Now Open in Calgary: The Wednesday Room

With a work-hard-play-hard attitude, this laid back lounge might just be your new fave weekday spot.

“We wanted to bring back the lounge, with great food and cocktails in tow,” says Ashley Cay, managing partner at The Wednesday Room, one of the newest additions to Calgary’s downtown dining scene, “and I think we’ve done that.”The space (formerly home to Trib Steakhouse) was designed by local firm McKinley Burkart; divided into an upstairs dining room, a faux-fireside lounge and bar, plus a second downstairs lounge (with another bar located in the back!), the restaurant is meant for socializing—and everywhere you look, the decor encourages conversation. On the mirror behind the upstairs bar is a message that reads “All work and no play…” alongside a wall of vintage typewriters—it’s a nod to Stanley Kubrik’s The Shining (as is the carpet in the basement). And if you look closely, there are old typewriters hidden throughout the restaurant. The lower lounge, like a sophisticated rumpus room, is stunning, with plush chairs and banquettes, a geometric pattered carpet, exposed sandstone walls and a baby grand piano at the bottom of the staircase to facilitate live music on the regular.The restaurant was brought to life by a group of seven friends, all connected in one way or another prior to going into business together. “We chose the name because we are all hard working professionals, and we believe that people just need a break in the middle of the week,” says Cay. To that end, they offer and all-day happy hour on Wednesdays; they’ve put together an intriguing cocktail menu (and they have a few local beers on tap, plus some good bottles in the cellar).https://www.instagram.com/p/Be3vhf6BSn2/?taken-by=thewednesdayroomhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BgH1NtZB_g3/?taken-by=thewednesdayroomChef Derek Wilkins (Workshop, Rouge) has put together a creative, diverse menu: for lunch, there are fried olives with hummus, dukkah, honey and lime ($10), Peruvian ceviche ($13), porchetta sandwiches with chimichurri on fresh focaccia ($18), and risotto with charred squash and gorgonzola ($18). The dinner menu focuses on large and small shared plates: fried lima beans with rosemary ($9), pounded prawns with blood orange ponzu ($10), ribeye carpaccio with chili relish, pistachio aioli, fried onion and pecorino ($14), and duck bao made with duck confit, scallion relish, pickled veg and cilantro ($14). A 45-day-aged tomahawk goes for market price—and then there’s a seared arctic char with creamed chard, forest mushrooms and crispy potato ($58) and smoked pork loin with chimichurri and a herb salad ($58). Of course, it’s all designed with socializing in mind, and with the city starting to thaw, there will likely be new menu items coming soon.

The Wednesday Room

118 Stephen Ave. SWwednesdayroom.com