Where's the beef? Part II: Riding Calgary's Tasty Trails

The annual Calgary Stampede & Exhibition kicks off next week. While the raucous celebration of all things wild and western lives up to its claim as the greatest outdoor show on earth, it’s a sad but true fact that those interested in tasting really good cowboy cuisine will not find it at the Stampede.

Not to buck off the world’s largest rodeo – or all those corn dogs, mini donuts and free pancake breakfasts served up during Stampede week – but, for an authentic taste of Alberta, or more to the point, Alberta beef, you’ll need to leave the fairground.

A lot of folks in search of an authentic cookhouse atmosphere get no further than Buzzards. The rustic restaurant and bar a few blocks from the Stampede grounds is famous for its annual prairie oyster festival. Prairie oysters are a quaint euphemism for calf testicles, a novelty that – as far as I’m concerned – is best sampled with copious amounts of beer. Luckily, the adjoining pub boasts 80 different brews from around the world. Buzzards also serves up slabs of certified Angus beef and locally sourced buffalo meat burgers– all in big cowboy-sized portions. The food quality can be a bit dodgy but the live country music during Stampede makes up for it.

A little further away from the crowds of urban cowboys in their white Stetsons and clean jeans is Buchanan’s, a chophouse and whisky bar in the Eau Claire area with a neighbourhood feel, linen napkins and some of the city’s tastiest burgers and steaks. The restaurant’s thick cuts of meat – including an 18-oz prime rib chop – make this spot popular with locals and visitors alike. And while it may be difficult to pass on the great steaks, Buchanan’s eight-ounce cheeseburgers are made of premium sirloin and charbroiled to perfection. The 200+ kinds of malt whisky on offer are also another good reason to belly up to this friendly restaurant and bar

For high-end frontier food, there’s a trio of restaurants in Calgary offering fine feeding. The River Café is set in a picturesque spot on Prince’s Island in the Bow River. It’s a stone’s throw from downtown but the relaxed, rustic ambience will leave you feeling like you’ve stumbled into a fishing lodge. The River Café is consistently voted one of Calgary’s best dining establishments and for good reason. Chef Scott Pohorelic’s menu is a showcase of local and seasonal ingredients transformed into wholesome, innovative dishes. Lunchtime standouts include a buffalo burger with Saskatoon berries, Oka cheese and tomatoes. In the evening, a starter of wild morel mushroom perogies followed by the organic beef tenderloin paired with stinging nettle chimichurri is a truly modern Western treat.

Open Range is another eatery featuring contemporary dishes made with regional produce served in a modern western ambience. While the menu is heavy on game – elk, bison, buffalo and venison – the beef dishes on offer include a blackened New York strip with a Rocky Mountain chimichurri sauce and Demerrara crusted bone-in-beef rib chop with ancho chili rosemary butter.

A little more than a horseshoe throw from the Stampede grounds, Rouge serves up local Spring Creek beef and other local farm-sourced delights in more traditional fashion in a historic setting. The restaurant is housed in the original home of A.E. Cross, one of the Big Four businessmen who founded the Stampede.

If, after sampling the city’s cowboy cuisine – not to mention watching the Stampede’s world-famous rodeo and chuckwagon races, tribal pow-wows and nightly concert and fireworks show -- you’re still feeling bullish for more beef, consider heading out of town to where real wranglers and deer, and maybe even an antelope or two, roam the foothills.

The Cowboy Trail runs south of Calgary along Highway 22. It will take you past some of southern Alberta’s most spectacular scenery. Majestic mountains, lone pump jacks, and vast herds of cattle dot the landscape around these parts. In Black Diamond, a dusty little town complete with a “old west” main street, sisters Amy and Jessie Smulders serve up innovative cuisine with a local flare at the Wild Horse Bistro. The food features produce from Alberta growers and producers and it’s all made to order, including the Highwood Valley Beef Burger. It comes with cheddar, sautéed mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato and a side of big roasted potato wedges served with a sweet basil mayo dipping sauce. The bistro is also known for its Big Rock Elk Burger and, despite being smack in the heart of cattle country, there are a number of tasty vegetarian options.

Farther south, the highway runs through the community of Longview and past the Longview Steakhouse. It’s a homey-looking establishment but don’t be fooled by appearances. This steakhouse is run by a Moroccan family that boasts a couple of classically trained chefs. Stop here for the lunch special – a house-ground sirloin burger topped with crispy bacon, onions and Jarlsberg cheese – and you might just find yourself rubbing shoulders with ranchers and farmers from the area who come in for a taste of their own produce. At dinnertime, the menu features a short but exquisite list of juicy steak cuts – along with more exotic fare such as duck breast in pear sauce, chicken pastille in phyllo pastry and Moroccan fig cake.

While In Longview, you can get a feel for what ranching was like in the olden days at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, a preserved Canadian ranch.

Tasty trails to you pardner….until we eat again…

Riding the Cowboy Cuisine Trail
Buzzards Restaurant and Bar: 140 10 Avenue SW, 403-264-6959.
Buchanan’s Chophouse and Whisky Bar, 738 3rd Avenue SW, 403-261-4646
River café phone, Prince's Island Park, 403-261-7670
Open Range, 1114 Edmonton Trail NE, 403-277-3408
Rouge, 1240 8th Avenue SE, 403-531-2767
Wild Horse Bistro, 126 Centre Ave, Black Diamond, 403-933-5800
Longview Steakhouse. 102 Morrison road (Highway 22), 403-558-2000