CHARCUT has been receiving a lot of publicity due to Chef De Sousa being on Top Chef Canada. A lot of buzz in Calgary! I want to give a good review as most reviews are quite positive for this place which would suggest it is top notch. Well I was in for quite the experience. Let's dive into this one and start with the food!
There were three of us and we shared the Pig Head Mortadella, Bone Marrow au Gratin and Kielbasa for starters. I grew up with my mother using bone marrow in soups so I knew it would be flavourful. There were escargot baked into the bone marrow and it did not disappoint. As for the kielbasa and mortadella, both tasted fine but nothing that left me craving for more.
Main entrees consisted of the 6oz dry aged butcher steak and grilled fish. Sides we shared were the duck fat fried poutine and grilled asparagus. If there was one word to describe the steak, poutine and broccolini - salty! I'm not sure if they were having an off night and someone was going happy on the salt or if it was normal. All you could taste was salt and nothing else. Which was too bad as the steak was tender, cooked perfectly but all you could taste was salt. This was the same for the poutine and asparagus. The grilled fish was definitely the better entree as it was not over salted. It did not leave me wanting for more and it was likely due to the salty sides and steak. My dining partners did not want to 'complain' about it, otherwise I would of turned back all the sides and their steak without any question.
We figured that we mine as well go through the rest of the menu and onto dessert. The good news - dessert was the best part. The two we went with was the creme brulee and preserved apricot in the jar. Creme brulee was simple and served with two warm chocolate chip cookies that really added to the whole experience. Again, simple but really good. Preserved apricot in the jar was layered with cheesecake and graham crackers. Definitely creative and not something you normally see. The textures, sweet to tart flavours all served in a cute little jar made for a solid dessert.
So that was the good. Unfortunately for us the bad did not end here. Later on that evening all three of us were sick to our stomachs. This continued throughout the evening and into the early morning. I felt horrible the next day. I thought it would only be right to report this to CHARCUT incase others reported this as well and also anyone who has a weakened immune system could result in much worse. The owner contacted me promptly and took the matter seriously. Obviously it was a food borne illness from something the three of us shared. I will say from my conversation with the owner they certainly have high standards as far as food safety and follow-up procedures.
Again, I want to say great things about CHARCUT, but my experience both during and after leaves me with little to praise about. Is it just me or has someone else experienced similar food quality?
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