Kevin Z.
Yelp
In the Calgary fine-dining scene, Alloy proved to be a disappointment given high expectations and a high price point, with good service being the one redeeming factor.
Alloy is an unusual restaurant. It's located in an industrial area off McLeod, a building with a non-descript exterior and nearly no signage. Once inside though, it's a classy, upscale joint. The ambiance was modelled after a cherry blossom theme (whether seasonal or not, this is arguably the wrong season for that particular theme, but I digress).
Since it was a rare occasion, the two of us opted for the Alloy Tasting Menu; 5 courses at $100 pp. At this price point for 5 courses, $100 is definitely on the higher end of high end.
I started with Alloy's rendition of a Pimm's Cup, which proved to be a really decent cocktail, priced at $12. Not bad!
The Amuse Bouche we were offered was a steak tartare - pretty good but nothing to write home about. Followed by a potato bacon soup, which I thought was a little provincial for an expensive
tasting menu, but it was also pretty decent.
Then came a poached pear with a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and blue cheese - again, unremarkable for a tasting menu with exception of the fact that the pear was actually notably underpoached.
The 3rd course was a prawn..... curry dish. This was a real let down. The "prawns" were small-medium shrimp that had been WAY overdone such that the flesh was chewy and rubbery (a mortal sin in seafood!!!), and there were literally three of them. What a disappointment. My friend got a truffle mushroom gnocchi, which was miles better than the prawn dish.
The "palate cleanser" was a true abomination. it was a glob of wild berry sorbet inside a small glass of prosecco - what??? Before the main, meat course? I didn't even finish this. Quoting my friend, as I would never say something rude like that, "please tell the chef this was trashy".
The main meat course was two small triangles of beef tenderloin, with portabello mushrooms and a squash puree. Again, nothing at all to write home about, other than it was average at a smaller than expected portion size (even considering the tasting menu style).
Unfortunately, the disappointment didn't end there. The dessert course was a vanilla sponge cake - the cake was dry as paper and whether that was intentional or because it was stale, I will never know, as I didn't finish it.
The service was redeeming. Our server was pleasant, understanding, and friendly. Service was paced appropriately, jackets were taken, etc.
Given that the price point is high for a 5 course tasting menu, the quality of the food and creations must necessarily be great to be satisfactory. Unfortunately, Alloy fell clearly short of expectations. There are many great places to try tasting menus at a premium price point - and Alloy proved not to be competitive. (As a contrast, consider anew table, which while having a different vibe, offers a delicious, premium 5 course at $70 if memory serves me right.)
If I ever try Alloy again, there will have to be a really good reason to.