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The Belvedere
Category: Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Canadian (Traditional) [Edit]
107 8 Ave SWCalgary, AB T2P 1B4
(403) 265-9595
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sat 5 pm - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for The Belvedere
10 reviews in English
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Review from Nick S.
11/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was invited here for a private function to network with industry colleagues after work.
The event was the type that I prefer: thankfully not a sit-down affair, it instead was mingling, cocktails, and roving appetizers.
The restaurant was closed to the public, so the table area remained unoccupied. Instead, the 50 or so attendees stayed within close proximity of the bar (of course).
For the type of event it was, I thought the venue was ideal.
As the sun set, the Belvedere became an intimate, appropriately lit space, where wine and spirits poured as freely as you wanted them to.
Waiters continuously scanned the room to top up wine glasses.
You wanted something else? Just ask a waiter or the bartender. I don't think any spirit was off limits. I did consider a gin martini, or a single malt, but stayed the course with my Cabernet.
As much as the wine-waiters roamed, so did the appetizer platters.
What impressed me was the quality of appetizers we were being served. Great variety and flavors.
With one I noticed the truffle oil, and appreciated the "spare no expense to impress" attitude of the chefs (though personally I can do without truffle oil).
This is in direct contrast to an event I attended 2 hours earlier, where we were being served deep fried anything for app's. Spring rolls, tempura shrimp, and the like.
I highly recommend the Belvedere to host a smaller corporate mixer. Give them the budget, and they will NOT disappoint.
1/30 -
Review from Marc K.
Cochrane, AB
10/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is an up-scale restaurant & bar within the Calgary Downtown Core at Steven Ave and so are the prices.
The food as well as the service might be outstanding but personally I would not chose this restaurant again as it is pricey.
If you want to be seen this might be the place to go. -
Review from Terry P.
Calgary, AB
1/4/2012
What a disappointment! We have been to Belvedere many times before and that's why we chose it to celebrate my Husband's birthday and ring in the new year! We decided to go with the 5 course menu ($70/person). Being foodies, our expectations WERE high and we expected there to be enough food to satisfy us (we are not big eaters and EVERY other restaurant we have done this at, we've had plenty to eat!) I have to give them credit for serving very good food but, there was so much else lacking. Our waiter kept returning because he forgot what we ordered or wrote too small and couldn't read it. The portions were abismal. One of my mains was 1 chop from a rack of lamb (about 1 ounce) and the other was 4 tortellini. Both were great but, really, did they think that would be enough? Hardly enought to satisfy even my meagre appetite. The dessert was very hearty but too sweet to eat it all (sticky toffee pudding-and i have had better)
We thought we could salvage the night by telling the manager but his arrogance only made it worse. His comment was to the effect; the restaurant is full so it couldn't be bad and they can't please everyone. he said he would discuss this with the chef and decide if our comments were justified. What? Really?? If this had happened at Rouge or Notable or Muse or any other fine restaurants we frequent, they would not have let us leave unhappy. We have been to Gordon Ramsay restaurants and they would NEVER even allow it to get that far...it would have been dealt with at the server level. Our server was not equipped or prepared to deal with this.
As for the "manager"; No apology, no attempt to appease us and he dismissed us by saying he was not the manager but the owner! Well, that made it all better...not! For a meal that cost 3 of us $270.00, it was a big disappointment. There are so many better restaurants in Calgary, this is the last time I will visit this one! -
Review from Koz T.
Calgary, AB
10/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Perhaps the most positive thing that I can say about this place is that maybe its better during dinner hour. We hit this spot up for a work lunch and frankly it was preposterous. The ambiance is great and the layout is inviting but the menu is small and food quality is marginal. The recipes on the menu were creative enough but the execution (at lunch hour) was unacceptable given the prices. We won't be back for lunch.
-
Review from Helene R.
Calgary, AB
5/18/2011
Yesterday I put on my fancy pants and ventured out for a romantic lunch with the man at the elusive Belvedere. Located on Steven Ave, it is kinda hard to miss, their name is on a plaque on a wall, very European, and tres chic...We had no problem finding it once we spotted a young group of wasps, all decked out in their crisp white shirts and ties out on the patio. We ventured inside as there was a slight wind.
There was practically no one inside, just a table of 2 and us. I guess I could understand why, for lunch it is a pricey place. There was no host to greet us, in fact our waitress seated us and she was nice but found her kind of lacking in the personality department. She did her job and was professional so really I can't complain.
Here is where Mr. Belvedere gets docked points. I checked out the menu on-line prior to the visit and it is not reflected in the menu accurately in house, sorry, MINUS 0.5 POINTS for leading me on. It is very close but there was no coconut curry soup, which I really wanted to try, and no soft poached quail egg salad, something my hubby wanted to try. So we were a bit disappointed but we ordered the prawn salad instead. It was very good, not awesome but the warm contrast from the shrimp and the bitterness of the greens worked well together. Beware though, if you hate garlic, stay away!!!!
I was also disappointed to see no chicken on the lunch menu, it is on the dinner menu but they won't serve it at lunch, boooo. There were a couple of decent offerings but nothing really caught my interest so I opted for the tenderloin and hubby had the burger. The tenderloin was fantastic, I will give credit where credit is due, however they did not include the mushrooms that were listed on the description, asparagus was good but I really wanted shrooms! MINUS 0.5 STARS. I would have mentioned it to the waitress but we were running short on time and they do close at 2pm for lunch and didn't want to wait for mushrooms while my steak got cold. Hubby said the burger was great but the fries were cold, and for $18 not something he would come back for (he didn't like that it is topped with foie gras but made no issue about it after the fact).
