Pigeonhole 17th — Restaurant in Calgary

My caveat is that I am somewhere between a 3 and 4 rating on food and 4 and 5 rating on atmosphere. In terms of atmosphere, I went with the higher rating, as I really appreciate how comprehensively this restaurant not only manages but embraces both the spirit and the limitations of the space it occupies. With the food, it's because I truly believe that it would be so easy for Pigeonhole to up its game and go from an "I have questions" status to impeccable.

I have been to Pigeonhole twice now (having recently relocated back to my hometown after 20 years away, with occasional family visits, so I'm aware of but not deeply entrenched in the Calgary food scene). I really appreciate what the restaurant brings to Calgary but also find it a little hard to place, in terms of its identity and focus. In some ways, it feels like a welcoming, slightly alternative space with amazing service that begs to be a second home for a specific local clientele. In this regard, it really misses the mark on pricing, as it is too expensive for that.

On another level, you can see the attention to detail that has gone into the branding, the decor, the atmosphere and the wonderful service (which is truly top notch and amongst the best I've experienced anywhere; attentive enough to be considered fine dining, but with that refreshingly casual quality that dominates the current food space). So, in that regard, it seems like it could be aiming to position itself as a niche, contemporary fine dining establishment, like the type of place you see transforming all sorts of cultural and food capitals, such as New York, London and Paris, with smaller venues, smaller menus and a really specific approach to food. Which is where I get a bit lost, as the food somewhat lacks that level of refinement in ways that it seems to me would be quite easy to remedy, some of which of course depends on the restaurant's financial situation, talent bank and ability to source ingredients.

The AB tomato & cucumber salad, for instance, lacked some of the effects of what you expect of a quality vinaigrette (even though it had one, somehow it wasn't well-integrated, and perhaps it is something as simple as drizzling it across the plate rather than pooling it on the outskirts, and making it more standout with a good oil or acid note) and mostly it really could have really used the addition of a fresh herb like mint (or at least some more parsley than the two little micro-slivers I saw on our plate) to add more dimension. The sourdough croutons were texturally off-putting against the other ingredients; they might have benefitted from a more loosely, bubbly structured bread, like that you find in a classic panzanella. They were so darkened with oil on the exterior and hardened throughout, they would have definitely paired better with cured meats meats and pickled vegetables on a charcuterie board than with a beautifully delicate soft cheese in a salad. It was still a good dish, but could have easily been a lot better.

I know that this is super nit-picky, but I just want to provide the most helpful feedback I can. Because I can't understand why the kitchen in a place that clearly strives so hard decided: "good enough" on some of the basics. It's disorienting.

Like another reviewer, I'm also a little perplexed by the addition of shredded cheese to the charred cabbage small plate, as I'm not sure it adds anything other than calories to the dish. If cheese is essential by the chef's estimation, is it really the best choice of cheeses? Could you shift some of the costs of covering this dish with somewhat unnecessary cheese to improving another dish with addition of herbs?

Ultimately, both times I've visited this restaurant, I've left feeling a little perplexed by some of the culinary choices. The menu feels unfocused, and at these prices it should feel compelling and purposeful. Perhaps the head chef doesn't get enough room to assert their own vision here, which leads to a lot of mixed messages on the plate? That said, the chicken schnitzel...

I feel really bad for giving 2 stars. My husband and I absolutely love the Concord Group. Brigette Bar must be our favourite.

We ordered the scallop crudo for $17. It looked like 1 scallop sliced into thin pieces and it was very flavorless. I tasted the basil and some nuts. The chilled AB crudite came out next. The description read bone marrow, but the bone marrow was very inexistent for $18?! It was more like vegetables with a dip that tasted like mayo. When we saw the crispy hashbrown with truffle dip on the menu, we had to get it. I guess $9 is reasonably priced for it. However, I wish it was air-fried. The hash browns were an inch thick and quite large, so deep frying such a dense piece of potato will cause canola oil to sit inside and retain it. It was so greasy that I felt sick after finishing just 1.5 pieces. We ordered the steak frites for $53. It didn’t specify what cut it was, but for $53, I had expectations of a better cut. We received a trị-tip. Meanwhile we paid about $60 for a Prime Rib at Major Tom, which was way better. The steak at Pigeon Hole wasn’t seasoned, but it had sautéed shallots and garlic on top. With way too much skinny fries with a garlic aioli dip. The skinny fries looked like they were from a bag of frozen fries and not freshly cut.

I am so sorry for leaving a poor review. We really wanted to love it after seeing all of the awards Pigeon Hole won in 2015-2017. Unfortunately, Pigeon Hole fell so short for us. We are big foodies and after posting this on Instagram, I had quite a few followers message me to tell me how bland they thought the food was and how it wasn’t reasonably priced for what we got.

I will say that Grace was such a wonderful and a very sweet server. She is very kind and sincere and took care of so many tables so graciously. She made sure our water glasses were always full. She also took the time to swap out our plates and cutlery each time, so the flavours aren’t mixed.

We thought it was also frustrating that we weren’t able to call the restaurant for some questions. The phone lines weren't working.

It was also quite cold in the restaurant and we weren’t sitting near the window.

Unfortunately, we will be sticking with the other restaurants in the...

We just got home from our dinner at Pigeonhole and had such a great time I wanted to give a review right away.

This was our first time there, I picked it based on the name of a mocktail they had on their menu but was further enticed by the chicken schnitzel. Our experience was fantastic. Our main server was Amaris (I hope I’m spelling her name right) she was above and beyond amazing. Not only giving great suggestions, checking in with us throughout our meal, but also gave me a song to add a playlist I have for my work.

The food was so, so, so tasty. We got the mushroom croquettes, charred cabbage, beef tartare, chicken schnitzel and hash browns for our savoury courses. For dessert we had the warm maple cake, and also the sweet clover soft serve. We throughly enjoyed all of the dishes but the standouts for us were the charred cabbage, and the sweet clover soft serve. My husband hates cabbage but loved the Pigeonhole’s charred version so much he wants to go back and have it again. I think the charred cabbage is one of the best bites of food I have gotten at a restaurant in Calgary in the twenty odd years I’ve live here. If you get a chance to try it, definitely do! With a name like sweet clover I expected the ice cream to be a bit grassy or have a herbaceous note to it but it was delicate without being bland or boring. And it was served with these fabulous oat crunchies that were seemingly simple but so delicious.

The level of service we received was amazing. We felt free to breathe and enjoy ourselves while also feeling very catered to. Our plates were reset after each course, different staff brought out the courses, the drinks, and cleared and reset the table each time. As well, our main server was by often enough to feel we were being seen to but not so much we ever felt smothered. Every member of staff that came to our table was lovely and pleasant, with an attitude that seemed like they genuinely enjoyed being there and having us...