Bistro Rouge

Never been to Bistro Rouge but a guy I work with said he loved the chicken and gravy.
2 weeks ago my daughter and I popped in after golf on a Friday at around 5.00ish.
Place was almost empty, sat in the lounge, bartender gave us menus and took our drink order.
I was shocked when I saw the menu, very expensive and nothing we wanted. (Where is the baked chicken)
Decided to share 2 mains, Bisson Bolognese and the Beef Short ribs.
The $ 24 Pasta:
Very thick meat sauce, which I normally like, tasted like beef taco mixture with a small amount of noodles and lots of arugula on top. LOTS OF SAUCE LEFT AS THERE WERE HARDLY ANY NOODELS… NOT GOOD, DISLIKE TACOS…
The $ 27 Beef Short Rib:
Pot roast consistency smothered with an almost BBQ sauce. Taste like the stuff you put in Beef on a Bun… WAS OK…
Pint of beer on tap:
Small glass (like you would get a G&T in.) Thought it was a beer special as I saw pint glasses sitting on the bar.
Won’t be back, told the bartender all was fine, (food wasn’t his fault.) Questioned the charge for a pint, The Bearded Bartender just looked down and said «Ya, does look small for a pint…» I told him it was a glass not a pint, he never replied, just smiled… WHAT THE…

All around excellent dinning experience with family and friends. Surprised at the outstanding family deal for children to dine for $ 5. Loved the ambiance and the service. and those truffle fries!!!

Fabulous service, top quality food. Highly recommend this place. Beautiful atmosphere and ambiance. Romantic and classy. Perfect for a date. 5 stars across the board. Met the chef he was extremely friendly and professional. The food tantalized our tastebuds.

Love this place…
I have to admit that prices are above average for a bistro, but the food is well worth it.
We came here to celebrate an anniversary together with family from overseas. At that time the Bistro Rouge had a «Surprise Menu».
The way this works is simple: you just know the number of courses they will serve and you can check for food allergies or things you absolute don’t eat. The rest is … a surprise.
Everyone at our table ordered the surprise menu and — without exception — everyone loved it. The food was of very good quality, the service excellent and the whole experience was just wonderful.
After this experience Bistro Rouge became our new favourite!

Rouge has made an impression on me, delivering one of the best tasting menus I’ve had. So when I heard of Bistro Rouge opened I expected that it would have the same exceptional fine-​dining experience.
I gotta tell you, it’s a strange location but when you take a drive to Bistro Rouge and see those big houses on the hill (along Sarcee Trail) you start to question why no one has thought
to open a place here. Rich people don’t like driving downtown and having their benz and range rovers harassed and towed by Calgary Parking (those assholes).
Anyways, the outside makes you feel like you’re visiting the usual neighborhood mall complex; small business shops with the occasional chain gas station of fast food joint. But inside of Rouge Bistro is a massive
dining interior, lively and full of people but you don’t feel like you’re in packed place, like the growing trend of hipster cocktail joints in this city.
The menu may seem all over the place, but only because everything looks so good to want to try and eat. But it’s true, there’s french, Italian, and Canadian dishes (at least from what I can pick out). But these are Calgary’s favourite dishes, delivered by a talented kitchen sourcing great ingredients.
These are things that went and danced in my mouth:
Their Parmesan truffle fries are amazing. Do you love the small super tasty crisped fries you get in the bottom of your order of fries at mcdonalds? Imagine a whole basket of them dressed in even more amazing tastiness.
Their duck confit on lentils was well executed. It was a large portion of duck leg supplemented and balanced by the softer lentils and peppers.
Salted Caramel Bread pudding. It’s pretty self explanatory on how that was going to turn out. But the pudding had a dulce de leche sweetness and custard-​y mouth-​feel. And that caramel was a game changer, I would give up a lifetime of eating chocolates just to have another spoonful. It’s that bad.
It’s a pricey joint, but it was easy to part with my money given we had a great night out. Though our service couldn’t only afford enough attention to take our orders, deliver our food, and offer more drinks/​refills, there wasn’t anything to complain about.

I’m sad about this review.
I was really looking forward to having dinner here as I’ve heard so many awesome things about Rouge and Rouge Bistro. The menu looked amazing and there were a lot of great choices that were tempting me.
And the food checked out. I had the chicken with ricotta stuffed potato pancake. Beautiful presentation, well plated. Not overly hot but that happens.
I had wanted to have the best and apple salad to start. I love love love beets and had been eyeing this all week. I even ordered it. But it didn’t come. And our server was hardly around at all so I couldn’t even let him know he forgot. When the entrees came out, I just let it go.
Our server generally seemed disinterested in our table. It was busy but nothing crazy. He rarely checked on us. Drinks came after food. He didn’t ask if we wanted more to drink (it wouldn’t have been hard to convince me to have another glass of wine for example).
When the bill came I asked him to take off the salad I hadn’t received. No biggie but I’m not paying for something I didn’t get. His response? «Really?». Um… really I didn’t get the salad or really I don’t want to pay for something I didn’t get? He grumbled as he went off to fix the bill. After he came back and I had paid (even giving him a good tip), he leaned in and said «I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you didn’t get your salad.» I explained he hadn’t been around and then the entrees came and it was too late. He started to argue and I thought, why am I having this conversation? The missing salad hadn’t really bothered me much but his attitude was. It also made it awkward for my friends who were wondering why a grouchy looking waiter was quietly lecturing me.
Food wise this would have been a four star review. But the additional arguing and indifferent service brought it down to two.

