| rev:text
| - Rush perpetuates the trend of overpriced and overhyped restaurants in Calgary. This review may sound a bit harsh, but when we consider the hysterical price points of the menu items, an elevated quality is expected.
Our group of 10 went for dinner at Rush. Decor is quite spectacular, with a beautiful layout and inviting lighting. Service was friendly, but poor. ~15min to fill a drinks order when the restaurant was not that busy is too long. When they did arrive, we had to help the staff sort out where the went. This was a trend all night as items got placed at the wrong seat, or wrong table entirely.
The one major highlight I should establish immediately: the beef selections are spectacular. They were generally well cooked (though sometimes not to spec, I'll get to that) and are of high quality. I had the wagyu 10oz, asked for it rare, it came medium. Not the end of the world as the beef is such a spectacular cut and was still very tender with an excellent sear. Most others in the group saw medium-ish. Effectively, nearly everyone's beef was overdone. Not to the extent where it reduced the quality, but a bit of an issue when you start at $40 without sides.
A few of us got the lobster accompaniment. All were rubbery and overdone and hysterically overpriced. It's $18 for a half lobster. No really, it's exactly a lobster split in half. Tiny claw and tiny tail, and a bunch of nearly inedible bits in between sprinkled with shell. That said, the hollandaise sauce was great, however. You can also select a number of small portioned green vegetable sides for $10-15.
Another ordered the scallops and short ribs, which come with potatoes, of course. The short ribs were cooked well but were otherwise quite salty. The three small scallops were rubbery and overdone. Scallops are not difficult to cook. Had the dish been in the mid 20s, it would have been acceptable. But again, we are talking $34 here. This is a place that centralizes its marketing on surf and turf. You'd think you'd know how to properly cook them.
Back to the composition; the steaks came with overcooked and soggy carrots, with two or three slices of baby potatoes. Really? Is this a 1980s steak house? Do we really have to pay $10 extra for broccoli? It's a bit absurd that this trend is allowed to continue. You can opt for a $5 side of red wine demi glaze, which in my opinion is just too salty and overpowering for a good cut of beef. I didn't ask for it, and got it anyway and was charged for it.
And, of course, the ever prevalent 20% mandatory tip. Is tipping really that bad of an issue in this city that we've now stepped up to a mandatory 20% on large group? Regardless, I am continually seeing this practice being used and abused, particularly in the case of Rush where service was sloppy, slow, inaccurate. Dishes were overcooked, sides were overpriced and lacking, and drinks were poorly made. Throw in the fact the bathrooms were disgusting, out of towels by 9pm, and already occupied by drunks by 10pm (one of them nearly passed out on the chair in the bathroom), and you have one awkward dining experience.
For dessert, I just had a macchiato. Not sure what they actually served me, but I'm pretty sure it was just strong coffee. Complete with coarse grounds in the bottom of the glass. Disgusting.
Another questionable practice... we were not given the option to split the bill and had to deal with a suddenly impatient server. No really, it's 2014 and it's a large group. Either give us the option to split the bill up or wait a few minutes for us to do the math. Instead she awkwardly hovered over us. Since the bill had charges with names that didn't match the menu, it wasn't particularly easy to figure out quickly. My wife and I had two beers, one gin and tonic, wagyu 10oz, scallops/short ribs, half lobster. $178. The best part is, as we were about to leave, a server came by with a dish asking who ordered scallops. Slow clap.
Don't get me wrong, we still had a great time, and that may be because we're an easygoing group. But, for the prices Rush demand and the mandatory tipping, a harsh review is required. I do not recommend this place. Honestly, go to the Keg. It's equally as unremarkable but will cost you significantly less.
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