Living in Calgary, there is an expectation for us to be steak lovers. It's true for P, and V happily goes along for the ride. We did our Calgarian duty, with a visit to Modern Steak in Kensington. Modern Steak makes Alberta proud by sourcing all it's meat locally. The menu lists the different steaks by ranch, with features from Wetaskiwin, Picture Butte and Brant. However, it's atmosphere is miles away from the ranches. Modern is just the right word to describe the dimly lit, contemporary styled, three storey restaurant (so dimly lit, we had to use our phones to help light our photos!). Modern Steak goes the extra mile with unique touches like truffle oil popcorn at the table, and a case of steak knives to choose one from. These small things don't go unnoticed.
We happened to be there around Valentine's Day where they had a 4 course prix fixe menu. Sometimes it's nice to sit back and let restaurants choose for us, so we went for it! Before the first course was an amuse bouche of an oyster with caviar.
For an appetizer, V jumped at Butter Poached Prawns on a Saffron Risotto Cake. It came with a lemon buerre blanc sauce. The prawns were buttery as promised. The risotto cake was crisp on the outside and smooth on the inside, with hints of saffron throughout. Delish!
P got the Steak Tartare, but was spoiled previously by The Guild. The tartate was packed with a lemon punch, and was paired excellently with crispy crisps. P's standards have been raised, however, and he was complaining about the lack of bone marrow. This whole dining out thing might bite us in the behind if we're not careful! #EntitledMillenials?
Next up were two delicious salads. P chose the Caesar Salad. It had chunky bacon bits and a dressing with a garlic kick. The dressing evenly coated the lettuce while still leaving it crispy - a fine balance well executed. V ordered the Watermelon Carpaccio that was a total hit! Thinly shaved watermelon was accompanied by a dollop of ricotta cheese beside arugula coated in a basil vinaigrette, tossed with sunflower seeds. A fresh combination of sweet, savoury, bitter, crunchy and creamy. P always says "you don't win friends with salad", but in this case, he was eating his words!
Now for the meat of it all - the steaks! True to her style, V ordered the most tender and the tiniest piece of steak she could find. The Filet was evenly seared and caramelized all around - exactly what you'd want in a superstar steak. It was perfect medium-rare on the inside. The steak was smothered with just the right amount of truffle butter (although V can never have too much butter). It came with a ginormous pile of mashed potatoes and broccoli's high brow cousin, broccolini.
P, true to his style, got the biggest piece of steak the menu had to offer. The 12 oz Ribeye was one of the juiciest steaks P has ever had. The fat was perfectly rendered to give it that extra steak-y flavour. Just look at that picture - it says it all! P is craving it again while we write this post! (V: He just literally said "Aw man, I love steak so much!". No joke!)
Last but not least, was dessert. We got a Chocolate Strawberry Pana Cotta, and a Beet Genoise cake. The pana cotta was layered with chocolate at the bottom and strawberry on top. It was topped with lemon curd and hazelnut florentine, similar to brittle. We would be happy campers with a plate full of the florentine! The genoise was denser than your typical cake, but it was rich and complemented well by cream cheese frosting. In all honestly, if P had his way, he would have more steak for dessert. The steak was the highlight, just as it should be!
V's Final Word: I'm looking forward to going back and having a more "true" Modern Steak experience, and ordering from their regular menu. The table next to us got some awesome looking food!
P's Final Word: I love Modern Steak's concept of highlighting the different ranches that supply their steaks. My ribeye was from Ben's Beef in Picture Butte, AB. I'm going to have to go back and try the different cuts from Pine Haven Farms and Brant Lake Wagyu as well! The 36oz Tomahawk Ribeye is calling my name, too. I can finish that by myself, right?
Price Range: Prix Fixe menu at $89/person
Address: 107 10a St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4T3
Website: http://www.modernsteak.ca/