I went to 17th ave this afternoon with a friend with the intent of trying out a place we have never been to before. We came across The National. Great atmosphere with big windows and rustic decor. A very enjoyable place to people watch.
I ordered a beer and their burger and we shared a poutine.
They had a ton of beers which seemed to be a great selection. I am not a beer person but I was hoping to have a Richards White but they didnt have it. But our waitress had a great recommendation for me anyway!
Their burger was fine but in all honesty nothing special or memorable except for the big price tag of $13, not including any extras like cheese or bacon. The waitress asked how we wanted our burger cooked and we had it medium well and it was cooked wonderfully. They do grind their meat fresh, however this was not enough to deliver an incredible burger. In fact the tomatoes were cut too thick and for some reason I couldn't seem to bite through the lettuce, which was really weird! I kept yanking the whole lettuce out of the bun with every bite. Annoying!! 2.5 stars for the burger!
For $10 you can buy their really incredibly delicious poutine! YUM. The cheese and the gravy was fab and not too salty but flavorful and it looked as though there was some finely ground pepper on it, but I didn't really taste pepper. I give the poutine 5 stars! Yum! the best poutine I've had in Calgary so far!