Thursday, February 25, 2010

The calm down dinner: Da Capo

This past week was the toughest I have ever encountered at U of A: four mid-terms and two essays spread throughout the week, all with a bit of a head cold that lasted until Tuesday... it was nuts. So we decided on a study free dinner this evening at Da Capo.


Da Capo has really become a regular spot for us... living a ten minute walk away is definitely handy, and this year they have expanded their winter hours until 10pm most evenings (until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays). And while the service was a little rocky tonight with a new trainee, our food was still great, and the coffee was bang on as always.


The Bar

One of my favourite things about Da Capo is the beer case... it is full of beers from all over the world, but their selection of Belgian beers is the best I've encountered in the City.




I had a Trappistes Rochefort 8 this evening, which has been my favourite beer for the past few months. It's lovely and creamy, a little bit sweet, but still a bit tangy... it's an amazing beer, and I encourage you to give it a try.


Here's what we got into food wise:


Truffle Salad with Parmesan and Artichoke ($11.50)

Di Roberto pizza with potato, gorgonzola, rosemary and sausage ($15.50)

Cinnamon gelato (~$4 for one scoop)

We topped the evening off with a latte for Charles, and an espresso for me. This was the perfect way to end a stressful week.

8738 - 109 St
780.433.5382
Winter Hours: Mon through Thursday (8:30am - 10pm); Fridays and Saturdays (8:30am - 11pm); Sundays (10am - 5pm)
Da Capo Lifestyle Caffè on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

Darrell(met at Kerstin's) said...

Just my opinion I suppose Marianne, but I pretty much preferred the Rochefort 6 to the 8. That said, it was probably the expectation thing. You know the way your expectations can subconciously build over time & when you finally do try the product, it almost inevitably falls short of your heightened(sp?)expectations. I had been very impressed recently with a few of the beers from Quebec, specifically the Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel &-moreso-their Maudite*thumbs up*. Also quite impressed with McAuslan(sp?)Brewing's St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. Oatmeal Stout was actually originally brewed by the Victorian-era brewers for the nutritive benefit of nursing mothers!

But anyway, in my opinion at least, any of those 3 were more impressive than the Trappistes Rochefort 8. That said, I tried to keep an open mind & ordered a Rochefort 6. I quite liked it, although it's possible that the 8 had 'softened me up', if only in terms of the alcohol content softening both taste buds &-to some extent-sensibilities;-).

Marianne said...

Hey Darrell,

Definitely understand. I've had that happen with quite a few beers. Expectations can certainly get in the way, and I definitely talked up the 8 in this post. I'm not quite sure what it is about the Rochefort 8 for me, but I still enjoy it every time (maybe it is that alcohol content :-). Thanks for letting me know. I'm going to give the 6 another go next time and see what happens. I'll report back.

Also enjoyed the Dieu du Ciel but haven't had the Maudite (now on the list). Guessing you found them both at Sugarbowl? The St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is also amazing! I had it again the other day and it's definitely still up there on my list, especially as we head into the winter. I didn't know that, but it sounds so much like the Victorians. I'm definitely going to look into that, as I'd be interested to find out how Oatmeal Stout made its way to Québec. Thanks, Darrell!

Definitely remember you from Kerstin's (Claudio Corallo, right?). You were one of my first customers last Christmas, and I've certainly seen you around the Shop a few times since then.