Alberta Beef, Prime Time Dining
By Mike Fisher (2006)I needed a vacation that wasn’t going to take much time, something that would deliver a punch strong enough to knock the clinging, weeklong haze of too much work off my hunched shoulders and lift my spirits. I could travel swiftly from Calgary to the Rocky Mountains, but that wasn’t going to do it. I was in the mood for a mountain on a plate. An adventure. Something I could scale with a fork and a well-honed steak knife.
So my wife Jackie and I set out for Hy’s Steakhouse, an old-oak chamber set in the heart of downtown in Calgary. A trip to a favourite eatery is a fresh start any time of the day, something to invigorate mind and body and stoke the soul with fuel. I craved protein fed by flame and Hy’s, one of the oldest steak houses in the city and the province, charbroils its aged beef lovingly.
In Alberta, beef is a tradition, and there are steakhouses throughout the province, particularly in Calgary, the international gateway to the Rocky Mountains, and Edmonton, the international gateway to the North.
More than 70 per cent of Canada’s $15-billion beef industry comes from this province, and half of the cattle are exported to nearly 70 markets worldwide. Beef in Alberta is linked to pride. Alberta’s history is built on ranches and farms and oil strikes. You don’t want to serve a beef dish that’s anything less than magnificent, whether it’s sliced or skewered or tucked into pita bread. It’s just not right.
“Here are your steak weapons,” said our waiter. The steak knife was embossed with Hy’s name, and it was imposing enough that you could wave it at a grizzly bear and be confident that it would high-tail it and run, though frankly that’s not sage advice for holiday travel in the Rocky Mountains. The only danger at this restaurant is not ordering the right wine with your meal. At Hy’s, the white-jacket service and dark panelling invoke old-school charm and serenity, perfect accoutrements to enjoying my steak: a 10-ounce New York Strip with the restaurant’s signature hickory barbeque steak sauce. I won’t waste words: it was perfect.
Visitors from the Netherlands on the table to our right were ordering steaks as well, listening to the waiter explain the history of the restaurant. The founder of Hy’s is a pioneer who epitomizes Alberta’s entrepreneurial spirit. Before he opened his first Hy's in Calgary in 1956, Hy Aisenstat had enough false starts as a businessman. He was a roughneck on Alberta oil rigs, real estate salesman, chief factory representative for a Calgary trailer company, public relations man for an oil magazine, stock broker and then for three years, president of his own small, unsuccessful oil company. “It was a scrambling time,” he is known to have said. “Nobody was going to feed me, and I had a large appetite.”
In 1956 it was Hy’s fondness for good food that interested him in a chef's proposition to be partners in a restaurant, and soon, Hy’s was born. There are Hy’s in both Calgary and Edmonton, as well as in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto.
Of course, it’s not the only restaurant where you can enjoy a steak adventure. There are steakhouses throughout the province that are within easy reach of where you’re visiting. Below is a sample of a few highlights in both Calgary and Edmonton.
Calgary
- Carver's: Located in the downtown Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Carver's serves some of the best steak in Calgary. Awards include 'Steakhouse of the Year' in 1999 and Restaurant of the Year in 2000 (from WHERE Calgary magazine). There is a great wine selection and decadent desserts.
- The Chicago Chop House: Located downtown by the popular Stephen Avenue walkway, The Chicago Chop House serves AAA Alberta beef and there’s more than steak and prime rib, as the Chicago Chophouse is also known for pork and grilled salmon dishes.
- Saltlik: Located on the Stephen Avenue Walk, Saltlik is an elegantly designed steakhouse that serves dishes created by chef Dwayne Ernest. The Skybar Lounge is located upstairs.
Edmonton
- Sawmill Restaurant: Named one of the top 100 restaurants in Canada by enRoute magazine, the Sawmill restaurants offer superb Alberta beef along with seafood dishes.
- The Keg Steakhouse and Bar: While it’s known for great steaks, The Keg also offers prime rib, seafood, appetizers and desserts.
- Von's Steak and Fish House: This steakhouse serves excellent Prime Rib and hand cut AAA Sterling Silver steaks. Also, daily exotic fish features with a great wine list.
- Mayfield Grill Steakhouse: This is a West Edmonton steakhouse that features fine steaks in choice cuts.
On-line restaurant guide
For a comprehensive list of restaurants in each city, check out online guides for Where Calgary and Where Edmonton.
