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Cassis Bistro
Category: Restaurants French French [Edit]
2505 17th Ave SWSte 105
Calgary, AB T5E 7V3
(403) 262-0036
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 11:30 am - 2 pm
Tue-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
18 reviews for Cassis Bistro
Review Highlights
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"...with potatoes and green beans and chicken basquaise." In 3 reviews -
"...is attached to "La Casel Marche" a beautiful market which I..." In 3 reviews -
"In fact, the market provides much of its food." In 5 reviews
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18 reviews in English
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Review from Jillian G.
Calgary, AB
4/21/2012
If you are looking to eat the best food in the city, look no further. I absolutely am not over stating... This is simple, fresh, expertly created/crafted, DELICIOUS food - period.
Each time I sit down at this restaurant, my mouth waters with what awaits me. Maybe today the plat du jour is beef bourgeon, moules frites, or an omelette! I am never disappointed. The experienced, knowledgeable and lovely servers make sure you are always making the right choice for your meal and pairings.
The cozy atmosphere has 2 experiences - the bright cheery, maybe you are in the south France, delightful feel during the day OR the intimate, energy filled, sexy, fun feel in the evening.
You should make a reservations, but the amazing owners Gilles and Andrea try so very hard to get everyone in and will never rush you out of your table. This sometimes translates into some waiting, but your patience will be rewarded 10-fold!! While you are waiting you may be offered a glass of rosé or bubbly and most likely you'll make a new friend waiting with you.
Come with family, friends, large or small groups, young or old - Cassis will make the experience more than memorable, I promise you.
There is plenty of parking - either on the street out in front of the restaurant or on the streets in the neighbourhood, there is also underground parking for a small fee ($3.00) in which you are escorted at the end of your meal if it is after hours for the Marché.
Get yourself over there! -
Review from Angelo T.
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
The first time I stepped in Cassis it was for a Yelp CMYE and we were seated by the bar, a place where people who didn't make reservations had to eat. It was small but I think it's the best spot in the restaurant if you want great conversation with your guests and the folks that worked there, who I'd like to say, is SHARPLY dressed. Seriously, it's like being served by the cover celebrities of GQ and Marie Claire , except they're even more cool and knowledgeable than the bland personalities of magazine paper.
We happened to catch Cassis within the week they transitiioned from their winter menu to their spring menu. It's small but leaves you enough variety in case you weren't feeling meat, or fish, or the more elusively mythical meat-fish. Even though it's a plate full of cruelty, I couldn't resist getting the foie gras as a starter. A tiny dish, but perfectly made for nibbling and jogging the palate. I had their market dish for the day, which was a rabbit stew with rice and vegetables while my mom had their provencal Halibut. Both were in moderate proportions. My rabbit dish was rich and while it seemed simple, but perfectly expressed rich flavour. Had I grown up eating this, I'm pretty sure I would've had a seizure on the spot. My mom was often picky about her fish, but really loved her Halibut.
For dessert I had a chocolate mousse that was amazing. So amazing I'm going to butcher the end of this review by attempting to pull "A Moveable Feast" Hemingway-esque description:
"I snapped up a picture of the mousse, hoping it would be something I can use for conversation with people I had no business talking to. Finally I took my teaspoon and purposely dug into with courage, scooping the mousse into my mouth. It was sweet and rich, but I had to force myself into a sitting stone. I took another bite again and refused to let go as it slid down my throat. I looked to their wall and mindlessly watched a 60's noir and wished I had lived another time as a man..."
Underdog Challenge 16/30
I know...ewww -
Review from Jeff H.
Calgary, AB
3/5/2012
I have had the pleasure of dining at Cassis twice now. I knew the owner as a pleasant server at The Living Room so wanted to try his restaurant when he ventured out on his own.
The location is funky-sort of off the beaten track but centralish and the room is funky in its minimalistic way.
Our last visit was a table for 10 and they accepted a reservation for us on a Sunday. On the phone they suggested we accept the chefs dinner. I commented that it would be 8/10 peoples first visit and they would surely prefer to decide from the menu. Again when we arrived there was pressure to order the 5 course chef's menu. I was told by the waitress that the kitchen was small and for a table of this size it would be best to order the chefs 5 course menu. I informed her that there were many tastes at the table and that we would prefer 'a la carte'. This is not a problem but we know next time that they prefer large groups to go from a set menu. We appreciated that they would make a concession to this 'rule'.
