7 Restaurants with New Menus

7 Restaurants with New Menus Fall is in full swing and with it comes seasonal menu changes plus changes with who’s cooking the food By Dan Clapson October 21, 2014 Sablefish is just one of the new delicious dishes at Avec Bistro, courtesy of new executive chef Dilan Draper. No…

7 Restaurants with New Menus

Fall is in full swing and with it comes seasonal menu changes plus changes with who’s cooking the food

Sablefish is just one of the new delicious dishes at Avec Bistro, courtesy of new executive chef Dilan Draper.

No matter what the season, the winds of change are always present. Here are seven places that have either gone through a large menu overhaul in the last little while or have a new chef leading the way in the kitchen.

Alloy

Chef Rogelio Herrera has updated the menu at his upscale eatery just off Macleod Trail to offer such seasonal delights as prawn tempura, beet carpaccio with baby kale and hazelnut vinaigrette and beef short ribs braised with marsala and served with cardamom-roasted root vegetables.

(220 42 Ave. S.E., 403-287-9255, alloydining.com, @alloyrestaurant)

Avec Bistro

This French dining destination took in a new executive chef, Dilan Draper, over the summer months. Now, you can look forward to sablefish with white bean Americaine (think cassoulet, but with lobster stock), and some to-die-for baby squid stuffed with fennel sausage among other delicious dishes.

(550 11 Ave. S.W., 587-352-0964, avecbistro.com, @avecbistro)

Black Pig Bistro

John Michael MacNeil (formerly of the Teatro group) recently came on-board with his wife and now co-chef Allison Bieber at her Bridgeland hot spot. An apricot ale-braised pork sandwich will likely tickle your fancy over the lunch hour as will the beef cheek ravioli with beurre blanc and parsnip pure and a perfectly seasonal pumpkin sticky toffee pudding in the evening.

(825 1 Ave. N.E., 403-460-0350, blackpigbistro.com, @blackpigbistro)

Brava Bistro

This 17th Avenue S.W. staple has been a favourite over the years, but it’s always nice to get a refresher. Chef Andrea Harling has taken charge of the menu direction here, so swing by to try her new creations that include a carnivorous trio of pork (pork chop, schnitzel and belly) for sharing and a playful spin on “Green eggs and ham” with seared duck, agnolotti and a plum gastrique.

(723 17 Ave. S.W., 403-228-1854, bravabistro.com, @bravabistro)

Catch

No one in the foodie world was happy to see chef Kyle Groves move on from Catch to a teaching position at SAIT, but new dishes like the carrot and mussel chowder or the caramelized onion gnocchi can help numb the pain. It’s ok to eat your feelings, right?

(100 8 Ave. S.E., 403-206-0000, catchrestaurant.ca, @catchcalgary)

Cibo

Of all of the restaurants on this list, Cibo has arguably gone through the largest revamp. Gone are the small bowl starters (scodellina) and the pizza happy hour as we know them. The new menu introduces intriguing dishes like fried frog legs (yes!) and a bison cheek calzone. But, before you say, “I want my scodellina and pizza happy hour back!” let it be known that the top-selling small bowls (the salt-roasted beets and burrata) are offered in a larger appetizer form and the pizza happy hour offers you 1/2 price pizzas from the regular menu instead of $5 pizzas with just two basic toppings.

(1012 17 Ave. S.W., 403-984-4755, cibocalgary.com, @cibocalgary)

Libertine

Chef Mel Lafleur’s revamp for the fall at this busy downtown gastropub sees cheddar bacon dip and sloppy joe fries (exactly the deliciousness you are imagining) to main plates like a roasted squash pizza with an herb cream sauce and a blueberry grilled cheese sandwich. Brie, provolone, swiss, porter cheddar, blueberrry sriracha jam and double-smoked bacon? Sounds like cheesy heaven to me.

(223 8 Ave. S.W., 403-265-3665, thelibertine.ca, @libertinepublic)

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