There comes a time when happy hour specials and $6 potato skins just don’t cut it. If you're looking for an after-work spot that's a step up, comfortable enough for a conversation and won't break the bank, you may want to try Calgary’s latest entry in the gastropub trend, Spur. Although Spur doesn't hit on all points, it's satisfying enough for a weekday dinner and a few rounds.
Visiting on a Tuesday night, my friends and I arrive at the sprawling space (formerly occupied by Wild Ginger) adorned with black-and-white western photography, chandeliers and a bar illuminated with brushed chrome lanterns. While the room is well-designed, it lacks intimacy and the booths suffer from terrible lighting.
Seated at a large banquette with a massive tabletop, we peruse the clipboard drink and food menu. The selection of beer and wine delivers a good mix of local and exotic brews, and reasonably priced, hand-picked wines. The other half of the menu is split into Caesars and cocktails. My boyfriend tries “the works” Caesar ($9) — a spicy concoction topped with a fresh prawn, hot pepper, pepperoni stick , olive, celery and lime. It’s a monster of a drink.
I try the spurito ($6.90), Spur’s take on the mojito, featuring white rum and soda with muddled mint and strawberries. It’s light and refreshing.
To go with our drinks, we decide on the barbecue beef sliders ($13.20) and kaffir honey garlic wings ($11.90). The sliders are tasty with a housemade barbecue sauce, quality cheddar and a dollop of horseradish aioli. As we munch away we comment on the smoky, jerky-like flavour. Yum.
Sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds, the kaffir honey garlic wings are a good dish for sharing with a group, but I probably wouldn’t split them between two people. They’re a little sweet but well-prepared nonetheless. The skin is light and crispy and the accompanying garlic dip is a good complement to the flavours.
For her main, my friend has the campfire skillet perch fillet ($19). She likes the dish — served with fresh baby carrots, pea shoots, beans and roast potatoes — but feels it lacks a flavourful kick. Unfortunately, the accompanying pickled ginger tartar sauce seems to be missing its ginger flavour entirely.
For his main, my boyfriend tries the steak sandwich ($23.60). Topped with seasoned mushrooms and a large panko-breaded onion ring, the steak sits atop a disappointingly dry piece of Texas toast. It’s not a bad steak sandwich, but it’s not remarkable. The trio of garlic aioli, ketchup and chipotle mayo served alongside the shoestring fries are a hit.
I choose the Moroccan-style braised lamb shank with couscous ($25). Kudos to the chef for fall-off-the-bone tender lamb, but this dish needs some kind of punch for it to become a winner. The couscous is bland and I don’t pick up on the figs or apricots. Sadly, the side trio of harrissa, stale peanuts and tzatziki doesn’t heat things up for me. I think I’ll stick with the Sultan’s Tent for my lamb in the future.
My other friend gets the veal cheek bourguignon with navy bean cassoulet ($23). Once again the meat is tender and, thankfully, the veal provides a flavourful bite. Arranged in three stacks, the veal is perched on small mounds of bean stew that feature al dente beans and cubed sausage. My friend is pleased.
Spur definitely has some bumps to smooth out before heading off into the sunset. The food has a long way to go before being considered top-notch gastropub fare. Maybe I’m fussy, but I have yet to find a place in Calgary that lives up to the standards of the many fine gastropubs I’ve experienced in the U.S. — there’s even a Spur Gastropub in Seattle (and it blows the socks off of this one). Perhaps a portion of Calgary’s restaurateurs should be less concerned with hitching their wagons to the latest trends and become more determined to blaze their own trails.
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