The 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler are captivating the attention of winter sports fans, but 22 years ago, all eyes were on Calgary. Calgary and Denver are like twins, separated by a friendly border and 800 +/- miles. Both cities are at the edge of the plains and within sight of the Rocky Mountains. Both grew up on ranching and rail transportation. Both boom whenever oil does and are troubled when the oil industry is. Denver was awarded the 1976 Olympics but Colorado voters rejected them, and Calgary hosted the Games in '88. More germane to this blog, both have matured from steak-and-spuds dining cities to offer interesting and sophisticated cuisine. Case in point: Blink Restaurant & Bar. Chef Andrew Richardson (below left), a British-born chef was exec chef at the renowned Araxi in Whistler, and his wife Leslie Echino (right) opened Blink as a restaurant in 2007, closed it for a total renovation and reopened it. The only thing that didn't change was the name. 
Locals told me that Blink is one of Calgary's best new (and new-style) eateries. Contemporary abstract paintings hanging on old exposed brick walls, a high ceiling with exposed pipes and, polished wood floors and huge white-leather chairs are stylish and classy -- as is the food that comes out of Richardson's open kitchen (below) and Echino's front-of-the-house hospitality.
A gaggle of us, in town for a speedskating World Cup, went to dinner at Blink. We shared some appetizers while waiting for everyone to gather. I didn't capture images of all the dishes before the hungry horde dipped into them, but examples of the simple presentations and careful preparation of first-rate ingredients are below. The red wine drinkers had Kettle Valley Merlot, while the white wine drinkers sipped Laughing Stock Chardonnay -- both from the Okanagan Valley in neighboring British Columbia.
A special starter du jour was this double-baked cheese souffle (below), which began tilting a tad while we toasted the evening and the new friends gathered around the table.
Asian pear salad with two kinds of endive, shaved Sylvan Star's Gouda and pecans dressed in a light coat of walnut vin and oil. The Alberta artisanal cheesery's Grizzly Extra Aged Gouda was a big winner at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix of cheeses and also placed high in the 2006 and 2008 World Championships, while their Grizzly Sharp, aged for more than a year, was the 2009 Canadian Grand Prix winner.
Carpaccio of fine Alberta beef plays peek-a-boo under the arugula with house-made potato chips and truffled Boschetto, generally an Italian cheese, but for all I know, some Canadian cheesemaker is also producing it.
Silky foie gras (humanely raised, of course) with late-harvest ice wine jelly; triangles of toasted brioche were separately served on another plate.
Like Denver, Calgary is a long way from anyplace that scallops are raised, but these Alaska sea scallops were as fresh, tender and perfectly cooked as any I've had within sight of saltwater. They were served with Hokkaido squash, crunchy pumpkin seeds and microgreens.
Alberta beef is rightly famous, though the US -- in its total lack of wisdom, considering the numerous e coli incidents has banned it since one mad cow was traced to a provincial ranch some years ago. The beef special of the day was ordered by a majority of our group. This towering AAA beef tenderloin was sided by Parmesan polenta, Swiss chard and wild mushrooms.
The English sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce at the end of the meal struck me as a perfect balance to the cheese souffle in the beginning. Both were served in shallow soup plates with elegant simplicity and excellent preparation.
It's virtually impossible to go wrong with crème brulée, which just about every chef or pastry chef does well and tweaks a bit. Blink's subtle orange custard was enhanced by chocolate in the caramel.
