Downtown Calgary Blog

Lunch at Rush

March 9th, 2010 by Lisa Murphy-Lamb

The first thing you should do immediately after making a reservation for lunch at Rush is cancel your dinner plans. You will not need to eat again for many hours after enjoying the three course set menu offered at Rush during the ten days of Dine Out Calgary. And if you have the time, you may find yourself still enjoying both the restaurant and the food close to the dinner hour. It’s a place where you want to sit back and enjoy.

Photo by Lisa Murphy-Lamb

The restaurant is beautiful and elegant with a contemporary feel. Dark wood, interesting lighting, glass walls and lush drapes offer a sense of luxury. We were seated at an intimate booth built in a semi-circle fashion. Instead of sitting across from each other we sat beside one another and looked out over the dining room. Behind us were more traditional booths and private tables.

Complimentary still and sparkling water is offered and replenished throughout the meal. The restaurant creates their own sparkling water.

The first course was an apple and celery root soup garnished with smoked ham hock. It was a creamy bowl of soup with a fantastic flavour. The ham hock balanced the creamy soup nicely.

It was when the second course, spring creek braised short rib served in a bowl of polenta topped with braised greens was served that I knew my family was on their own for dinner. The polenta, also creamy, was a perfect accompaniment to the short rib which was tender and delicious. The portion was more than ample for a lunchtime meal. I was happy and satisfied when I finished and there was still dessert to go.

Photo by Lisa Murphy-Lamb

Dessert was a lemon tart topped with raspberry sorbet with plenty of tartness to balance the creaminess of the preceding two dishes. If I had the luxury to linger, I would have held off on the dessert and enjoyed a coffee with it as the first two courses were very filling.

Dine Out Calgary was an excellent excuse to check out Rush, a restaurant I knew very little about. The very satisfying three-course lunch experience ($25) with a good friend has left me eager to return and check out the regular menu.

Call ahead for free valet parking at night.

www.rushrestaurant.com

Tags: Dine Out Calgary, Rush
Posted in Festivals & Fanfare, Food & Flavour | No Comments »

Dine Out Calgary Picks: Wil Knoll

March 8th, 2010 by Wil Knoll

Dine Out Calgary starts this Friday, March 5th and runs until Sunday, March 14th. There’s over 90 restaurants participating this year and that means a lot of great dining choices. To help you with your decision our blog writers have chosen their top picks for the 10 days. First up Wil Knoll

I started to go to the gym before Christmas and had been somewhat committed to my 10k runs, and keeping my weight down around the 160lbs mark. The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is just months away, and I need to be ready.

Christmas came and I battled it. New Year’s came and I hung out with the whereswalter.ca crew (two young Calgarians enjoying the life in a 31 foot Winnebago named Walter) in Las Vegas… Then High Performance Rodeo came and there was drinking more nights out of the week then not.

So, just as I’m starting to trend back down towards the happy 160lbs that is only 5 measly little pounds away, downtown Calgary puts together Dine Out Calgary.

Obviously, you’ll be seeing more of me at the Y in the coming weeks… Here are a few of my picks for Dine Out Calgary. Since over the next 10 days they will be offering a set menu for Dine Out Calgary, I’m going to just give a taste of some of the locations.
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Tags: Dine Out Calgary, Don Quijote's
Posted in Festivals & Fanfare, Food & Flavour | No Comments »

Dine Out Calgary Picks: Derrick Plotsky

March 5th, 2010 by Derrick Plotsky

Dine Out Calgary starts this Friday, March 5th and runs until Sunday, March 14th. There’s over 90 restaurants participating this year and that means a lot of great dining choices. To help you with your decision our blog writers have chosen their top picks for the 10 days. First up Derrick Plotsky

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Life is full of decisions. And the most recent life-changing decision that I have to deal with? Where to go for Dine Out Calgary. I know, my life is so difficult. But there are just so many amazing places to choose from with so many different types of food; no matter what you like you’ll be able to find someplace to go. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Ceili's, Dine Out Calgary, Jupiter, Murrietas
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Dine Out Calgary Picks: Lisa Murphy-Lamb

March 4th, 2010 by Lisa Murphy-Lamb

Dine Out Calgary starts this Friday, March 5th and runs until Sunday, March 14th. There’s over 90 restaurants participating this year and that means a lot of great dining choices. To help you with your decision our blog writers have chosen their top picks for the 10 days. Next up Lisa Murphy-Lamb

Here is our problem: My husband is away on business travel a lot. This means most of his meals are eaten out while I am at home cooking for the family. When we are together in the same city at the same time, he looks forward to some home cooking and I look forward to him taking me out. Unless I’m prepared with a solid suggestion for a restaurant that is enticing and easy to get to, his business-travel weariness takes over and he begs to stay in and nosh on something homemade and healthy.

