| General manager Garth Brown makes eye contact and shakes hands with guests as they enter and exit Calgary’s new Tribune Restaurant and Bar. Brown is partnered once again with Ron Salverda of the Siding Café, Palette Coffeehouse and the very successful Murrieta’s West Coast Bar & Grill restaurants.
A "hotel brat," Brown’s father ran the hotels in which he and his family resided for most of his childhood. So when he says hospitable things such as, "My house is your house," he really means it. Brown also says, "The risotto waits for no one," which is significant for two reasons. First, servers and guests must be prepared to schedule dinner around the preparation of this one dish. Second, throughout this establishment’s concept, location, menu and execution runs one very important theme: time.
The Tribune Restaurant and Bar is set in a Calgary heritage building, the Tribune Block, on Stephen Avenue. The namesake restaurant is a tribute to the beautiful historic space that once housed the Calgary Tribune newspaper. Extensive renovations, especially to the lower floor where the dining room is located, offer rich modern updates while maintaining historical integrity. Original sandstone is backlit behind open shelves of wine. Shaped like a dining car, the restaurant is furnished with beautiful soft leather chairs and booths with suede piping, both with welcome lumbar support.
Old-fashioned recipes featuring forgotten food inspire the menu, says Andrew Keen, original chef and partner of The Living Room, former chef at Murrieta’s, and now executive chef and partner of The Tribune. Some of the recipes have been archived from surprisingly old sources. For example, the Mussels Rockefeller recipe originated at Antoine’s in New Orleans sometime in the 1920s or ’30s. The labour-intensive preparation methods hark back to the days before refrigeration. Layer upon layer of flavour is built into the food simply from the time it takes to prepare it. House Roasts (from $64.25 to $120.25) feature beef and duck for two or roast leg of lamb for four or more. Each of these dishes have been marinated and slow-roasted for hours.
I strongly recommend the marinated seafood escabeche of tomatoes, olives, lime and extra virgin olive oil ($14.50). Chock full of chilled scallops, mussels and calamari, I could eat this every single day for lunch. We found the beef tartar ($15.50) to be a delicious, healthy portion. My date raved about the charcuterie board for two of cured meats, pâté, chutney and cheese ($25.50), but admitted that (just this once) he could have lived without the tongue. The risotto ($14.25) is a daily preparation made from scratch, available every half hour. As such, its recipients are required to work around its high-maintenance schedule. The reason why this is anything but an imposition is because it is quite simply the best tasting food we have eaten in 2005. Absolutely outstanding!
It’s all about time here: a historical building, old-fashioned marinated, slow-roasted, lovingly prepared food, lengthy and intense preparation, and being pampered while you linger over your dinner. It’s true; the risotto waits for no one, but quality and excellence take time. And very, very good things come to those who wait.
The Tribune is at 100, 118 - 8 Ave. S.W.; phone: 269-3160. The lounge is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The dining room is open for lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations recommended.
FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US
Support the Children’s Wish Foundation by attending the third annual Festivus 2005 Food and Beverage Show, featuring food from Calgary restaurants and beer and wine from around the world. It takes place Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5 at the Devonian Gardens in TD Square. Tickets are available online at www.get-a-life.ca and Ticketmaster. |
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