DINNER AT MODEL MILK - 17th Ave

A very nice friend of mine wanted to take me out for my birthday. We decided to give Model Milk a try since neither of us has been there yet. We went on a Friday before 6 pm, and it wasn't quite busy yet. This place was easy to spot as there was a cow head above the door. Model Milk is named after the building. The restaurant looked small on the outside, but once we step in towards to back, it opened up. It reminded me of the Tardis - bigger on the inside :) (Yes, I'm a total geek.) The decor is modern and bright. I like how there is an open kitchen in the back and is between the two floors of the restaurant. The wait staff here is all really nice and have good recommendations. They explained all the dishes as it arrives at the table. All the servers here had a hipster style vibe going. We actually made the mistake of thinking the guy holding the door for us had worked there. He was dressed pretty nice - white shirt and black pants. It was a good thing my friend and I dressed causally.

My friend and I decided to sample a full meal. We had cocktails, appie, main, and dessert. It was a lot of food, and I'm not sure if I will be back here any time soon. Although, some of the Sunday dinners look good and worth the price.

Eye to Eye $13

So I'm not a big drinker - probably drink alcohol twice a year- but since I wasn't driving, I wanted to celebrate my birthday. I think cocktails are becoming trendy with restaurants having a huge selection of unique drinks. The drink menu was huge, and it was hard to chose. Based on the recommendation of our server, I chose Eye to Eye since he said that we can't really taste the alcohol in it. Well, I tasted the alcohol in it but not as much as the drink that my friend got, Bubbles for your Troubles. Eye to Eye had ginger liqueur, lemon juice, apple brandy, and angostura bitters. None of the ingredients really stuck out, and it had a unique taste for this inexperience alcohol drinker.

Fricassee of Calamari $15

This is the best calamari dish, outside of being it deep-fried, I have ever had. My friend and I were stuck on what to get for an appetizer. Our server recommended either the calamari or the beef tartare. I'm not a big fan of beef tartare after trying it in Paris. So calamari it was. First impression of the dish was 'is that noodles?!' The calamari was shaped into a noodle tubes and was not chewy at all. Everything in this dish worked so well together. The guanciale, Italian cured meat, added bits of salty goodness, and the edamame brings a burst of freshness. The garlic croutons added the crunchiness and also soaked up some of the sauce. We wanted more croutons, only 4 pieces, or bread in this dish to soak up the yummy sauce. This was a great starter, and I can see why this small dish is almost on every of their almost 200 menus. The server called this dish their closest signature dish.

Nashville Hot Chicken $54

When Model Milk first opened, all I heard was how good their fried chicken and waffles were. So, I really wanted to try this dish. My initial surprise was where are the waffles? I had looked up some pictures on Zomato of this dish and was always curious of where the waffles were. Well, the waffles are not your average buttermilk waffles. These were small deep-fired dough circles. When I first bit into one, it reminded me of something but I couldn't remember what. Naturally, it came to me when I was just setting down to go to bed. They tasted like Chinese donuts. I think having fried waffles and fried chicken together is too much fried stuff. The fried chicken was okay, and the pieces were big. I have to say my dad's fried chicken is better. The added hot sauce on the skin enhanced the favour and was not spicy at all. The skin was not really crispy, and the meat was only a little juicy and not much favour. I think I'm spoiled because now I preferred Korean Fried Chicken over regular fried chicken. The peanut coleslaw added a fresh and creamy element to the dish, and it just tasted like coleslaw - nothing memorable about it. The dill pickles and the crema were another additional element that went okay with the overall dish. I'm a bit disappointed in this dish after hyping it up in my head and what I have read and heard.

Mille Feuille $12

This is one delicious piece of dessert. It was not too sweet, and the puff pastry was buttery which appealed to my savory preference. The mille feuille had three layers with praline cream in the top and bottom layers and a light lemon curd in the middle. The dessert was flaky and light. The sour lemon and sauce off the side of the plate gave it another lemony tangy depth.

Overall, Model Milk is one of the better restaurants I had in Calgary so far. I like the atmosphere, and the service was very great. The fried chicken dish didn't live up to my hyped up expectations but everything else was very good. I also found out that this place is only open for dinner so no coming here for lunch. I totally recommend this place to all my friends, and I might be back for Sunday dinner.

Model Milk
308 17th Avenue SW
403-265-7343