The menu was perfect and offered something for everyone. The wines we chose were amazing and paired perfectly with the food. The service was fine acknowledging that we had upset the flow so to speak. I am a fan of Gilles and his new restaurant and look forward to having a lunch there next time. -
Review from Allison S.
Calgary, AB
3/2/2012
Cassis offered wonderful food, and very expert servers, who know a great deal about what they're serving, and about their wine selection. This is no small accomplishment; too many restaurants want to "push" a particular wine, and servers often have no knowledge of food pairings. Cassis has this down to a science.
Now for the negative: it is a small, packed place, and noise level is unbelievable. Much like when a live band sets up and overpowers the enjoyment of everything else, the din of everyone crammed into that small space made normal conversation almost impossible. Also, they have an interesting design element of a screen showing silent movies -- we were seated right next to the screen, and if you are the unfortunate diner facing the screen, you will get motion-sick trying to focus on your companion while attempting to ignore Yves Montand and his antics on film.
I'll be back when their patio is open, or at a "slow" time when it's not quite so populated. I know they were trying for the vibe of a busy French bistro; when the noise level detracts from the experience (and the food), then you've got a problem. -
Review from Krista R.
Calgary, AB
2/2/2012
The good:
-Beautiful and comfortable space. Lots of natural light and a decent view.
-House red was really delicious and a great lunch time treat.
-Best olives I've had at a restaurant in Calgary, hands down.
The mediocre:
-The waiter failed to bring us one of our appetizers, but he didn't actually charge us for it, so not a big deal.
-We had to ask for bread (staple in French restaurants)
-The side salad was super salty. Maybe it accidentally got double salted?
Despite the mediocre, I will be back! -
Review from Lindsay B.
Calgary, AB
3/22/2012
Had an extremely enjoyable meal at Cassis. The French Onion Soup was truly French - delicious. The sea bass was cooked to perfection and the Iles Flottantes dessert, shared by all four of us, was quite delightful. How do you make meringue that melts like that?
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Review from Jenn D.
10/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is seriously as good as it gets! The quality of everything about your experience here is nothing short of the best. The staff become your friends, the food takes you on a journey, the store is everything you could ever want. I just love it! Love it
.Listed in: Nothing Beats A Great…
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Review from Denise M.
2/18/2012
Best steak frite outside of Paris. The other best part was the attentive service by the French waiters - our group really enjoyed the attention. This is a great room that is beautifully decorated. The menu is simple and the wine list compliments that. Make sure to reserve as it is a smaller room and fills up quickly!
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Review from Gracie d.
Calgary, AB
7/31/2011 ROTD 1/22/2012
I really enjoy European food so when I read about Cassis Bistro in a recent FFWD review, I was very eager to try it out. My last experiences with French food have been disappointing. Most of the French food in Calgary is usually very salty, fatty and served with a lot of heavy sauces.
The FFWD review suggested making reservations... I did reserve a table for 2 for Friday night but we were late so we ended up waiting for a few minutes. While we waited, the owner (Gilles) graciously gave us a complimentary beverage of choice (I enjoyed a Rose Brut and my boyfriend had a small pint of Kronenbourg Blanc 1664, a white, lemony-tasting beer perfect for summer sipping)
Cassis' menu is well-thought (not too many items) and combines simple, regional ingredients to produce simple, clean tastes on your palate. I like that their ingredients are available to purchase at Casel Marche (the adjoining market). To start, we tried the prosciutto stuffed calamari and the Alberta beef tartare. The calamari and bacon flavor of the prosciutto were a perfect pairing with the butter leaf lettuce salad and its light vinagrette. My boyfriend loved the beef tartare served with toasted pieces of thinly cut baguette: It had the right amount of acidity/ caper/ salty balance. Probably the best tartare we've had in the city!
