Kicking Red Lobster to the curb this summer is The Keg’s annual crustacean celebration. With a seasonal menu featuring five seafood dishes, I set out one sunny Stampede eve to try them all.
And let it be said, this isn’t your momma’s Keg. The restaurant’s brand-new location on Fourth Avenue in the Westin hotel is a dramatic departure from the traditional maroon and oak decor of other locations. Beyond being massive (three levels, 52 tables), the space is decked out in dark wood, velvet banquettes and contemporary lighting. Its sun-bathed patio is bound to please droves of tourists and business folk over Calgary’s scant summer months, with seating for more than 100 and a soon-to-be installed pack of plasma TVs. This patio will definitely give the Melrose terrace a run for its money.
Seated at a small booth, we started with the lobster gratinée appetizer. Plated in an escargot dish, chunks of fresh lobster arrived smothered in Monterey Jack, cheddar and herbs. It was tasty, but the lobster was overwhelmed by the grease and cheese. Fortunately, there was table bread available to sop up the tangy, buttery, empty joy.
Halfway through the appetizer, our entrées arrived. The expediter asked if he should take them back to the kitchen, but the mere thought of medium rare steak and lobster sitting under a heat lamp made me cringe. As he cramped everything onto our tiny table among the ocean of available booths next to us, I grew frustrated.
Quickly finishing our appetizer, we started in on our mains. My boyfriend had the grilled chicken and seafood ($20.95). It was a large plate of food, heaped with tasty garlic mashed potatoes and a large chicken breast piled high with asparagus, prawns and lobster in a white wine and butter sauce. Sadly, the dish was ridiculously salty — even for me, a self-admitted salt fiend.
For the most part, I liked my order of steak and half lobster ($37.95). In fact, my first bite of the succulent lobster tail made me feel as though I had been kissed by an angel. As I worked my way to the delectable claw, I had a bite of the eight-ounce sirloin. It was quite rare (I asked for medium rare), which led me to believe that our order didn’t need to come out quite as quickly as it did. While I was OK with it being slightly red, I didn’t find it to be a particularly noteworthy steak.
Despite sitting next to a lineup of Luke and Daisy Duke-clad servers, the early arrival of our entrées and an overly brackish chicken dish, our trip to the new Keg was pretty good. Though I appreciate that The Keg is trying to move with the times, I still think of it as the same old Keg painted to look like an urban dining destination. Interesting new space — but how about a menu to match?
The Keg is located at 320 Fourth Ave. S.W.; phone, 403-699-9843.
