Thursday, March 22, 2012

Dining: Ironwood Stage and Grill

Recently, a friend of ours organized a large group outing to have dinner and then see a show at the Ironwood Stage and Grill in Calgary. I was excited about the event, as I hadn't been there before, and I'm always looking to try out new places.  The establishment is located in the SE of the city, fairly close to the Zoo, so not obnoxiously far away.  I also love walking around in the cute Inglewood neighborhood where you can find something new and interesting nestled inside of each of the little storefront shops.  Like these crazy, enormous gnomes.  So cute!

 At any rate, this is 9th ave, where you can find the Ironwood Stage and Grill.  There are pay parking lots on each corner of the opposite side of the street, within just a couple of minutes walking distance. This shot was taken from the parking lot at the far end of the block.  There is also street parking in the evenings, on the same side of the street where the Ironwood is located, but since we were headed in from the opposite direction, it was easier to just park in a lot than try to turn around, make our way back, and parallel park!

Ironwood Stage and Grill
1229 - 9th Avenue S.E. Calgary Alberta Canada T2G 0S9
(403)269-5581
 See that sign all in lights?  That's the front of the Ironwood.  The sign proudly proclaims whatever is playing that night, and the Ironwood has lots of shows.  As a matter of fact, you can pick almost any day of the week and find live entertainment of some variety on the schedule.  Check their entertainment listings here, for some very interesting variety, musical, and comedy acts local to the Calgary area as well as some touring shows.

Reservations are recommended for performance times, and I'd second that recommendation.  We arrived early; around 6:30, and there was only one other table of diners in the place.  However, as the clock crept forward toward show time, we were grateful for the reservation for our large group (there were 12 of us) close to the stage because in this small venue, prime space fills up fast.  The Ironwood is long and narrow, with the low stage taking up one of the short ends, and the fairly high bar stretching along a good portion of one of the long sides.  This means many views from halfway back and further are obstructed, so it's going to pay to get a good seat early if you want to be able to see what is going on.

When it comes to service, I wish I could give a better review.  I have a feeling that it wasn't entirely our server's fault; there didn't seem to be many people on staff, and the waitress had a lot to handle with our large group.  However, I have to admit that it was more than a little lacking.  Drink orders were initially filled quickly, but food service took a long time, and arrived spottily.  For my part, my dinner was served more than ten minutes after the rest of those seated around me (though I had ordered the special, which four others around me had ordered as well) and was partially incomplete (the garlic toast arrived another ten minutes or so later).

Some of the food served was lava hot in spots, as though it had been re-headed in a microwave (as Gordon Ramsey would skewer the kitchen staff for were this an episode of Kitchen Nightmares!) but for the most part, the quality seemed good. Additionally, drinks are pricey (expect to pay five bucks for a soft drink) and refills (which are not free) seemed to be difficult to order and slow to arrive.  There were long waits for almost anything.

Gnocchi Alfredo
The special, which most of our table ordered, was a gnocchi alfredo with mushrooms, served with garlic toast. The gnocchi was nicely cooked, though mildly sticky, but the garlic toast was white texas toast from a bag, spread with margarine and sprinkled with garlic powder.  Not very special for a special, I'll admit.  Still, the food was filling and reasonably priced at $13.  Due to the pricing of the appetizers, we all skipped immediately to the main course; from previous experience one of the others in our party noted that the appetizers are extremely small in portion size for the price, and not really worth indulging in.
Steak Flatbread

 My other half opted for the steak flatbread, also reasonable at $16 for the portion size, which hovered between the average small and medium pizza.  He found the steak slices on the pizza to be a little tough, likely from being cooked twice, once on it's own and again during the baking of the pizza.  The crust, however, he found to be nicely crisp and light, with plenty of sauce and other toppings to balance out the meal.
Chicken Lasagna







Also at the $16 price point, one can find the chicken lasagna. Served in an individual lasagna dish, this is a very large serving almost suitable for sharing. This was the item with the inconsistent heating, lava-hot in the center.  The cheese on top was nicely crisped, and the portion was large, though it was again served with the white-bread-and-garlic-powder garlic toast.
Steak Sandwich





Another member of our party chose the steak sandwich, one of the more expensive entrees at $17. This was a slice of flatiron steak served on a slice of plain bread, topped with some onion rings.  There is an option of french fries or salad on the side.  The verdict on this was slightly tough, somewhat overcooked, and not terribly satisfying.







Additionally, those at our table that dared order dessert - a small bowl of vanilla gelato - got a bit of sticker shock when their tabs came due.  Expect $12 per small dessert here; like the appetizers, they are not worth ordering in this venue.

With seating that isn't super comfortable, we were a little stiff after a while in the evening, and while we thought the show we saw was amazing, we were left uncertain about whether or not we would return to the Ironwood for future events.  They do have an amazing variety of acts that play there, so it's a possibility.  The quality of entertainment can be stellar, but the food is mediocre and the service is a bit lacking.  Because of the problems we had and the distance of the drive, the Ironwood earns only a middle-of-the-road two and a half stars from this reviewer.  If you are really interested in a show being presented there, I'd say go for it, but proceed with caution unless you've brought a thick wallet!


No comments:

Post a Comment