Gourmet

Restaurant	Rating	Type of Food	Style	Description	Information
Alexis Bistro & Lounge		Gourmet	Informal	Don't be fooled by the Altadore location, This is an upscale bistro, starting from a French cuisine base and moving outward wherever it wishes. The setting is contemporary with excellent service. They even manage to give you ample butter to spread on the appetizer bread. This is always appreciated. There are many excellent dishes, but a few of the fusions just didn't work for our group, and it is for this reason, and this reason alone, that Alexis doesn't get an outstanding rating. Reservations recommended on weekends.	4824 - 16 St. SW 214-3616	M to Sa 5:00 p.m. - close
Antonio's Garlic Clove	Rating for Vampires: 0	Gourmet	Informal	Don't make that face! Garlic can be cooked and eaten in many ways, and Tony has mastered them all, including fried bananas with garlic topping and chocolate covered roasted garlic buds for dessert. The setting is comfy bistro. The service is friendly, and the servings are large. What more could one want? Breath mints! And if you are worried about what others may say, just order a half portion or ask for less garlic. Reservations recommended.	2206 - 4 St. SW 228-0866	Open daily at 5:00 p.m.
The Belvedere		Gourmet	Informal	The setting is a blend of the beams and bricks of an old Stephen Avenue establishment covered tastefully with the tiles and trappings of a first class restaurant. The food is also a pleasing blend of the traditional and the trendy. If you wish, you can have a meal in the bar or eat there choosing from a separate menu of smaller items. Reservations recommended.	107 8 Ave. SW 265-9595	M to F 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. M to Sa 5:00 p.m. - somewhere around10:30 p.m.	www
Brava Bistro		Gourmet	Informal	With a motto of "Dine like you mean it." this restaurant really means it. They begin with a Mediterranean base and run with creativity from there. The sauces are subtle, but made to bring out the true nature of whatever is underneath, unlike so many restaurants with the barbeque mentality which seeks to mask the meat flavour altogether. The setting is modern bistro, but without the cramped confusion that often surrounds that word. The service is knowledgeable and friendly. The servings are plenteous. Reservations are recommended. According to the menu: Fresh vegetarian dishes can be created on request.	723 - 17 Ave. SW 228-1854 www	Su 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. M to Sa 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. M to W 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Th to Sa 5:00 p.m. - midnight
cilantro		Gourmet	Informal	Like Dr. Who's TARDIS, this original store building on 17 Avenue is larger inside than out, but retains a friendly hominess as it surrounds you with warm wood on all sides. The staff are FEK—friendly, efficient, knowledgeable. The food, however, while quite creative in its combinations and certainly tasty in general was lukewarm, and no one dish that anyone ordered cried out to be tried again. Reservations are recommended, at noon especially.	338 - 17 Ave. SW 229-1177
The Coup		Gourmet	Informal	The food in this comfy little bistro is not ethnic vegetarian or let's–pretend–this–is–meat vegetarian, but actual original dishes made to be delicious and well worth trying whether you are vegetarian or not.	924B - 17 Ave. SW 541-1041 www	Lunch and Dinner Tu to Su
Highwood		Gourmet	Buffet	SAIT houses one of the world's great schools for chefs as shown by the number of Olympic medals our cooking teams have won. The Highwood gives these students a change to show their strength. The buffet is one of the largest we have seen. Some of the dishes do try to hard to be new and different, but the overall impression is one of elegance and good taste. Good vegetarian selection. Reservations recommended.	at SAIT 1302 - 16 Ave. NW Enter off 16 Avenue; use the short-term parking lot. The Highwood is in the John Ware Building to the south of the lot. 284-8615 Ext. 2 www	M to F 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Buffet Th 11:00 a.m. Dinner M to Th from 6:00 p.m. F, Sa Catering 210-4492
Infusion Contemporary Cuisine		Gourmet	Informal	Bragg Creek is more than waterfalls and trees and pottery emporiums. It also houses exquisite food. Infusion gives you the prefect excuse to get away from the city (about half an hour from downtown) and relax with a fusion of food experiences from Thai to Japanese to good old Alberta beef. The staff is friendly with a truly personal touch. Unlike many places, the superb lunch menu is not a tiny-portion version of dinner, but full and filling. Reservations recommended on weekends. Good vegetarian selection on the lunch menu. There are even some soups that come with a vegan base.	23 Balsam Ave. Bragg Creek, AB 403-949-3898 www
