Canada's insider blog

In Calgary, there’s a new spin on the meaty protein trend - all that meat goes ‘round and ‘round on modern rotisserie grills at some of the best places in town.

Customers are literally lining up out the door at chef Michael Noble’s new suburban eatery, NOtaBLE, watching their dinner - tender chicken, prime rib, crispy porchetta and other meaty daily specials - spinning over the glow of a wood fire behind the open kitchen eating bar.

At Charcut, chefs John Jackson and Connie DeSousa are combining wood smoke with the searing heat of infrared to create tender meats.
“It’s just one element of our back-to-basics style of cooking,” says Jackson, at the meaty locavore haunt in the stylish new Le Germaine hotel downtown.

It’s a similar scene at Sal Howell’s new Boxwood – a tiny sister restaurant to local icon River Café, built around the rotisserie concept, where diners indulge in tender pork or lamb sandwiches on house-made ciabatta.

The age-old method of roasting meat on a spit is an easy way to turn almost any piece of protein into something exceptional - and watching the flames leap and the juices sizzle is the perfect antidote to a chilly Alberta night.