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| - Pricey steakhouse, and sometimes that's just what the occasion calls for! The appetizers are really varied in terms of culinary influences, and look interesting, but I haven't had them so can't comment on execution. The core of the menu is the selection of steaks, which includes both dry-aged prime (top 1%) and AAA. By default they are cooked to order, with a nice steak spice mix. But, if there was a show called Pimp My Steak, it would be filmed here: an extensive selection of sauces (e.g. Bernaise, choco port demi), butters (e.g. truffled, Gorgonzola), and toppings (e.g. foie gras, crab) creates a dizzying array of possibilities. The steaks come a la carte. There are a number of side options, but I'm partial to the Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese, which is quite indulgent as I'm pretty sure it's cream-based rather than bechamel-based. The upshot of all this is that your meal can be mouth-watering, and the final bill can be eye-watering.
The service is usually very good, with the server ensuring that the meat was cooked as ordered, and promptly getting drinks (there's an electronic menu). The only execution hiccup was that the peach cocktail did not come garnished with a peach slice...if you give us a fancy multimedia drink menu, you have to live up to it!
The decor is classy: dark, sleek, and clean, in contrast to several old school steakhouses in town. Not romantic though: I'd say go here with business associates, before a memorable night out with friends, or when entertaining out-of-towners who need to know Calgary is Cowtown, but not backwards.
My only real gear to grind is philosophical: this restaurant touts its commitment to local food. I understand the need to use a major distributor to source prime beef, but the local philosophy behooves them to source their non-prime cuts from a specific ranch (right now they use a Cargill brand). Even the Ruth's Chris steakhouse chain (which gets almost all its meat from the U.S.) provides Alberta prime and AAA options, so l don't give them a lot of cred on this front.
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