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| - My wife and I enjoyed dinner at Bonterra while visiting Calgary from San Francisco. The bright and spacious atmosphere, interesting menu, attentive service, and first-rate wine list combined to make for a tasty night out that I would recommend to anyone looking for a relatively upscale Italian dinner in Calgary.
We enjoyed a caprese sald with mozzarella di buffala, which hit the right notes using seasonal fresh tomatoes and the buffala mozzarella to savor. I had the carbonara, which was rich and eggy as it should be; the pasta was housemade and appropriately al dente. My wife had a risotto, which didn't quite meet expectations, but was enjoyable nonetheless. We finished with panna cotta and vin santo that were truly wonderful together -- maybe the highlight of the meal.
As for the wine, there is a huge selection -- including plentiful wines by the glass. The iPad guide to their wine list was fun to explore and is a great tool for navigating their wine cellar, though we relied upon our server for recommendations (we were happy with her suggestions).
Lastly, it bears mentioning that in response to our inquiry about taxi availability, our server called a taxi and had it waiting for us outside when we finished our meal. It was a nice touch.
I have enjoyed first-rate Italian food in San Francisco, Chicago, and throughout Italy. Given the price point and the atmosphere, and based on only one visit, I would recommend Bonterra to anyone looking for a well-executed Italian dinner that hits some high notes and demonstrates commitment to authentic Italian cuisine.
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