Our mains were also a great success: Manitoba pickerel with potatoes and green beans and chicken basquaise. Both proteins were cooked perfectly. Again, there was an emphasis on clean, fresh tasting notes and plating. The decor of Cassis compliments its dishes well; simple grey walls with framed photos of French landmarks and floating maple shelves adorned with French books/ decor and fresh flower vases. There is also a touch of humor with the projector silently playing French black and white films with subtitles on the back wall.
Service-wise, Cassis reminds me of Una's style of "team" serving (btw, Una recently won best service in the city). Our waiter was attentive and pleasantly friendly. He made an excellent wine recommendation from the Bourgogne/ Burgungy region of France for our meal.
Cassis is a great bistro for a first date, an intimate meal or a small group gathering. It definitely adds a fresh take on French food in the city. I look forward to trying brunch, lunch and another dinner (or more!) at Cassis. -
Review from Wendy P.
Attached to Market 17, Cassis Bistro is the restaurant portion of the Casel development on the corner of 17th Ave and 24th St. I had initially popped in last Friday to try it out, but alas, it was closed for a private function. My next opportunity was for a late lunch this week.
I turned left as if to head to Crowchild S. There's 1 hr parking available right out front, but it was full! I drove onward, hoping I wouldn't end up on the freeway when all I wanted was a little lunch. As luck would have it, there was a residential street to turn onto just after the big lilac bush. And it wasn't 1 hr parking. Score!
I walked in and took a seat. First impression of the bistro: it's cute and airy, reminds me of summer. There's a French radio station playing. I gather it's a French version of an "easy rock" kind of station. Except it's not rock music at all. But it's fitting for the setting. The staff even speak French. There's a patio on the side that I'd love to eat out on once the sun comes out, but it wasn't open on my visit. There's a large white wall on the far end with a white frame around it. Is there a projector housed in the ceiling above I wonder? I admired the flowers growing in the window boxes as I waited.
Looking at the menu, it seems to follow a trend I'm seeing in new restaurants. A few entrees to choose from, some starters, bites to share and a selection of sides. The entrees sound tempting, but are a bit out of my lunch time price range. I settle on a Nicoise salad and the soup of the day, cream of asparagus.
Another trend in Calgary, paying for filtered water, either sparkling or non. Here it's $1 per person for unlimited of either. Somewhere along the line I've come to enjoy sparkling water. It makes me feel more fancy and grown up.
The food was so pretty, I almost didn't want to ruin it by running utensils through each of my dishes in order to try some. I started with the asparagus soup. If ever there's a way to make a cream soup seem light, Cassis found it. Whatever the bit of spice sprinkled on the top added a delightful pinch of extra flavour to my spoonfuls. The Nicoise salad was a mixture of lettuce, market green beans, potatoes, egg, anchovy and tuna confit. It was a bold play for my tastebuds, that's for sure! Finding the right level of saltiness for any dish is hard, and I felt like about 3/4 of the amount of tuna confit used in the salad would've been about right for me. At any rate, we all have different preferences on that front.
The ingredients for the food all comes from Market 17, so dishes change day to day depending on what's available in the market. Great for a lunch spot, now to try it for dinner. -
Review from Cassie N.
Calgary, AB
12/6/2011
Today I had the pleasure of going to Cassis Bistro Located on 2505 17th Ave SW in Calgary or incase you prefer to go off of landmarks, it's on the main floor of Casel Marché. The Bistro is small but quaint with tables nicely lined along the walls and in the middle, some tables with half side of a booth or tables each with a metal chair accompanied with a soft pillow to sit on. It is really cute and quaint.
Our waitress was lovely and super friendly, on the ball and attentive. For a starter we ordered Champignon a la Grecque, which consisted of Lemon, olive oil, Thyme, White wine, tomato and coriander seed with freshly sliced baguette to go with it. It was delicious. We ran out of bread before we ran out of food, so the waitress kindly gave us more (without us asking). We both ordered Americano coffee's to drink, and let me tell you it was so delicious that I had to order a second one. I had anticipated paying about $6-8 for the coffee, and was pleasantly surprised to see the each drink was $3 each - had I know I may have requested 6 cups more; just delicious!
