Reviews

	Killer Carne Salad
	Review from Carrie P. Elite '11 135 friends 254 reviews Carrie P. Calgary, AB 11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here Soho Bar & Grill is a pretty unassuming downtown restaurant, with contemporary decor and an American menu. I go to this restaurant a few times a year with work, and have never had a bad meal here, but typically in the past, the meals also haven't been memorable. However, yesterday I went to SOHO for a coworker's birthday, and I tried the Carne Ensalada based on her recommendation, and WOW. That was one of the better salads I have had in awhile. The salad was topped with Blackened Beef Tenderloin. I couldn't tell if it was deep fried or pan fried. All i know is that it was hot and spicy, a tiny bit crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The salad was mostly greens (they ran out of Avocado), but the dressing was delicious. It was an orange honey salad dressing, which was a nice contrast with the blackened tenderloin. The service was really good. The waitress checked in on us often, but not "too" often. Every 10 minutes or so, she was checking our drinks and making sure we didn't need anything. I keep forgetting about SOHO,but now that I have found something on the menu that is more memorable than soem of the other meals I have had (wraps, burgers, etc), I will definately be going there specifically to kill the Carne Ensalada craving.

	Jessica W. Yelp Review
	6/27/2011 I used to work in the building above Soho and it was my go-to lunch spot for a few years. Usually, it's great - service is good and quick. The food is also very consistent. I've worked my way through the menu over the years, but what keeps me coming back (again and again...and again) is the Thai chicken wrap. It's easily my favourite lunch fare. I think the peanut sauce is the secret - I don't know if they sprinkle it with crack, but it's addictive. I literally crave it. The wine list is decent, and there is usually a good crowd for after-work drinks, although I haven't ever stayed long enough to sample the "club" side. Overall, I would definitely recommend as a great downtown lunch option.

	World Cup soccer fever economic boon to Calgary
	From sporting goods stores to bars to cultural centres, the month-long World Cup soccer extravaganza will be an economic boon locally, as fans spend money to show support for their favourite teams. "Number-wise, during World Cup soccer, per week we see about $20,000 more in sales at this point than a regular year," said Eddie Bardana, who has owned the Kicks Sports store since 2000. "When we sell out jerseys, they buy training jerseys because they want something." The store has been busy leading up to today's opening game. Replica jerseys sell for $100 to $120. There are also T-shirts, track tops and accessories such as caps, scarves, key chains, balls, slippers and flags -- all country-specific. A limited edition soccer ball, a replica of the one to be used in the World Cup final match, and replica balls for games being used throughout the tournament, are selling for $150. Kicks was allotted 20 of the replica final balls and about 100 of the other balls. "It depends on who does well," Bardana said of the customers flocking to the store in recent days. "For sure, Italians and English come in and buy, no matter what. Other countries, if their team is doing well, they come in and get on the bandwagon." Calgary-based Forzani Group Ltd., the largest sporting-goods retailer in the country, will gear its World Cup soccer merchandise depending on the specific market. "For the first time ever, we've actually customized our assortments by store for World Cup," said Bob Sartor, the company's chief executive, adding FGL will be "World Cup Central" for the next month. "What we've done is, in every community in which we have a store, our store management has provided us feedback as to which jerseys to send based upon the bulk of their clientele." Sartor said the company's licensed merchandise business "should be up triple digits during the World Cup period." John Fisher, who has owned Fisher's Soccer Shack for 11 years, said sales increase during the period leading up to the event. "It's a steady business, but I guarantee you probably after the first game and people start seeing it more in the papers and more on the TV that they'll come in droves after that," he said. "There will be lots of people coming in, but by that time probably a lot of stuff will be sold out." Harry Hiller, professor of urban sociology at the University of Calgary, said people living in the city have their pre-defined favourites related to their roots. "This is a point of connectivity. The fact that people back in their home country are talking about this and it's a big thing and if you follow it here, that gives you a point of connectivity with people of your ethnic background," he said. "There is a sense in which people totally enjoy the opportunity of experiencing the game with other people. Going to bars. Or Electric Avenue or the Red Mile -- whatever. This is a time for social interaction that breaks the routine of normal urban life. The normal rhythm of urban life is broken by these activities that allow people to express an emotional involvement in ways that aren't normally there." And that emotional involvement means spending money on food, drink and all sorts of paraphernalia such as jerseys, so people can display their colours and their allegiances. "When you go out, that's when your wear the costume," said Hiller. Lynn Hutchings-Mah, with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, said the commission has received 61 requests from establishments across the province to open early during the World Cup event. The majority of those applications come from bars and pubs, although some are also from private clubs. "They are applying for permission to start serving early," she said. "One of the things they also have to do is they have to offer a full-service menu. It's not just serving liquor. They also have to be serving food." Roque Deobieta, owner of the downtown Soho Bar and Grill, said he's hoping business will increase by 15 to 20 per cent from a year ago because of the World Cup. The establishment has more than 20 jerseys of different countries on display. "We've done this before. Four years ago. I expect it to be a little bit crazy. We've been pumping this for a good four or five months verbally through our friends and companies," he said. "We also have interest for other companies coming into town and doing business calling and saying, 'Hey, can we book a section and we want this day'. There's a lot of interest." That interest will be evident in cultural centres across the city as people congregate to places connected to their countries. Rafela Grossi, executive director of the Calgary Italian Club, said the location will be open for each game that Italy plays. "We will show the Italy game whatever time it is," she said. The Cantina in the club's basement has capacity for about 150 people. "We might have to consider moving it upstairs," she said of the possibility Italy advances through the competition. mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/World+soccer+fever+economic+boon+Calgary/3140903/story.html#ixzz0qYtUTZ00

