Imagine a cool breeze floating over your shoulder, a voice softly whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Leaning over murmuring honeyed melodies as the breathiness glides against your earlobe sending shivers down your spine.
Now imagine this breath of fresh air from a restaurant. A place where care, consideration and only the finest ingredients are used in creating the epitome of fresh, seasonal and local fare.
The connection between each plate that leaves the kitchen and the ingredients used to prepare it have never been closer than at MARKET. The first of its kind; breads and cheeses are made in-house, meats are butchered and cured internally as greens and herbs are grown with Calgary’s first commercial cultivator. Sourcing food locally is number one at MARKET, and they go to extremes to make this happen.
With a light, airy feel, the restaurant is masterfully decorated as a garage door with bar seating reveals a patio overlooking Calgary’s bustling and ever-exciting 17th Avenue. Hightop table groupings surround the front door for a more casual feel as dining table seating fills the back-end of the restaurant’s open concept kitchen. A white interior with chalkboard illustrations of vegetables, animals and seeds provides an artistic flair as teardrop terrariums overhang the elegant bar.
The Executive Chef
Chatting with Chef Dave Bohati, the passion that seeps from his every word is acutely apparent. His every utterance in describing this one-of-a-kind restaurant leaves nothing to the imagination as you are left pulsing with the same amazement he exudes the minute you stroll through the front door. From front of staff hostesses to the Chef himself, this is a passion project based on truth, honesty and food-driven devotion.
Chef Bohati comes from humble beginnings as a graffiti artist until he decided to start cooking and use the plate as his canvas in the late 1990s. Moving into fine dining, the most exotic of ingredients were available at any time of the year. With MARKET however, he highlights the flavours of the food while still paying homage to classic technique. The winter months become more challenging as fresh produce is less readily available, but preserving in late summer allows him to reap the benefits while creating heartier dishes for the colder months.
Inspiration comes from excitement, and pushing the envelope says Bohati,
“Life is a challenge. Cooking is a challenge. It should always reflect excitement and have new challenges and focus.”
At MARKET the kitchen thrives on giving people the opportunity to try something they may not have otherwise enjoyed. They embrace dietary restrictions and if something isn’t available on the menu, the team is skilled and knowledgable enough to create something that suits the restriction whether that’s vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free or any other assortment of options. Making guests feel welcome and at home has become another point of pride within the restaurant.
The Food
After perusing the large variety on the menu and chatting with the hostess, I settled on the Tuna Salad from MARKET’s lunch menu. BC Albacore tuna was elegantly sliced and placed atop a bed of poplar bluff potatoes, tomato, homegrown microgreens and tarragon vinaigrette. This twist on the traditional French Nicoise Salad had hardboiled eggs completing the plate as well as a more modern flare with watermelon radish offering a unique freshness. This superb salad would impress even the most discerning of tastes as it complemented the light, refreshing atmosphere of the entire space.
From foraged mushrooms, fiddleheads, and stinging nettles to houseground Alberta beef, local Okotoks chicken breast and cured tomato tart, MARKET’s cajolery not only lures locals and visitors alike but offers a whole new meaning to fresh, local and sustainable. Now that’s sweet talk to our ears!
Did you love this restaurant review? Love knowing where all the healthy spots in town are to eat? We do too! Breanne Shellian is a Calgary-based holistic nutritionist and conscious living advocate who helps people rediscover the joy of living life deliciously. Writing delicious reviews for The Naked Label is just one of the many ways she does this. We love Breanne’s empowerment and want you to check her out! Click here.
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