The Park is Open Once Again!
We have been anxiously awaiting the reopening of The Park Kitchen and Bar, in Quarry Park, Calgary. Last summer we spent numerous evenings (and some afternoons) sitting outside in the sun on their lovely patio, enjoying some refreshing cocktails and beer, and consuming their many delicious dishes.
I am happy to see they have retained their local, sustainable food sources for most menu items and that they still have my favorites - nachos, free range chicken wrap, pineapple & chicken burger, beet salad. Less than a week after they opened, my fiance and I had to hit up the patio on a crazy hot Sunday evening to enjoy the sunshine and take in the relaxing ambiance of The Park.
Two new menu items caught our eye (at least I do not recall these before): the Orange Blossom Salad and the Butter Chicken. The butter chicken bowl is made by a Sri Lankan chef who actually uses fresh ingredients and an authentic recipe for the sauce (i.e. none of that bottled crap) and it was divine. The salad was yummy, with lettuce, orange slices and dates; liven it up with some protein - you can choose chicken, salmon or ahi tuna - if you're so inclined.
Inside, the restaurant still looks very much the same. The layout hasn't changed and the booths and tables all look to be the 'original' Park decor. Their floor is very snazzy, all shiny and new; they've kept their interior tree too!
Outside on the patio, there are many more tables with a few more 4-person wicker patio-style table/bench combos. I love that they still have their two casual corners - patio furniture couches with low tables, great places for small groups to gather and have a drink or two.
My only complaint now is the new patio roof - it retracts from the whole idea of sitting outside on a hot summer day in the sun, enjoying a cold drink. We were there around 6pm, sitting at a table near the wall and the majority of the tables, except those right along the glass exterior boundary, were in the shade. Boo! Another person arrived after us, looking for sun, and this person had to really check out the tables to find one that suited their needs. We will try The Park again earlier in the day, but we fear we may have lost our wonderful sunny patio paradise for the summer. In a city with so few true 'patio' days, for those of us who love the heat and sun (and don't get enough of it), this roof is a disappointment. I only hope on our next visit we can actually find a sunny spot to sit in for a few hours. This sunny patio was one of the main reasons we chose The Park over the other area restaurants.
The food is still great and the servers remain friendly and efficient.
I am happy to see they have retained their local, sustainable food sources for most menu items and that they still have my favorites - nachos, free range chicken wrap, pineapple & chicken burger, beet salad. Less than a week after they opened, my fiance and I had to hit up the patio on a crazy hot Sunday evening to enjoy the sunshine and take in the relaxing ambiance of The Park.
Two new menu items caught our eye (at least I do not recall these before): the Orange Blossom Salad and the Butter Chicken. The butter chicken bowl is made by a Sri Lankan chef who actually uses fresh ingredients and an authentic recipe for the sauce (i.e. none of that bottled crap) and it was divine. The salad was yummy, with lettuce, orange slices and dates; liven it up with some protein - you can choose chicken, salmon or ahi tuna - if you're so inclined.
Inside, the restaurant still looks very much the same. The layout hasn't changed and the booths and tables all look to be the 'original' Park decor. Their floor is very snazzy, all shiny and new; they've kept their interior tree too!
Outside on the patio, there are many more tables with a few more 4-person wicker patio-style table/bench combos. I love that they still have their two casual corners - patio furniture couches with low tables, great places for small groups to gather and have a drink or two.
My only complaint now is the new patio roof - it retracts from the whole idea of sitting outside on a hot summer day in the sun, enjoying a cold drink. We were there around 6pm, sitting at a table near the wall and the majority of the tables, except those right along the glass exterior boundary, were in the shade. Boo! Another person arrived after us, looking for sun, and this person had to really check out the tables to find one that suited their needs. We will try The Park again earlier in the day, but we fear we may have lost our wonderful sunny patio paradise for the summer. In a city with so few true 'patio' days, for those of us who love the heat and sun (and don't get enough of it), this roof is a disappointment. I only hope on our next visit we can actually find a sunny spot to sit in for a few hours. This sunny patio was one of the main reasons we chose The Park over the other area restaurants.
The food is still great and the servers remain friendly and efficient.
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