Rouge Bistro (or known as Bistro Rouge on Unilocal) is a fancy restaurant tucked away in a corner of a strip mall in Strathcona Square on the west end of Calgary. It is beside a Pizza Hut. But do not let this deceive you. For beside the mediocre chain that serves the most greasy and unhealthiest pizza in the new world — and one of the greater culprits for overrunning America’s population with disgusting fatbodies I might add — is a restaurant that will blow you away with its high quality food, service, and ambience!
Ok, maybe that is an exaggeration, and I don’t want to set the bar too high for this place, but personally, I feel this place is all sorts of great.
The first time I came here, I took my mom out for lunch. She had seen an ad in Palate magazine that showcased Rouge Bistro’s mouth watering burger, and said she would like to try it one day. So the next week, we decided to check it out.
We got there at 4pm on a Saturday, when the place had just opened. We wanted to sit in the restaurant instead of the lounge, and though the restaurant side doesn’t officially open till 5pm, they were nice enough to let us sit there anyways because the servers and kitchen was already ready to take on the evening’s guests. The restaurant side had white tablecloths, and big windows, meaning a lot of sunshine comes in. We were the only two in the restaurant, at which point I told mom that I had booked the whole place out so we could eat in peace.
Both ma and I ordered the Bistro Burger. It looks just like the picture in the ad, which is unusual if this were a fast food chain restaurant. For sides, she got the salad and I got the truffle oil fries. The burger was excellent, and falls into the category of what I would call an artisan burger. This means a good quality fresh bun, lots of veggies, and a beef patty that is made in-​house with its own special ingredients. This isn’t a greasy burger by any means. The best way I can describe it is it’s just a really quality burger with ingredients and veggies that seemed very fresh. Sort of like that 80’s McDLT commercial made it seem like MickeyD’s would sell you a really fresh burger where the hot stayed hot and the cool stayed crisp. (It’s the hottest taste, you can’t resist.) The McDLT was a huge disappointment when I was growing up, along with the realization Nicole from 5^th grade liked that dweeb «Lee» instead of me and the fact that propeller beanie caps didn’t actually let you fly, but the Bistro Burger from this place did not disappoint! In fact, if you Youtube the 80’s McDLT commercial, this burger accomplishes the type of burger you would EXPECT from the McDLT! Yes, it’s that fresh and that good!
Next, I tried the truffle fries. They were magnificent in a way that make you see fries, and even food, in a different light. Like, if say, you never liked red haired girls, then one day, you meet one that you start having feelings for. You never realized what you were missing until now. Except, pretend you’ve never even seen a ginger in your life, and suddenly, you meet that same redhead. The feeling would be sublime and transcendent in a way that is hard to put into the English language. The truffle fries here are like that. You get the feeling that the combination of truffle oil, potatoes, mystery spices, and sweet custom made ketchup was a craving you both never had, and always had. It is a transformative awareness which forces you to ponder life’s great mysteries, like, what other people, places or things can shift my paradigms and beliefs in such a way that this side order of salty potato snacks have shifted my thinking of how differently good fries can be? It is a question that I still ask myself to this day.
My mom’s salad was ok. As I’ve said in my other reviews, I’m a man that likes to eat meat, so it is not my place to judge the lifestyle choices of others. Live and let live, I say. Ok, the truth is the *only* reason I ate some of it was because mom forced me to — due to my past vocal protestations as a kid of not eating the veggies she put in front of me. I insisted that the lettuce in the burger had satisfied my weekly quota, and that our neanderthal ancestors were mostly hunters, and they survived, but she was hearing none of it. This is one of the perils of taking your mom out to lunch I suppose.
I also went to this restaurant with a friend of mine a week later and ordered the same thing. This time we sat in the lounge, which was wooden and dark like all the others. No complaints there. I also have to file an official protest regarding the price listed on Unilocal.It says this place is $ 30 and up per meal, but the lunch menu, including the Bistro Burger, was around $ 17. I’ve never come here for dinner, but maybe that’s what the price is referring to. 17 bucks is really nothing, and that is around the price you would be paying at a Earl’s or Joey Tomatoes for a burger anyways. For a hamburger as good as the Bistro Burger, that is fantastic value.

The food was really good. The service could have been better but it wasn’t that bad. Had a great time hanging with a group of 4 people. The salted caramel bread pudding is absolutely amazing. Considering going back just to have it again!

Excellent meal, service, and experience. We had the Chef’s Tasting special. The lobster and dark truffle soup was amazing. The servers were attentive and not pushy. The food was prepared perfectly and each course fully explained as it was served. I am looking forward to my next visit

The food was good but not spectular. I could have had the same meal at Earl’s for less than half the price. The menu was definitely missing the wow factor of its more fabulous cousin ‘Rouge’. I just thought it was very expensive for a nondescript menu.

