Come savor a delightful creation at Vintage Chophouse and Tavern. You can get there by bicycle. The neighboring location is notable for its restaurants, stores and parks.
The operating manager quit the week Vintage Chophouse opened its doors, leaving owner Lance Hurtubise to take his place. It was a rough start for the steakhouse, but with patience and hard work, Lance built Vintage Chophouse into an award-winning, go-to spot for premium steak and wine. The Beltline establishment has earned the prestigious Birks Silver Spoon award twice since it opened on the corner of 11th Avenue and Second Street Southwest in 2003. It also won Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence six years in a row.
Perhaps these accolades are due to Lance's more than 40 years experience in the restaurant industry. He began as a humble dishwasher at the age of 12. He then graduated to bussing tables, waitering and later became a manager at The Keg. He created the Moxie’s chain and now sits as owner and CEO of Vintage Group, a company that owns and oversees seven Calgary restaurants with more on the way. Through it all, his love for the industry has only grown.
“I enjoy coming to work,” says Lance. “I like pleasing people. I like to have a good time, and I like to see other people have a good time. We’re in the pleasure business. We don’t get tire kickers. People come in for a good time, so it’s a happy place.”
One of the city’s top steakhouses, Vintage also boasts a mean dessert list. Indulging in a slice of cheesecake at the Vintage Chophouse in the Beltline district may require you to loosen your belt a notch. The carrot cheesecake features a carrot-cake crust with salted caramel over cheesecake filling. Dessert is served with live blues and jazz music on Friday and Saturday nights.
The dark-wood interior and low-hanging lights at this restaurant and lounge give it a sophisticated business-or-pleasure vibe. Its comfortably upscale menu features the drool-worthy lobster mac and cheese with truffle oil and cheddar. As well, make any Vintage entree a lobster feast with the optional addition of an Atlantic lobster tail. Pair with one of more than 300 wines featured on the vino menu, and enjoy live music every Friday through Sunday.
Winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence annually for over a decade, casually elegant Vintage Chophouse in Beltline has plenty of solid vino cred. It has an excellent list, and is quite focused on wines that go with steak. The Vintage cellar also holds plenty of everything else, however. It’s not a competition (officially), but the wine list at this elegantly affable contemporary steakhouse and lounge is a robust 30 pages in length.