Cassis Bistro

Wow, what an incredible place! It’s a bit out of the way from downtown if you want to walk, but a quick drive if you have not downed too much wine.
I came expecting to have the duck confit, however was not available on the menu — not a problem at all! Instead they had a lamb confit which was an exquisite dish — simple ingredients but done perfectly.
Back to the start, upon entering in was greeted quickly by the staff behind the bar, and was seated quickly. We were next to the back wall, which plays old black and white french movies — no audio but nice touch. The set-​up is very modern, and the tables are spaced so you are not on top of the one next to you. Wait staff was great, a place where any waiter will check in to make sure everything is going well, pour your wine, etc. For starters got the soup du jour, which was a purée of carrot, ginger, and a lot of cream :-). Portion was perfect, and was very tasty. Also got a mixed green salad, which was fine. Entrees were amazing, as mentioned the lamb confit was a dish I will not soon forget. The lamb was braised in duck fat, and served over polenta with some brussel sprouts and mushrooms — very rich, very tasty, very addictive. Also got the pork dish, on the bone over a creamy (apple type) sauce which also had brussel sprouts. The dish also came with a small side of potatoes in an au gratin type style which were perfect. Both dishes were very good, the lamb confit was certainly the star. Desert was okay, got the chocolate tart but they clearly had some better ones but the calorie limit had been reached by desert so did not get some of the other intriguing options. The Bordeaux on the menu paired perfectly with the entrees, look forward to having it again sometime.
Very happy with the meal and feel fortunate to have it been recommended to me — I WILL be back.

Excellent meal with friendly, knowledge and helpful staff. Enjoyable ambience and will definitely return

This little French restaurant has lots to offer.
Firstly, the service is excellent. All the staff & owner are very knowledgeable about their menu & take the time to explain any questions.
TheIr house cocktail is a must try!
The Entrées are few but each goes beyond your expectations.
And don’t leave without trying the desserts.
I’ll be sure to go back again!

Don’t order the duck confit, but have instead a tablespoon of salt, with some duck fat for flavouring; absolutely horrid! The beef tartar however is among the best I’ve had in the city. My companion’s steak and fries were good as well, and the accompanying salad was delicious. The service is excellent, but come on, duck doesn’t need more than a day in salt, please!

I love this resto. It delivers in all the ways you expect, and reminds me of the 2 weeks I spent in Paris.
Food: Delish starters. Try the steak tartare, tapenade. We had the pickerel (fish) as an entrée, and it was cooked perfectly. I grew up eating fresh pickerel from the lake in Saskatchewan, but never like this! Excellent wines, good desserts.
Service: Our waiter was fantastic and took great care of us.
Atmosphere: We had our anniversary dinner here, and it was lovely. Not loud — we could hear each other across the table. It was not busy (Wed evening) so we were pretty much on our own for most of the meal, but if it was busy it would not be as private.
Question: When it’s very hot out, and you have a patio outside, why not turn some air con on for the diners inside? Sticking to the plastic seats was not comfy.

This has become one of our favourite restaurants in Calgary for special occasions. The service is excellent and the staff are very knowledgeable about the food.
Everything is rich and flavourful, but we have to plan ahead so we have room for every incredible course.
For French cuisine particularly, I would recommend this as a splurge that is totally worth it!

A very special day deserves special food. It was the first time we been to Cassis and let me tell you, it won’t be the last.
From the moment we stepped in to the minute we left we had an amazing experience. We got sat at a table for two at the back and at times I felt like I was transported back to Paris for the evening.
Ambience was romantic with the soft lighting, French music and black & white movies playing in the background.
Our service was one of the best servers I have ever had. Very accommodating and just went out of his way to make sure everything was fantastic.
We ordered the beef tartar, scallop & lobster salad and mussels with fries… After enjoying the tartar and salad (which were amazing by the way) a couple friends that we haven’t seen in months stopped by to say hi on their way out. we ended up talking with them for about 30 minutes, which made our mussels and fries get cold. (This didn’t stop us from continue to eat them) however our server came by and says «these are best enjoyed warm, I’m going to take these away and get you some fresh hot ones and new fries»
In shock of his kindness I say «oh no no, it’s ok please don’t inconvenience anyone on our behalf» and he says politely «it is our pleasure, we want you to have a wonderful experience, and this is what we do at Cassis»
Well, just with that I was sold. The food is excellent, the service amazing and the space adorable. I want to go back time and time again!
PS — the French 75’s have a kick to them! (esp after a bottle of wine)

I will keep it simple.
LOVED it.
Celebrated my dad’s 76 birthday and it was amazing.
Just make sure that you reserve because it got very busy.
HIGHLY recommended.

