Mary EATS: Luscious Lamb

June 29, 2007

I admit it. The only reason why I chose this restaurant was for its dessert menu. Someone told me they had a trio of creme brulees! The quality of these clearly needed to be validated....besides, we needed to celebrate the sale of my house! There is a good vibe at Velvet. Super friendly, attentive staff and a funky dimly-lit contemporary interior with mirrored walls and soft benches. It was a Friday night, and we were the only ones there! Attendees for a concert at the Grand Theatre didn't start trickling in until 7:30 or so, making it a very private dining experience. The drink menu features lots of martinis with creative names, like The Producer (refreshing blend of Grey Goose L'Orange, Melon Liqueur, Galliano, with dashes of cran + orange juice) and Your Name in Lights. We started off with a baked Mushroom Pate topped with mascarpone. The earthy tones of the pate paired really well with the perfectly browned garlic crostini and the citrus intensive 2005 Seven Terraces Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand with hints of fresh apples. A nice crisp wine that is not too bland and could also stand up to the stronger taste of the Mussels, which were tossed in a slightly salty ainse broth with some veggies. Nothing great about the it, and I made the mistake of ordering more seafood with my main course - the saffron conchigliette. The shrimps, scallops and mussels tasted like they were previously frozen and the pasta was uber al-dente...ick. Thank goodness the lamb was ten times better! Direct from New Zealand, the juicy chops were perfectly pan fried with a dash of delicious fresh mint pesto. The mushroom gnocchi was a nice aberration from the all too common potato. At last! The dessert!! Well...at least the vanilla bean creme brulee was decent. The passion fruit and mochaccino varieties had a nice flavour, but the texture was terrible. Super watery, and all in all, disappointing. Velvet is owned by the same people that run Cilantro and Divino...I'm surprised the quality of the food here was spotty.

7/10
Velvet at the Grand
www.crmr.com/velvet
608 1 Street SW, Calgary
(403) 244-8400