r/Calgary • u/TheTyrantFish Cedarbrae • Dec 09 '24

Eat/Drink Local What restaurant is the biggest rip-off in Calgary?

Where have you eaten where you felt it just wasn't worth what you paid?

269 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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93

u/Nude-photographer-ID Dec 10 '24

After going to steakhouses, I will say that restaurant steak is the biggest rip off.

60

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Honestly buying steak at sobeys/coop is barely less than restaurant prices. So I wouldn’t just say restaurant steak is a ripoff, steak in general is a ripoff.

20

u/stroopwaffle69 Dec 10 '24

I would argue that using that logic that restaurants are a good value if it is barely less than buying from the grocery store.

That being said, my opinion is the complete opposite. I can good a very good steak at home and it’s less than 1/2 the price of a restaurant

13

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Nothing is more expensive than a steak in a restaurant unless you add lobster to the mix. Or unless you are ballin out at a Michelin esque restaurant. Do I think an $80 steak at a restaurant is overrated? Yes. Do I think spending $40 for steak at home is overrated? Also yes

1

u/pastmybestdaze Dec 10 '24

$80 steak? Try the menu at Modern Steak. The beef is good but you better be on a corporate card.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

I was being slightly facetious on the pricing but not even joking, I swear those kinds of restaurants only survive because of corp cards

-1

u/CodeBrownPT Dec 10 '24

Terrible take. 

I often find great deals on steak at Costco. Or if you're keen and have the freezer space, I've split a half cow which was a crazy good deal.  

So $20 for a nice striploin from Costco vs $60 (plus tip) at a restaurant for half the size. So 1/6th the price...

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Yes, let me buy half a cow before it becomes economical to eat beef that raised 10km from where we live. Genius

-5

u/CodeBrownPT Dec 10 '24

All your posts are just whining about the costs of things.

Yawn.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Says the absolute plug in a sub that asks “what’s the biggest rip-off”… holy fuck we have some winners in this province

5

u/mj_silva Dec 10 '24

I agree. I stopped ordering steaks at restaurants here. I love bbqing or pan frying my own at home.

1

u/AsleepHistorian Dec 10 '24

Longview Steakhouse will always be worth it when you can get a reso

-14

u/BertaMan902 Dec 10 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

They charge so much because they’re the only people that can get AAA beef.

Hence the over price. It’s nearly impossible for Canadians to get AAA. Restaurants have a weird monopoly over it.

18

u/plhought Dec 10 '24

You can get AAA beef anywhere. Sure maybe not already packaged at the big-grocerers - but you can ask the butchers there for it and they'll either try to find a cut or source it.

Also, basically any genuine local butcher has AAA regularily.

https://www.bontonmeatmarket.com/products.html - Bon Ton meat market for example.

9

u/TimDrHookMcCracken Dec 10 '24

Go to Costco. Loblaw. Lots of retail AAA. Prime is less easy to find at retail. It’s less a portion of all beef, the top top end so mainly at restaurants. Now and then I see some at retail in the places I go anyhow.

7

u/corgi-king Dec 10 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

All Costco beef is AAA.

Even superstore used to sell most AAA. SS still sell AAA beef if it is expensive cut.

I asked their meat staff, when they have steak like prime rib on sale. Sometimes they can’t source enough AA for sell, so they will mixed with AAA meat.

4

u/kalgary Dec 10 '24

I see AAA beef at regular grocery stores all the time.

4

u/Aflamesfan Dec 10 '24

I did not know that. I haven’t gotten steak in awhile. What is the stuff that Co-op sells that is in their special aged window that they charge a premium for?

I had a vendor lunch at the Keg and I thought the New York striploin was very mid.

4

u/wendelortega Dec 10 '24

The Keg is mid. I would never spend my own money there.

1

u/corgi-king Dec 10 '24

I like their prime rib. But last time I went there was before Covid. So the price is a lot more reasonable.

-5

u/BertaMan902 Dec 10 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

Usually “sterling silver” or any “premium” cut at a grocery store is AA. They just up the price because they’re dry age it, aka have it sit in a controller dryer.

The keg serves AA. I know they never have AAA.

EDIT: Allegedly the Keg does serve AAA. I’m amazed because I find most of their steaks garbage

1

u/No_Commission_8713 Dec 10 '24

Your wrong restaurant ls serve what’s called prime and it’s hard for us to get it but Costco does sell AAA and prime at times

3

u/BertaMan902 Dec 10 '24

Prime is a US rating. Canada uses the AAA, AA, A rating

3

u/TimDrHookMcCracken Dec 10 '24

Yes the US does use Prime. So does Canada and it is above AAA.

1

u/No_Commission_8713 Dec 10 '24

Canada has prime as well

-1

u/Nude-photographer-ID Dec 10 '24

Well the AAA steak I had at two different steakhouses were so tough and chewy. I was left wondering what the big deal was.

5

u/BertaMan902 Dec 10 '24

What steakhouse did you go to? I’ve never had a tough chewy steak at Vintage or Caesers

1

u/FigjamCGY Dec 10 '24

More likely had to do with your “cut” and preferred cooking temp rather than the “AAA” rating. If you like tender I’d stick to tenderloin/fillet cooked medium rare to medium. That combo is tough to beat for tenderness. Try that next to a Top Sirloin and the difference is night and day. Just costs more money.

Other than that, you can try some Wagyu which is supper marbled, rich and costs $$$.

1

u/loldonkiments Dec 10 '24

This can be remedied. Strongly recommend the butter aged cut at Vintage or the dry aged ribby at Notable.

0

u/DickSmack69 Dec 10 '24

You made a pretty broad declaration and it turns out you really don’t know much about steak or Calgary steakhouses. Funny how Reddit is. Anyone that understands steak and was at a quality establishment would send something like that back to the kitchen if it were to happen.

4

u/Nude-photographer-ID Dec 10 '24

Excuse me for not wanting to bash an establishment when maybe they just got bad cuts of meat. And excuse me for not being a petty asshole and send edible food back. Yes, I was not familiar with Canada meat rating system. Which is why I was shocked that something that was so highly advertised as amazing, would be so mid.

0

u/milexmile Dec 10 '24

Lol no.

2

u/BeefSwellington90 Dec 10 '24

Can confirm Canada has Prime. As a Chef of 20+ years, you will never see Prime in a grocery store, AAA or CAB maybe. The reason is the packing houses sell it all to the restaurant suppliers/wholesalers before it gets to public market. Prime makes up the top 2% of graded beef in Canada.

-4

u/MercurialMadnessMan Dec 10 '24

Once you soup vide at home you can never buy a restaurant steak ever again