Chicago Chophouse - Calgary, AB, Canada

Please bear with me, this is my first ever blog post!

After placing third in an online freeroll poker tournament over the weekend, my roommate somehow conned me into treating steak for the both of us. So... being the steak lover he is, he started looking up some steakhouses in Calgary. After reading some good reviews, he decided that we should go to the Chicago Chophouse downtown.

Ambience

My first impressions of the place was that it was dark, but then again I don't recall going to a steakhouse that isn't dimly lit. There weren't that many people there on a Tuesday night, so we got a booth seat facing the bar where the televisions were. It definitely felt like a lounge type restaurant. The place was pretty quiet when we went, but I'm sure on the weekends it gets quite packed. There was a second floor to the restaurant off to one side which formed an atrium in the middle with high ceilings. To one corner there was a smaller room with booth seats for people that want to get a more enclosed feeling. Overall, I'd say it was a very comfortable place to be having a fine steak or just a drink at the bar and lounge area.

Menu

The menu had a selection of 4-5 different cuts of steak that started at $34, excluding sides. The side menu had mushrooms, asparagus, mashed potatoes, lobster mac and cheese, and a few others ranging from $8-$12. I believe there were other entrees as well, but I didn't pay much attention to them because I was there for the steak! Who goes to a steakhouse and doesn't eat steak anyways? On the recommendation of my roommate, we both ordered the 14oz ribeye steak for $39 with the mushroom trio (shitake, portobello, and one other) and lobster mac and cheese as sides.

The steak was cooked medium rare and for once wasn't overcooked! It was very tender and juicy, with what I believe is the house BBQ sauce. The marbled fat mixed with the tender steak is what makes the ribeye cut one my favourites. This was the best steak I've had to date! It easily blows out The Keg's ribeye! The lobster mac and cheese had a strong lobster taste and was also very good. As for the mushrooms, they were delicious and went well with the steak.

Being in a good mood, I also ordered some red wine to go with the steaks. I am pretty clueless when it comes to wine so I just took the server's recommendation. She brought over a light tasting red wine that had a very good after taste. It was $11 a glass and had a fruity taste to it, sort of like ice wine. Cheaper stuff just doesn't compare (perhaps it was a placebo effect?). I didn't really catch the name, so I can't help you there.

Final Comments

This was the best steak I've had to date. Coupled with the wine and sides, I'd say it was the best experience I've had at a restaurant. The bill was a bit hefty for a student, but it was worth every penny. I'd definitely recommend the Chicago Chophouse for anyone in or visiting Calgary looking to try out some good Albertan beef.