Location: Red Door Bistro 
607 – 11th Avenue S.W., Calgary Alberta
403-233-2433
http://www.reddoorbistro.com
Author: My Husband
It has been a busy two weeks. Between starting a new engagement in Calgary and finishing up some proposal development work, there was little time left for anything other than sleeping and eating.
And the eating in Calgary hasn’t been much to write home about. It has been a blur of fast food and quick bites, punctuated by a couple of beer stops at Schanks to take the edge off… A leisurely dinner was not on the cards until the proposal was finished, and in my business, proposals always have to be finished ASAP.
Late Thursday evening, the proposal work was done. To be honest, after 10 days of pulling double shifts, it felt a little strange not having any work to do at night. But then again, for the first time in two weeks, I could finally think about having a decent dinner. Not knowing where to go, and feeling hungry, I quickly scanned calgaryrestaurants.ca and found the Red Door Bistro. The restaurant’s online menu – which looked good, and its location – pretty close to mine, quickly sealed the deal for me. I was soon on my way there.
As it turned out, the Red Door Bistro is located in a part of town that is home to many dining establishments. However, none of them looked particularly full. Stepping into the Red Door Bistro, which was a pretty big space, only a handful of tables were occupied. I was hungry, so I wasn’t going to second guess my choice of dining venue – “let the chips fall where they may”, I thought. Décor wise, the place looked like a cross between a saloon and a bistro, which was pretty interesting. Quite apt actually, since in my mind, Alberta is to Canada what Texas is to the US.
Ok, the food.
To start, steamed gallo mussels served in a broth made with bits of chorizo and sherry. The mussels were very fresh and fleshy, but the broth – garlicky, underseasoned, no particular taste characteristics otherwise – didn’t do anything for me. The side of fries that came with it was very good. Based solely on the freshness of the mussels, I would consider this dish average.
The main course was more successful. The smoked bone-in pork chop was highly recommended by my waiter. In his words, “you can get steak anywhere in Calgary, but this pork chop is quite different”. The meat was cooked medium well, with just a bit of pink left in the center, and was quite tender. Smokey flavours came through clearly, and the apple chutney and raspberry mustard complemented the meat very well.
The meal was accompanied by an Erdinger Weissbier. Highly carbonated, a little sweet, with a creamy mouthfeel – it went very well with the pork. I like this and plan to look for it in the liquor store.
All in all, it was not a bad meal. I still have a number of upcoming trips – so to our readers from Calgary, if you have any advice or suggestions on restaurants in your fair city that I could try, I would really welcome them. 
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