Restaurant Review: Midtown Kitchen

 

Fresh oysters have really taken off in Calgary and being one who loves raw oysters, I can’t be happier. Lucky for us, Tuesday is Midtown’s $1 oyster night, a new place that opened up over the summer in Kensington where Broken Plate was (which I do miss). We weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the special though, the place was packed, which is awesome for a Tuesday night!

Atmosphere: Energetic and lively crowds fill the upbeat dining space with casual modern-day décor.

Price Range: Mid $10s

 

Food & Wine: We had to start with a dozen oysters that evening. Probably would have had more, if it wasn’t for all the delectable sounding dishes on their menu. There was a tangy mignonette sauce accompanying the oysters and each one was perfect topped off with a bit of the mignonette, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of tabasco. The oysters were meaty and fresh, definitely worth a try.

Next we decided to order several items off the small plates menu, we’re the sharing type. It’s a great way to interact during dinner, sampling all the different types of dishes since you can try a little of every dish. Beginning with the crispy Pork belly served with tomato confit on the side.  The pork belly was cut in to 1 inch pieces and deep fried giving it a nice crispy texture, perfect for dipping in to the sweet and tangy tomato jam. Each piece of pork belly had a healthy amount of marbling, definitely an indulgent plate perfect for sharing.

 

To balance out the fatty goodness of the pork belly we had some of their Street Tacos, made with rotisserie chicken and topped with a creamy cabbage slaw, some tasty salsa and white cheddar cheese. I enjoyed the combination of flavours in the taco. There wasn’t an ingredient that overpowered the others, which is very important. I was able to taste the chicken through the creamy mayo and cabbage then the tang of the salsa with the sharpness of the cheddar. I could see myself eating all three tacos that came with the order.

It’s always hard for me to pass up Chicken Liver Parfait when I see it and this was no different. I’m extremely glad we ordered this dish because it was my favorite of the evening. The creamy chicken liver was served with crispy baguette slices and a sweet fig jam.  In my mind there’s no better combination – sweet, savory, unctuous and crunchy, hitting all the right notes. Helps that this version is light even though it could be heavy if not executed well, plus they give a very generous portion. We had to ask for more toasts in order to finish off the parfait and I’m certainly not complaining about that!

 

As the finale, we had to order the Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce. It’s hard to refuse anything with caramel on it, especially a toffee pudding! We also decided to add some vanilla ice cream on the side for a slight cost, which was totally worth it. There is nothing better than the warm and cold contrast of a dessert. The pudding had a nice chewy top layer with a soft gooey center. I did find the caramel sauce a bit sweet and might ask them to put it on the side next time, but the ice cream helped mellow out the flavours. It was a very comforting dessert and great for this time of year.

My Pick: Chicken Liver Parfait

 

Overall: I’m glad that there are so many restaurants in and around town serving oyster deals. I remember when a dozen oysters used to cost more than $25 per platter. It also helps that Midtown has a great sharing menu for those who want to sample a bit of each plate.  But no worries if you have a larger appetite, with choices which range from Very Small, Small to Big plates, Midtown covers everybody’s hunger scale.

Midtown Kitchen
302 10 Street NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 474-2555
Website: www.midtownkitchen.ca