For a main I had Croque Madame (warm sandwich) that had béchamel, ham, cheese, friend egg with a mixed Salad on the side. My first bite, I tried it without the egg and it was delicious, the bread was toasted to perfection and the cheese on top was still warm and savoury. Second bite I tried with the egg and broke the yolk. Unfortunately the added flavour of egg yolk kind of ruined the deliciousness that I had originally tasted, I removed the egg afterward and continued to eat it without it. As I made my way to the end the bread had become a bit soggy, and the wet taste of bread along with the cheese and béchamel was really unenjoyable. Maybe because I'm a slow eater and should have been eating faster and stopped talking to the company I was with, that it turned out that way. Nonetheless no one to blame for that but myself. The salad was delicious as well, it complimented the flavours nicely.
For a dessert I shared the lemon tart. I was really looking forward to be blown away by it but it kind of fell short. I really wanted that real taste of lemon - it was there, just not a big enough pop of flavour in my mouth, the sourness of it was perfect though. I half expected the lemon to kind of "melt in your mouth" although that wasn't the case, it was too cold from the fridge that it had been sitting in. Would I have it again? Probably not, but it was good enough to have, and to say I'd tried it.
Overall the experience and service was excellent. The food was great, and it was well worth the money we spent. I'd strongly advise anyone looking to have a delicious, authentic french meal to go here, you certainly won't regret it. -
Review from Erin D.
7/30/2011 ROTD 5/23/2012
My fellow Yelpers, this is as good as it gets in my humble opinion. I love food in all incarnations but for me this was one of the best meals I have EVER had in this city. I couldn't help feel like this was the level of restaurant every Calgary restaurant aspires to be. Cassis Bistro comes by its success with ease through its non-pretentious simple, elegant surroundings and pure presentation of exceptional food. I don't even know where to begin, so I will start by saying its owners Gilles Brassard and Dominique Moussou have given Calgarians a gift and you should thank them for it by making a reservation with them immediately.
The restaurant is attached to "La Casel Marche" a beautiful market which I will review separately. In fact, the market provides much of its food. It is a small bistro with a limited amount of tables and for dinner offers two seating's per evening. One is at 6:00 PM and one at 8:00 PM. We sat at six and honest to god it was a two hours I won't soon forget. We started with "Bites" including a lovely Black Olive Tapenade paired with some delicious and buttery croutons, Gilles also let us sample the Roasted Red Bell Peppers, which were equally as wonderful. We followed up with some shared starters, which were nothing short of perfection. We shared the Sautéed Shrimp, which were perfectly cooked with a nice salty taste to them with just hint of spice. We also shared the Charcuterie, which offered a duck rillette that influenced my first audible gasp of the night! What did me in however was the Calamari de Régine, which were bite sized pieces of prosciuitto ham wrapped in calamari, seriously, I can't even get into how good it was, I would just suggest ordering it and eating it in one bite. You will thank me, it was served over arugula and zucchini pasta which we ate every last bite of. For our entrees we chose a variety of dishes, I chose the halibut which was special for that evening, it was brushed with an incredible olive tapenade and honest to goodness, I got goosebumps eating it. We finished the meal sharing 4 different desserts, which were of course fabulous.
I also need to mention that the service was exceptional; it was attentive, non-intrusive and quick. There wasn't a moment of the entire two hours where I had to wonder where anything was. Our drinks stayed full the entire time, our bread was replaced before we knew we had run out and our courses arrived with near military precision. This is incredibly important to me when dining out and something I think is sorely lacking in Calgary's fine dining scene. I can't tell you the amount of disappointing meals I have had based solely on bad, inattentive service.
I am a bit of a lazy reviewer, but I literally felt obliged to RUN home and share all this with you because it was that good. There will be a time very shortly where it will become incredibly difficult to get a seating at this restaurant. The couple that sat next to us included a woman who mentioned she was a chef herself for some notably impressive restaurants in Calgary and Vancouver and her and her dining partner were beside themselves at the table next to us. Gilles mentioned that Calgary is missing French cuisine and I wholeheartedly agree with him, he described his concept as mid-range French dining which as I mentioned before is a special gift. Please bring your family and friends and enjoy, this was the first time in a long time I felt complete satisfaction leaving a restaurant, thank you Cassis Bistro!!Listed in: Get What You Pay For!
