| It is 8:45 p.m. and I just popped my meal-to-go from The Main Dish into the oven. It will take a bit more than 15 minutes to heat up at 350. I’m quite excited after an extensive tour of the Dish’s fresh in-house bonanza of convenient, healthy, chef-prepared on-site meal selections.
The Main Dish is in the heart of Bridgeland on General Avenue. On entering the venue one is struck by the myriad of items this café/grocer/restaurant/sandwich shop has to offer.
"Food is sensory. You want to see the food, smell the food and sample the food," says proprietor Jason Zaran, 40, who has spent most of his career in food industry sales. He is now aiming for something more.
Zaran is looking for longevity with The Main Dish, hoping to one day create a small chain out of his initial foray. His vision is to offer affordable and fresh meals, prepared by a chef in a restaurant that doesn’t feel clinical. He wants more than to fill your belly – he wants you to luxuriate in the tastes.
His ideas began to come together after visiting Eatzi’s in Dallas in 2000, a popular restaurant with a similar concept to The Main Dish. He saw a gap in Calgary, especially as food mania has spread this decade. With the rise of cooking as a competitive sport, on the Food Network and beyond, the average palate is now far advanced, Zaran says. Couple that with the parallel trend of fresh/organic foods, add a dash of hyper-busy schedules for the normal, overworked Calgarian (The Main Dish is open until 10 p.m. daily), and Zaran had his recipe.
The Main Dish is laid out in five convenient sections. The first greets a visitor on entering – a glass-enclosed "Chef’s Fare" that features freshly prepped meats, veggies, salads, starches and dessert. All you need to do is go home and heat it up in the oven-and-microwave-safe dishes provided. The area includes fresh, uncooked pastas from Zara’s in Vancouver, interesting choices like gorgonzola walnut ravioli ($5 for eight pieces), fresh pasta sauces, Spolumbo’s sausage ($2.50 each) and a moderate array of cheese and olives.
To the visitor’s left is the grocery department, featuring fresh fruits (from the Cherry Pit at the Calgary Farmers’ Market), cereals, locally made Golden Lane honey, Vita eggs ($3 for a dozen), single-serve soft drinks including Boylan’s Birch Beer and fresh juice from Jugo Juice.
Don’t feel like doing any cooking? Cruise over to the "Hot Cuisine" section and choose from a selection of hot meals to eat-in or take-away. Dishes like strip loin, Friday’s feature, or Saturday’s lamb are popular choices. The selections of the day on a recent Wednesday were roast pork loin with five-spice apple sauce, or a roast chicken dinner that was accompanied by a choice of two sides (garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and the like) for the bargain price of $12. For those that stay, there’s a drink bar with a selection of wine (about $7 a glass), beer and coffee.
If you’re looking for the ultimate sandwich, the "Getaway Gourmet" is a gem, with sandwiches on order, as well as fresh salads and soups. The roast beef sandwich with caramelized onion, red leaf, tomato, aged cheddar and Dijon mayo ($7) is highly recommended. We tried the smoked turkey with guacamole, crisp pancetta, red leaf and tomato served on focaccia ($7). For the same price of a middling Subway sandwich, the Main Dish served up a pleasing array of flavors.
The Dish is delightfully decorated in modern décor. Designed by Sean Crawford of Crain Design, the feel and look of the place fits the concept. It features concrete floors accented by red brick and brown walls, a tiled coffee station in robin’s egg blue and an array of sharp light fixtures. Paintings by local artist Tresa Gibson hang on one feature wall. Natural sunlight flows through the many windows, further brightening an open and hospitable space.
We took some Chef’s Fare home to heat ourselves. We chose a rack of ribs ($7), grilled chicken ($4), sweet potato pie ($2.50 per wedge), a broccoli and almond salad ($2.50 for 250 ml), cannelloni ($7 per piece) and Callebaut chocolate cheesecake for two ($6). We snagged some fresh raspberries ($2.99) from the grocery, too. On the way out, we picked up a bottle of wine next door at Piazza Wines & Spirits and headed home for our feast.
The prep was fun – it made me feel like I was making my boyfriend a romantic dinner without all the work. We settled in and had a pleasant, fresh meal with hardly any dishes to do afterwards.
The Main Dish is a delight, from the charm of the knowledgeable staff and the warmth of its space and vast offerings. There is almost too much to note about this rising Calgary hot spot – after just six weeks, it is a hit with the locals who have already become loyal repeat customers. Upon asking David McFarlane, an actuary and local regular, what his take on the Main Dish was, he answered with a simple, "I Love it."
The Main Dish is at 903 General Avenue N.E., just off First Avenue; phone, 265-3447 (DISH). |
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