New Restaurant: Hy’s Steakhouse

New Restaurant: Hy’s Steakhouse The steakhouse that originally opened in Calgary in 1955 is back again in all its traditional glory. By Dan Clapson January 20, 2015 Beef Wellington at Hy’s Steakhouse. As much as we all try to fight it, deep down most of us will always crave a…

New Restaurant: Hy’s Steakhouse

The steakhouse that originally opened in Calgary in 1955 is back again in all its traditional glory.

Beef Wellington at Hy’s Steakhouse.

As much as we all try to fight it, deep down most of us will always crave a good steak. This city has certainly come a long way from the famed Alberta protein being a focal point of the dining scene, but a nice dinner at a steakhouse still hits the spot for many a Calgarian.

Though the Hy’s Steakhouse chain can be found across the country in cities like Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto, the meat-centric chain originally began here in Calgary almost 60 years ago, opening up in 1955 to be exact. After many years of operation (in the location where Ki Modern Japanese is now), the establishment closed its doors in 2006. Hy’s maintained operation in all other cities while waiting to find a new ideal downtown location here in our city. Finally, the steak spot has returned, looking bigger and better than ever on the corner of Stephen Avenue and 3rd Street S.W.

Hy’s interior features plenty of studded leather, as a good steakhouse should.

Going with the “what’s old is new again” approach to its design, you’ll find a whole lot of studded leather in this interior from the chairs to the bar stools. With entrances on both Stephen Avenue and from within The Core, there is a lot of room to cater to hungry downtown diners.

Playing well to the downtown business crowd, Hy’s offers several different options when it comes to more private dining, including a large seating area facing Stephen Avenue that can be sectioned off, as well as a smaller dining room down the hall for complete privacy. Several walls are adorned with Hy’s memorabilia from over the years including photos of silver screen movie stars who’ve graced one of the Canadian steakhouses at some point in the latter half of the 21st century. If you scour the north wall of the restaurant for more throwbacks, you’ll even find an old dessert menu, where prices ranged from $0.35 to $1.00 for a plate.

Hy’s caesar salad is prepared table-side.

There are not many surprises in terms of what’s on the menu here, but why should there be? Hy’s has got its formula down pat and that formula is to offer a refined dining experience with the appropriate bells and whistles, without any deconstruction/reconstruction-type culinary interpretations.

Prawn cocktails, escargot in garlic butter, oysters Rockefeller and steak tartare prepared table-side are just a few of plates that you’ll see when you flip open the menu. Then, of course, there are the usual suspects: filet mignon, porterhouse and a New York strip, or look to Keen’s Wellington, made with a oyster mushroom duxelle and foie gras if you’re craving something a bit more interesting.

It’s not uncommon to hear people say this city doesn’t really need another steakhouse. Whether or not you think that’s true is totally up to you. But, to me? I see this more as a piece of Calgary culinary history coming home again.

Located in The Core at the corner of 8 Ave. and 3 St. S.W., 403-663-3363, hyssteakhouse.com

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