Smuggler's — Restaurant in Calgary

I wanted to take my girlfriend to a different steakhouse than our typical spot. My mistake.

Upon arrival, I mentioned that we had a reservation for two for a birthday party. Got informed that they didn't have my reservation, but could still seat us. I thought, "oh well. Mistakes happen".

So, we get brought away from the dimly lit ambience of the front to a brightly lit seating area in the back. The change between atmospheres was so stark it was like being in a completely different place. We got sat next to the exit to the patio that was closed. If we were in summer months I wouldn't mind, but it's the second week of November and neither of us intended to wear our jackets throughout dinner.

Should have saw this as a bad sign, but apparently I can't see the sign of a tire fire until after third degree burns.

We get through the food menu and ordered our appetizers. We mentioned my girlfriend's dairy sensitivity and the server does not offer any reassurances to what we ordered, nor does she offer any alternatives. When asking about the two sauvignon blancs on the menu, the server does not know where the wines are from or what the difference is. They're 21 bucks a glass. I thought someone should know, but we got told it must be a change in where the wine comes from.

I know, thats maybe a snooty thing to be turned off by. But it's a small part of a bigger problem.

So our appetizers come out and they're OK. Nothing to write home about. The server brings our steak knives out and (perhaps after being spoiled by some other steakhouses) I look down at the tiny steak knives handed to us. Both looked like steak knives you can get at superstore, with their cheap plastic black handles and thick serated edges. Both of our knives had big melted imprints the width of a pen in them, perhaps being melted in the dishwasher or getting left on the heat lamp. It was becoming clear that if we were with smugglers, we had been relagated to the riff raff part of the restaurant. We laughed it off and waited for our main courses.... for another 45 minutes.

When the busboy brought our food, as he was putting my girlfriends plate down, he spilled her aus jous all over her steak, her veggies, and her napkin. So much of it ended up on her it soaked through to her jeans. He said he would get her another aus jous. Somehow the idea of having steak and veggies swimming in a rosemary broth must be okay, because the plate of food never got taken back.

I look down at my ribeye and it barely resembles a ribeye. There is so much gristle and segments to the steak that its clear this is some culinary Frankenstein of beef, meat glue, and shame. My superstore special knife won't even cut through the gristle. In fact, the knife wouldn't even cut through the bottom skin of my baked potato. The butter knife I hadn't used yet ended up doing a superior job cutting through meat, potatoes, and broccoli.

As we were eating, the server popped over to ask us how everything was to which we just nodded. She then almost filled my girlfriend's wine glass with water before remembering which glass was which. We both started laughing at how silly this was starting to be.

Now, not to fault the server that was assigned to us at the start. She did try her best. She was by herself in the "riff raff" section with many large tables of anywhere between 5-10 guests. She was slammed. Still, at the bare minimum, cutlery has to be functional, the guests can't wear the sauces you serve them, and wine needs to go in wine glasses.

We finish our meal and wait 20 minutes to get the bill. There is a table of two women sitting next to us that just got their drinks after 25 minutes. I felt like telling them "its not too late to run".

When the server comes back I say we are just looking for the bill. She says, "oh, I thought it was her birthday ". I tell her not to worry about it and to just have the bill. 8 minutes later she drops off spoons. Then 10 minutes later a chocolate cake comes that my girlfriend can't eat because she can't eat dairy.

Womp womp. Won't be...

Firstly, I will point out that prior to Covid (the shutdown), renovations, and change in ownership, we did frequently dine there for brunch and evening service (supper). So we are quite familiar with how it was and how it is now. Today was a brunch visit.

It is much brighter than before. The big, comfy regent-style chairs are gone, replaced with a modern decor. It's nice. However, for a large space, there is no/limited sound absorption. It wasn't very busy when we were there, so it was tolerable. I can only imagine in the evening what the noise level could be.

Comparison (and someone correct me if I'm wrong): The brunch buffet prior to 2020 was $49 per person, included the waffle station, the omlete station, a selection of meats/charcuterie, cheeses, fruit pastries, and tea and coffee, plus juice (selection of orange, cranberry, and apple). It was worth the money, & we thoroughly enjoyed going there as we would always order mimosas with our meal.

