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| - Travel to the NW reaches of Calgary and then keep going. Just outside the city limits next to the highway lies this incongruous restaurant and lounge - the outside looks like a community hall with a homemade sign and the inside appointed like an elite New York social club.
Let me start by saying that the service was exemplary from the moment we walked in the door. My parents have visited a couple of times before, so we were greeted warmly by name by the manager Tim and the wait staff. Friendly, professional, attentive and accommodating best describes the service we received throughout our meal.
The Bears Den's wine list has won the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator for the last 7 years with good reason, their selection Included wines from small production "boutique" wineries that were of very high quality. We left with a few names written down that we will be looking for in the wine store.
We chose to dine in the lounge as opposed to their dining room so we could partake in their Sunday evening buffet. My initial reaction was that the offerings in the buffet were rather pedestrian, but fitting for a fine dining establishment. With the exception of one dish, which was dry, all were prepared nicely and were tasty but really nothing to write home about. But then came the servers tableside carrying trays of amuse bouche/dim sum: mini salmon & asparagus crepes, tiny lamb chops, bison meatballs, a Thai inspired jumbo prawn, halibut "fish & chip", steak & lobster skewers, mini Yorkshire puddings filled with roast beef. Wow! That is when the food got elevated to 5 stars!
I now know why they called this place the Bears Den. After you finish eating their buffet you just want to loosen your waistband and go hibernate!
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