The Things We Ate: Corbeaux Bakehouse

Calgary's 17th Avenue has some of the city's best restaurants and bars. Needless to say that anything new that opens there is definitely going to get a lot of traffic and if it is good, it will be the next hot spot. When we heard that Analog owners were opening Corbeaux Bakehouse, we could not wait to try it! Being big coffee fans we both have enjoyed Analog coffee many times since we have moved to Calgary. If the owners could do such a great job with coffee, we couldn't wait to see what was in store at Corbeaux Bakehouse.

We were able to snag a seat at the front of Corbeaux, facing
17th Ave. Corbeaux is located at 730 17th Ave SW, just steps
away from Analog Coffee and Clive Burger. This picture
showcases just one side of the bakeshop goodies which
include sandwiches, scones, muffins and other
deliciousness that you must go experience for yourself.

When we walked in the first time we saw that Corbeaux was energetic and bustling with people - with good reason though as it had lots to offer. The front of the venue resembles Analog coffee where you are encouraged to sit down at high tables and enjoy a cup of coffee with a baked good or two (or 4 in our case...). The left side of Corbeaux is a dining area with booths and tables. The back and right side have additional seating for coffee drinkers and a fully stocked bar to enjoy if you are just out for drinks. We quickly decided that we would not be able to have the full experience in one visit so we decided we would just have to go twice!

From left to right, we have Gajra's latte, the peanut butter macaron,
the pear crostata, the chocolate eclair, the pistachio macaron,
and finally Sheena's black tea. Our choices were the perfect
size for us to share and have some leftover to indulge in
the next day!

On our first visit we went after dinner and thought we only had a little room for dessert. Once we saw all the desserts we suddenly had a lot more room... The selection that day included a variety of macarons, eclairs, tarts, cakes and other pastries. After much deliberation we finally chose a pistachio macaron, a peanut butter macaron, a chocolate eclair, and a pear crostata. Though we enjoyed all of our choices, we both agreed that the pear crostata was our favorite! We had never tried anything like it and the sweet pear with the baked crust was so good. Like Analog, Corbeaux also has Fratello coffee which complemented our selection of desserts very well! 

On our second visit we went with a couple of girlfriends to catch up over dinner. You wouldn't think a restaurant would have a wait on a Monday night... but Corbeaux definitely did. You know what they say though, good things come to those who wait. Since we had all come from work, we were super hungry... some of us even "hangry". We took the opportunity to try a warm cheese and tomato scone from the baked goods section. The scone disappeared pretty quickly and a short while after our table was ready!

We decided to start off with some appetizers which included the Fettunta, Steam Bread, and the Fleurmier de Charlevoix cheese. 

On the left is the Fettunta which we selected from the "Bake Shop"
section of the menu. The Fettunta is 4 pieces of garlic rubbed toasts
drizzled with olive oil. It was delicious. On the right is our selection
of cheese from the "Cheese Shop". We were quick to agree that the
brie cheese would be worth trying and it did not disappoint. It came with
honeyed walnuts which is a combination none of us had ever tried before. 

This is the Steam Bread that we also tried from the
"Bake Shop". The bread came with a bean paste and
chili sauce, giving it somewhat of an Oriental feel.

After trying all the appetizers, the unanimous decision was that the breads were great, but our absolute favorite was the brie cheese and honeyed walnuts combination! We're pretty sure what we will be trying to recreate at our next wine and cheese party...

On the left are the two Chicken Pot Pies.
Top right is the Bakehouse Burger and
bottom right is the 12 Grain Polenta.

For dinner, Corbeaux offers a number of comfort food items including burgers, wings, lasagna, and meatballs. The four of us decided that we would share a few items from the menu.  Having a few extra friends (and stomachs) is a really great solution when you want to try so many different things! We chose the Bakehouse Burger, Chicken Pot Pie, and the Meatless Monday dinner special which was 12 Grain Polenta topped with veggies.

Our favorite of the dishes was the Bakehouse Burger - a deliciously juicy burger with bacon, tomato preserves and, Mornay sauce in a fresh baked bun. The Chicken Pot Pie and the 12 Grain Polenta came in for a close second place. Unfortunately we were not able to try the Warm Panzanella which is a salad with large baked croutons made in-house or the Baked Lasagna. We went back and forth on our choices, and decided that we will have to come back next time to try those dishes!

Since it was a Monday night, we decided to be responsible and not indulge in the neat drinks on their menu but we are looking forward to trying those on our next visit. The cocktails at Corbeaux look great and the one that really stood out to us is the "Fratello Revelation". Clearly as Fratello coffee lovers, it would be the drink of choice.

At the end of the night we sadly had no room left for dessert. Luckily they have some really cute to-go boxes which we filled up with some milk chocolate and pistachio macarons that we are actually snacking on as we write this blog post!

Our box filled with all the goodies we brought
back home. They say "you are what you eat"...
Are we going to become macarons because
we have had so many lately?!

Overall we would say that we had a great first (2-part) experience at Corbeaux Bakehouse. We definitely see this place continuing and growing to be one of Calgary's hottest spots for date night, girls night, and catch-up-with-an-old-friend night. As always, the ratings are in:

The GS Rating:

Price: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Taste: 4/5

Venue: 4.5/5

Urbanspoon Rating: 62%

Yelp Rating: 3.5/5