Restaurant Review: The Nash

We were lucky enough to be one of the first individuals to see the new Nash in Inglewood last year and after sampling some of the delicious menu items I couldn’t wait to go back for more. So for a girls night out we decided to drop in for a bite or two.

Atmosphere: Amazing contrast between the dark cool colors of the Off Cut Bar and the bright open dining area of The Nash, featuring an open kitchen concept with unique décor from the original National Hotel.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $30+

Food and Wine: My friends and I love fresh baked bread and that was the first thing we ordered when we saw that it was available, so we could munch on it while we decided on the rest of our meal. The bread was made with grain flour that evening and had a nice outer crust and airy center. It went nicely with the homemade unsalted butter. To start we had the Brown Butter Gnochetti, which are smaller versions of gnocchi tossed with winter squash, sage and walnuts. The texture of the gnochetti was nice, slightly chewy and went well with the butter sauce. The squash and the sage helped cut through the slightly heavier sauce while the walnuts provided a nice crunch. Overall it was a notable way to begin our meal.

 

We also couldn’t pass on the Hand Cut Frites and Aioli and were glad that we didn’t. They were crispy and delicious. Each fry was cooked and seasoned perfectly. They were a great side and I would highly recommend them, especially if you needed something to accompany your drink. For my main, I ordered the Bison Flank Steak served with Brussels sprouts, onions and topped with a sweet bbq style glaze. The steak was cooked to perfection especially since bison tends to be a leaner meat, but I did find that it was slightly over seasoned. The sweetness of the sauce did help with the saltiness. The Brussels sprouts retained a good crunch and the onions also helped round out the flavours of the dish.

It was hard to pass over dessert, especially how intriguing they sounded. We finally decided on the Aerated Mascarpone Mousse which reminded me of an unbaked cheesecake. It came with a very tart cranberry sorbet to contrast the sugary spiced wafer and meringue. The server mentioned that everything on the plate was meant to be eaten together and not separately. So we made certain to get a bit of everything in each bite. Surprisingly everything managed to balance out, although we did end up with quite a bit of leftover sorbet. I’m personally not a huge fan of tart desserts so I definitely stuck more to the mascarpone cream which was extremely smooth. It hit the spot.

My Picks: Gnochetti

Overall: It’s great to see the old National hotel location transformed in to such a great restaurant space. I’m looking forward to going back to the Off Cut Bar to check out some of their unique cocktail offerings and definitely will grab another bite at the Nash to see what new and exciting changes they have planned.

The Nash Restaurant and Off Cut Bar
925 11 St SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 984-3365
Website: nashyyc.com