Avenue Calgary — January 2018

AvenueCalgary.com 53

The Lake House

Overlooking Lake Bonavista,

the large windows that line the

private dining room at The Lake

House offer a soothing view of

the water. With enough space to

seat some 60 people, the room is

nicely set off from the rest of the

restaurant with a velvet curtain.

Exposed wood beams and

antler chandeliers give the

room a rustic yet refined feel.

That combination is neatly

reflected in the menu. As a

Canadian Rocky Mountain

Resorts property, dishes at the

Lake House have the signa-

ture Rocky Mountain flair,

and chefs Thomas Neukom

and Gareth Colville skillfully

create house-made charcuterie

as well as delicious entrees

using game meats and local

ingredients.

747 Lake Bonavista Dr. S.E., 403-

225-3939, lakehousecalgary.com

@thelakehouseyyc

Starbelly Open

Kitchen + Lounge

The private dining room at this

suburban hotspot can seat 50

or host 80 for a cocktail party.

The room is separated from the

main space by windows hung

with curtains that can be drawn

for privacy. Leather banquettes,

wood and exposed brick give

the room rustic charm, while

from the open kitchen, chefs

prepare comfort-food dishes

focused on using locally grown

and raised ingredients, reflect-

ing the season in their flavours.

220, 19489 Seton Cres. S.E.,

403-570-0133, starbelly.ca,

@starbellyyyc

Teatro’s Opera Room

Consider this the grande dame

of private dining rooms in

Calgary. Once a watering hole

for artists and actors, the Opera

Room now plays host to a range

of special events, from cocktail

parties to corporate gatherings,

dinners and many a wedding.

(On one occasion it was even

filled with flowers for a roman-

tic dinner for two.)

Just as a grande dame has

prestige and earned respect,

so, too, does the Opera Room.

Its 18-foot ceilings, soaring

windows, dark-wood finish-

ings, lush curtains and Italian

marble speak to an Old-World

refinement. And the elegant

food from the kitchen, now

led by chef Dave Bohati, does

everything to complement the

room’s beauty.

200 8 Ave. S.E., 403-290-1012,

teatro.ca, @teatrocalgary

One18 Empire
No standard hotel meeting
room, the McTavish Room
in the Marriot Hotel’s One18
Empire restaurant is soothingly
refined. The room can host up
to 20 guests in a space nestled
away from the hubbub of the
busy restaurant. (For larger
groups, you can reserve the back
of the restaurant, which can be
separated from the main area.)
Organize a private dinner
that starts with shared snack
flights of marinated olives and
maple bacon-wrapped dates
and moves on to mains that
cover all major meats from rib
eye to halibut. Close things
out with a whisky tasting that
draws from One18 Empire’s
impressive list of 275 brown
spirits — everything from ryes
and bourbons to Scotch.
820 Centre St. S.E., 403-269-
0299, one18empire.com,
The Lake House photograph by Abby + Dave Photography; Starbelly photograph courtesy of Starbelly Open Kitchen + Lounge; Teatro photograph by Liam Glass; all other photographs by Jared Sych@one18empire