White Spot, Calgary, AB

You must be wondering why I am writing about White Spot. I normally wouldn't write about restaurants that are pretty common, but this White Spot was a little different. What warrants a note for this White Spot is the building itself. My roommate and I went to the White Spot on Macleod Trail just south of Southland Dr.

Ambience

I was amazed as soon as I walked in; amazed that it was a White Spot. It essentially was a large cabin inside the building. It had very high open ceilings and lots of windows. It also had a fireplace in the lounge area. Everything had a wood finish and felt like I was inside a cabin on top of a ski resort. It was a very comfortable place to have dinner.


Menu

The menu was the same as every other White Spot that I've been to. Everything was pretty cheaply priced compared to other similar restaurants (ie. Boston Pizza, Moxies, etc). I ordered my favourite Monty Mushroom burger and was not disappointed. The fries however, were very disappointing. It was soggy, a bit cold, and looked like it had been sitting out for hours. It did not look appetizing at all. Since I was hungry, I just smothered it with the gravy that came with the fries and wolfed them down. The fries were bottomless but I wouldn't get more unless it was a fresh batch. The burger with the fries and a bit of coleslaw came to $10.54 after taxes. Definitely worth it.

Final Comments

The food is the same as any other White Spot, but the place was furnished to be a cabin and it really did feel like it. The next time you decide to go to a White Spot in Calgary, consider this one.

Tony Roma, Calgary, AB, Canada

My roommate took me out to Tony Roma's for my birthday today to try the Tuesday all you can eat ribs. We went to the one just south of Chinook Centre before heading further south to go to Golf Town. Here is what I thought of it:

Ambience

It was a very casual place which reminded me of The Old Spaghetti Factory. It had a lot of booths and some tables that filled in the space between them. It had a family feel to it and was comfortable for a casual meal.

Menu

We were there for the ribs. For the all you can eat ribs, you have a choice of any two sides which included mashed potatoes, rice, fries, vegetables, and some others. For the ribs, you get to choose from either the pork ribs or the beef ribs. We ordered one of each for the first serving and found that the beef ribs were much better. It had better flavour, juicier, and more tender than the pork ribs. I found the pork ribs to be dry and lacked that punch from the BBQ sauce the beef ribs had. The mashed potatoes were decent but the fries were far from extraordinary. However, the gravy that came with the meal makes you forget the fries suck. When you want more ribs, just asked the server and he/she will bring you another serving of ribs less the sides. The all you can eat ribs meal will set you back $21.99.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the meal was pretty decent. The beef ribs were quite good, but the pork ribs were a little disappointing. The ribs I had at Earls were much better. For the price of $21.99 I did not think it was worth it. You will be better off just ordering ribs from the menu, especially if you're a small eater. It would end up being cheaper and you'd have more choice of ribs and sauce.

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.