Need a suggestion for restaurant 2 year anniversary!!

[ekguy]

So let's have some suggestions, I've tried a lot of restaurants in Calgary and in Banff and surrounding areas.

I would like to bring my gf somewhere not super expensive, but still definitely not on the cheap side. I just want somewhere intimate with great food, good wine and most important with amazing desserts.

Not really any other criteria. Steak house, Italian, French, whatever. We have no preference but I would like to bring her somewhere nice and have it be somewhere we haven't been.

She hinted that she wouldn't mind going to banff for dinner that night so include banff in the suggestions but doesn't have to be there.

[C_Dave45]

I'm sure I'll get laughed at, and there will be a bunch of posts about some esoteric fancy shmansy places with food from the far corners of the earth....

But whenever the wife and I feel like a safe dinner that's reasonably priced, with great food (food that we like anyways) we've never ever been disappointed at The Keg.

We get out of there for about $150, and that's with drinks and appy's, entrees of Steak, Lobster, whatever, and desert and after dinner drinks. (I personally LOVE the cheesecake)
Their steaks and Prime Rib are always mouth watering. And I LOVE their horseradish!!!

I like the warm buns you get before your dinner, and the atmosphere is always nice. Easy to find a quiet dark corner, or a table out in the middle if you're into people watching.

The only thing to keep in mind. If you like "blue rare"...order Rare. If you like "rare"..order Medium-rare. I find they tend to cook on the underside of typical done-ness. (to me thats better than the opposite). And there's one if Banff.
Just sometimes, I like to know I'm gonna have a great meal, rather than risk some new place and be disappointed for an important dinner date such as an anniversary.

Our last anniversary, we tried a new place in downtown. Was extremely disappointed. So much so, that we ended up going to the Keg, just so we could have a coffee and cheesecake...we mentioned our experience to our waiter, and said how we should have stuck to our regular and had dinner there, and he comped our desert.



YMMV.

[Isaiah]

Canmore: Tapas

Calgary: I was looking for a beef wellington a few weeks ago and couldn't find one anywhere in the city except Wellington's which was booked solid for the night. I ended up at Saint Germain in Hotel Arts:

http://www.hotelarts.ca/saint-germain.html

I frequently dine out and am rarely overly impressed by a restaurant but I found this out to be particularly good. They had a 3 course meal for $40 and a decent wine selection. It was a terrific dining experience with the only exception being an argument between the servers.

There weren't too many servers on the floor (which didn't affect speed of service) but they seemed to all be mad at each other and there was constant low grumbling between them. It was more amusing than anything as I fully expected Chef Ramsay to burst out the kitchen at any point "You! Come here you, you saucy little bitch!"

[jdmXSI]

A friend of mine is an the Executive chef a social lounge in Aspen Grove. I have yet to eat there but anytime he has had a bbq or friends over for dinner, the food has always been nothing but amazing. Leaves me to wonder what his menu looks like...

[Hash_man]

I went to Dolce Sapori in Kensington last month for my birthday with some friends. Nice and intimate environment, small but very good menu, and not overly expensive. The food is served family style, which I thought was a nice change from the norm, and we were all very impressed with the quality of the food.

Service started out a bit slow because I think they booked a few reservations all at the same time, but once our drinks showed up the service was great. My recomendation would be the lamb, I found it to be so damn tasty. :drool:

[Graham_A_M]

Quincy's on 7th ave downtown. 5 star service, *fantastic* food, and yet the prices aren't absolutely retarded.

I never thought I'd end up recommending this place, as the first time I went my bill was $280, for 3 star food, but if you go to Ruth Chris's Steak house in the Calgary tower on a Sunday, its not bad at all. Sunday is "Prime Rib Sunday" so if you do end up going there, go for that. ($33 for a 14 ounce)
For Desert try the New Orleans cake. Its HUGE and SO delicious. Holy shit that was a good meal. Very upscale setting and service.

[Guillermo]

I know you said you would pretty much eat anything, but quite honestly you would get better recommendations if you could give us a bit more info about what kind of cuisine and atmosphere, and even price, you are looking for. (yea i know you said cheap, but that's subjective.) i'm sure we could all think of dozens and dozens of great places, but it would be a lot easier if you could let us know what you're looking for! :thumbsup:

[Guillermo]

what about reef n' beef? it's really tacky in just about every way imaginable (think crappy 70s decor and iceberg lettuce salad LOL), but the service is very good/formal and the price is low for what you get. aside from the cheap ass salad, the food is good (not stellar, but shit it's only $20!). also, i think the tackyness is kinda fun, actually. i've always wanted to go to value village and get an old drabby suit, and "dress up" for a night out at the Reef N' Beef LOL.

