Avec Bistro

This is by far one of my favorite places to eat in Calgary! The owners are fantastic, the servers are gracious and the food is Wonderful! Jackie always does an amazing job recommending what wine to pair with my meal. The menu changes on a very regular basis– and it is always fun to see what is new. They have every thing from the classic steak frites– to items that someone more adventurous would like. The food is always spot on-​full of flavor, hot, and artfully plated. I never feel rushed out the door– they make me feel at home! It is great for a date night out– or to bringing your family when you just don’t want to cook! Amazing, lovely little gem! It is in my regular playbook!

4 of us went to Avec for my birthday on Monday. Another fantastic dining experience. I had the beef bourguignon for dinner and the beignets for dessert. Both were delicious. We paired dinner with 2 great wine selections, one from the Rhone and the other from the Willamette Valley. Can’t say enough good about this place.

I was debating between which french bistros to try out during Big Taste — Avec Bistro and Parc Café and Brasserie. Clearly, we went with the former and were hoping that the food would match it’s high rating on Zomato. However, I didn’t realize before we arrived that they were under construction so it was a bit tricky to spot from the road.
Avec Bistro has pretty regular hours but beware they’re only open for lunch on weekdays.
Took a few photos of their menu posted outside. Love when restaurants do that, very French of them. Reminds me of Montréal. They have beignets!
The service was on par but the timing between courses was way off. We easily waited over 30 minutes to get our dessert from the kitchen. If we had to be somewhere, like the table beside us who had a play to attend afterwards, I would not have been a happy camper. We could overhear them debating whether to forget dessert and leave but they ended up staying, wolfing down their dessert and running off. Not sure what was happening that night (it was a Saturday) but for the price ($ 35.00 Big Taste menu) and AB’s reputation, I expected better.
— Roasted beet salad — candied pecan, chevre noir and shallot vinaigrette. Started things off with a delicious, albeit crazy small amount of beets. We’re talking half a dozen bites, maybe???
— Butternut squash soup — maple candied bacon and speck crème. My friend K went with the other option, which she was 100% stoked about all day. I had a spoonful to try — nothing really pops back into my memory about it.
— Roasted chicken — creamy polenta and truffle honey carrots. This was my entrée for the night. The polenta had a light, creamy texture but I could taste a bit of gritty texture between some bites. The carrots had a touch of sweetness but the truffle didn’t come through for me. The roasted chicken was disappointing. Three tiny pieces and somewhat dry.
— Moules & frites — white wine, parsley, shallot and butter. The mussels were nice and plump and went well with the sauce. The fries were missing a sauce/​aioli to accompany them and were desperately in need of the deep fryer. Soggy and limp is never good.
— Mille feuille — chantilly, vanilla custard and raspberry compote. This isn’t what I normally expect for a mille feuille but maybe that’s just me. I had a bite but we both thought it just okay. It needed to be more flaky, buttery, and be more infused with the whipped cream/​cream filling.
— Vanilla crème brulee — a classic that’s hard to mess up. The top was nicely caramelized and the inside was custardy goodness.
Overall, we were both disappointed with our dinner at Avec Bistro. Can’t see myself coming back anytime soon.

Went to Avec today for the Big Taste luncheon and I would say more of a «Big Letdown». The lunch was $ 25 and included a micro salad with 3 leaves Arugula and a few pieces of beet, the salad literally was 2 inches long by 1 inch, for my main I ordered mussels (which were good) that came with fries (small, small serving), my girlfriend ordered the goat cheese and mushroom tart, it was awful. A small piece of puff pastry with a tiny dollop of goat cheese on top and a few mushroom pieces. We waited almost 40 minutes from the time we got our salad to the time we had our main course, this was followed by the worst Mille Feuille I have ever had, just a splash of liquidy custard under the puff pastry– very tasteless. The whole thing took almost two hours, which is not acceptable during the workday especially when it is a set menu. Two other disappointments were they charged me $ 3.50 for a refill of coke (the glass was so full of ice that it was only a half cup of coke) and $ 4.00 for a small baguette to go with my mussels. Do better.

Not the busiest place on a Monday
Beef brisket 3.5÷5
Absinthe menu is cool
Nicer on the inside than on the outside

Woo just when I thought I’d never review Avec again (previous one deleted for reasons unknown) an opportunity for a redemption visit came when we decided to dine her on a last minute whim.
Notes on my first visit: The service was stellar and charming and the waiter educated me on cognac and armanac. The menu (then) was elegant with a firm backbone of french cuisine served in small portions-​befitting a high end dining establishment.
On our recent visit: I tried their entrant to poutine week: masterfully fried fries with hamhock gravy over cheese and bacon. Delicious in texture but heavy on the palate with salt, savory, and fattiness. Next I had their duck confit, which was the most tender and fatty confit I’ve ever had, but I didn’t find it good match with the lentils. Finally we got a chance to learn about Absinthe: our waiter brought out a fancy water drip (a fountain) and educated us on what absinthe is all about: no burning sugar cubes and nothing in the liquor itself that would cause hallucinations (if anyone drank a high volume of alcohol, they’re guaranteed some sort of mental episode).

