Charcut Roast House
Melted Cheese and Bread with Raclette, Housemade Butter Rolls
5oz Charcut Sausage Share Burger with Cheese Curds, Fried Egg, Beer Battered Onion Rings and Bone Marrow
Poutine with Truffle Gravy, Cheese Curds
Roasted Heirlooom Carrots with Yogurt, Dill Feta Cheese
Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate Pudding Crunch
Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Bourbon Gelato
Driving back to Calgary from Edmonton it was with mixed feelings that I looked at my upcoming meal at Charcut Roast House, the restaurant considered Calgary’s best Steakhouse surely a nice place for dinner under most circumstances, but considering the last several days of great dining and a hometown where Steakhouses reign supreme a bit of a risk in terms of its ability to impress.
Booked several weeks in advance, the Flames versus Oilers Hockey Night In Canada Matchup well known to be the sort of event packing the restaurant full, it was at 5:55pm that I arrived for a 6pm seating, a tight table barely big enough for two-plates suggested as adequate with cold air from the doors wafting in occasionally and the loud hostess station providing a lot of noise, much to my chagrin.
Understanding the need to maximize capacity, though better two-tops are found throughout the restaurant including an elevated area with a good view of the kitchen, it was with menu in hand and Cocktails declined that I waited, and waited, for service – the young woman assigned to the section clearly stressed out by the pre-game rush while a tall, thin man wandered about with pursed lips and a look that could not have been interpreted in any way as indicative of pleasant guest service.
Not particularly blown away by the offerings, a lack of interesting cuts, Wild Game or Offal a bit different from what a perusal of old reviews suggests, it was after a bit of contemplation that an appetizer, two sides and an entrée were ordered, the former heard inappropriately and served after a lengthy delay by the tall man who visibly got more frustrated after he was informed of the error, storming away without a word and leaving me sitting again with nothing but water.
At this point half-debating walking out, the young woman returning with an apology and a pot of melted Cheese that would be stricken from the bill, the combination of Raclette and Parker House Rolls proved every bit as rich those familiar would expect from so much Milk Fat, the dish definitely something best to be shared and ideally alongside something to refresh the palate between bites, such as a Salad.
Told that Charcut’s house-blend Burger is something of a signature, the “Share Burger” sold by the ounce made of spicy Ground Pork on a robust Bun with stretchy Cheese Curds and an Egg, sides are added a la carte and offered Family-style, the thick-cut Onion Rings tossed with nuggets of Liquid Marrow definitely the most interesting choice while the Poutine and Carrots were both fine, though the majority of the Fries were limp.
Focused on a few signatures for dessert, a jarred Cheesecake the least intriguing of three choices, it was with rapidity that two selections arrived just as the restaurant began to clear-out for gametime, the Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate Pudding Crunch essentially a Pot de Crème topped in Cocoa Pebbles Cereal while the Sticky Toffee Pudding arrived with Gelato already half-melted, the Booze doing a nice job of balancing the sweetness though the addition of raw Oats remains puzzling.
http://www.charcut.com/
