Restaurant Review: Boxwood
Boxwood Rotisserie Café
Central Memorial Park
340 13th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2R 0W9
P (403) 265-4006
http://www.boxwoodcafe.ca/
- Food: 4/5
- Ambience: 3/5
- Service: 4/5
Located in the middle of a park, I swear Boxwood used to be a park shack or something. I don’t know how to describe the décor. It has a very ‘cabin-esque’ feel to it; very comforting and bright. Awesome part is that they have a patio option so this place would be great in summer!
When you enter, it’s very tight; very limited seating and with that in mind, there is no reservation so it’s first-come, first-serve. Once we were seated, we were given a menu that changes often... From what I understand, everything is local and/or sustainable so whatever is in season is what they serve which is nice.
As a sharing app, we got the Red Lentil Hummus, Roasted Garlic & Crackers ($7) and it was overloaded with delicious hummus. The hummus:cracker ratio was way off that we asked for more crackers which was extra. The hummus was smooth and very flavourful and the sea-salted crackers complimented it quite well.
For mains, I got the bison special ($20) and since it was a special, it’s not on the menu site so I don’t know what the sauce is composed of. That being said, I’d avoid it because the bison is chewy and tough; I don’t know if that’s common with game meat because I don’t get it often.
We shared the Quinoa Salad, Red Pepper, Lemon Preserve & Feta ($6) and Warm Lemon Lentils, Spinach, Cumin, Coriander ($6) to compliment our mains; the lentils were pureed to perfection and it was the highlight of my night. Definitely get it as a side! I should’ve gotten either the lamb or the porchetta ($16) but I regret nothing.
My friend got the latter and the porchetta had succulent, crispy skin that I was very green with envy while I chewed away.
For dessert, Fairtrade Chocolate Raspberry Caramel Brownie ($5), Ice Cream Sandwich, Saskatoon Berry ($5) and Saskatoon Berry Bread Pudding ($5) were all devoured. The brownie was moist and soft but that ice cream sandwich was the one; two gingerbread cookies, Saskatoon berry ice cream… What more could you want? *drool* The bread pudding was too sweet for my liking but it wasn’t bad.
The server was very nice, courteous and always came back to check up on us. I love quaint places.
For a group of 5, we averaged $20-30/person so it's a bit pricey. Overall, I would definitely check this place out again because of its seasonal menu and the fact that it’s utilizing local product. What’s better than that?
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