alloy

chef samplermenuwas a truly elegant experience. full of amazing flavour profiles. this was a truly elegant experience. full of amazing flavour profiles and unexpected pairings. service was flaw less and the atmosphere was great. however they may want to think about some sound dampening treatment as it was quite noisy when the restaurant filled up. we all had a great evening and will return.

the restaurant was beautiful on the inside- a definate diamond in the hiding. themenupricey but i must say they put a great deal of love & skill into the dishes they serve. delicious ahi tuna! the best i have had- better than red water.

this is a place i’ve been meaning to go for quite some time. unfortunately i was wildly disappointed on all fronts. the chefs tastingmenuwas what we opted to go for as a table. the food itself was generally good, but by no means something i would go back for. four courses, with a particularly good seafood course but was juxtaposed by an exceptionally bad course of unimaginatively flavoured shoe leather tough steak.

here is my issue with this place. it’s the value part of it. the food was good, but the thoughtfulness of each dish was a bit lacking. moreover, our waitress was horrendous; condescending, pretentious, and not attentive. when asked basic questions about drinks, “is this drink boozy,” rather than getting an answer, i was fed more of a politically spun answer that was laden with cues that i was though a bit of troglodyte. “we don’t do boozy, we do balanced drinks that showcase the liquor”... throughout the meal we were never checked on, glasses of water were rarely (at best) filled and when the bill was finally delivered it was done with a curt remark, pulling the card from my father in laws hand and shoved back towards him.

the bottom line: from a food standpoint - it’s fine. service - terrible. for the money that you work hard to earn, spend it somewhere else.

i've been lucky enough to eat at alloy a number of times including their new years eve setmenulast december which was fantastic.  as it was my birthday dinner i had high expectations and as usual alloy did not disappoint.  we were shown to our table, a booth with that silky smooth white leather.  atmosphere was great for dinner out with your significant other.  as our drink order was taken we were offered tap, still or sparkling water. we had some trouble deciding on what appetizers as everything looked great, settling on the lobster risotto and crispy pork belly.  meanwhile we had the fresh pita bread, olive and hummus basket set out. normally we clean this up quick smart but that night someone had a heavy hand with the cumin and it was overpowering and not so good.  the appetizers arrived and as we were sharing these, started on the pork belly first.  one word for this dish, amazing!  my wife avoids pork belly normally as it can be quite fatty. i chose this one and she was glad i did. it was the highlight of the dinner. not too much fat, a nice caramelisation on the outside and soft and melt in your mouth inside. the portion was generous and well worth what they ask. the lobster risotto was creamy, tasty and generous with the lobster. couldn't have asked for a better start to the meal. the mains we ordered were beef short rib for my wife and lamb chops for me.  the server (who was great all night) made sure to let me know they serve the lamb medium rare which i'm fine with.  nice that she gives a heads up on that.  the size of the mains was very generous. the beef short rib was fall of the bone and melt in your mouth. my lamb was juicy and also melt in your mouth delicious. have to say, alloy you guys do a great job with portion size. the only people who should be going home hungry after a meal here is a sumo wrestler. we finished with coffee and dessert.  mini doughnuts with dulce de leche for me and orange creamsicle crème brulee for my wife.  loved my dessert in fact loved the whole meal.  this is becoming one of my favourite places to eat out.thanks alloy!

alloy-us to take you on a journey

alloy - govna! originally we were both a little nervous meeting ken and crystal from instagram... being that they operate a cross fit gym... and we just had ice cream for lunch... but it was an absolute pleasure!

webster’s dictionary defines “alloy” as “a substance composed of two or more metals or of a metal and a nonmetal intimately united usually by being fused together and dissolving in each other when molten”… we can only assume the visionary behind the name was going for the alternate definition of “a compound, mixture, or union of different things”, and i gotta say, a lot of different things were being compounded here.

right when you park you think to yourself, “hmmmm, this is likely a place for a murder or diabolical plan to occur”. when you walk in you feel like you are on the set of “mad men”, compounding both style, class, and a subtle hint of fear. the combinations didn’t stop there! the flavor combinations were exceptional, tuna and cantaloupe, vanilla and duck, and olives and hummus! it was a non-stop flavor explosion.

now, everything about it was high on all fronts, however, to be fair to our readers, this is very much one of those “quality over quantity” places. we did the tastingmenuand it was phenomenal but the price tag was also one of the more exceptional yet. definitely worth a try, but i want to make sure our readers know what restaurant they are getting themselves into!

alloy would be highly suggested as a classy date or a celebration of a historic event (anniversary, bonus, or kids moving out) but i would caution inviting all your friends for your birthday party, because they may hesitate in footing the bill for you. however, for our readers seeking some of calgary’s classiest establishments, check this 4.4 gem out!

