...Carino Riserva (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Carino Riserva is another take on it's sister restaurant Carino, which according to our server, is more Italian focused.  We enjoyed the food at Carino so we were excited to try Carino Riserva.  Tucked away in the heart of the Mission, the delicious food and friendly, attentive service more than makes up for the underwhelming interior.  If you make reservations in advance, we would recommend requesting the tables by the window.

On this night we shared two appetizers, the hamachi salad and spicy prawns & "yaki-onigiri" salad.  You know when you eat something and the first thing you think is, "Wow that's good!"?  Both appetizers did that for us with subtle umami flavours and seasonings that were neither too salty or sweet.  The hamachi salad was presented beautifully and very light and fresh.  The fish was complimented with flavours of citrus, wasabi, a balsamic reduction and soy.

The spicy prawn and "yaki-onigiri" salad was a fantastic creation.  This dish is more filling than the hamachi with the grilled rice ball, but absolutely worthy of the space in your stomach.  The prawns were cooked just right, but not spicy at all, as advertised, which we didn't mind.

The pasta dish we shared was the campenelle which is a rolled pasta that was fantastic at capturing the thick, rich wagyu meat sauce.  The meat sauce was on the sweeter side, which is how we like our tomato sauces anyway.

I had the rack of lamb with scalloped potatoes. The lamb was served on a bed of peppers, zucchini and olives cooked in tomato sauce.  The lamb had a crispy sear but was tender on the inside and I couldn't get enough of the salsa verde that was served on the side.  The scalloped potatoes were very creamy but perhaps on the saltier side. 

Darrin had the striploin steak with foie gras, roast potatoes and citrus salad.  The steak was cooked medium rare and very tender.  It was glazed with a tasty soy gastrique, which is a traditional French sauce made from vinegar and sugar.  The foie gras had a smooth silky texture and a nice 'buttery' accompaniment to the steak.

Finally for dessert we shared the tiramisu which was beautifully plated with raspberries, blueberries and edible flowers.  The tiramisu had an outer layer of coffee cake wrapped around a mascarpone centre.  This was a delicious ending to our meal that wasn't overly heavy.

We can see ourselves coming back soon! 

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...JO2 (Kapaa, Hawaii)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 8/10

This past August we spent two weeks in Hawaii with family, one of which was spent in the beautiful lush island of Kauai.  There were many great eateries that we enjoyed but the standout experience was at JO2 in Kapaa.  Not the kind of place you would bring a toddler, we managed a 'date night' with the help of babysitters in the form of eager grandparents.  We reserved a table at JO2 with high expectations as my brother-in-law and his wife gave rave reviews after they went a few nights earlier.  We were not let down; everything from the service to the food was done with extreme care.  We left JO2 inspired by their ability to creatively meld Asian flavours with local Hawaiian ingredients.  After doing some research, we weren't surprised that the chef, renowned Jean Marie Josselin is a pioneer of Hawaiian regional cuisine.

Instead of the typical bread you would normally expect, we were given house made taro chips and gazpacho dip.  The chips were pleasantly crisp and went well with the wasabi infused gazpacho.  

We choose four appetizers to share: the beef rib, ceviche causa, duck confit kale salad and scallop and shrimp ravioli.  The beef rib was cooked rare but was perfectly tender with familiar bold Korean flavours that were a fine balance of salty and sweet.

This kampachi ceviche causa is possibly the most beautiful dish of food I have ever seen.  A causa is a Peruvian potato salad in the shape of a terrine.  The fish was super fresh with the citrus and the delicate flavours were not overpowered by the seasoning or the creamy potatoes. 

The duck confit kale salad first appears to be just a pile of kale, but look underneath and there is a generous amount of duck confit mixed with shiitake mushrooms, carrots and daikon in a delicious savoury toasted sesame dressing.  At first glance, it seems there is a lot of kale, but here JO2 got the balance right with the kale being wilted ever so slightly by the heat of the duck.

The scallop and shrimp ravioli were bites of shellfish heaven with the thin and delicate pasta allowing the filling to stand out.