	Start spreading the news
	To associate yourself with the city that never sleeps is to promise something to your patronage that may be slightly difficult to keep. Unless you’re the three hundredth joint to borrow the allure and mystique of a famous city to boost your image. In this case, every other bar and restaurant around has beat you over the head with it, so you don’t really expect much of anything anymore. That’s what makes SoHo such an interesting case study. It started out as an after work haunt for the inner city crowd with industry nights and happy hours and parlayed its momentum into one of the city’s hottest and most celebrated clubs. The button-down collars get flipped up as the weekday lunch and after work crowd of pencil pushers mutate into discotheque divas and demigods whether it be a Thursday night or the start of the weekend when this multi-level joint explodes in either the private cavern of the secluded upper level or the stunning main level vibriously playing house music, swinging Latin beats with a little hip-hop and RNB thrown in for variety. Add to that a brand spanking new menu that has loads of tequila, signature Martinis, scotch and wine and all of a sudden we’ve got ourselves a contender here. Aside from aspiring to the lofty SoHo (South of Houston) aesthetic, this late-night club has a titillating menu with a $$ rating. While the focus is on the bar – admittedly people dance better to heart thumbing vibes with a little liquor (or a lot) in their system – the list of dishes has some standout items. Like Latin Pork Ribs, Mahi-Mahi Tacos, Asian Trios make great conversation starters with ravished partiers or for the hungrier party goer perhaps succulent home-hewn 8 oz. tenderloin. Surprisingly, SoHo Bar & Grill actually does manage to muster up some of the attitude and character of its namesake south of the border with its melting pot masses and recent complete re-haul of the entire design. The new “upscale casual” look actually has more of a SoHo vibe and the ethnically diverse clientele is also emblematic of Gotham’s ever-growing populace of immigrants. Start spreading the news: with an array of cultural flavours and a new attitude, SoHo Bar & Grill is bringing a sassy soul to the prairies. Martini Boys

	Renovated SoHo brings upscale casual donwtown
	There's nothing quite as unnerving as walking through the activity of a construction project that has declared an opening date, but when I visited Soho Bar & Grill last week, owner Roque De Obieta showed every indication that the work would be completed on time. It was, of course, but there must have been moments during the week it closed down when he was a little nervous. Yet his industry experience in a number of restaurant openings taught him not to panic. He began his career as a dishwasher, bus boy and line cook at Chi Chi’s in Sunridge and then moved on to the Village Park Inn where in five years he rose from banquet boy to managing the restaurant. Then he took a year off to travel around South America before returning in 1997 to work in the former Capital in Gulf Canada Square when it was owned by the Alafantis Group that also owned Soho. In 2003, along with two partners, De Obieta bought Soho and was content to run it as purchased, but now he has renovated top to bottom to bring Soho to a different level. In the Husky Towers complex at 9th Avenue and 6th Street S.W., it has three levels: at Plus 15, ground floor and a mezzanine. It originally opened as Chameleon and then went through a name change to Smiles before the Alafantis took over and converted it to Soho. The new design is a creation of Ce De Ce Inc., a Calgary interior design company that specializes in restaurants, which has completely renovated Soho with new furniture and lighting and exciting decor. I like the large transparent acrylic panels designed by Foundry, a design studio that shares space with Ce De Ce in a trendy Inglewood Building, displaying 1960s poetry that gives it a New York Soho look. Chef Stephen David, who has been at the restaurant for the past two years, is particularly proud of his chef s table on the top floor, which is accessed through the second level of the Husky towers. He says Soho now has a separate dinner menu and serves no pub fare. Rather he is featuring upscale casual the kind of food that is much easier to have while eating out than trying to prepare at home and includes five vegetarian friendly items. Soho is a great spot with a popular bar for those working in the towers, but De Obieta is hoping to attract new customers from a wider area of downtown. He says it has become recognized as a place for good tequila. All are made from 100 per cent Agave even his house tequila (which sells at a rate of 19 bottles a week) and he carries a dozen single malt scotches. The wine list has been increased from 10 to 45 labels, which will also impress diners. It s a family run restaurant that has had no staffing problems because he treats employees well and they get lots of exercise running up to the third floor kitchen. I expect it will do well and De Obieta will soon be looking for a location for Soho II. David Parker Calgary Herald

Last Updated: Thursday, December 15, 2011