Anniversary at Alloy

Zebrino tomato and queso fresco

For the humans’ third wedding anniversary, I really wanted them to do something different than the last few years, which consisted of going out for dinner…. Whopeee….  Granted, they have had some great off menu dinners, but other than that, it wasn’t much different than any other night.

So I contacted Uri at Alloy Restaurant and asked about the possibility of doing an off menu dinner there, and he was more than happy to oblige! We arranged for a date and he asked for a list of the humans favorite ingredients, as well as how many courses they would want and I left the rest in his hands.

Seafood Trio with Blood Orange Emulsion

We arrived that evening to find a custom menu all laid out for us, detailing each course that would be served. Our server that evening was the knowledgeable @JacqulineAnnPR, who was attentive, friendly, and humorous. She shared her experiences with us, letting us know what courses on our menu were twists on things that the restaurant has done in the past, as well as what was completely different that they were doing just for us – such as the soft shelled prawns that are not a product they usually use but were being used at Candela Lounge and were brought in just for us. She also spoke of items she’d tasted and what she liked about them and what she didn’t. She explained each dish well without getting into too much detail, constantly had our water glasses filled, cleared our plates in a timely manner, cleaned the table when necessary, and replaced the cutlery for each course.

Serrano Ham

We started the evening with a Zebrino tomato and queso fresco salad with arugula, topped with white balsamic vinaigrette. The queso fresco was made in house with Greek yogurt and lemon juice, and hung to finish. The juicy tomatoes were locally grown, the cheese very creamy with Greek yogurt taste and a bright lemon flavor to finish. The dressing was both acidic and sweet, which perfectly balanced the dish out.

Next came a seafood trio with blood orange emulsion, ahi tuna, tempura soft shell prawn, and scallops. The tuna was lightly grilled outside and so soft inside I barely had to chew to eat it. The scallops were plump and buttery soft, and the soft-shelled prawns were brought in to Alloy especially for us. It was lightly battered, resulting in a crispy, edible exterior, and a soft inside. The orange emulsion complimented the seafood well, and was bright and acidic. The crispy vegetable slaw of onions and peppers were a nice and a textural different counterpoint to the soft seafood.

Seared Duck with Chipotle Yam Puree
and Juniper Berry Demi

The perfectly salted Serrano ham was light tasting, while the Dijon yogurt sauce gave the dish a kick, bringing it to the next level and the juicy melon offset the saltiness of the ham. By this point in the meal we were getting very full when tempura feeb shortribs appeared. 
@JacqulineAnnPR  informed us the short ribs had been marinated in a mandarin BBQ sauce, braised for 6-7 hours, deboned, tempura battered and then fried. The humans enjoyed it, served with a mandarin BBQ sauce as well as a spicy aioli. I meanwhile gave them a death stare, which I don’t think they noticed due to the impending food coma.

Columbian Coffee Tiramisu

Despite feeling as though eating another bite would be impossible, seared duck with chipotle yam puree, dragon tongue beans, bok choy, and a juniper berry demi was presented before us. The duck was cooked exactly to medium rare, leaving it moist and tender. The juniper berry demi had a full bodied taste to it, yet managed to compliment instead of overwhelm the duck. The yam puree was slight sweet, velvety smooth and creamy, and despite being full, I wanted to lick the puree off the plate.

After a brief reprieve, we finished up the meal with a Columbian coffee tiramisu with vanilla marscapone and Kahlua lady fingers. It was the first time at Alloy that they had made the tiramisu with coffee as well as incorporated it into the marscapone, adding a stronger coffee flavor to the dish.

Overall it was an mootastic meal, both food and service wise, with Uri checking in on us throughout the night and inviting us to visit Candela Lounge the next time we were in town since we were leaving on their first day it was to be open to the public. Alloy never fails to disappoint and we look forward to our next visit.

More photos at PhotoBucket!

Alloy Restaurant
220 42 Avenue SE
Calgary, AB  T2G 1Y4
403-287-9255
Twitter: @AlloyRestaurant