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p.s. if you are out of hand towels at your house you can easily steal some from alloy... the paper towels in the washroom... felt like the finest silk linens from egypt.

delicious food and intimate setting. we decided to go to this restaurant for my birthday because it was right beside the holiday inn that we were staying at, also we love trying new places. making the reservation was very easy, left a message on their phone and they called back right away. hostess was very pleasant on the phone. we made a reservation for 6 people plus a 1 year old, i specifically asked if it was acceptable to bring my young daughter and they said of course. when we arrived again the hostess was very polite and friendly, but we found out they do not have high chairs. luckily enough we had a portable high chair in which they were more than happy to allow it. also no change tables for babies. the restaurant is beautifully decorated, nice lighting and could accomodate a large group or a romantic date. they are completly fine with kids but i did feel bad for having my young daughter there as she likes her voice and does not sit still. i would not take my daughter back but i would definitly go back with my husband. i would take an older child that can sit still and listen. the food was amazing. for appies we had the prawn tempura which melted in our mouth and the truffle gnocci which was creamy and not too strong of a flavour, it was just perfect. for the main courses i had the beef short rib which was so tender and pulled apart so easily. the meal sizes were perect it was a nice portion of food that filled everyone up, even my husband but not too much food that you have to take anything home. we felt the prices were reasonablely matched to the food and portions. no one out of our group had a bad meal, everyone was soo impressed with the flavours of their food. the only thing we would suggest is for our server to smile a little more, she was very serious and not sure if she was annoyed by us or what, but everyone else that worked there was smiling and greeting us. soo yummy, cant wait to go back as they change theirmenuwith the seasons!

mini holiday. i brought my parents for my mother's birthday. her health has been suffering lately and so she is on a restricted diet. as soon as we got there we were brought the most delicious hummus and naan bread, and sliced raw vegetables for my mom, they didn't skip a beat. themenuis mostly gluten free already (for mom), but the server was able to make my mom very comfortable and guided her through the menu. we had duck breast, freshwater pickerel, beef short rib and char served with atlantic mussels. everything came out hot and plate licking delicious. the server was already in the loop about my mom's birthday, and brought it out with a candle. she was delighted. by the end of the night we were shocked that four hours had gone by. we will be back, and i recommend alloy to anyone who likes beautiful and delicious things.

book into one of these spots for a romantic meal for two... alloy always tops our list of date-night restaurants and, to celebrate the ultimate date night, chef rogelio has created a special five-coursemenuthat includes seared duck, lobster ravioli and strawberry tiramisu. alloy has also paired with local florist

great atmosphere, great food. at first i pulled into the parking lot to find an industrial looking building that did not look welcoming or even restaurant like in the very least. once inside my opinion changed drastically. beautiful interior and a good atmosphere.

their drinkmenuis quite lovely with several cocktails (i had a rhubarb mojito). wine list does leave a little to be desired however.

lunchmenuhas some great choices and the seafood hoy pot that i chose was flavourful and the perfect amount for the light lunch i was looking for.

service was reasonable but the server could have, at the very least cracked a smile. however, she still did her duties well.

this was the last weekend to enjoy the wintermenuat alloy  and oh, i will miss the buttermilk chicken with cayenne sugared yam doughnuts and the deconstructed pumpkin cheesecake! the service was spot on and we were given greatmenusuggestions. my friends and i loved our meal and look forward to our next visit (hope the lovely patio will be open!).

ostentatious service, dated decor, and amenugenerally lacking in creativity, flavour, and execution. not terrible, but not worth the price tag or the drive.

mediocre at best. went there for new years tonight and the setmenuwas the biggest waste of money ever. the main courses were barely a bit of food l, and not to mention bland at best. the courses took way too long to serve and were completely unsatsfying. the desert course, which we chose chocolate and caramel, i'm sure is going to sen me for a root canal. the caramel was so hard it felt as thoigh my teeth were being pulled out one by one.
would not go back.

most disgusting starch dish i have ever had. we went here as a party of four: overall the service was subpar, and the food was not worth the money.... also, there was a weird smell all of us noticed upon walking in. we all concluded it smelled like a dirty bathroom in the entire dining room. something that concerned us all about the facility (maybe a toilet blew up somewhere).

1) service: i had told the hostess on the side that we were celebrating a birthday, and she assured us the waiter would be informed so we wouldn't have to mention it in front of the birthday person. she said they would provide a complimentary dessert with a candle. it never happened. we were even charged for the dessert we ordered. the waiter was inattentive and unsociable. he took our order, and served without us even checking in to see how the food was. i waited the entire meal for him to come by so i could tell him something was wrong with my food. he never came until it was too late to even bother complaining. the restaurant wasn't even full, and it was a monday night. among the worst services at a fine dining restaurant we have ever had.

