Some of the city’s top chefs use
international training and influences to create
globally-inspired, locally-loved dishes
DINE AROUND
THE WORLD
PHOTOGRAPHS: (OPPOSITE PAGE) BY JASON DZIVER (THIS PAGE) BY MIKE HEYWOOD, COURTESY TRAVEL ALBERTA
by julie van rosendaal
No matter where
you go, what
you eat while
you’re there
contributes to a
sense of place.
Cities, countries,
and regions are
largely defined
by what grows
there, and menus
reflect climate,
terroir, history,
and international
influences.
Naturally,
restaurants often
reflect their own
regional cuisine,
but are just as
often inspired by
faraway places. In
Calgary, some of
the best eateries
apply global
flavours and
techniques to
local ingredients,
creating
opportunities
to expand your
culinary horizons
right here.
At the historic Simmons Building in Calgary’s
East Village, visitors can experience Argentinianstyle Alberta longhorn beef, charred over the
Argentinian wood-fired parrilla grill at the
heart of Charbar’s kitchen. Before they opened,
chef Jessica Pelland spent a month cooking in
Argentina, primarily with chef Fernando Trocca
of Sucre restaurant, in order to learn first-hand
their unique style of cooking over open flames.
Charbar’s menu, inspired by the SpanishItalian influences of Argentinian cuisine, treats
vegetables and meat with equal creativity and
respect; almost half the menu, and most of the
small sharing plates, are vegetarian.
on bread: Aviv’s foray into the kitchen began
with mastering the art of the loaf, and he
has since traveled the world, learning how to
perfect his sourdough alongside such master
bakers as Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery
in San Francisco and Jean-Luc Poujauran at
Boulangerie Poujauran in Paris. Beyond crusty
loaves and perfect pastries, their casual eat-in
or takeout menu has a heavy Mediterranean
flavour, with bold dishes like shakshuka, an
Israeli tomato-based stew in which eggs are
poached, handmade pitas and labneh, and
burekas — flaky pastry triangles stuffed with
aged cheddar, feta cheese, eggs, and harissa.
On the other side of the wall in the same
Simmons Building, Sidewalk Citizen offers
long-simmered stews inspired by the tiny
tin-roofed kerosene kitchens common in the
streets of Tel Aviv, the home city of owners
Aviv Fried and Michal Lavi. Back in Israel, giant
pots of stew would bubble on outdoor stoves
all night long, to be served up with thick slabs
of bread the next day. Their business was built
Across the river, Chef Neil McCue brought
dishes from his childhood in Yorkshire to
Whitehall in the historic de Waal block, which
was built in 1910. After his grandma inspired
him to get into the kitchen, McCue wound up
cooking in restaurant kitchens across the UK
and Canada, including Catch when it opened
in downtown Calgary in 2001, Langdon Hall in
Cambridge, Ontario, and Curlew in East Sussex,
(Left to right) Aviv
Fried; Sourdough bread
and Mediterranean food
at Sidewalk Citizen
Bakery.
THE ESSENTIAL CALGARY 2016/17
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