Dinner near Delta Bow Valley Hotel, Calgary

[felix the hound]

We are in Calgary for three nights, staying at the Delta Bow Valley, and would like recommendations for dinner either within walking distance or a convenient taxi ride from the hotel (it's minus 25C), preferably regional Italian or Asian (Vietnameses, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, etc.) . Prefer food quality over ambiance, if I had to choose.

[Bob Mac]

felix:

I usually stroll down to Stephen's Avenue where my favourites are Divino Wine & Cheese, Centino, Teatro, Catch downstairs for some oysters, etc. Lots of options. Fine during the day and early evening, a little dicier as the night goes on depending upon how people are out and about.

Given that darkness descends earlier during the winter it is just a relatively short cab ride down to the Eau Claire footbridge if you want to take the short walk to River Cafe or go the opposite direction via a cab to Capo, Rouge or over the river to Bridgeland and Il Sogno [disclaimer, have not been to the latter since chef left to open Capo].

Lots of Vietnamese across the street from the hotel and the federal building, Harry Hays. I wil have to defer to the Calgarians for recommendations.

[sarah galvin]

These are excellent suggestions.

[Dan G]

The only comments I have re: Bob's suggestions are that I was at Il Sogno about 7 months ago, and it was very good. My favorite in Cgy is probably Teatro (was there just last week, 3rd visit in 2 years and it is still superb if you want a fine dining experience), which is a very quick walk from Delta.

[felix the hound]

Thank You Bob. Somebody suggested Mercato, and it sounds intriguing, but i could not find much in chowhound that is recent. Any comments?

[Bob Mac]

felix:

I only know of Mercato from reputation ... have not been to it myself...maybe Sarah or someone else from Calgary will chime in.

[sarah galvin]

Mercato is one of my favourites. It would be a taxi from the Delta and call for a reservation, just in case! It is very popular. Good for solo dining, too. They have an excellent fish soup.

[maplesugar]

I've been to Il Sogno a few times since Chabot took over the kitchen and can't say enough good things about them. Excellent service and ambiance.

Other ideas - we had a wonderful dinner at Rouge a few weeks ago. I know they've received mixed reviews here but we enjoyed ourselves start to finish.

I've only been to Mercato once but imho there is better out there. I know Mercato is popular but I found service lacklustre and while the food was good it wasn't outstanding . I also found the place a bit too brightly lit (think University cafeteria bright) for dinner service.