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Review from Mia T.
8/7/2011
What a cute little place this is! Was in the area with a friend who just bought a place down the street and decided to try it out, since im never in this particular part of town. We strolled around Market 17 (like a completely organic Sunterra Market) and around the other side of the wall is Cassis..no doors, you can stroll right in. The restaurant itself is not very big, but nice, clean and simple. They offer water for $1, it comes still or sparkling and they do it in house. Its a big bottle people, but im sure if you wanted just tap water they would oblige.
I had the Pissaladiere and my friend had the Quiche which was mushroom and carmelized onion. Both came with a salad, that was made of butter lettuce (my fave) and green beans. Our meals, are quite similar, mine being more simple, a whole buch of carmelized onions, a few roasted peppers and anchovy on a flaky pastry crust. The anchovy was suprisingly not overwhleming. Both were to DIE for. All the ingredients were fresh, and you can tell its home made. For dessert we had coffee(i believe they have only americanos) they serve you warm milk, so it doesnt cool your drink. Very good, not bitter as I always expect americanos to be.for dessert, we had two pastries, shaped like beignets(french donuts).One had a traditonal cream the other a hazelnut filling. ... crazy delicious! The fillings were not too sweet, and smooth. Just the right amount of filling to beignet ratio. I also love that the menu isnt too big, which can be overwhelming...now to try everything else on offer! -
Review from Samuel S.
Calgary, AB
10/5/2011
I am arguably the laziest restaurant "critic" (read:enthusiast) in Calgary. To be sure, it took me 5 months to complete my 300-word review of the Living Room. In my own defense, as a parent of 2.5 kids I don't go out very often. (I have been out for dinner exactly twice since April-I owe you all a review of Bonterra, which I will work on recalling through the alcoholic haze-the short review is "meh")
Chalk it up to coincidence, then, that my salubrious experience at the Cassis Bistro was thanks in part to the same waiter (Gilles?) I raved about at the Living Room. I think he owns/manages this particular joint. The dude (homme) seems to know what he's doing (though he didn't wait my table this night)
Cassis is in a new medium-rise condo building about 4 blocks from my house-I have been to this location a couple of times to check out the neat but blatantly overpriced Market 17 ($17.50/lb for Kicking Horse coffee? C'mon.). You'll find the (equally expensive) J Webb Wine Market there as well.
Cassis is located neatly at the back of the market, and they've done a good job with the small space (I guessed it would seat 30-40 people at full capacity). It's a bistro, remember...which means "hurry the hell up" in Cossack.
Seating was prompt, but we were the first ones to arrive for dinner at the decidedly unhip hour of 5:30 (had a talk to attend at 7:30, though). It's a buck for still or sparkling water, but it works and it keeps the wait staff attentive somehow. Plus, you should drink more water anyway especially when you're boozing it up.
Speaking of which, I ordered a bourbon to get going...unavailable. Aw, dammit, that'll cost half a star. Got a scotch instead, then switched to so-so wine, and after that ordered an even worse draught beer to get the taste out of my mouth. ( the one draught beer available is 1664 Blanc-it was the first, and only time I will ever try it-no man could like this beer)
On to the menu-it's a one-pager, which I do like. Very (tres) French. There are about 4 entrees, several appetizers (which I skipped that night but made a note to try next time) And a "bites" menu, which is antipasto etc, for two. My ladyfriend and I shared the roasted red peppers and the lamb sausages, both were very good. She ordered the trout, and I the pork chop. The kitchen got it out to us quickly.
The pork was very, very good, well-plated, in a creamy hot mustard sauce. It came with whipped potatoes. Also had a side of roasted potatoes to share, which may have been a trifle salty for some, but they worked well for my deadened tastebuds.
By all means check Cassis out, I doubt you'll be dissappointed. Service is very good. They need a bit of work on their bar menu to satisfy a liquor enthusiast like myself (really they just need to get a bottle of bourbon or two). Allons-y! -
Review from Mike E.
Calgary, AB
9/16/2011
I like it a lot
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Review from Farnaz S.
