Rouge

I was here for a group dinner and they offered their set menu with your choice of entree (salmon, chicken breast, or butternut squash risotto). The salad and the dessert (no bake vanilla cheesecake - it was light and not too sweet) were done pretty well but the salmon was only so-so. It was cooked well (slightly on the dry side) but the main critique was how bland it was. It was as if the fish was cooked first and only at the end, some salty seasoning was sprinkled on the top. This was a similar experience with vegetables and the chicken breast (the skin was nicely crisped though the breast itself was bland but with their sauce sprinkled on top). Plating and atmosphere were nice, as were the staff who were friendly and responsive.

This review has a bit of story associated with it to show the care that the team at Rouge has for their patrons and tries their best to make things right in the case of unfortunate circumstances. Apologies for the long read but worthwhile if you're hemming and hawing about coming here and worried about the price and/or a potentially negative experience. We first tried Rouge with some friends as part of a celebration and informed multiple servers of our dietary restrictions. Unfortunately, our table was handled primarily by a new server and the dietary restrictions were not passed along to the kitchen and conflicts between these restrictions and the tasting menu were not identified when we ordered. This made the dinner horrible for one in our group who could not eat 4/6 courses in the tasting menu due to dietary restrictions and we left with an apology from their team but a bad experience overall. I left feedback for the team at Rouge and their manager reached out to us to offer us an opportunity to experience Rouge again. We opted to try Rouge again and ordered a la carte instead and had a great server taking care of our table. All I can say is wow, what a night and day difference between our first experience and second experience. I suspect our second experience is more in line with what a typical experience at Rouge is like. The staff at Rouge are professional, kind, attentive, and just overall great! Thank you so much Rey and Miyuki for making our night so great and memorable. The team strikes a perfect balance of ensuring you're taken care of without intruding on your dining experience. We ordered two appetizers, three mains, one dessert, and a few drinks. The Poached Atlantic Cod is possibly one of my favorite fish appetizers in Calgary now! It is delicious and flavourful without being over the top. I normally dislike olives but the way they did the olive tapenade was just spectacular and matches the cod/potatoes perfectly. My wife had the beet salad and it was a bit salty for her palate. The thing I discovered with the dishes at Rouge is that they're meant to be a whole plate experience. When I tried her beet salad with some of the fried goat cheese and yuzu curd all in a single bite, it was so balanced and delicious. Our mains were delicious. We ordered the lamb, beef brisket, and arctic char. Again, the fish dish stood out as my favorite. The unique twist on a risotto with a barley grain provided a very unique and delicious risotto with a textural twist. The proteins were cooked perfectly for our needs and overall the mains were very tasty. For drinks I tried the El Rouge and it was absolutely delicious! My wife had a grapefruit lemonade made by Rey and it was out of this world tasty too. The team at Rouge is incredibly accommodating and offers great alternatives if you order something that isn't offered on their menu. The ambiance in the restaurant is great. It's fine dining without the pretentiousness that some other fine dining places have. The cozy tables nestled in the old home layout is fantastic. Thank you again for letting us experience what true dining at Rouge is meant to be and we look forward to visiting again!

Booked a special birthday dinner a couple of weeks in advance. Had the chef's tasting menu. Fun unique and delicious dishes along with a shared wine paring (server recommendation). Service was exceptional. Wasn't until we were leaving did we realize we had been their only customers that evening. They kept the restaurant open just for the 4 of us.

Okay get ready for a huge review because this place... is unbelievable. I don't know enough adjectives to describe it. Price: $$$ Service: absolutely outstanding 11/10 Atmosphere: calm, relaxing, beautiful 10/10 Food: incredible, out of this world 10/10 Coming from Toronto, we are so used to eating extremely rushed and eating a lot but, here was the complete opposite. Portions were smaller than normal but so exquisite, filling, filled with amazing flavours and accents. The charcuterie board was amazing to start with. I had the Arctic Char. Now... I don't love fish. I actually rather dislike it but this... this was the most buttery, delicious, fresh tasting fish meal I've ever had in my entire life (speaking from someone who has eaten in the European west coast, Mexico East coast and the Canadian East Coast!). My husband had the Rabbit and for a man who is scared of trying new things, he almost cried. It was unreal. Desert was fantastic. Espresso, champagne and so much more. The music playing had us so relaxed and sitting for nearly 4 hours, enjoying every bite and enjoying the atmosphere. Our waiters, the young man (sorry didn't catch his name) and Jillian were amazing, sweet, attentive and fast. We will remember this experience forever here.

Tried the chef's tasting menu and it was absolutely phenomenal. Every bite was so interesting and delicious, the experience was so delightful. The service here is also great, everyone made us feel so comfortable and allowed us to enjoy our food in a warm, relaxing atmosphere in such a cute old house. I highly recommend this experience, the best fine dining in the city.