Had to eat steak in Stampede country.
And it was a pretty good steak. Not a spiritual connection to the bovine god, but pretty good. The sides were solid, the meat was cooked properly and to the exact specification listed on the menu (yes, that's medium rare), and the wine list was solid. A fried calamari appetizer was proper and tasty, as were the salads.
Have to comment on the service, though. Yeah, I know Calgary's a petro-boomtown with a lot of young, educated, and upwardly mobile people, and also that it's the only game in town for Albertans looking to play in the big leagues, but damn... I thought SF during the pre-bomb-dot-com was excessive. It seems like any place without a takeout counter or pictures on the menu has to hire an army of scantily-clad women to dispense the food and drink. It's particularly funny when you stagger in the front door, with numb extremities and concerns about frostbite, and the door is held for you by a pleasant young women wearing a dress smaller than your scarf.
But I'm a weak and worthless Californicator who's used to a +/- 10C difference between summer and winter.