Restaurant Review: Charcut Roast House

Meeting up with friends should be considered an easy feat. Determine time and place and voila, right? Wrong. One of my good friends and I have been trying to get together for the last four months, since the beginning of January and time after time we have had to postpone our dates due to conflicts in schedule, whether it be for work or life’s normal little curveballs (so you can imagine my excitement of finally deciding on a date that didn’t change last minute). Initially our plan was to meet at a familiar restaurant, have a nice dinner and call it a night, but since our plans took four months to firm up, we both noticed that a few new restaurants have popped up in around town, namely Charcut. Being the foodie that I am (and so is she), we had to go. The only thing that could stop us was another change in date, which lucky for us, didn’t happen.

Atmosphere: Dim lighting and the contemporary styled space gives it a nice casual laid back feel without losing its elegant flair. Great setting for a nice dinner or just to kick back and have a glass of wine paired with some charcuteries of course.

Price range: Mid $20s


Food and Wine: Charcut is all about promoting fresh produce and locally grown Alberta beef by utilizing flavour combinations that are meant to allow that freshness to come through on every plate. We started off the night with a complementary chef sampler of Pig Head Mortadella and Brassica Mustard, which is featured on their Charcut Board, almost swaying us away from ordering the mains and possibly just noshing on the charcuteries all night. Somehow we found the will power to start with the light Arugula and Tuna Conserva instead, which utilized the licorice taste of the anise to highlight the natural texture of the tuna. After that first dish, I couldn’t wait to dig in to the savoury Bone Marrow au Gratin, a toasted garlic brioche that was a great companion to the buttery taste of the bone marrow.


For our mains, we were informed by our server that not only is their beef from local farms around the city but it is also prepped and aged in house for the most succulent flavour and tenderness, so it made my decision simple, who wouldn’t want to try a tender Prime Rib done to perfection? While my dinner companion decided on the Manila Clams served over pea risotto. I know what you’re thinking, roast house for seafood? The flavouring of the risotto and the clams were perfect and paired exceptionally well, I personally would order it again the next time I’m back.


As for the wine, like several other restaurants around town, Charcut also offers 2 oz sampler sizes for a selection of their wines to allow the diners to taste a few different offerings before selecting their favourite for the evening (or if one would like, to continue tasting different wines all evening!). As stated in my previous posts, I believe wine samplers are a great idea for any restaurant because it allows the diners more flexibility to try different wine varieties or types, which can invariably allow them to move beyond their comfort zones.

My Picks: Bone Marrow Au Gratin and the Manila Clams!


Overall: Just the thought of supporting our local farmers and eating fresh, is enough to warrant coming to try the food at Charcut. Now coupled with locally known chef John Jackson, it’s enough to want to set up the next visit back. If only it would be so easy to pick a date to meet up with friends.

Charcut Roast House
101, 899 Centre Street SW
(403) 984-2180
Website: http://www.charcut.com/