We decided to try the Chef’s Tasting Menu and we were not disappointed. The 4 courses included a Lobster Velouté, Lamb Agnolotti, Arctic Char, and Vanilla Cake. All were delicious! I’d say vanilla cake for dessert was a bit of a let down… I usually want chocolate or something fancy… But the cake was very fresh and tasty, and the little ball on top had a blueberry surprise inside! Overall a great meal. And the service was excellent as usual.

I’ve been here many times and each time has been excellent. Servers have always been attentive without being overbearing. Food is excellent! Must tries include fries (regular not the truffle fries), the sticky toffee pudding and the onion soup!

Our wedding rehearsal dinner at Bistro Rouge could not have been better. For ~35 people, we had the following:
Appetizers — Cauliflower fritters with hollandaise, Charcuterie board, Cheese board.
Both boards were exceptionally well put together. The various items complemented each other, but no single element overwhelmed the palate. Everyone loved the fritters. There wasn’t a single one left when the plates were cleared.
Mains — Ribeye steak, Roasted steelhead trout, Angus burger.
The best burger I have ever had… and it’s not even close. Homemade bun, crisp bacon, melted cheese, delectable sauce. Heavenly. The accompanying fries were also seasoned well, and were not dragged down by salt or excess oil.
Dessert — Salted caramel sticky bread pudding, Chocolate mousse.
Rave reviews for both. If you had to try just one? The sticky bread pudding will make you re-​evaluate your list of all-​time top desserts.
Overall — The service staff was knowledgeable, professional, and attentive. Chef Paul made sure that everything ran smoothly and the food was superlative. He went above and beyond by walking our party through the various menu options and going through some of the thought process behind putting each dish together. Kudos.

Brought my dad here last night for a belated Father’s Day dinner. Service was great, not overbearing but still attentive. We had the Charcuterie to start. It was quite good, the pâté was my favorite part of it for sure. I had the roasted chicken, which was quite nice. The dijon jus added a tartness, and the lamb bacon choucroute was well done. My dad got the special, which was a beef pot pie. It was definitely a modern take on pot pie, with three puff pastry balls immersed in it, as opposed to it being cooked in the pastry. My dad still enjoyed it nonetheless. The salted caramel sticky toffee pudding was to die for, definitely for one with a sweet tooth. My dad got the cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, which was nice and light.
Overall, our meal was excellent. A gem in the Signal Hill neighborhood.

Conveniently located. It’s nice to have a hip fine dining restaurant in the burbs. Service was great and the restaurant has a nice atmosphere. I think they should rethink the paper napkins… based on the cost of the entrees. The food was good but the prices are definitely fine dining. Fine dining… cloth napkins. It was very good but for the price it should be great.

Food was good but not great for the price. Underwhelming compared to their other restaurant. Great pâté and great fries but other than that everything was just average

Best part about the place? It’s within walking distance to my house. Standing ovation to Bistro Rouge for daring to bring good food to the ‘burbs.
Second best thing? Carmelized onion soup with gouda. It’s obscenely good. Like, make-​sex-​noises-​while-​eating good.
I’m not a fan of the paillards grille options (my palate is likely not sophisticated enough), but I’ve worked my way through the sauté menu and can confidently recommend any of their options. The Atlantic lobster with noodles and brown butter is a comforting treat and you’ll find it hard to linger over the roast chicken.
If you’re feeling extra glutinous, the vanilla bean crème brûlée is sinfully delightful.
I love the décor: open, rustic and simple. I wish the City would finish the landscaping around the building though — the only drawback is the «construction chic» view.

I had an excellent time at Bistro Rouge. The service was attentive and the wine selection nicely paired the food. French fries and hollandaise was amazing along with the spaetzel. The pâté was creamy and delicious. I’d say it’s on par with most higher end restaurants in Calgary in terms of pricing.

Our first experience last Saturday night was not favorable. We had an early seating thus the restaurant was only 25% full. The service was quite good, they had a large staff on hand. Unfortunately the best part of our meal was the thin cut french fries and hollandaise sauce. The prime rib meals our husbands ordered were somewhat dry and ‘uneventful’. Both left scalloped potatoes eneaten. My girlfriend enjoyed the lobster pasta but my meal of the chicken ‘pizza’ (thin meat base with goat cheese and veg) wasn’t tasty or interesting. We all ordered deserts and only the bread pudding won a positive review. The monster prices were unexpected as I was informed that Bistro Rouge was intended to be quality food and less pricy than the Inglewood location. I will definitely not be back. With tip, this $ 280 meal was absolutely NOT worth it.
Second visit last night to try their recommended hamburgers. Again, the french fries were our favorite, the hamburgers were good but not worth going back for.

Tasty food from more affordable to costlier options like Rouge in Inglewood. Soup was great, with options to customize.
The homemade lobster pasta was great.
Friendly, attentive service. I’ll be back.