Restaurant Review: Bridgette Bar

People who know me well know that I love family style eating. Being Chinese, family style dining has been what I was brought up on. So I’m so happy to hear more and more restaurants offering dishes that allow sharing of different plates and features. When we visited Bridgette Bar, I noticed they had a whole section of small plates and I knew right away what I was going to order

Atmosphere: Upscale retro decor surrounding a beautifully designed interior reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour and style a la Mad Men.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $30s

Food & Drinks: Starting with the Oysters off their snacks menu, we figured it would be a nice way to start our meal that evening especially when paired with a bit of Varichon & Clerc bubbles! The oysters came with a unique dill pickle granita (think tiny ice chunks), where the salty and sour dill brought out the brininess of the oysters that I love.

It was hard not to order all the small plates since it was just the hubby and I (well..and baby but unfortunately he can’t contribute just yet). To start we had the Grilled Octopus which was nicely charred from the grilling process, while the orange and fennel provided a nice citrus and textural component. I love octopus and wish it was served more often!

Next was the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio dressed with a mushroom vinaigrette and topped with a mushroom salad. Steak and mushrooms go well and its no different here. The mushrooms were perfectly paired on this plate while the vinaigrette added the extra zing, which I find is much needed for carpaccio to really bring out the sweetness in the rare beef.

Another light dish we had was the Smoked Tuna Crudo, the fish benefitted from the crunch and freshness of the cucumbers as well as the creamy avocado. None of the flavours overwhelmed each other and it was definitely light on the palate overall. Similarly the Endive Salad was also refreshing! Reading mozzarella dressing on the menu made me a bit hesitant and I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was not heavy what so ever nor did it overpower all the delicate flavours. The orange slices along with the pecans made for a wonderful dish. I could eat this salad every day and not surprisingly it was one of my faves for the evening!

We decided to also try the Italian Pork Sausage with conchiglie pasta and I’m so glad we did. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the chili added an extra kick to the salty Italian pork sausage. It reads as such a simple dish but the flavours were literally exploding off the plate.

To end our evening we tried the Chocolate Hazelnut Bread Pudding with pickled red wine grapes and topped with hazelnut ice cream. The bread pudding was quite sweet, but that was mellowed with a lovely French press coffee on the side. I think the highlight was definitely the hazelnut ice cream, but I do have a thing for ice cream so I may be biased. =)

My Picks: Endive Salad, Italian Pork Sausage

Overall: Sitting in the surroundings of Bridgette Bar it just felt right to order a Manhattan and how could one resist, it felt like a place where Don Draper from Mad Men would be found after a long day at the office, especially if he enjoyed family style dining like I do. We had a blast that evening and even the baby enjoyed his night out (super happy that they’re family friendly)! Can’t wait to check it out again maybe when I’m hankering for another Manhattan or maybe a Old Fashioned.

Bridgette Bar
739 10 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
Website: bridgettebar.com