To be honest, I don’t give restaurants in hotels much of a thought. I must have had an experience a long time ago that left me thinking they’re all overpriced and mediocre.
I got shaken out of that bubble when Thomsons Restaurant in the Hyatt Regency recently started holding contests on Twitter. For a chance at a free dinner, they asked people to simply retweet the promotion.
Free dinner? Sign me up.
I ended up winning (woot!) dinner for two of their spring special called Taste of Canada ($28).
The dinner was a gigantic entree. While correctly cooked to order, the 12 oz. AAA Angus ribeye tasted on the bland side, with little seasoning and almost like it was cooked on a George Foreman grill. The menu described a demi-glace sauce that was definitely missing, and would have probably upped the steak a lot. That’s it for the negative stuff.
I loved the sunnyside-up, organic, free-range egg on top of the steak for adding to the overall presentation and flavour.
The matchstick fries, made from organic potatoes from Strathmore’s Poplar Bluff Farm and the truffle-scented wild mushrooms with herbs were superb.
Thomsons pairs this steak-and-egg deal with a cold pint of Sleeman Honey Brown.
Dessert was divine: an impressive plate of what Thomsons calls sweet tapas ($2 each). The presentation of each mini item was gorgeous.
My favourite in order was the pot au crème in espresso flavour, lavender panna cotta and apple tatin. The blueberry orange bread pudding was too citrus-y, while the berry clafouti was OK.
Thomsons dining room was quite lovely — low light, high ceilings, and lots of space between tables.
Both the manager and our waiter, Jamie (“I don’t know what Twitter is all about yet but I spend a lot of time feeding my animals on Facebook”), were pretty excited about the contest.
I think it’s quite smart for restaurants to use Twitter as an effective — and cost-free — way of promoting themselves. A handful of Calgary eateries do it well, like The District for their daily specials, and West Restaurant & Bar which has been chatting up their opening this month with gift certificate giveaways.
Adam, the Hyatt’s marketing manager, said they’ll be doing more Twitter contests throughout the summer with swag from not only Thomsons, but also from the hotel itself, as well as the Stillwater Spa inside the Hyatt.
Thomsons Restaurant, Hyatt Regency hotel, 112 Stephen Ave. SE, Calgary, (403) 717-1234.
As the name of my blog suggests, I will pretty much eat anything.
I’m partial to meats but will suffer fruits and vegetables.
I dedicate this to people who love to eat, and find art in their meals. If this blog piques your interest at least once, then I’m happy as a goldfish that eats til it explodes. 
Been going there on and off for almost 10 years now without having won any contests 😉 I can`t say I`ve had a bad experience there ever. Assuming they`re still doing it up right you should check out their Mother`s Day Brunch. It gets ridiculously busy (and it`s kinda pricey) but it`s faaantastic.
look at the color on the egg yolk! gorgeous.
Steak and eggs for dinner at a hotel? Interesting! Quite surprised how big the portions are.
Next time you’re in Toronto, I suggest going to Grand Chinese Cuisine at the Airport Doubletree. It is probably the best hotel restaurant I have ever eaten at, as well as one of the best dim sum experiences.
Thomsons is great if you need to have a lunch meeting and actually have to talk. They have big tables that you can spread out on, the wait staff are so attentive, but know when to leave you alone, the food is amazing and not any more expensive then Earls or Milestones or Metropolitan Grill or other typical lunch meeting places on 8avenue. Best of all, you can walk right in and it is so spacious, a table is basically guaranteed!