Italian Elegance - Cibo (OTE)
Our second entry into the Open Table Experiment is Cibo, an open, airy restaurant that markets itself as an "Italian sharing experience". Located in the heart of Calgary's busy 17th Ave SW, this former Rogers Video building has been transformed into an elegant, two-level Italian restaurant holding lots of tables and a great many menu options. This was our second visit to Cibo, as we had been very impressed the first time; we were not disappointed.
Our waitress was all smiles, offering helpful advice and ensuring our food and drinks were always available. She had the attitude of an experienced server, and it turns out that was her first night working at Cibo! Well done!
This visit involved three of us - Bryan, Scott, and me - so we opted to try a few more of their ingenious and scrumptious creations. I think in the past few months I have developed a new favorite type of wine - valpolicella - which is a red wine from the Veneto region of Italy. It's light and fragrant, and easily enjoyed with any meal or on its own. Cibo offers the Alpha Zeta brand for their house wine, which was a nice surprise last night.
As mentioned, Cibo's dining experience is built around the idea of friends and family sitting around the table, enjoying a lengthy, intimate meal through the sharing of different dishes. True to its nature, Cibo offers 'scodellina' - very small portions of appetizers - in three different price groupings. You can purchase 1 for $4, 3 for $11, or 5 for $18. We opted for the smoked salmon, bruschetta and ricotta, and were served crustini bread with these.
Our take? The smoked salmon was alright - it came with 3 pieces so we each got one, and no one touched the thin piece of fish with the skin still attached (disgusting!). The bruschetta was popular, made with artichoke that seemed to be the main ingredient. Their ricotta is by far my favorite appetizer, topped with apricot and sensational on your tongue!
For dinner, we shared a plate of pasta, some scallops (truly amazing, even if they were wrapped in some type of bacon), and a pizza.
The pasta, tagliatelle with ragu bolognese, wild boar bacon, and grana padano cheese, was large enough that the three of us could easily share while still getting a decent sized portion. I think this was Bryan's favorite part of the meal as he refused to give up the bowl until all the meat sauce had been eaten. With a tomato base, the sauce was reminiscent of fresh Italian fare, and the tagliatelle pasta noodles were obviously homemade. This fresh pasta dish is one item I would try again.
Cibo states that they have the best pizza in the city. I know Bryan would disagree, but I do have to say that between Cibo and Famoso, it's really awesome that we can get such authentic tasting Italian pizza in this city. I do think Cibo offers some truly unique pizza topping combinations along with slightly better crust, but I would still consider Famoso pretty awesome as well.
With pizzas ranging from wild boar bacon to basil, you should be able to find one pizza that suits your tastes. Just to be adventurous, we ordered their Pear pizza. In addition to the fruit, it comes with gorgonzola, walnuts and honey. The reaction from Scott after his first bite was priceless - he actually slammed the slice down on his plate, sat back, groaned, and said "That is AWESOME!" The sweetness of the fruit and honey was definitely a surprise but this winning combination of toppings was great on pizza, not too overpowering or very much like dessert. Definitely worth the trip for this item!
I have to say, overall, another very successful Open Table Experiment! It'll be tough not to go back to Cibo for one of the next venues, but we will keep it in mind for another special dinner out. The more people you bring with you, the more menu options you should be able to taste, so I suggest this place for your next large group gathering!
Our waitress was all smiles, offering helpful advice and ensuring our food and drinks were always available. She had the attitude of an experienced server, and it turns out that was her first night working at Cibo! Well done!
This visit involved three of us - Bryan, Scott, and me - so we opted to try a few more of their ingenious and scrumptious creations. I think in the past few months I have developed a new favorite type of wine - valpolicella - which is a red wine from the Veneto region of Italy. It's light and fragrant, and easily enjoyed with any meal or on its own. Cibo offers the Alpha Zeta brand for their house wine, which was a nice surprise last night.
As mentioned, Cibo's dining experience is built around the idea of friends and family sitting around the table, enjoying a lengthy, intimate meal through the sharing of different dishes. True to its nature, Cibo offers 'scodellina' - very small portions of appetizers - in three different price groupings. You can purchase 1 for $4, 3 for $11, or 5 for $18. We opted for the smoked salmon, bruschetta and ricotta, and were served crustini bread with these.
For dinner, we shared a plate of pasta, some scallops (truly amazing, even if they were wrapped in some type of bacon), and a pizza.
The pasta, tagliatelle with ragu bolognese, wild boar bacon, and grana padano cheese, was large enough that the three of us could easily share while still getting a decent sized portion. I think this was Bryan's favorite part of the meal as he refused to give up the bowl until all the meat sauce had been eaten. With a tomato base, the sauce was reminiscent of fresh Italian fare, and the tagliatelle pasta noodles were obviously homemade. This fresh pasta dish is one item I would try again.
Cibo states that they have the best pizza in the city. I know Bryan would disagree, but I do have to say that between Cibo and Famoso, it's really awesome that we can get such authentic tasting Italian pizza in this city. I do think Cibo offers some truly unique pizza topping combinations along with slightly better crust, but I would still consider Famoso pretty awesome as well.
With pizzas ranging from wild boar bacon to basil, you should be able to find one pizza that suits your tastes. Just to be adventurous, we ordered their Pear pizza. In addition to the fruit, it comes with gorgonzola, walnuts and honey. The reaction from Scott after his first bite was priceless - he actually slammed the slice down on his plate, sat back, groaned, and said "That is AWESOME!" The sweetness of the fruit and honey was definitely a surprise but this winning combination of toppings was great on pizza, not too overpowering or very much like dessert. Definitely worth the trip for this item!
I have to say, overall, another very successful Open Table Experiment! It'll be tough not to go back to Cibo for one of the next venues, but we will keep it in mind for another special dinner out. The more people you bring with you, the more menu options you should be able to taste, so I suggest this place for your next large group gathering!
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