I’ve been there for dinner. It’s excellent! The real French food.
Great atmosphere, a bit noisy though. The place is small and I recommend making a reservation ahead. Great spot.

I had a lovely dinner at Cassis tonight with my husband. To start we had the Charcuterie plate (house made pâté, French ham, Rosette de Lyon, cornichon). This was a good portion sizzle for two people to share of assorted meats. My husband ordered the Lamb shoulder confit, potato millefeuille, peas & bacon. I ordered the Brome Lake duck breast — shallots, summer green beans, cauliflower gratin & honey jus. Both meals were great! We loved the atmosphere and the friendly staff. It was surprisingly busy tonight (since it’s a long weekend), so the service was a little slower than most restaurants, but it was well worth the wait. The staff came around frequently to make sure our drinks were full. I would recommend getting a starter especially if going on a weekend evening since it will most likely be busier. I also recommend making a reservation (easy to do online).
This is a wonderful restaurant that I look forward to going to again!

I have been to Cassis twice now, and both times had a great time. Great atmosphere in the place. The food and wine are both fantastic. Services is top notch too. A great spot.

I’ve had lunch here a couple times now and the croque madame is soooo good. :) I also had a moules frittes today and it was a large portion and deeeelicious!
I haven’t come here for dinner but I do recommend the lunch/​brunch.
Tips:
— make reservations as the place is small
— its a small menu, & may have a few changes seasonally

Excellent little French bistro with a simple menu. I love their seasonal ratatouille, salads and brunoised vegetables.
The seating can be cramped.

Probably the best fish I have had in Calgary so far.
It’s a cozy French Bistro, great for small groups, or if you are on a romantic date.
The service was flawless, the chef was very professional and I could not find anything wrong with the whole experience.
Try this place for Brunch, lunch and dinner, safer to make a reservation, it’s rather small.

Visited Cassis tonight. It was outstanding. Was greeted at the door with a nice white Kronenbourg. Had the house Bourgogne with dinner. The soup was HOT and delicious. My main was cod melded into mashed potatoes. A very unusual and tasty dish. The service was unobtrusive but timely and helpful. All in all our party of 6 had a great evening at this fine Provençal spot in Calgary.

A few posts ago I went on a rant about food in Calgary and how we need to demand better. I «might have mentioned» that Cassis was not really a bistro. I had eaten there once and had not given it a proper chance. Maybe I was just being a fuckerass that day!
Last night I went back to enjoy a meal with my lovely wife before leaving for another medical conference. I was hoping to be blown away. I WAS!
Cassis truly is what a «moderne» bistro should be. Modern and warm ambiance, delicious traditional french bistro cuisine.
The menu is small and changes at very good intervals. There are no wines over $ 100. At least I did not notice any. The food is simple, fresh, elegant and melancholic… I don’t know if any of you have watched the animated picture Ratatouille, I have many times with my son. Regardless, there is a scene where a food critic eats a simple, yet perfectly prepared ratatouille (eggplant, tomato and courgette stew: peasant food) and we see images of his past as a boy, remembering the feeling of safety and love his mother gave him when he was served that ratatouille. Bistro food should be like that… I remember mostly Italian cooking from my youth, but the sentiment of well cooked, simple things that make us feel warm and fuzzy regardless of wine should be in every bite! Cassis does this and does it well.
MENU
Tartare de boeuf
Cassoulet de Canard et Porc Salé
The tartare was remarkable. Very traditional and served with croutons and a raw egg yolk on the half shell. Extremely well seasoned… The menu mentions «au couteau» which means it was chopped by hand with a knife. It was. You can just tell the difference. All condiments and seasoning were chopped with it, giving the tartare a beautiful energetic taste. I do not normally like tartare… I would order this again and again as a main course.
The cassoulet was excellent. Cassoulet is a slow cooked dish from the south of France. Different regions of Southern France have different takes on cassoulet, but they should all be a white bean based stew. This variation is Chef’s signature dish. He has very good caligraphy! The cassoulet was tomato based, a very common thing in Southern France. The proteins where «EXTREMELY LOW FAT» salted pork and duck confit. ** Confit is a manner of slow cooking an item in a fat of some sort. Duck confit is usually duck thigh slow cooked in duck fat… Yup… Sounds disgusting!!! Fucking delicious!!!
We were eating some pretty bold flavors so we opted for a Bordeaux wine (CAB SAUV).
I was really really happy when I left.
FELICITATION À MON NOUVEAU BISTRO PRÉFÉRÉ À CALGARY!
Go and eat…