I had a chance to look over the desert menu while we were finishing up our lunch and being a fan of both sticky toffee pudding and creme brulee, we ordered both. I have to say they were both very generous in serving size but way underwhelming : ( Sorry MINUS 0.5 STARS. The sticky toffee pudding was very heavy, almost too heavy and not enough sauce to moisten it up and no ice cream to counterbalance the stickiness of it, just a dollop of cream on top, so hubby never finished it and that is RARE! My creme brulee really had potential, but there was so much crispy sugar on top that it interfered with the taste of the custard which for a creme brulee was almost pudding like, too thick and I could swear that it must have been thickened with cornstarch as a shortcut to using pure cream and eggs which gives a creamier and more balanced custard. The custard itself had a strange sour taste, I assume it was the elderberry and totally ruined it for me. If they stuck to a classic vanilla custard and had a nice scoop of home made vanilla ice cream for the sticky toffee, these two deserts would have gone from mediocre to stellar.
The food was good and for an upscale restaurant, it is not overly pricey but also not some place you can regularly go to if you fancy it. Parking is somewhat an issue, being in the downtown core, I ended up parking in a private lot and dropping about $10 for 1.5 hours of fine dining. Bill came out to just under $100 and this is with no booze. Would I come back? Maybe. Is the Belvedere going to be something I rave to all my friends about? Well, put it this way, I am not going to bash Mr. Belvedere, it was very very good and I loved the old charm of the building it is tucked into, I just wish that after seeing the rave reviews from other yelpers, I was hoping that it would be my next favourite restaurant, unfortunately it didn't quite make the cut for me
A solid 3.5 stars, I could have bumped you up to a 4 if you took care of the parking! -
Review from Kevin D.
Toronto, ON
1/22/2010
THE BEST FINE DINING IN CALGARY.
I had the pleasure of being treated to a dinner for four at Belvedere and was thoroughly impressed. A word of warning: Belvedere is not for the faint of wallet. You're looking at roughly $200 per person, depending on the wine.
I savoured the Filet Mignon as my main course, accompanied by Foie Gras and it was OUTSTANDING! Belvedere is blessed to be one of the few restaurants in Canada to serve Canadian Prime Beef (the REAL good stuff, above AAA).
The wine list (or bible it's more like) is incredible, but also financially humbling. I was treated to the 2003 Tom Eddy Cabernet and it send my taste buds soaring to the stratosphere with my Filet and Foie Gras.. -
Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
5/21/2009
Wow! The Belvedere is such a wonderful restaurant. It was my first time being at The Belvedere today for a business lunch. The food served was top-notch and with such formality and flair. Service was superb.
I had the Lamb Shoulder - so tender on a bed of delicately cooked white beans and green beans. My colleague had the Beef Tenderloin and he was in heaven when he had his first bite.
We opted for dessert: I had the Flourless Hazelnut Torte, warm and dripping with caramel sauce; the icecream, sauce and strawberry so pleasing with the palate and the eye. My colleage had the Chef's Tasting of Chocolate - a platter of fine hand made chocolates and 2 scoops of different chocolate icecreams. He enjoyed his dessert a lot.
I will definitely go back to The Belvedere! -
Review from Zoe L.
Calgary, AB
12/12/2009
My Husband and I recently went to The Belvedere for our Anniversary. There isn't much I can say besides, unforgettable! I highly recommend a reservation and apparently they offer a complimentary parking service which you are supposed to ask about when booking.
The first time we ever went here was the night my Husband asked me to marry him, since then we have returned numerous times, usually going for our anniversary. We had a hard time finding the restaurant the first time we went because all there is only a small Belvedere sign on the side of the building. It almost had an exclusive feeling to it. The setting inside is very upscale but intimate. The lighting dim, with a skylight above the interior room. The main area seats approximately 30 people.
Their wine selection is extensive, they have affordable bottles and well as top dollar options. The servers are very knowledgeable in all aspects. The menu is always changing, the food always made from scratch. When we were there last, I had the best elk steak I have ever had, it melted in my mouth! The whole dish was good, the mashed turnip and raspberry brandy reduction. We shared a maple cheesecake for dessert, again rich and delicious! Every other time I have been here it has always been, like I said, unforgettable!
I have no doubt in my mind that The Belvedere is the place to go and spoil yourself with the most amazing food and wine! I will continue to find reasons to go back! -
Review from Doug A.
9/16/2010
Excellent restaurant with a very creative menu. While visiting town I found this place on Yelp and gave it a try. Everything I had was awesome including the Elk tartare. YUM
-
Review from Starsia E.
Calgary, AB
4/10/2011
With the exception of one bad experience with a snotty bartender who tried to tell us wine that tasted like rotten glue hadn't gone bad and refusing to take it back for a new glass every other visit has been amazing. They have this wonderful seating at the front that is made of giant couches and comfy seats. The bartenders are usually extremely knowledgeable and more than accommodating. They have lots of top shelf liquor to make martinis with and they will make you any other drink you ask for including one I made up years ago. The wine bible offers more wine choices than you could ever want. Their deserts are YUMMY! The dinner menu is pretty good but the service and presentation makes up for it. This restaurant/bar is worth the trip and the money. If you go on a bad night it is rare so absolutely give it another try. All and all the price tag is high but they make it worth every penny and then some.