Today when we walked in we were greeted pleasantly and seated. My 16-year-old was given a kids' menu and crayons (she ended up ordering from my menu - same food, but I'm sure the portions were way smaller). There is no omlete or waffle station. The cost is $33.00 per adult, kids' menu is $17.00 per child. There is no buffet except the desserts. The menu says a basket of assortment of danish, croissants, & preserves In the basket was 1/2 a danish, 2 croissants, & 1 chocolate croissant (which looked very similar to the ones sold at costco just saying). The small preserves were two small bowls (about 1.5 tbsp each) of what looked like a strawberry jam and marmalade and a small bowl of butter about 1.5 tbsp of that). What we ordered, there was nothing special about the meal. I ordered a traditional eggs benedict, my husband ordered the omlete and our daughter ordered the fresh toast. (Pictures attached). The eggs benedict was slightly cool (pan meal bacon was not warm under the eggs). The hollandaise sauce was too strong (Dijon) taste to it. It overpowered the taste of it. The tators (wedges sounds fancier maybe) were not season at all. They were very dry. The warm tomatoe was okay & didn't really do much for the plate, but it was warmer than the bacon and the taters. My husband said the omelete was okay. He, thought the bacon would have been in the omelete. Instead it was only mushroom and cheese. He was not asked if he would like anything added or changed or how would like his bacon cooked (even Dennys asks that question). He said had he known the bacon was not going to be in the omlete, he would have asked for it to be soft. It came hard and crispy. The French toast. Well, I've never seen French toast served as a loaf. In addition to that (as one reviewer said), there was no mention of nuts on any of the menu. There were slivered almonds on it. I've never seen it severed standing as a loaf with anything inside. My daughter said it was alright, not great. As well my daughter boted the ice tea was 'American' - not sweetened like you'd expect in Canada. The dessert buffet was not fantastic either. Grey Eagle has a better dessert buffet. If your gluten free or diabetic there are no selections labels as such and no indication of nuts involved. For our bill for 3 came to $112.00 and honestly I would have gone to Eggsmart in Millrise for a better breakfast. Sorry Smugglers you've...

I wrote this in an email and after a whole week did not get a reply at all, so, my full review is below. For less money, you get a better experience at Nicks Stakehouse or at a Keg. In summary: 1- wait times to get your food are horrible (we came in at 6, our food didnt get to our table until 7:38) 2- meat was cooked per your expectations, so if you do not mind waiting an hour for your food, the meat is great 3 - the soup and salad bar are a definite no-go 4- place looks great, but the environment is pure chaos, despite not being so busy 5- bathrooms were a mess during my visit, though might be indicative of the chaos 6- waiting staff is really trying hard, the wait times and chaos is a management issue, not a waiting staff issue

Full review: The Good +Our waitress was great. She hustled. She was polite. She didnt mess the order. She did her best to check on us (she was VERY busy though) +The meat was cooked as asked. +Appetizer were not bad. Double baked potato was good. But sides portions were tiny. This is not a French cuisine restaurant, its a steak house. +Drinks were good, Shirley temple was enjoyed, and the old fashioned was also good. +The chocolate cake was delicious

The Bad -Salad and soup a la carte. The entire section was messy. Chopped lettuce and cabbage does not make a salad the same way Lego pieces do not make a lego sculpture. Whatever was chopped and kept over ice looked unappetizing and at times there were no serving utensils (I had to grab a spoon for the nuts, to avoid cross contamination, etc.). -Soups were over salted, were all liquid without any solids, and the tiny bowls are more ramekins than bowls. -The soup and salad a la carte offered as a meal is not only unsatisfying but somewhat insulting. -My sister in law had to wait for her red wine for almost 35 minutes. She wanted the red wine with her steak. The red wine did not come until after she was done with her steak. -Our waitress was so busy that my water was not refilled for the last hour and a half of our visit. I shouldnt have to ask, if I have an empty glass in front of me, I at least should have been asked. Considering that my soup felt like it was half-salt, it was not comfortable.

The Ugly -The male bathroom was gross. Had to advice my father in law to use the accessibility bathroom instead. -The wait times were crazy, and it was not only our experience, everyone in our section was frustrated. Our reservation was for 6. Our party was complete at 6:10. Our food came out at 7:38. We had a child with us, do you think its reasonable for a child to wait for their food for an hour and a half? -Disorganization and chaos is not an environment where I am going to enjoy food, or have a good experience. In our two and a half hour visit two glasses broke at the bartender station. One plate was dropped. We almost crashed into waiters three times on our way to the bathroom. -Waiting staff was running like crazy and yet nobody had their drinks or food within a reasonable time. -Looking at management hustle to set up the brunch room while there is chaos, huge wait times where people were actually seated, and a messy bathroom sends the...