Bryan on 
Melody on 
Deanne on 
Paul Dicken on 
Madeleine Boivin on 
Brian on 
Naomi Wilton on 
Michael on 
UPDATE – August 2010: The Altadore Dining Lounge is closed and for sale.
Altadore Dining Lounge has some great food, which I wrote about in Metro Calgary last week.
The cioppino ($26.50), for example, is a pretty bold offering in land-locked Calgary, but Altadore pulls it off extremely well. I was astonished at the succulent lobster tail and note-perfect squid.
Chef also goes out on a limb by adding battered halibut chunks to a puttanesca pizza ($12). Crazy right? Crazy AND delicious.
Problem is, you have to work really hard to get around the atmosphere. It’s half neighbourhood bar with sports on the flat-screens, and half modern bistro with sleek furnishings.
The banquette along one wall is strangely slightly too high for the tables so you have to uncomfortably stoop over to eat.
But the most unsettling part was the very loud chatter coming from the staff and their friends around the bar. It made us feel like we were intruding on their private event.
I think Altadore needs to decide if it’s a cliquey pub or a serious restaurant. If it’s the former, the chef’s talents would most certainly be wasted.
Altadore Dining Lounge, 4824-16th St. SW, Calgary, (403) 457-4457.
UPDATE – August 2010: The Altadore Dining Lounge is closed and for sale.
Interesting observations.
We had much the same feeling / vibe a while back. Not much interest from the staff, no smiles or goodbyes, we kinda felt like sitting at the bar with the owner and manager as something on their laptop was of more interest than running an actual establishment. No salt / pepper shakers on any tables, had to ask much like a second or third round, which seemed to be too much work for our server / manager.
It’s a shame really, the food is good, the location is good as well. The chilly feel from the staff / owners needs a makeover. Seem rather too cocky to be interested in providing that little extra that would make them really successful. Maybe they had that in mind when they went into business together, a place for themselves and thier friends to hang out in….
I would be choked if I was a local to the area and that is what I got for service, the locals must not be frequenting much, their friends are probably keeping them afloat.
Great webpage and blog other wise, tune in every so often and hear the odd comments on CBC, keep it up.
Regards,