Caillatte– pork meatball, sliced with a cauliflower cream pot and a side salad
Wow soo good
great service, bright location, a little hard to find but worth the search

Review #29 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
Cassis was hittin’ some home runs when it first opened. And now? Well… now, it’s weathered the Calgary climate and has successfully earned it’s right to my 5-​stars (which are getting harder to earn these days I might add…).
Consistently tempting me with daily specials made based on what’s available in the attached market that day, Cassis always serves up something delicious. I remember one meal last winter, it was like –30 gazillion outside, and Gilles talked me into this duck shepherd’s pie kind of thing. The ideal comfort food I believe he said it was. And he was right! Not that it took much to talk me into it.
On other occasions, I’ve enjoyed the daily fish, or the moule and frites on special on Fridays (double check that, I haven’t been in on a Friday in awhile). And of course, there’s always some kind of dessert to tempt even the fullest of tummies.
Always in a class of it’s own, full of style and taste, you can’t go wrong with the Southern French flavour Cassis brings to Calgary’s food scene.
Tip: Heading in on a weekend? Make sure you make a reso. Cassis is tiny and popular!

I had dinner at Cassis again with three of the most beautiful women in the world, my Mom and my Aunts. Awww ain’t I bag of sweets?
But honestly, rarely do the four of us get a chance to get together for some fine dining and when my aunts demand a place that’ll impress their frou-​frou palate, one that has been refined with hours of Food Network viewing, I skipped hours of combing through Unilocal (and Travel Advisor… NEVER URBANSPOON) and decided to come back to Cassis.
Gotta appreciate personable engagement from everyone at Cassis. From the reservations I made to selecting a wine to pair with my Lamb Provencale, theres no right amount of wax poetic I can use to describe how amazing everyone is.
Our Charcuterie starter and their Bites selection make a great combo and the most engaging appetizer experience. Their Lamb Provencale was rich and I thoroughly enjoyed it with a glass of wine– and I’m not much for wine but when the occasion calls for it, I do it up!
For dessert we all shared the mousse and this amazing meringue dish that floated on a creamy custard with almonds sprinkled.

I really love the ambiance of this place, the simple menu, and the location.
It’s a little small, which I find is normal for trendy restaurants, but like another reviewer, I’m never impressed when I make reservations and you’re still left waiting for more than half an hour. And maybe it’s not that big of a deal to relax and sip a glass of wine while you wait, but it’s definitely important to me that the staff acknowledge that they did not honour your reservation, as opposed to act like it’s normal. If a place can’t run with reservations, they shouldn’t take reservations.
The black olive tapenade was very good, lots of flavour and a good starter to share. We also had the duck foie gras and beef tartar. Both were very small, not really big enough to share with more than 2 people. The foie gras was OK… but the beef tartar was very good, I would recommend it for sure.
For dinner, I had the opportunity to try their seafood special (monkfish), halibut, and rack of lamb (I think it was the special for the night and it was like a half rack, if that). I actually didn’t find that any of them particularly jumped out at me or made me want to rave about it. By no means was any of it bad at all, but the very modest serving size, presentation, and food wasn’t as I expected, as I had an opportunity to sample their food at other events and was expecting something a bit different. I’d like to try them again, perhaps for lunch.
The server was really good, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu and the wines. The wine list was fun as well.