The Living Room		Gourmet	Informal	Officially the food here is "Contemporary Interactive Cuisine". For those who need a translation, that means: appealing platters, perfectly prepared and pleasantly presented with delightful "interactive" extras like fondues for two (if you happen to be piggy Dawsons) or more (if you are mere mortals). The vegetarian selection is not large but is sufficient to give a tempting choice while avoiding the usual Caesar salad or a plate of stir fried bland vegetables and pasta.	514 - 17 Ave. SW 228-9830 www	Lunch Tu to F 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Dinner Daily 5:00 p.m. - midnight
muse restaurant & lounge		Gourmet	Business Casual (though depending on your business, that could vary quite a bit)	There are two kinds of gourmet chefs. One pushed the envelope of flavour and ends up with a hit and miss menu; the other has the knack of finding unique, pleasing flavour almost every time. The muse staff fall into the successful part of that equation. From Oven Toasted Brussel Sprouts to Yukon Potato Lobster Lasagna there are pleasant surprises here for everyone. And the multi–level eye–pleasing setting adds visual flavour to the food savour. Reservations Recommended. Just ask for even more vegetarian selections.	107 - 10A Street NW 670-6873 www
O.N. Bar & Grill		Gourmet	Informal	When Grant came here for a job interview in 1977, this is where he was taken for lunch, so he still has a soft spot for the place. This is a long-time Calgary site recently got a new name, changing from the "Owl's Nest" to the more ambiguous "O.N." (pronounced "on"). The menu is limited, but the selections are well prepared, served and presented. Reservations are suggested.	The Westin Hotel 4 Ave. & 3 St. SW 266-1611 www	M to F 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Sa 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
River Café		Gourmet	Informal	Go here to see Calgary at its best: a pleasant island setting in the middle of the downtown. Go here to marvel at what can be done with an old hotdog outlet. Go here for good service. The food? Some excellent dishes, but many ordinary ones dressed up in expensive trappings. Yes, it is worth a visit, but the taste bud titillation for dollar ration is better elsewhere. Reservations recommended.	Prince's Island Park 261-7670	Lunch Dinner Weekend Brunch	www
Rouge www		Gourmet	Banquet	Sit in the old A. E. Cross house, and imagine how life there must have been when downtown Calgary was Inglewood and its leading citizens were building fine homes near the river. Then taste a wonderful array of food that pushes the boundaries without the many misses and near missed that so many other restaurants of this kind seem to have in their choices. And remember too that in the summer there is even a wonderful garden that has formed the backdrop of many classic Calgary gatherings. Reservations necessary. Good vegetarian selection if you ask for it.	1240 - 8 Ave. SE 403 531-2767
Route 40 Soup Company		Gourmet	Informal	Don't be fooled. This restaurant is about more than soup, though their soups are superb. There are salads and wraps and pastas, and excellent desserts as well, all at reasonable prices. The setting is a classic piece of Albertan architecture, having been almost everything from a Chinese laundry to a doctor's office. Now it is a bright and friendly stop to be included on any trip southwest of Calgary. We suggest ordering a combination platter with a half wrap, some soup and a salad or, Grant's favourite, the road chips. Reservations are taken for the evenings and recommended for weekends especially. Good vegetarian selection.	Main Street (Highway 22) 403-933-7676 Turner Valley, AB www	Su closed M to Tu 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. W to Th 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. F to Sa 11:00 .m. - 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. to last seating at 8:00 p.m.
The Verve		Gourmet	Informal	The menu begins with a strong Italian base and then moves all over the culinary map from Thai to hamburgers. The food is enjoyable. There are some excellent dishes, like the soups, and some other ordinary ones. We shall probably give it another try just to see if perhaps this was an off day. Good vegetarian selection.	512 - 23 Ave. SW 229-9366	M to Sa 5:00 p.m. - close
Wildwood Pub & Grill		Gourmet	Formal	The most difficult restaurants to rate are those that should score better, but don't quite make it. This is one of them. The setting is urban rustic, and the staff are helpful. But the food just didn't quite make the grade with us. However, we shall keep an eye on the Wildwood and will expect something great in the future. Reservations recommended.	2417 - 4 Street SW 228-0100 www