CALGARY: Bogey-free, birdie-full back nine

I have no idea what that title means, but it sounds all golf-y, doesn’t it? I don’t golf, but I eat, and I have friends who like to organize going-away parties (we miss you already, Rick!) at the Calgary Elks Lodge and Golf Club.

The golf club’s dining room — decorated on the other side of the ’90s — is actually open to the public, so you don’t need a club membership to enjoy some basic, but decent casual dining at prices I haven’t seen since well, last decade.

I had a pretty good Philly beef dip with a port wine reduction (!) for $9, with fries and gravy.

Marion’s Caesar salad (full for $9, starter for $5) was a little too heavy on the dressing, and the guys’ nachos were too small to justify the $15 cost, but the rest of the menu was shockingly inexpensive.

Doug had a nice-looking spicy lamb burger on foccacia bread for $9. Also on the menu fish and chips (one piece $7/two for $10), a steak sandwich for $13, a clubhouse for $9, and even a smoked salmon penne for $12.50.

I mean, COME ON, where are you going to find prices like that in Calgary anymore?

Expecting a choice of “red or white,” the dining room/lounge actually has a smartly picked, mid-priced selection of wines for $7 a glass, $17 for a half litre and $28 for a bottle.

I would’ve gone for the parmesan-crusted lamb rack ($19) but I might have looked a tad out of place gnawing on it during a mostly stand-up cocktail party.

Calgary Elks Lodge and Golf Club, 2502-6 St. NE, Calgary. Dining room open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m., (403) 276-7981 ext. 223.