Calgary, AB
11/24/2011
I first heard of Cassis in a glamorous review in FF. So when my girlfriends asked where we should go last night,I was quick to propose Cassis. I came here (Yelp) to read the reviews and was so happy with my choice after seeing all the 4-star and 5-star reviews. I was also impressed about the comments on the "friendly" service and how quickly you feel at home, the exceptional quality of the food, and even a comment on how they offer you wine, as a gesture of respect, when you arrive early and your table is not ready. So I was really looking forward to our dinner at Cassis.
I had the table booked for 7. When we arrived the table was not ready and there was another couple who were already waiting ahead of us. The room decor and lighting was as pleasant as I had read in other reviews, and the server offered me a drink. I was starting to feel happy that so far things were going according to the expectations! Okay, the table was not ready, but at least they offered a glass of wine, which is very generous, right? We actually ended up waiting for more than half an hour despite the reservation, and when the bill came I realized that they had charged for the glass of wine they "offered" while we were waiting for our table!
I like that the menu is short and straight forward - more like what the word "menu" stands for in French. But the items on menu were actually disappointing. Of the 5 "principle plates" on the menu, 2 were steaks (different variations) and 2 were fish. Only the last item, duck confit, had some French tone to it. But the taste did not impress any of us. I am not sure why the place is even claimed to be a French restaurant. Honestly, to me an onion soup on the menu, a printed recipe of Ratatouille on the wall in French (with a couple of mistakes ;), and the French accent of the sever/owner does not make a place "French"!
We ordered a number of hor d'oeuvre dishes. I would say the Beaf Tartar, a dish that I am assuming is taken from the Living Room was probably among the acceptable items. Although it was not as good as the one from the Living Room. My personal (and probably only) favorite dish was the mushroom hor d'oeuvre. I have to say, it was really out of this World and made a second order. That is actually what earned Cassis those 2 stars with me! The Calamari was a poor risotto-ish soup, minus the cheese. The merges was dry for my liking. The salad dressing was pleasant. But that wouldn't gain any star.
My worst experience was when I asked for a full-bodied red wine (oh, did I mention the first glass that I was "offered" was selected by the server? and hence my assumption for it being offered "free of charge"?) The server said they don't really have "something like that, but he'll see what he can do". (WHAT??? A French restaurant without even a basic variety of wine list???????)
Okay, but the best is yet to come: Towards the end of my glass of wine I notice a large amount of sediments at the bottom of my glass - which obviously disturbed me. And it wasn't even wine lees... it looked more like, hummm, those from a rusted cap. I am not sure what it was, but let me tell you, it was not pleasant at all. I played around with the glass to spread the little unknown particles in my glass to see if I can make anything out of them, but it didn't help. I was just curious to see how the server will react when he sees the glass. To my disbelief, he looked at the empty glass with all those particles stuck to its wall, picked it up, and asked me "so how was it?" to which I answered if he has seen what's happening in the glass... So he started to give me an education on how this is a natural part of a wine... I was really offended. I think I can tell lees from UFOs, but was trying to take it light and not ruin the night. So I answered jokingly, I would have appreciated if at least he'd tried not to pour it to my glass. And at this point he started to explain how busy he is and doesn't have time to think about these things. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?
My friend jokingly took out her cell-phone and told him if it is just natural, let's take a picture of it, at which point he quickly hid "the natural wine phenomenon" and said, "oh, no, no evidence!" And he started the tasteless joke of telling my friend she can instead write in her note pad the word "sediment" and if that's too hard for her to remember she can think of the word "Cinnamon". I have to say, I was really disturb at this point.
I was so sure that he is not going to charge me for any of the two wine glasses (for different reasons). But, well, I was proved to be wrong!
It might be the stress of a new business and the struggle to match the cash inflows with the outflows, but as the description for the Yelp 2-star suggests: I have been to better places. -
Review from David T.
Calgary, AB
11/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Given 9 out of 10 by John Gilchrist on 7/10/11 - well deserved. Unique cuisine. A bit noisy with the open plan. But delicious. Parking a bit odd around there.
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Review from Ian B.
Toronto, ON
8/19/2011
Beautiful food, friendly service, great wine and lively atmosphere. Good for two or a group.
