The Trib

A friend and I decided to have lunch after a meeting at the Art Gallery of Calgary but when we stepped outside it was raining. So we made the quick jog across Stephen Avenue to The Trib, formerly known as The Tribune, at 118 Stephen Avenue SW. Same owners, similar look, but with a fresh, anti-recession menu. They’ve gone with a steakhouse tone, not a bad idea when you consider there really hasn’t been a steakhouse along Stephen Avenue lately. (Beef is, after all, what the tourists are looking for.)

The Trib is a two-level joint with the lounge on the main floor and the dining room in the basement. I like the dining room but I prefer to sit on the elevated banquette facing the bar. It’s comfy and a good viewpoint to keep an eye on the old sandstone room.

I like the food here too. I had a terrific bowl of creamed red pepper soup and the meatloaf for $7 and $16 respectively. Expertly prepared and presented. And served too. The meatloaf is a big ball of beef wrapped and cooked in a couple of thick slices of double-smoked bacon. Very nice. My only problem was that there wasn’t enough sauce to cover the meatloaf once I broke through the bacon. Mighty tasty though.

So I like what The Trib has done. I liked it before but the move to a steakhouse format has not lessened the quality here. Just the price.

Tribune Restaurant & Bar
100-118 Steven Avenue Mall
Calgary, AB T2P 1B3, Canada

Tagged as: Downtown Lunch Spots, Food & Flavour, The Trib