With its big outdoor patio and expansive lower-level dining room, the Redwater Rustic Grille in Aspen Woods was one of the most impressive restaurant spaces in the ’burbs. After closing the Aspen Redwater, Calgary’s Vintage Group knew that the room still had plenty of potential and quickly converted the space into Allora Everyday Italian, a neighbourhood Italian joint.
Overseen by Vintage’s VP of culinary Justin Labossiere and executive chef Thipphakune Xaykasem, the Allora kitchen takes an “if it isn’t homemade or locally sourced, it’s imported straight from Italy” approach. All of the pasta (gluten-free and otherwise), for example, is made fresh in-house with a top-of-the-line Italian pasta extruder. While that pasta is Allora’s signature, guests can also dine on plates of imported Italian salumi, chicken or veal Parm, or Italian-style pizzas. And while Canadians most often associate Italian food with wine (Allora has plenty of that), the restaurant also boasts a nifty cocktail list with creative drinks made with traditional Italian liqueurs, including house-made limoncello.
114, 326 Aspen Glen Landing S.W., 403-686-6731, allorarestaurant.com
