The Beltliner
Space Jam & Ricotta 2.0 French Toast – Blueberry Jam, Lemon Ricotta, Powdered Sugar, St. Leon Maple Syrup
Perogy Poutine – Potato Cheddar Perogy, Gravy, Hutterite Bacon, Quebec Cheese Curds, Green Onions
Saskatoon Berry Pie – Whipped Cream and Vanilla Bean Gelato from Fiasco Gelato
Essentially a hotel restaurant, its attachment to Fairfield Inn & Suites next to Central Memorial Park infusing the space with an everything-to-everyone feel from the kitchen forward, The Beltliner fails where many of Calgary’s ‘reimagined diners’ succeed by way of taking itself too seriously, the focus on a theme getting in the way of good, honest cooking as the menu attempts to veer interesting before getting the basics straight.
Visited just after noon, the combination breakfast and lunch menu offering everything from Eggs to Salads or Meatloaf, it was having already perused the online options that a patient wait preceded service, the middle-aged woman not near as pleasant as the folks at Diner Deluxe, OEB or Belmont as she perfunctorily jotted down an order before moving on to the next table where she repearted the same routine without even looking up.
Trying hard to be hip, the menu running a gamut of gastropub ideas with some more typical options for those desiring something simple, it was with both appetizer and entrée delivered simultaneously that the meal got underway as The Black Keys played overhead, the “Perogy Poutine” a new spelling with a good concept set back by too much Gravy despite great Dumplings and gooey Curds melted to Cast Iron while the “Space Jam & Ricotta 2.0 French Toast” was not soaked enough for its thickness and still dougy even after adding St. Leon Maple Syrup.
Annoyed that the Monte Cristo originally entertained was not only un-fried but served with a Mustard Sauce, dessert consisted of tender Saskatoon Berries baked in an all-Butter Crust, the decision to add a scoop of locally-made Vanilla Bean Gelato enough to dissuade a planned visit to their flagship as the texture was icy and granular on the tongue.
www.thebeltliner.com
