I have a list, as I’m sure all foodies do. A food list. A list of things to try and places to go. I would be surprised if people didn’t have one, they can’t tell me that they’re true foodies if that’s the case. How could you not have a running list that never seems to end and always seems to grow of all the wonderful things there are to eat in the city..let alone the world. So I have to start small, a list for places to go in Calgary, then a list of things to eat and places to go in the world. I’ve wanted to go to JAROblue for quite some time now but always seem to get sidetracked by other things on my list. So I was pretty excited when I was able to go! Another item checked off the list.
Atmosphere: A petite but cozy dining area, with a nice patio that reaches out to vibrant 17th Ave. Not to mention its elegant décor putting an emphasis on amazing photography.
Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s
Food and Wine: We arrived pretty early in the evening because both my friend and I went right after work and pretty much got to pick the table of our choice. The rush hour traffic was still plugging up 17th so we decided on a comfy booth area instead.
Once we got around to ordering, it didn’t take them long to have everything ready (I guess we were still really the only table at that time, quite a nice treat actually). First up were the Mushrooms on toast, they were super creamy and decadent on a crispy toasted baguette. There were three slices of toast to an order, we definitely wouldn’t have complained if there were more to an order (or we should have just ordered another one). It came out with the Nigella Crusted Ahi Tuna, the accompaniment of the seaweed salad was a nice touch. I never would have thought to put nori seaweed in a salad. Now I have to. The tuna itself had a nice crunchy nigella crust giving it a nice “umami” flavour especially with the addition of soy and mirin.
The next dishes to arrive were the Grilled Pork Tenderloin served with grilled peaches, and a side of pesto. The pork was unfortunately…forgettable, since it didn’t have much flavour, plus the grilled peaches ended up being the star on this plate. It probably also didn’t help that the dish arrived the same time as the Parthena Spaetzle. The spaetzle was slightly pan fried, which gave it a very nice contrast in textures as you’re chewing it. It was very well flavoured and both my friend and I couldn’t stop eating it.
At this point we were debating whether we’d have a bit more or move on to dessert, it was an easy decision (plus that was only meal 1 of the evening). White chocolate pudding with minted strawberry ganache and the Blueberry Crème Brulee (changes daily) were on our minds. The white chocolate pudding is less what we North Americans refer to as pudding but more so a British pudding, where it’s more cake like. It wasn’t overly sweet and paired well with the strawberry ganache. Although the size of the dessert was a bit small, I could have eaten it all in one bite. The crème brulee tasted like a blueberry tea and was a much better size for sharing. The accompanying biscuits were more like sugar cookies, which I used to scoop out the crème itself. Worked pretty well actually!
Since we arrived so early, the happy hour special was 20% off all alcoholic beverages, so I started with a glass of Jose’s Rose. Nicely chilled and perfect for this summer weather. It was light and crisp with strawberry flavours ending with a dry finish. During the meal I switched to the Punto Final Malbec, which had more earthy overtones, berry flavours and a medium body. The wine list has a great selection of carefully chosen wines, so you’re sure not to be disappointed.
My Picks: Mushrooms on toast, Parthena Spaetzle
Overall: Although I didn’t end up trying as many dishes as I anticipated while I was at JAROblue (means I get to go back, see how this works?), I did however really savour each plate that we ordered. I’m hoping it won’t be too long before I get a chance to go back, so comes the next questions, does that mean I need to put it back on my list?
JAROblue
1314 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 237-5276
Website: http://www.jaroblue.com/
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