EIGHT — Restaurant in Calgary

My husband and I had the great pleasure of dining at Eight twice within the past year. We enjoyed our first experience in May and decided to pursue another one in October.

Having had the opportunity to try two different seasonal menus, and having let both experiences marinate (pun absolutely intended), I can sincerely and confidently express my deep appreciation for the stunning culinary journey Eight takes you on. It is no small feat to create a stunning ambience that is then wholly supported by the cuisine with that many courses.

From the moment we were brought into the Speakeasy, there was an undeniable sense of anticipation for how our dining experiences would unfold. Although, I had already had one experience I was just as curious and excited on my second - and I think that speaks volumes.

Randy, who oversees the pairings, is a genius. The drinks that he created require you to sit back in awe and question, "How did all that flavor come out of one sip??!" I did the non-acholic pairings for both evenings and everything was consistently stunning. The flavor profiles were deep, dynamic, and shocking in the best way. The balance Randy fosters is impeccable, clearly enhancing and elevating the dining experience. The ingredients and execution are so vividly intentional that with each explanation Randy provided, I was more thrilled than the last, and this is what the experience at Eight is all about.

The intention behind the menus, ingredients, and methods of cooking all enhance the dining experience and is what makes Eight stand out from other restaurants. The delivery of passion is not simply articulated aloud prior to each dish, but by witnessing the execution of each dish being prepared.

The creativity behind each dish is commendable, and I feel that Chef MacLean perfectly captures the history and cultures of Canada through each dish, allowing the experience to resonate and feel more impactful. The execution by Chef Desmond was nothing short of captivating and left me admiring what indeed humans are capable of creating (right before your eyes) with such talents and dedication.

If you appreciate flavors that are rich and dynamic. Seeing and tasting ingredients in ways that you yourself could never fathom - Eight will meet and exceed any expectations. Eight is an elevated restaurant experience by any standard, but certainly stands in its own league for dining in Calgary, let alone Canada. The entirety of both experiences left me feeling inspired, and I would encourage anyone who is debating or has yet to acquire a booking - Try, try again.

Also, a warm acknowledgement to Sandrine, who hosted us on both occasions with her associate - Sandrine curated an absolutely seamless dining experience with a warm yet professional tone. With only eight guests per seating, it’s easy to see interactions, and I appreciated the kind professionalism she carried through to everyone - she certainly added to the overall...

After 2 years of trying to get 2 seats to the hottest ticket in town, we finally made it!! And what an experience it was. For 3 1/2 hours, we were transported out of Calgary and into an ethereal realm of otherworldly (while still being a study in Canadiana cuisine) deliciousness.

The pursuit of exquisite food and dining experiences is one of our greatest indulgences (mine and my husband’s) and we have been known on several occasions to build vacation plans around an awesome and hard-to-get meal reservation in another city, province or country. So while this dinner was certainly spendy by Calgary standards, it wasn’t our most expensive meal but it was shocking in that we were able to have such a sublime dining experience so close to home. It was worth every penny and more. Calgary has become a real food mecca in the last several years with many notable and worthy restaurants both as staples and newly popping up, but this one is in a class of its own.

One of the things that sets it apart, aside from the extremely creative presentation and unique combinations and preparations of ingredients, is the very personal and in-depth story of each course as told by the creator himself, Chef Darren Maclean. The loving respect with which he speaks of the animals, the vegetables, his farm, sustainability, his chosen techniques and the combination of the food and courses makes you feel like he is sharing his whole world and his deepest secrets with you. While we have eaten at many 1, 2 and 3 Star Michelin restaurants around the world, we have never experienced such a personal and intimate explanation of every step of the meal creation. (Without being overbearing and infringing on the special experience we were sharing dining here together as a couple)

I really hesitated to write a review as this tiny gem is already incredibly difficult to get into, but I truly feel like I was a part of history in the making with Chef Darren able to launch yet further onto the world stage dining scene anytime and gain his own stars or more and I would be doing a disservice by not proclaiming my hardcore fandom now. I love Shokunin and Nupo, and great food is always promised and never disappoints, but if you have a chance to snag a seat at Eight, run, don’t walk. Chef Darren is truly one of Calgary’s great treasures.

It broke my heart that cameras/phones weren’t allowed to take photos of all of the beautiful and creative dishes, but I understand the desire that everyone remain present and not distracted and it was certainly effective. It shall have to suffice to only see the beautiful bites again when I lay down, close my eyes and dream. (And of course whenever I manage to get another reservation!!)

Bravo Zulu Chef Darren. It would also be very remiss of me to not add that the host, Richard, and other chefs and servers were really awesome...

Possibly the most expensive dining experience I have ever had in Canada, and third in the world (behind Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo and Le Palais in Taipei), I had pretty high expectation for this establishment. Overall, I felt the experience stroke high right away, but unfortunately fell short as the evening progressed.

Over a 19 course fare, the initial bites truly shined, including my favorite, chawanmushi with lobster, which featured a very well emulsified lobster infused hollandaise sauce. Other highlights included the Innisfail carrot soup, king crab mixed with hokkaido uni cream and dressed with caviar, a king salmon prepared in sashimi bites but trayed with a crispy skin. These dishes all came in bite size appetizer portions, and showed off some amazing gastronomy skills of the chef and the staff.

Once we entered entree territory, the BC halibut prepared with Thai curry and the chicken jus infused, black truffles donned pasta were both great, however, it is also around this time, I realize I may not be full due to these entree's tiny portions and the unlimited baguette served with sake churned butter being brought to the table.

Things started to take a dive with the last 2 entrees, the duck from Quebec, served in a "Peking style", and the Alberta beef sirloin. Starting with the duck, I saw it sat on the cutting board for at least 15 to 20 minutes, and when it was served it was already lukewarm. Although claimed to be dry-aged for 15 days, I just didn't get any flavor punch that I expected from the process. Furthermore, having had way too many greatly prepared duck around the world, many of them cheaper than this meal, this dish just came across as bland, lukewarm, and tough.

The sirloin was even worse, not only was it not very flavorful (no aging this time), there was a pretty large piece of tough tendon inside the meat. Not only myself and my companion felt this, the group next to us expressed the same displeasure before I shared my feelings about it. To be frank, this particular dish should not have been prepared at an establishment like this, and I encourage the culinary team to review its place on the menu.

Unfortunately overall the portions of the dishes were so small, I had a full dozen pieces of the baguette and I was barely full. My companion left hungry. That being said, more than half of the dishes were truly amazing, although the consistency of the courses could use some improvement.

Overall, I would consider this meal being in the top 20 meals I've had in my life. But at its price point, I truly wish the experience would have ranked...