Part of poutine week — poutine was good — good smoke bacon. Had lamb and duck — both just ok. Expensive cocktail drinks. Service was excellent and quick.

Everything was excellent here!!! From the wine to the desserts!!! The appetizers were delicious! And the main dish was great! I had the duck and it was amazing… As appetizers we ordered different things to share and everything was good! Nothing to complain … The dessert was the best part! We had the ice cream and it was incredible! I would definitely go back to this restaurant! I recommend it 100%

Avec is our favourite restaurant in Calgary. It’s the place we go for any special occasion and it never disappoints.
The service is always superb without being pretentious.
The drinks are fantastic with an extensive wine and cocktail list.
The food is always amazing. Our favourites are the beef tartar, duck confit, steak frites and the banana bread pudding for dessert.
The prices are very fair for what you get.
We will continue to go to Avec until they give us a reason not to.

Despite it being Valentines and not having made reservations (Last minute nelly here) They still fit us in at the bar. Service was excellent, our waiter/​bartender making excellent suggestions on both food amd drink.
Décor was excellent.
Food… oh my … the fooooood.
So good, beyond words.

My first bistro experience in yyc and let me tell you, it was the most fantastic meal I’ve had in a long time.
To say I damn near died and went to heaven after my first bite of Foie Gras would be and was an understatement. I savoured every morsel, and cried when the plate was finished. I felt like Degas himself prepared the dish. I had never before tasted something quite so divine.
The Tempura Escargot were equally delicious — I wont say the word battered — because it was so light, the flavour of the escargot shone through the tempura — not taking anything away from the dish whatsoever. The pea purée complimented the escargot perfectly, making this dish a great start to any meal.
When it came to the main course, my friend decided that she wanted to split it between the two of us, which meant we had to be ever so diligent in our choice, and after much agonizing I decided on the Ricotta gnudi, courgette purée, chèvre, truffle honey croûton with duck confit as our main course.
Gnudi (pronounced «nu-​dee») is a type of gnocchi made from ricotta cheese and a little bit of flour. The result is a dumpling that some describe as «nude» ravioli, or filling without the pasta — that is to say, light, fluffy, and creamy.
I have never had gnudi before — I am a HUGE fan of gnocchi, and I was pleasantly surprised at the slight differences the dish had to its potato brethren. The courgette and chèvre completed this meal perfectly. A true ingredient symbiosis.
The Avec Bistro menu is seasonal, and what we enjoyed on that perfect September evening may not be found on the current menu but I highly recommend; whether you are a seasoned veteran to the Calgary food scene or simply passing through — to go and enjoy the atmosphere, the service and most importantly — the food. It is indeed glorious — and a place I cannot wait to visit again.

Being from Montréal, I think they don’t deserve more than 2! Service was not bad though.

Great small restaurant — classy feel without the high brow negativity. The lunch menu is very simple, but it nice to choose from a select group of entrees that are carefully put together and flavorful. The sandwich and soup combo for the day was a cauliflower purée with a bbq brisket sandwich. Might seem like an odd match, but it worked. The soup was creamy, smooth and rich, and it paired nicely with the bbq brisket sandwich. The meat was tender with bits of fatty tissue which added to the depth and texture of the meat. Other dishes that looked amazing from our party were the burger (huge + fries + small side salad), quiche (large slide + large side of mixed greens).
Tip — For the month of September, you can add truffles to any item on the menu for $ 10.

Food quality is average, a bit expensive for what it is. The entrees did not match the price. I had the scallops (only 2 for $ 30!) and they were over cooked. The chocolate terrine was good but not spectacular, and the lemon pie was spoiled.
Food is french inspired, that’s it. Calgary offers much better french restaurants.
The service is all right, our waiter wasńt very attentive though. The ambiance is quiet, pleasant.
Overall, decent but disappointing.

They definitely get 5 stars for service and ambience, but 3 for menu variety and 2 for the actual food. I am not a huge fan of pork but everything on the menu had that word in it, including the chef’s specials with the exception of a Halibut dish.
For appetizer I ordered a pork platter and it was simply ok, nothing outstanding or terrible about it. The entrée is really what my review is all about… I ordered the steak and although the meat was really great, the white, creamy, totally plain sauce that it was topped with, ruined it COMPLETELY. After eating I felt a bit sick and did not have any desire to even try a dessert. I played it safe and just had a glass of muscat.
Based on this particular dinner experience I would never go back but I have friends that love this restaurant and to be fair, the service was exceptional. In a group setup I suppose I would give it a second try.

