I’m in Calgary. Yee Haw! We landed bright and early, explored the area this afternoon and came upon a steakhouse that looked promising; one that balanced fine dining and with a reasonable price.
The sandwich board outside BR& doesn’t do the restaurant justice at all; neither do my photos! A renovated bank, which opened in March 2010, this place makes you go “wow” from the moment you step inside. It’s beautiful, different and interesting. It was quiet, spacious and from the very moment we stepped in, we were greeted with smiles. It’s the perfect place for dressy or casual with amazing food and service either way!
The special is salad, steak (8 oz) and frites for $19.99. I am sad to say that in my excitement over visiting with new friends, I neglected to take a photo of the salad. I may as well say now that I am also not a professional restaurant review person; though my husband and I love food and have frequented restaurants in the past 5 years almost as much as we’ve eaten at home. Does that give me any sort of credentials? We’ve eaten at famous (and extremely pricy!!!) restaurants in New York City (Pampa), Washington ( BLT, Fogo de Chao) and Toronto (Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Bymark) and more. So I think that gives me some credibility when I say that dinner was fantastic!
Look at my smiling cook. Good job, Chef! Sorry I took pictures of the food after I’d started eating it. It looked much nicer before!
The salad was (I think!) a mix of frisee, spinach and lettuce with dried cherries and some type of toasted seed that I couldn’t identify. It wasn’t pine nuts, or pumpkin…I should have asked but I was distracted. With a light, mustardy vinaigrette, it was different and delicious!
My new friend and I shared the prawn appetizer ($10) which also was delicious. Served in a bowl-like plate, five large prawns were nestled in a butter, lemon, white wine and rosemary sauce. I may have missed a flavor but I will say they were delicious. If you are on a budget, you could certainly skip an appetizer since the dinner already comes with the salad.
The steak arrived hot and a perfect medium rare. It is local Alberta beef and the flavor was fantastic. You have your choice of their secret cut with their secret sauce, a flat iron or porterhouse steak or the filet; all with secret sauce on the side. I chose the flat iron and was not disappointed. It was juicy and, oh, just typing this makes my mouth water and I seriously just returned from dinner! LOL. Anyway, the other big thing was that it tasted beefy. DH and I often eat steak at home. DH is mostly a carnivore and, if it’s good, I’m right there with him! This steak far exceeded my expectations, which weren’t that high given the low price.
The frites (fries) were piping hot, crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside and not greasy at all. Served in a paper cone, the were fantastic. Midway through the meal, she took our frites and replaced them with fresh ones.
The carrots were perfectly done with just the right amount of crunch left in them. I had ordered a side of asparagus with my meal and it was bitter. They apologized and there was no charge for it. It happens right?
Heading down the stairs to the vault area where the washrooms were, the place was just so interesting. The photos didn’t capture the elegant chandeliers hanging everywhere but there is me in the mirror 🙂
The service was stellar; though it did take a while for us to get our bills. I think that was mostly due to the fact that we were chatting away and visiting.
We were too full for dessert but our waitress, {I’m sorry, I forgot your name but you were wonderful!!} told us that their ice cream is made on site and it is the only frozen thing on their menu!
BR& In a Nutshell:
The service was amazing, the food even more so and the price just can’t be beat!
(Bottle Water $2, Steak, Salad, Frites $19.99, Shared Shrimp $5, GST $1.35)
My bill was $28.34 for a fantastic meal.
If you’re in the Calgary area, they are located at 125 8th Ave SW Calgary. You can reach them at 403.263.4789 or [email protected]. It’s the perfect place to go for a reasonably priced awesome meal. They also do special events like weddings and can do seating for up to 400 people in their 8000 sq ft space!
And nope, they didn’t pay me to share this. Though BR& if you are reading, I’m here until Sunday if you’d like to offer my friends and I a taste of your home made ice cream!!
I live in Calgary and I’ve never heard of this place! I will put it on my list of places to go. It looks beautiful and sounds amazing!