2) food quality: we each ordered a different dish. i had braised beef short ribs that came with a squash cannelloni as a starch, and a broccollini veggie side. the beef short ribs were very good (but how can you really mess up a braised dish?). the meat fell apart nicely when you cut into it, and the broccollini was cooked well. but the cannelloni it came with tasted like raw flour, filling and all. it was weird because the pasta shell was really mushy and overcooked, but the whole thing had a very weird, off-taste to it. i have never tasted any starch or pasta dish that bad before. it was awful. i even had my fiance try it, who usually eats almost anything, and he hated it. i wanted to like it so much (i love cannelloni or any pasta, squash or potato puree - so how can you go wrong?), but i have never had anything from a restaurant taste so disgusting in my life. we likened it to raw flour, as if someone mixed raw flour into the filling?? i made sure neither of us touched it anymore because i was worried we might get food poisoning from the cannelloni. i usually don't send food back, but this time i wanted to send it back but the waiter never came to check on us, so i just finished the beef and vegetables and left the entire cannelloni (i didn't want to make a fuss especially with our friends around). but he never came back until it was time to take everyone's empty plates. he never even mentioned or asked why my cannelloni was pretty much untouched. i was really disappointed in the service. i never had a chance to even express to the waiter how i was served raw flour in my starch dish. i let him take it away without saying a word, because it was getting late into the evening.

the rest of the food: the pheasant, like other reviews stated, was dry and tasted like chicken. apparently the yam puree it came with was good though. overall our party rated it not worth the $33 they charged.

the featured fish dish (steelhead trout), was okay but nothing to sing home about for $30. anyone could easily take a piece of store-bought salmon, stick it in the oven, come out with something like what they served. it tasted like a cheap piece of salmon.

the broek pork was actually pretty decent. i usually don't go for pork chops because they are often tough and dry. but this one was pretty tender and nicely marinated. it came with a tasty side of braised kale. this was $29, and probably the best of the four dishes. my beef short ribs would have been my favorite if it wasn't for the gigantic piece of raw dough in the middle of the plate that pretty ruined my palette and the entire dish.

dessert was okay, it was the chocolate and peanut butter pate. themenusaid it came with roasted peanuts, but there wasn't a single peanut. they did sprinkle little flower petals all over the dessert which frankly made it really annoying to eat around.

oh, and before i forget, their appetizers: we got the duck duo (duck pate and duck chorizo sausage), which was super pretentious - the pate was not good. i have had much better elsewhere. this one tasted too 'livery' - a good pate (especially foie gras) does not have that strong liver taste. even if its made of fattened liver, it should taste smooth and rich, not bitter. the chorizo duck sausage didn't taste like anything special. not worth the $16 they charge.

the shimp/crab corn fritters were decent, but overpriced. 5 balls of little fritters for $15... okay but not a great price for what you get.

overall: like other people, we agree its not worth the money. there are some decent dishes, but with all of the hit and misses on their menu, i wouldn't eat here again if i can help it.

the first time i went to this restaurant should have been a red flag, when they coated my steak so heavily with peppercorn, it burned my throat and mouth. i couldn't even taste the actual meat, and sadly couldn't finish the dish - i hate wasting food.

all 4 of us regretted coming here. we wish we went for a nice affordable place with less pretentious food, and doesn't serve raw flour to you.

also, the smell of rotten toilet didn't help.

a spectacular meal. my husband surprised me with dinner at alloy for our 5th wedding anniversary. although the place is rather unassuming from the outside, the interior is beautiful and reminiscent of cherry blossoms. we were given complimentary champagne by our server and the service throughout the night was amazing. themenuis spectacular and we found it difficult to choose but we had the the calamari, the roasted tomato soup, and the crab and shrimp corn fritters to start. all of them were delicious, but the calamari was my personal favourite. for our mains i had the shellfish and my husband had the broek pork. the scallops in my dish were the most perfect i have had to date and i really enjoyed the dish as a whole. i am not a huge meatatarian by any means but that pork chop was devine!!! also, the pork main is quite large. even though we were ridiculously full, we still went for dessert and the peanut butter and chocolate desert was amazing. this is a beautiful restaurant with amazing food! foodies' delight!

generous and tasty. as one walks through the door you are transported into a beautiful venue. our meal began with olives, hummus and warm bread. it took some discipline not to eat it all and leave room for the rest of the meal. my husband had the lobster salad which was okay but he would have liked more lobster. i had the roasted tomato soup. my husband followed with the beef short ribs and i had the broek pork. the meals were really well done and generous. both of us were unable to finish our meals so we'll have a good lunch tomorrow! we looked at the dessertmenuand were tempted by the strawberry option but way too full. we look forward to going again.