For the Love of...: ...NOtaBLE (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

Our first experience with NOtaBLE wasn't a great one. During the first few months of their opening we made reservations a few weeks in advance. As the date approached we called to make a change of time and were surprised to find out that our original reservation wasn't even made in the first place. Thankfully we found this out before we visited otherwise we would have shown up only to find a full restaurant with 'no-table.' 

It took us a while to come back, but we eventually did and weren't disappointed. Overall the food was well prepared and flavourful while the service was attentive and unobtrusive. We started our lunch off with the thai curry steamed mussels. The broth was flavourful while the mussels were as fresh as we've ever tasted. 

Our mains for lunch included a house made gnocchi with a truffle and braised lamb shank ragù and a smoked beef brisket sandwich with curry carrot soup. The gnocchi was easily the best pasta dish we've had to date. Not only were the gnocchi light and airy but the sauce of tender braised lamb accented with truffle oil and cambazola cheese went great with the earthy potato pasta. 

The smoked beef brisket made for a decent sandwich but didn't quite reach the same level of greatness that the pasta did. Although the brisket had just the right amount of smoke and tenderness, the thinness of each slice didn't do justice to the flavour and moistness of the beef. Slicing the meat a bit thicker may have made for a more satisfying experience.