Our mains consisted of lamb rack and beef cheeks.  The lamb was prepared closer to the rare side, but again the meat was tender and moist.  The lamb was well seasoned with a Middle Eastern spice rub, and when eaten with the jus was a delicious combination.

The beef cheeks were braised to perfection, topped with shaved crispy lotus root and sat atop a tasty combination of gnocchi, what we remember to be fava beans and braising liquid.

By the time we were given the choice of dessert, we only had space for one to share- the banana cream pie with banana gelato.  Although this was a nice light ending to our meal, this deconstructed version was not exactly our favourite as we wished it was a bit more decadent in the form of a traditional pie.

If you are able to go, we highly recommend JO2 as a fantastic fine dining option in Kauai. Even if you can't, check out their drool-worthy, awe inspiring Instagram account.  While you're there, check us out @dcfortheloveof  for more frequent updates. 

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...Mercato West (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9.5/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

Ever since having our daughter we have made it a point to try and explore the culinary options in the Westsprings/Aspen area due to its close proximity. We have already tackled Vin Room West and were pleasantly surprised to find such high quality food out in the suburbs. We were hoping that our luck would hold out when we tried Mercato West.

We have seen the Mercato location change from a small and lonely farmers market to its current chic, trendy Italian restaurant and gourmet market. We were told by our server that the menu is different from their Mission location and sure enough we found it to be a unique dining experience that still channels the spirit of the original- fresh, high quality ingredients and careful preparation. If anything, we actually preferred the menu here at the west location.

We started our meal with a shared seafood linguini which was full of large succulent shrimp and scallops. The creamy tomato sauce was in perfect proportion to the al denté pasta. It was very well seasoned and a great way to start our family style dinner.

Seeing the amazing assortment of meats, we went a bit overboard and ordered both the veal and the lamb (in retrospect even one of these would have been enough for the two of us). The lamb sirloin was perfectly roasted and seasoned and served with a delicious creamy sweet potato pureé. Little roasted mushrooms were a great earthy element that complimented the not to gamey meat. The veal loin was also perfectly done and served with a balsamic reduction and over a generous bed of mascarpone laced polenta. If you have not tried veal, I would best describe it as the most tender beef you've ever had, but with a more mild flavour.

Lamb sirloin with sweet potato puree

Veal with mascarpone polenta

The portions of each protein were very generous but perfectly proportioned for a family style meal. Serving them both on a big cutting board added a nice rustic touch to this upscale dining experience. We have often heard that the meals at Mercato can be over salted but we wonder if people are accidentally mixing in the small pile of grey sea salt provided on the edge of the plate. We quite liked this little touch since the two of us sometimes don't see eye to eye on the level of saltiness.

To this day we are still thinking about the delicious meal we had that night and are happy to know that there is another great restaurant to add to our list of 'must revisit'. 

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...Vin Room West (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

When we moved to our current neighbourhood out in the suburbs we were a bit concerned it was a culinary wasteland. The closest restaurants included a Tim Hortons and a Ginger Beef Express. However, it seems over the past few years great restaurants in Calgary are venturing out of the usual downtown/17th Ave/Mission areas and setting up shop in the suburbs.

A great example is Vin Room West. We've been to the Mission location several times before and were at first a bit skeptical whether this branch would live up to the original. After dining here we walked away having had one of the most memorable dining experiences in a long time. The food was well prepared and unique while the great wine list had multiple bottles available by the glass.

The menu is based on a tapas concept which allows your to order a number of different dishes to share amongst the table. The kitchen was nice enough to send out some fried green chick peas and house made Kennebec potato chips to snack on while we perused the menu. Both were deliciously salty and crispy and allowed us to take our time selecting the dishes to follow.

Citrus marinated Humboldt squid salad: The squid was super tender and went great with the tart citrus dressing.

Applewood smoked cheddar and pancetta croquettes: The croquettes were perfectly fried and the insides were oozy and delicious

Merguez meatballs: These spicy lamb meatballs were very tender and fragrant.

Pan seared scallops with celery root pureé and fried shoe string potatoes: the scallops were fresh and seared perfectly.

Soy and maple braised pork belly: Served over fried green onions cakes with a green papaya slaw. The dish was reminiscent of a bite sized Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich.

