Restaurant Review: Tango Bistro

The restaurant scene is a changing landscape, from new restaurants to rebranding, new menus to restaurant trends, things are constantly evolving. Just like a couple years ago, pizza plus wine was the it trend. Then came food trucks, tapas, family dining, street food inspired cuisines…the list goes on. It’s nice to see trends because it keeps dining fresh and unique. So it was extremely exciting to see Tango Bistro refocus their menu from tapas dining to more contemporary fare featuring seafood because I for one, love seafood.

Atmosphere: Contemporary design with a relaxed feel that’s a great go to for that afternoon cocktail or dinner get together.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $30+

Food & Wine: A quick look at the menu and we knew we were going to be ordering the Seafood Tower. How could we resist? The question was whether we should order the small or large tower. My husband of course wanted the larger tower, but I also wanted a main as well so we decided to compromise. We ordered the Small Seafood Tower and an additional dozen oysters on the side (that was the compromise).

It was a lot of seafood when it arrived and we were both relieved that we didn’t get overzealous and ordered the larger tower, since the tower came with lobster claws, tuna tartare, mussels, shrimp, oysters and seaweed salad! It was the perfect smorgasbord of everything my husband loves. It was hard to pick a favourite, but I did enjoy the shrimp, they were sweet and perfectly cooked. The seaweed salad also stood out for me because I didn’t expect to it to be there and it was a tasty surprise. It was well seasoned and had great flavour. It’s got me wondering about the larger seafood tower!

We had oysters in the platter but since we’re oyster fiends, we ordered additional ones on the side and got to try both the east coast and west coast varieties. I have to admit, I’m still more of a fan of the east coast oysters. They’re a bit smaller and has a refreshing briny taste, whereas the west coast oysters typically are a bit larger and on the creamier side. I guess it depends on what your taste preferences are.

Although all that seafood was amazing, I did want something warm and cooked, plus the Braised Short Rib caught my eye. It was just what I needed with creamy mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables in a red wine jus. The beef was super tender, after all the hours of braising and it really hit the spot. It was the perfect comfort food, elevated of course.

They have a great selection of cocktails so be sure to ask your server about all the different options. We started the evening with a couple of old fashioneds and manhattans, which both had a nice bourbon kick. I also highly recommend sampling the different wines they have on hand and be sure to let your server know what type of wine you prefer so they can help with the selections.

My Pick(s): Seafood tower

Overall: We had a wonderful evening enjoying the new menu that’s now featured at Tango. It definitely is a change from the tapas menu that they were known for before but it was a good change and change is good right? We sure think so. Now we need to go back for the larger seafood tower!

Tango Bistro
6920 Macleod Trail S
(403) 252-4365
Website: tangobistro.ca