Wil Andruschak

Inside Escoba

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Escoba Bistro & Wine Bar

While the demolition of Penny Lane Mall on Eighth Ave. S.W. caused a few businesses to close forever, other businesses were left to forage for new spaces in a city hell bent on raising rental rates. One such establishment was Escoba. Happy to see that it had found a new home just up the street, I ventured in, on Calgary’s first day of real snow, to see what changes had occurred.

The good news is the space is lovely, bigger and tastefully decorated in rich browns and warm wood finishes, accented by a sprawling feature wall built out of what appears to be thousands of corks. The bad news is that the quality of the food has diminished. Don’t get me wrong, the food isn’t bad, but it was average.

Seated in a dim corner of the new space, I scoured the menu while waiting for my girlfriend. I had dined at Escoba a handful of times in its previous location and noted many new items being offered.

One new item is an appetizer of pomegranate pork ribs (half-rack $13). Smoked and glazed with paprika and pomegranate, the almond-topped ribs were tasty, but lacked a certain pop.

Sampling the autumn salad ($15), my opinion remained the same. The ingredients listed on the menu made my mouth water – smoked bacon, crumbled Gorgonzola, sweet pea shoots, tart apples and golden beets with roasted walnuts. The salad that came to the table was another story. Upon the mound of greenery, nary a crumb of Gorgonzola could be found, the bacon was scant, and the flavour was lost in the immense amount of lettuce. The saving grace of the salad was the homemade focaccia.

For our mains, I opted for an Escoba classic, the tiger rosé pasta ($19). Comprised of tiger prawns in a rosé sauce with asparagus and capers atop linguini, this dish once sang to me. On this particular Tuesday, it mumbled. The rosé sauce was basically a marinara and the dish fell flat. Big disappointment for a signature dish.

My friend had the night’s feature, a surf and turf of prawns and a seven-ounce sirloin served with winter vegetables and a herb cream sauce ($33). She regarded her meal in a similar fashion – it was just OK. The steak was well prepared; the prawns were fine. The herb cream sauce didn’t provide much in the flavour department, and we were left with a bland impression of the dish.

I do like how Escoba presents its menu. The restaurant pairs specific wines with dishes. It also offers a chef’s tasting for $85 (or, paired with wine for a very reasonable $115). Blame it on Tuesday or the snow, but the food just wasn’t up to snuff that night. The service was attentive and personable, but not enough to justify the $120 bill. My only hope is that the restaurant I used to love was having a bad night.

Escoba is located at 624 8 Ave. S.W.; phone, 543-8911.