Tasting Notes | Lunch at Taste in Calgary

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Spiced Almonds

These almonds should come with a warning- all in one sweet, spicy and delicately salty.  If you’ve ever tried to make these spiced nuts for yourself it can be a slight challenge.  If your caramel is below temperature, your spiced nuts will be chewy- too high above temperature and your nuts will be bitter and unappetizing.

Mixed Olives

The olives, a mix of cerignola have a real fruitiness and mild briny citrusy notes that are great with cheese or other charcuterie platters.  If you’re not an olive person, try these for a mild introduction.

The Fish Tasting Board

Speaking of platters, Taste offers three “tasting boards”: meat cheese and fish; often changing the exact combinations on each.  Our fish platter, though truly a taste- a mixture of trout, salmon, and tobiko roe is a standout.  The cured fish is silky, sweet and mild.  Our trout pate on crispy bread and bright orange tobiko were creamy, and citrusy in every bite.

Lamb Riblets

Great to see on the menu, simple and innovative, with a little dusting of coarse sea salt and rosemary are fall of the bone delicate and softly incused with the flavour of rosemary.  A good dollop of hot mustard (and perhaps a little bit less salt) paired with this would have set this over the edge.

Duck Quesadilla

The duck quesadilla with pulled, roasted duck, salsa encased in between two flour tortillas was bright, and a pretty presentation- green and red against white.  A spicy mole sauce would be great with this dish.

Dessert and a look at the Meat Locker

The sorbet – lychee and lemon was a great ending to our lunch- full of intense fruit juice flavours, and refreshing.  The small granules of ice were soft and evenly formed- melt in the mouth.

A focal point of Taste is the meat locker- housing cured meats, cheese and an assortment of pickled vegetables. Co-owner, Brendan Bankowski remarks, “The “Meat Locker” on the wall beside the kitchen is a custom made, fully functioning fridge where we display our cured meats and cheeses. Sexy and functional! Steel, concrete, wood and old fashioned light fixtures combine for a cozy and contemporary feel.”