Rich recipes: Calgary restaurants that use rich ingredients
While healthy eating and fresh produce will always be in style, sometimes you need to indulge in rich, luxurious, “special occasion” ingredients. Whether you’re in the mood for foie gras, pâté, truffles, pork belly or imported cheeses, these Calgary restaurants serve dishes that promise over-the-top decadence. [Image credit: iStock.com/SvetlanaIlnitskaya]
CHARCUT Roast House
101-303 Centre St SW, Calgary AB T2G 2B9A downtown haven for discerning meat eaters (though there are plenty of salads and fish dishes on the menu), it’s the little touches at Charcut that push its cuisine over the top. The restaurant’s pig head mortadella is one of its signature dishes, as is the truffle gravy poutine. Also, to give your meat selection a little bit of a boost, try the beer battered onion and bone marrow steak topper.
OEB Breakfast
825 1 Ave Ne, Calgary AB T2E 0C2It’s not often that a breakfast joint includes fine dining delicacies among its brunch dishes, but OEB is a different kind of brunch joint. Toppings for the restaurant’s popular breakfast boxes include duck confit, Maritime lobster, black truffle and scallops, and the Edmonton Trail diner’s breakfast potatoes are fried in organic duck fat.
Rouge
1240 8 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 0M7Rouge co-owner and executive chef Paul Rogalski is known for his love of foie gras, and the Inglewood restaurant’s menu features indulgent, French-style bits and bites. The duck and pistachio terrine is a highlight of the appetizer menu, as are the super-rich ginger-fried sweetbreads. For a string of rich and delicious surprises, try the ever-changing chef’s tasting menu.
Alloy
220 42 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 1Y4Alloy’s globally inspired main dishes feature fresh and delicious ingredients, and chef Rogelio Herrera really plays with the rich stuff in his appetizer menu, where a little goes a long way. Try the crispy pork belly with maple mustard, truffle gnocchi or the lobster tempura with tangy lime aioli.
La Chaumière Restaurant
139 17 Avenue SW, Calgary AB T2S 0A1On top of Calgary’s fine dining scene, Le Chaumiere serves up all of the indulgence that one expects from a truly classic French restaurant. It’s all delightfully old school – you’ve got veal served with foie gras, escargots with brie, pâté with gherkins and veal sweetbreads, among other classically prepared dishes.
Avec Bistro
105-550 11 Ave SW, Calgary AB T2R 1M7Like any French bistro worth its salt, Avec offers a taste of foie gras in the form of an appetizer prepared with the torchon method and served with mission figs and preserved apricots. For further indulgence, the menu also features truffle eggs, house-made frites with truffle aioli and a duck confit entree with crispy potatoes.
Custom Kitchen
113-1803 60 St Se, Calgary AB T2B 0M5Calgary’s French restaurant scene has exploded in recent years, and Parc serves some of the tastiest casual French food in the city. On the indulgent end of the spectrum (and really, with added Béarnaise, cheese and butter sauces, a good chunk of the menu falls into this category), be sure to take a look at the foie gras torchon, chicken liver pâté, lacquered pork belly and lamb-neck Parmentier.
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