Model Milk has consistently placed in our Best Restaurants list since opening in 2012, and it’s no wonder. Though its menu is constantly changing, chef-partner Justin Leboe and executive chef Eric Hendry are consistent in cooking up creative, high-quality dishes that emphasize local and seasonal ingredients, providing grounding and familiarity despite new flavour combinations and techniques. The extensive drink list mirrors the menu’s merging of classic and contemporary, with familiar cocktails like the gin and tonic (made with house-made tonic) and the Black Manhattan next to inventive combinations like In Memoir, a sour with Beefeater gin, Cointreau, lime and simple syrup.
Of course, the most important part of a good meal is the company, and the menu promotes sharing and conversation, whether its small plates (those shrimp and grits are never coming off the menu) or large-format meals like the ever-evolving Sunday Supper, or the Nashville Hot Chicken, a crispy, deep-fried bird served with warm buttermilk waffles, coleslaw and pickles. Combined with top-notch service and a cozy space, it’s almost impossible to leave disappointed.
308 17 Ave. S.W., 403-265-7343, modelmilk.ca, @modelmilkbistro; @modelcitizenyyc