. We were wrong. The pie was amazing. If the dessert consisted of only the crust, I still would have been thrilled. I had some concerns it would be a mushy banana pie but the bananas were perfect. We ate as much as we possibly could before getting the rest to take home. I ate it for breakfast the next morning because I seemingly have no shame.
Our first experience at Bridgette Bar was near perfect. The drinks, the food, and the service were amazing. It's rare a treat to leave a restaurant as content as we were. The food coma euphoria is a high you must keep chasing and I was thrilled that Bridgette Bar delivered. It seems like a lot of great restaurants opened up in Calgary in the last year. If you ask, the past year probably wasn't the best time for them all to open. You wouldn't know it from how busy it was. I suspect other people are sharing a similar experience to ours.
As we left, I spotted a couple having a drink at the bar. One of which I had a terrible date with a few years ago. I will try not to hold this against Bridgette Bar.
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