Big Fish & Open Range - Renfrew — Restaurant in Calgary

I made a reservation for 6:15pm tonight, leaving me and my partner plenty of time to make our 8pm comedy show. We arrived at the restaurant and were seated. Our server came to greet us within a couple minutes and we received drinks. She had a bit of a odd disposition, and a poor sense of personal space but I tried not to judge. She eventually returned around 6:30PM to take our order but in the middle of me giving our order, she accidentally spilled an entire glass of water all over the table and a bit on my partner and I. She wiped up the spill but then went on to serve a few other tables before returning to complete our order. As a previous server with years of experience, I understand accidents happen, but if I spilled an entire glass of water I would immediately return to finish the order, apologize and proceed. While finishing the ordering I mentioned we did have a show at 8 PM therefore we wanted to try to be out of there within about an hour if possible. We ordered the seafood platter to start, and the haddock feature to share as our main. About 10-15 minutes went by and the haddock arrived at our table... we stated we had ordered the seafood platter as a starter but our server said she thought we were in a rush and also blamed the person making the appetizers, calling him ‘slow’. As a server, it is your responsibility to stagger orders into the kitchen and time things appropriately. Our starter arrived right after the main so I felt I had to eat the hot food and not let it get cold. We essentially ate our main first and starter afterwards. The starter was good (not amazing) and the haddock was quite delicious and cooked well. However unfortunately our entire experience was ruined by everything that preceded the eating. To top it off the server asked if we were okay for time and if we would like a dessert, seemingly oblivious to the events that already occurred. Being a server I understand the importance of tipping, but my partner insisted we did not give a tip and I agreed. This is the first time I have ever not tipped. At a price tag of $77, the experience did not live up to my expectations at all. I am very disappointed in Big Fish.

*Edit: Thank you to Big Fish for going out of your way to correct our previous experience. We had a delicious meal with wonderful service. The chef came to our table to ensure the food was great (which we really appreciated) and it was, there was never an issue with the food. Our server was friendly, was not overbearing and had great suggestions. We hope everyone has this experience the first time they...

UPDATED 2024-09-05: Updated at our personal discretion. The owner's response (see below) was cordial and professional. We appreciate the acknowledgement and the commitment to review these concerns. We will give them another try in the future.

ORIGINAL 2024-09-04: Right away, upon arrival, the hostess who sat us was quite rude when we asked about sitting at a different table due to mobility concerns with a member of our party. From there it didn't get any better.

My partner is Celiac and requires gluten free. We called before attending and they said they could easily accommodate us. We informed our server of my partner's gluten allergy right away.

The server was very unsure of what was or could be made gluten free and didn't make any effort to check with the kitchen. We specifically asked if a certain appetizer we wanted to share was gluten free to which she said 'yes' and even confirmed that would at most be slight cross contamination which we were okay with.

When the dish arrived it was clearly breaded. When we asked the manager if the breading was gluten free, he seemed annoyed and said that it wasn't. When we told him that the server informed us that it was, he confirmed that it wasn't gluten free and asked if we still wanted it. We declined since it was intended to share.

The server came over and told us she thought that my partner wasn't having the appetizer, despite the fact it was my partner who ordered it. This clearly was just an attempt to cover up the mistake rather than offer an apology.

Even after that, the server kept forgetting which one of us had the allergy and tried to give my gluten dish to my partner with the allergy. She was also inattentive and often asked the same questions over and over as if she either forgot or wasn't paying attention to the answers.

The mains were slow to come out and many other tables got their food before we did despite ordering afterwards. If that wasn't enough they originally tried to charge us for the appetizer even though we sent it back as it would have made my partner sick.

If this had been over a preference I don't think we would have been as upset but the lackadaisical handling of an allergy by a top rated local spot known for being accomodating was disappointing.

Outside of the allergy concerns, my dish was only 'satisfactory' as it was quite bland with some of the seafood tasting old.

Hopefully they just had a bad night since they came highly recommended but until they train up their staff on allergies, we...

I was reccomended to try this restaurant for an older family member and I was pleasantly surprised. It seems many steakhouses in Calgary at similar price points are over the top pretentious and she wanted a casual, comfortable environment where we didn’t have to dress up to the nine’s.

The theme is rustic and we enjoyed the little details-I felt like I was sitting in someone’s old, well-appointed but rustic home, having a chefs meal. The ceiling tile was the part that threw me (don’t look up). Washrooms were ok-could use some more detailed thought to lotion and set up of women’s washroom (lotion dispenser was a cheap name brand-could easily buy a small holder that fits the decor and fix this). Anyhow, we aren’t there to stare at the ceiling or sit in the washroom but the little details do matter to me but, if not fussed about that sort of stuff and want to have a relaxing, delicious and locally-sourced meal...I was told this is where you go. It did deliver on that front absolutely. Very nice ambiance, several fire places and service was excellent. Menu (wine and dinner) was extensive with lots of options and neat finds on the wine list and drink features as well. The porterhouse special was tempting but ended up splitting the filet mignon and it was beautifully presented with seasonal steamed veg, yellow beet, oyster mushroom, and a mildly spiced pan jus which was on smashed potato. Everything was cooked well and very tasty. Dinner rolled along nicely and we didn’t feel rushed or slowed down so pace of service was good. The most important thing is that my family member had an amazing time and it was perfect. I saw people on dates, business meetings, just having a casual dinner. This place is good I feel if you want more than the average “steakhouse” and care about locally sourced meat and want to try a variety of butchered options without having to throw on a little black dress or suit. Great first date, business meeting space or...