The inaugural Calgary Foodies group outing - The Highwood

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

As fans of Calgary is Awesome, you obviously already know that our fine city is awesome for a variety of reasons, and one of them is the people. Another local food blogger, Vlad of Vlad's Gonzo Food Blog, started a group that included his close friends and other Calgary bloggers where we would all go and try a new restaurant every month. I was lucky enough to snag a spot in the group's inaugural outing, and while none of the other food bloggers could make it out, Vlad and his friends made me feel more than welcome and all in all, it was a great night. Thanks again for putting the group together and organizing everything, Vlad!

     
Vlad (and Beth, who is also wonderful)
Our group of seven went to The Highwood, which is an awesome concept where students in SAIT's Hospitality Management, Professional Cooking, and Baking & Pastry Arts programs in the School of Hospitality & Tourism get to hone their craft in a real-life, professional environment, and everyone else gets to reap the benefits.

The Highwood features a prix-fixe menu (appetizer, soup, salad, main course and dessert for $42) that rotates on a seasonal basis. The menus are posted on their website, but there are also nightly specials that you can partake in as well.

Our server was very friendly and pleasant, but it was obvious that she has her eyes set on hospitality management, and not food and beverage service as a long-term career; her attitude was more "family restaurant" than "fine dining", and at times she seemed to have no idea what she was talking about - she could not pronounce the night's special, Cheateaubriand, and when asked what it was, she described it as chicken! Then at the end of the night she admitted to us that it was the second last day of the three-week course, and that the reason she would "disappear and [we] couldn't find [her]" was that because she was studying for her exam. (Yikes!)


For my appetizer I ordered the Blue Crab Cake, which sat on a roasted tomato coulis and was topped with a pea shoot "slaw". The crab cake itself was pretty good - a crisp crust with innards that weren't too dry inside, a touch on the salty side but not too much - but I think what sent it over the edge was the pea shoot "slaw", where the crisp carrots and light, fresh-tasting pea shoots cut through the flavour and texture of the heavier crab cake.


Then the food started going downhill a little... not wanting the creamy Green Pea & Garlic Velouté because I worry about these things, I chose the Roasted Chicken & Barley Broth as my soup, and it looked like something I could get at a tiny Chinese restaurant, except for the fact the bowl was sitting on a doily.


The soup was very plain. While I did appreciate the fact that it was loaded with veggies and barley, and not very salty, it had an odd aftertaste, which now, revisiting the menu I realize that it was rosemary (good!) and orange (weird!) I was definitely jealous of the people who ordered the pastel green velouté, with Brent, who was sitting next to me, commenting on how garlicky it was. Mmm... garlic...

I chose the Roasted Root Vegetable Salad over the Caesar Salad, envisioning a plate with nice, big chunks of beets, carrots and parsnips, roasted to bring out their sweet, earthy flavour. What arrived at the table looked kind of like a pineapple.


The salad was definitely the lowlight of the night - the vegetables were diced so small that you couldn't really taste them and they seemed to not have been roasted uniformly... some pieces were crunchier than others, and definitely not in a good way.

After that, the meal resumed an upward trajectory. Despite the fact that our server couldn't pronounce Chateaubriand initially, she sold us on the fact that it was presented using French Service, where basically last minute preparations and plating is done table-side. It was billed as an entrée for two, so Brian, who was sitting on the other side of me, convinced me to share with him.
  

The steak was tender and flavourful, and I enjoyed my side of garlicky mashed potatoes and vegetables as well (though some of the veggies were undercooked). Despite the small portion, I wasn't able to finish my meal, and our server was kind enough to package it up for me so I was able to have a little steak and fresh-cut potato chips with my lunch the next day :)

The highlight of the night was dessert, which some people found surprising given the overall quality of our meal, until I pointed out that pastry-making was a different program.

    
I had the Brownie Bottom Lemon Cheesecake, and the combination of fudgey chocolate and citrusy cheesecake was just what I needed at the time. After such a big meal, it wasn't too heavy, but it also wasn't too light, and I don't like it when my cheesecakes are wussy! Brent had the Apple Caramel Tartlet with Cinnamon Rum Ice Cream, which he seemed to enjoy, except he liked the tartlet more than the ice cream. Apparently a seasoned tiramisu lover, Brian's eyes lit up when the server mentioned that it was on the menu, and he liked his dessert as well, except he mentioned to me that the texture sort of changed in the middle (?)

For all the positive reviews I've heard of The Highwood in the past and how hard it is to get a reservation, my experience simply did not live up to the hype. Some people say it might be better if you go later in the school year, but I don't think I will be going back any time soon... If I didn't work so far away and had more than half an hour for lunch, I might've tried their lunch (they have a very attractive-sounding lunch buffet every Thursday), and would've definitely reminded myself to save room for dessert :)

The Highwood
John Ware Building, SAIT Main Campus
1301 16 Ave NW
Calgary AB T2M 0L4
(403) 284-8615 Ext: 2
By reservation only, online booking system available.