Here is one solution: Dine out Calgary which begins Friday, March 5 and runs until Sunday, March 14. During Dine out Calgary, participating restaurants offer a 3-course menu at a set price point especially for the event. This is a great enticement to come and try out some local restaurants, but better than that for me is the website which lists the restaurants and what they are serving. With access to menus, location and price I am well prepared for when my husband returns from Rio and Buenos Aires (I know, right?) next week.

So with a little research by way of my computer perched on top of my cookbooks, here are my top three picks for Dine out Calgary week. Fingers crossed I talk him into at least joining me at one of them. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Belvedere, Bistro Piq Niq, Dine Out Calgary, Rush
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Dine Out Calgary Picks: Sophy Kors

March 3rd, 2010 by Sophy Kors

Dine Out Calgary starts this Friday, March 5th and runs until Sunday, March 14th. There’s over 90 restaurants participating this year and that means a lot of great dining choices. To help you with your decision our blog writers have chosen their top picks for the 10 days. First up Sophy Kors

I always look forward to Dine Out Calgary because it’s a great chance to try new (to me) restaurants. I imagine that eventually I’ll run out, but I don’t think that’ll be anytime soon. With so many choices it’s a hard choice, but the three that I hope to try Blink, Koi and CHARCUT Roasthouse.

The one thing that all of my choices have in common? Dessert! Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Blink, CHARCUT, Dine Out Calgary, Koi, Le Germain
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The defenseless becomes The Defendor

March 3rd, 2010 by Nathan Atnikov

Peter Stebbings’ Defendor is about a (somewhat) ordinary citizen disguising his true identity, putting on a bunch of clothes that don’t quite suit him, and trying to be something he’s not. This is also, not surprisingly, an apt description of the movie itself. Defendor has been widely regarded as another in Woody Harrelson’s already impressive series of goofball comedies – only it’s not. There are some legitimately funny moments but, overall, it’s actually a pretty dark movie that hinges on some very human insecurities. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: The Uptown
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Doc Soup: Last Train Home

March 1st, 2010 by Lisa Murphy-Lamb

The best silent auction bid I won in 2009 was my season’s pass to the Docsoup film series. Each one of these films has been outstanding and when I leave the theatre I am already anticipating the next film. My wait is nearly over. This month’s film shows Wednesday, March 3rd at Eau Claire Market.

LAST TRAIN HOME explores the chaos resulting when millions of migrant factory workers return to their families and rural villages from the coastal cities where they’ve gone to work. Focusing on one family caught up in this commute, this film explores China’s struggle with keeping to traditional ways while establishing itself as a modern global economic power. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Doc Soup, Eau Claire
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playRites – Tyland – Review

February 18th, 2010 by Wil Knoll

Tyland, by Greg MacArthur, is needed. I have not recently enjoyed something as original as this script. It is written with such a great voice for each of its characters. It shows so much strength in its scenes and pacing. The plot is something wonderful and desolate at the same time. MacArthur’s script begs to be staged and become part of our shared Canadian repertoire.

And ATP has done such a wonderful job in gifting it with its first time out. From end to end this production sings. Writing, direction, performance, stage, sound and lights… it is the show to see at playRites.
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Tags: Alberta Theatre Projects, ATP, playRites
Posted in Festivals & Fanfare, Stage & Screen | 2 Comments »

playRites – Abraham Lincoln Goes to the Theatre – Review

February 18th, 2010 by Wil Knoll

Of all the shows at playRites, the reaction to this show was the most polarized. Some viewers were raving by the end of it, and some could not make it through the entire performance. Normally, that’s the sign that something smart and challenging or flawed and insulting is going on. Larry Tremblay’s Abraham Lincoln Goes to the Theatre isn’t quite sure what, if any of those, it is.

It’s a play about confusion to a certain extent. Characters are left running over the same sequences again and again, layering more context each go round, trying to understand the meaning of a man, an image, or wax figure. It’s a performer’s show. There is a badge that each of the ensemble involved should be given for plowing through almost two hours straight barely leaving the stage and barely taking a break.

I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln Goes to the Theatre. But it is confused, and it tries to explain itself to the audience too often, much like the characters are trying to explain themselves to the world.
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Tags: Alberta Theatre Projects, ATP, playRites
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playRites – How Do I Love Thee – Review

February 18th, 2010 by Wil Knoll

“…am I rambling?”
“Eloquently.”

I have to state that the words and images used in this show are beautiful. The writing of the two poets profiled are the standard beautiful words. Specific words are chosen for their emotion and specifics over other words that would have just passed an idea along. There is no doubt that the two are top shelf Victorian poets. There is no doubt that their work is for the ages.

But does that translate well to the stage? Florence Gibson has tried to flesh out the passion and the romance in her new play How Do I Love Thee, which is enjoying its world premiere run at ATP right now.
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Tags: Alberta Theatre Projects, ATP, playRites
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