Brazen — Restaurant in Banff

It sucks writing a bad review. But here we are. My partner and I booked Brazen through Pursuit, for a wedding rehearsal in February for 16 people. On its surface, a simple request. However, several aspects disappointed - and added unnecessary stress, that is frankly unacceptable for an event of this nature. Firstly, we were informed the space was semi-private, with several photos seeming to indicate that we would be separate from other guests - this being the rationale for a group minimum spend.

Unfortunately, the photos were misleading, with our wedding party pushed up against a wall. A bar nearby already sat patrons less than a foot away. It did not feel private at all and the music was often too loud to hear our guests. When we arrived, it was clear there were other private space options - the issue here is the lack of communication and transparency.

Secondly, and worse still, we were advised that we must leave at 7:30 pm - so a 2 hour time period for a full rehearsal dinner. When a minimum spend is involved on a semi-private room I’ve never encountered such a short time period before. Although this was included in the contract, this was not proactively communicated by Pursuit, specifically Eva. Due to cold weather, many of our guests were arriving late to Banff and we asked for an accommodation to push our start and finish time back by 30 minutes. (I should also mention, our actual wedding was also booked through Pursuit as well as transport). No accommodation was offered, we were met with resistance and we were informed we must be out at 7:30 pm, as they needed to make room for other people. We were also told our food would arrive at the planned time, whether our guests were there or not. This added unnecessary stress, particularly given, as it turned out, the space was NOT booked for other guests and we did end up staying longer. Completely unnecessary stress and very poor customer service.

A few other aspects underperformed as well - during the dinner service, we had servers interrupting a speech, blocking the person speaking. The bean soup was flavourless, although I will complement the chefs on other delicious items such as ginger beef and incredible cocktails. Yum!

Overall, this felt like an unsuitable venue for any sort of private group event, with zero concept of customer service. Instead of finding ways to work with us when things went a little wrong, the venue presented every barrier they could. This was in particularly stark contrast to other vendors we worked with on the weekend, such as...

We recently spent 3 nights in Banff and celebrated my birthday one night while there at Brazen; located in the Mount Royal hotel. With reservations, we were sat promptly and the restaurant filled up quickly shortly after. We had Elly as our server, and she was fabulous. Super friendly, super attentive and she made our evening all the more special. The drinks and food were consistently outstanding throughout every course. We started with cocktails, and I had the “Smokin’ Warden” which was a local take like an old fashion. A nice touch that it came with the smoke still in the glass under a cover and it was delicious. Overall, the cocktails menu was intriguing, and we found something there for everyone at the table. I was pleasantly surprised to learn from Elly that the food was more of a Tapas style serving rather than individual orders. This made it so much more enjoyable because we were able to taste and experience much more of the menu with this approach. For the “Smaller plates” (think apps for 2-3), we chose the Pork Belly, Kimchi Meatballs and the Bison Kofta for the table. All were outstanding; and it is so hard to pick a favorite. Each was perfectly prepared, the combination of tastes and textures were all fantastic. Our table of four left nothing; though I may have helped out more than my share as I loved every dish. For Larger Plates we chose the Baby Back Greek Ribs, The Ginger Beef and the Smoked Striploin. Again, all were delicious. The table side flambe of the Striploin before it was served was a nice touch and it was cooked to our medium rare selection to perfection. The Ginger Beef was a divine mix of flavors and textures and such an interesting dish for what I would otherwise have expected from this restaurant. The Baby Back Greek ribs, while still good, were not the same “out of this world” class as the other dishes to that point. Served with a honey glaze that seemed more like a dry rub, and on a bed of tzatziki sauce and goat cheese, it didn’t quite “come together” for me as tightly as the others did. They also offer “enhancements” (think sides) and, at Elly’s recommendation, we ordered the Roasted Carrots as well as the Green Bean Almandine. As with the other dishes, cooked to al dente perfection and deliciously seasoned. We finished with a birthday complimentary chocolate mousse which was perfectly textured and balanced with a delightfully different topping of Honeycomb which was a welcome surprise. Overall, a fantastic evening of celebration with great drinks and food and wonderful...

From start to finish, a spectacular dinner that blew me away. I will FOR SURE come back and recommend this place to anyone. Service and attention to detail were great and I couldn't have asked for any more.

Negroni: Get! For sure one of the best negronis I've ever had. Perfectly balanced with the right amounts of sweetness, effervescence, and bite. The added chili was such an interesting touch and gave it great personality

Beef Tartare: Get! Just another perfect combination of the clean, fresh, and very tender meat mixed with the creamy and also fresh sauce. Add some great bite and acidity with the picked onions on top of a fluffy and savory potato skin and oh you have an amazing symphony of flavors playing out in your mouth that just make you want to close your eyes in order to savor the moment.

Bison: Skip Although I enjoyed this dish, I think the main downfall was having this follow the spectacular beef tartare. The bison was cooked very well but it wasn't as composed of a dish with all the playful flavors and notes.

Potatoes: YOU HAVE TO GET THIS! These are BY FAR the more crispy and fluffy potatoes I've EVER had. And I order potatoes at nicer restaurants A LOT. When you take your first bite it's like you're unlocking through the most delicately crisped skin and then enter the infinitely creamy and soft insides. It feels like you're just eating buttery air and it's unbelievable. Just a tad bit of sweetness and a tad bit of truffle and oh boy you've achieved nirvana and the meaning of life makes sense again

Beet Salad: Get Another very composed dish. The clean juicy freshness of the beets with a good crunch and texture of the nuts, topped with the bright and acidic notes of the sauce will transport you back to better days

Fried Halloumi: Skip Unfortunately, a perfect score would have been too perfect and this dish fell quite short from the caliber of the other ones. Very one dimensional in my opinion.

Creme Brulee: Get Beware, this is mostly to share!...as it's quite large. So creamy and gooey and a fun way to end the night with this literal ashtray depicted dessert. Although, I'm more curious now as to how the pavlova would have tasted.

Food: 10/10 Service: 9/10 Atmosphere:...