rev:text
| - I am not a huge steak connoisseur. For some reason, it is just hard for me to be impressed with a grilled slab of meat. However, there were a few times in my life when I was really wowed by the flavour and texture of steak, and it is those fond memories that drive me to visit a steakhouse once in a blue moon. Plus, being in Calgary, I decided it was finally time to try that famed Alberta beef.
Saltlik seemed like a natural choice - smack in the middle of downtown, with a cool name and a fancy-looking huge glass door that separates the chosen few on the inside from the plebes wandering the 8th Avenue. And I am only half kidding - as I understand, a steak restaurant is a special occasion kind of a place, where you splurge but expect elite food and elite service.
Saltlik, on the other hand, is very down to earth. Too much so, actually. The tiny lobby was being cleaned as I walked in, as if the restaurant was closing. The staff, while very friendly, is not really best educated on the wine and food choices.
The first surprise came when I found out there was no bread (!) in the restaurant - only garlic bread, which, naturally, is not free. That was a first one for me. The house salad is less than impressive - bitter salads, a couple of cut strawberries and a tiny bit of goat cheese. No tomatoes or other vegetables. But OK, that was just a snack before the big steak dinner.
I waited, and waited, and then more. Finally, the meat came. What can I say? It was another night of disappointment in my quest for a perfect steak. It was dry-ish and rather tough, despite my lengthy requests for something tender and marbled when ordering.
So, that's about it for Saltlik. I am afraid it's another case of a restaurant trying to be something it isn't, which is all too common in Calgary, alas.
|