Pan roasted duck breast with quinoa salad and roasted acorn squash: The duck was medium rare and very tender while the acorn squash was roasted to crispy-sweet perfection.

Spiced pumpkin bread pudding with pistachio gelato: Dense and rich, this bread pudding was one of the best we've ever had.

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...Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant (Calgary)

Overall - 7/10
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Food - 6.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 9/10

The Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant has been a special occasion destination for us since we've been together. We find the beautiful surroundings of Fish Creek park and the quaint gas lamps that light your way to the welcoming heritage home makes for a memorable experience. This evening the ambiance definitely lived up to our expectations but unfortunately the food and service didn't quite match up. Our meal started off with great promise with delicious appetizers but the mains had quite a few flaws that prevented the meal from ending on the high we expected.  As well, we had to wait more than half an 
hour for our appetizers to arrive and then 50 minutes for our mains, which is not very enjoyable while sitting on hard wooden chairs.

We were started off with an amuse bouche of crispy fried crab dumplings. The filling was creamy and full of delicious fresh crab meat. We could have eaten a dozen of these each, they were that good.

Our appetizers were the highlight of our meals and included a couple of the freshest oysters we've had served with a shallot mignonette and fresh grated horseradish. The Brome Lake duck leg confit was crispy and tender but not too salty and complimented the arugula and pomegranate salad. The crispy Hog Wild Farms wild boar belly was perfectly cooked and melted in you mouth.

The main courses had some tasty elements but overall, didn't wow us like the appetizers. The Wagu striploin was cooked just right to a medium rare but it just wasn't as juicy or tender as I would have come to expect with the Wagu name. I am suspicious that the Wagu moniker can sometimes be a bit of gimmick as I've had more flavourful, juicy and tender steaks from other breeds of cattle.  The foie gras mousse with fig syrup served on the side though as absolutely delicious. 

The lamb sirloin again was cooked to a perfect medium rare but the cut of meat had quite a bit of sinew which made for a pretty chewy dish. The vegetables on the dish were on the undercooked side, particularly the celery root pave. Instead of layers of creamy soft celery root we had layer upon layer of crunchy root vegetable that was pretty unappetizing. 

Unfortunately, we were not in the mood for dessert and left feeling disappointed with the food and service.  We hope this was just an off night for the Ranche and when we do decide to come back we will have a better experience.

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...Goro + Gun (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance - 9/10

For those not in the know, we have just added a new addition to our family in the form of a sweet little 6 week old girl. In adjusting to life with a little one, we have found that we really miss eating out at some of our favourite restaurants. Thankfully we've discovered that with a little bit of planning we can still try out some of the places we've been eyeing for a while. One of those places is Goro + Gun which is a trendy ramen joint located in Scotia Centre. Aside from having amazing food, a great happy hour menu and a convenient location, the servers and staff were wonderfully accommodating to our young family. 

As mentioned, we decided to dine at an earlier hour to avoid the rush and were seated right away.  A happy hour menu was available prior to 6pm and included $5 pints of Sapporo and $5 appetizers.  We chose the pork belly ramen sliders and the BBQ beef short ribs.  The sliders were made from tender pork belly and kimchi sandwiched between crispy fried ramen cakes. The ramen cakes were a touch oily but the melt in your mouth pork belly more than made up for this slight imperfection. The BBQ short ribs were delicious and tender with a sweet marinade and dipping sauce. For only $5 we thought these two dishes were a great deal.

Since we aren't able to get out as frequently anymore these days, we also decided to try one of their rainbow rolls. The rice was well done and the fish was super fresh. The use of scallop sashimi and trout roe to top it off with added a nice upscale touch to a pretty ubiquitous roll. 

For our ramen course we chose the spicy lamb and pork belly/kimchi ramen. The broths were perfectly seasoned and the toppings on each were quite unique and tasty. The spicy ground lamb really had an intense lamb flavour that might not be to everyone's tastes but for me it was delicious. The pork belly again was really tender and flavourful while the spicy/sourness of the kimchi cut through the rich broth. If you're extra hungry like we were, make sure to get a smoked tea egg as well.

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