I think it would be a fun 2nd anniversary date, but then again I don't know you guys and what you like hahah.

[jaysas_63]

Originally posted by Guillermo
what about reef n' beef? it's really tacky in just about every way imaginable (think crappy 70s decor and iceberg lettuce salad LOL), but the service is very good/formal and the price is low for what you get. aside from the cheap ass salad, the food is good (not stellar, but shit it's only $20!). also, i think the tackyness is kinda fun, actually. i've always wanted to go to value village and get an old drabby suit, and "dress up" for a night out at the Reef N' Beef LOL.

I think it would be a fun 2nd anniversary date, but then again I don't know you guys and what you like hahah.

reef n beef?? :rofl: i remember having a 5 dollar steak from there a few years back. most definitely a great spot for a 2 year anniversary ;)

[Guillermo]

^^LOL I think the steak dinners are more around $20 now, and steak and lobster for like $30, but it's still uber cheap for the quality of food. it's comical how tacky and dated the place looks, and yet the have white table cloths and this very formal service like they are taking the whole experience very seriously. :rofl: i don't know how you can set an iceberg lettuce salad in front of me, with my white table cloth and 4 forks (for each course, of course), and not laugh LOLOL.

but you know, that tackiness is one of the things that I like about Reef N' Beef! :thumbsup:

honestly though, OP, you can see from this recco in particular that it would help if you could give us some more info to go with.

[ekguy]

I don't want cheap. I just don't want to spend 300$ on dinner, wouldn't mind a nice quiet place, place like Buon Giorno if people have been.

My gf isn't that much into red meat so steak houses wouldn't be the first thing on our list.

How's the restaurant at the Calgary Tower? Isn't it completely re-vamped?

[Unknown303]

Calgary Tower is a pretty decent place to go. A little corny but I like it.

[Sorath]

theres a place by sunterra in signal hill, i forgot the name, pretty good set dinner. lobster bisque and steak, also they serve wellington there im pretty sure

[Unknown303]

There's also some fine italian eateries in the Bridgeland area well worth taking a lady to.

[Guillermo]

what about reserving that little 2-person private room at the Grizzly House in Banff?

[TYMSMNY]

Jacqueline Suzanne's.

Decent price + cozy atmosphere in a quaint neighborhood..

[ekguy]

Right now I'm leaning towards Murietta's in Canmore. Been to the one out here and it's pretty great. Unless someone can suggest anything else. It will be in Banff, I get a discount at Buffalo Mountain Lodge so we're going to go spend the weekend in the mountains.

[Myrrinda]

I could eat at Escoba every day for the rest of my life. I took my mom there for her 65th, and she loved it. My dad also raved about it, and he hates eating out at restaurants.

http://www.escobabistro.com/menu.html

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by ekguy

She hinted that she wouldn't mind going to banff for dinner that night so include banff in the suggestions but doesn't have to be there.

Grizzly House in Banff :drool: We always eat there when we go.

[jjmac]

http://www.alloydining.com/

Check out Alloy.

When there to celebrate a birthday and was very impressed with everything!

Food was great, service was amazing and the whole atmosphere of the place was enjoyable.

[GQBalla]

meracato

[ExtraSlow]

Tribune, or the Kensignton Riverside Inn.

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by Myrrinda
I could eat at Escoba every day for the rest of my life. I took my mom there for her 65th, and she loved it. My dad also raved about it, and he hates eating out at restaurants.

http://www.escobabistro.com/menu.html

i LOVE escoba. Went there for a lunch meeting, superb food! I like it soo much I had my birthday dinner there. Since my birthday Ive gone back a few times!

Only complaint, its really dark in there, you could get really sleepy fast, if you go tired.

[austic]

Q Haute. Great food, pretty at night if you get a table looking out over the river paths but not in the 150-200 range for two by the time you factor in tips and drinks.

[ekguy]

We've already been to Escoba. Great suggestion but we want to try something new. Escoba is definitely among my favorites in Calgary.

[dannie]

I have heard good things about The Trough in Canmore....

http://www.thetrough.ca/menu_dinner.html

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by austic
Q Haute. Great food, pretty at night if you get a table looking out over the river paths but not in the 150-200 range for two by the time you factor in tips and drinks.
+1, great atmosphere, great food, great service.

Just HOPE you don't get a bunch of smelly French guys coming in at 9:00 who just worked up a sweat doing God knows what, sitting there for hours sipping on wine and eating bread, ruining the entire room's atmosphere.