We live only a few blocks away from this restaurant and we pass it almost everyday. So sooner or later we had to try it, specially with all the good reviews.
From outside, the patio looks a little bit dated. However, when you enter, it has a casual comfy feeling.
We ordered the beef tartar and rack of pork in addition to mussels. The food arrived really fast. The mussel and fries was good but nothing special, pretty standard. In contrast, the beef tartar was excellent. Fresh, tasty and the bread cracker was fantastic. But the star of the night was the pork rack. One of the best pork dishes that I had in Calgary. The exterior was very flavorful and inside was moist. The bacon sauce and potatoes on the side was also excellent. Just thinking about it, I want to go back there and order that dish.
My experience was very good, however, our friends ordered the halibut and bouillabaisse. Both dishes smelled a little bit too fishy and in my opinion not the freshest sea food; hence the 4 star review. Otherwise it would have been an easy 5 star.
In conclusion, Avec is exactly what you expect from a french bistro. Reasonable price, simple menu and generous portions. Highly recommended for a relax dinner or lunch. Very good for solo diners.

This place deserves all the good reviews it gets.
On our first visit there, we had high expectations, and we were not disappointed!
The steak was excellent, the dessert was great, and the service was really flawless.
for a dinner for you, with appetizers, dessert and some wine, you are looking at about 150 – 200 $.

Straight up classic French cooking, and I’m really liking it. If I could describe this place in one word it would be «conscientious». By that I mean that all aspects of the service and food were carefully considered to provide a refined and atypical dining experience, though without being pretentious (much like the modern, clean lines of the warm wood décor). Rather than having a bloated menu that tries to please everyone, Avec has opted for a modest number of customizable items prepared very well.
Right off the bat, the drink menu has a small but inventive cocktail list: the two we selected were tasty and well-​balanced aperol and bourbon concoctions. And they are strong. Deceptively strong. You surely won’t need more than one or two for the whole meal.
The menu starts with inexpensive mini appetizers such as croquettes and truffled eggs. These were a nice way to add variety to and extend the meal without straining the pocketbook.
We skipped over the regular appetizers and went straight for the main courses, though a tablemate did have the mussels which were substantial and could be combined with a mini-​appy to make a light meal if cost or calories is an issue for you.
Mains are in the range of $ 20 – 25, with the option to add various culinary accoutrements like bernaise sauce to the steak, or green beans amandine for extra veg. We embraced this philosophy and added duck confit ($ 4) to the otherwise meatless gnocchi with goat cheese ($ 20). Yes, that makes for an expensive pasta, but MAN was it good… worth every penny. The gnocchi had a pleasant slight chew to them, while the herbs and zucchini balanced the richness of the duck beautifully.
For the other main, we had the crispy chicken with foie gras mushroom sauce. Since you can’t get too much of a good thing, we ordered a piece of seared foie gras to top it. The chicken was crispy but otherwise just okay. What made it really good was the mushroom sauce. What made it excellent was the beautiful lentil mixture it sat on.
Each dessert had a suggested digestif pairing, which reinforced the pervasive conscientiousness. The suggestions demonstrate a predilection for hard-​to-​find-​in-​Alberta bevvies, from a low alcohol Nova Scotian slightly sparkling Muscat, to a fortified French red. I had to drive, so I had the bread pudding but skipped the pairing. The lightly spiced bread was nice and moist, with a slightly crispy exterior making it (in retrospect, unsurprisingly) more like a pain perdu than an English bread pudding. The caramel sauce was spot on, if a little too little for someone with a sweet tooth like mine. We left Avec pretty light in the pocketbook, full in the belly, and grinning ear to ear.

So much tastiness!
I had the mushroom tart to start — flaky buttery crust and creamy mushrooms. For entrees, we shared 3 and they all rocked! The chicken — insanely tender, and the skin was bursting with flavour. The pork tenderloin — as tender as a brisket! And the tagliatelle with short ribs — an adventure in pasta. And then dessert — the chocolate terrine with salted caramel and vanilla bean ice cream — addictive and irresistible, even on a very full stomach.
If you’re lucky like I am to have friends who share, you get to try it all! And you’ll want to eat it all, every last little bite.

Eat at Avec; don’t wait, eat there tonight.
On New Years Eve I had a good friend in town from Vancouver. Although I knew he would be visiting we planned nothing, and at 6:30 pm on Dec 31, I called Avec to squeeze us into the NYE special service at 8:00.
The dinner was a five course meal that included, what the server described as, «the chef’s biggest hits of 2012.» If these dishes are the stars, I can only imagine how excellent the a la carte menu must be.
The service included a fresh and bright crab cake, a spectacular duck consumee with chestnuts, a fluffy seared scallop with pork belly, salted caramel chocolate torte and a mushroom tart that was so stunning I had to stop myself from licking the plate.
At a French restaurant it’s expected that the food be excellent, and Avec delivers; but the most notable thing about Avec, besides the stunning food and the convenient location in the beltline, was the unpretentious atmosphere and overall warmth of the staff and menu. It’s a odd description, but the dishes felt friendly, like I was eating at good friends’ exceptional dinner party where the crowd was chatty and laughing, the servers friendly and the chef out shaking hands while humbly accepting compliments.
Avec has excellent food, great service and an endearing sense of humor. The staff sparkle as brightly as the menu; so expect this small place with the warm heart to serve a meal you won’t soon forget.
T.