January 20, 2026
Welcome to Issue 118 of Elizabeth Chorney-Booth's local food and drink newsletter
The menu at Emerald Lake Lodge’s sky dome dinner is exquisite
Hello and welcome to Issue 118 of Who’s Hungry, Calgary? a little newsletter written by Elizabeth Chorney-Booth. Every other week I run down what I’ve been eating in Calgary along with some new food news you can use.
I’m actually not in Calgary as I write this, but am on vacation in New Zealand so I can attend a friend’s wedding. I was thinking of skipping the newsletter this week because I honestly can not even tell you what day of the week it is right now (I’m four hours behind you in Calgary, but also almost a full calendar day ahead), but there is so much going on in Calgary these days, I don’t want you all to fall behind. So let’s keep this short and sweet and just get to the tastiest bits, shall we?
Milpa, new menu, new reason to go
I reported a few weeks back that the folks Milpa had announced a bit of a reboot at their restaurant and thought it was a pretty bold thing to admit that the restaurant had strayed from its original vision and that it’s time for a rethink. I went in a couple of weeks ago to check it out for myself and am very pleased to report that the food is absolutely incredible. New chef Colby Tio and his crew have moved well beyond tacos and towards a broader Latin American sort of vibe, letting his creativity flow.
The absolute best thing I had was a hamachi collar prepared with this deeply delicious and creamy sauce, but given that there’s not a surplus of hamachi collars available, they’re running this one as a sometime feature — if you do ever have the opportunity to order one, I highly (like, HIGHLY) recommend it. From there though, there was a duck empanada with cherries, incredible hamachi crudo and other ceviche plates, a half duck in the most complex and flavourful sauce. Just go and order a bunch of stuff — they’re really going out of their way to create food that lives up to the beauty of the room.
New chef at Modern Steak
It seems like Modern Steak always has something or another to announce (yes, they are hosting dinners with my close personal friend Jason Priestley as well as Fab from Milli Vanilli in February) but the most exciting news is that Rogelio Herrera, best known for his many years at Alloy has joined the company as their Director of Culinary. What this will mean in the short or even long-term as far as changes and menu development I don’t know, but Rogelio is a fantastic chef, so it’s bound to be a great thing all around.
Sky Dome dinner at Emerald Lake Lodge
Okay, I’m going to admit that when I accepted an invitation to go out to Emerald Lake Lodge last week I didn’t quite realize how far it is — basically a few minutes past the town of Field, BC, best known to anyone who has driven to Kelowna or Vancouver as the first stop you make for a bathroom break. I had never been to the Lodge before and it in itself is gorgeous. With cabin-like rooms separate from the main lodge, it kind of reminded me of Jasper Park Lodge, but a little more low-key and secluded. The lodge itself is very old school but comfortable and is just an amazing place to hang out.
Anyway, that all means it’s worth going out there for a break, and if you do, they’re now offering private dinners in one of those clear domes, situated on the main terrace of the lodge. Chef Valerie Morrison has been at the lodge for almost three decades and is their secret weapon — her food is absolutely spectacular. I did the multi-course blind menu in the (heated!) dome and it was right up there with any fine-dining luxury meal I’ve had. I won’t spoil everything I ate, but if you like lobster and foie and caviar and all those things prepared in unexpected ways, this is a treat. You can book the dome for anywhere from two (romantic!) to six (fun!) people.
Our Daily Brett relaunches market dinners
I love Our Daily Brett — I feel like the “Brett” in question, Brett McDermott has a really great perspective about food and what makes eating so pleasurable. So I was jazzed to learn that after a bit of a break, they’re bringing back their market dinners, a dinner menu for the evening only full of rich and hearty selections.
They did a big media launch last week, so perhaps you’ve seen some of the items on social media, but we’re talking steak frites and short rib and fancy salads, and burgers and things of the sort. I really loved the potatoes they serve (kind of a patatas bravas situation) and that short rib with polenta, but the runaway hit at almost every table were rich slices of chocolate cake. Deep, delicious, kind of Duncan Hines inspired, you can pair the cake with a glass of milk, should you like. The return of this dinner service really puts this part of 14th Street into play as a major dining area, with both Brioche and IBU now on the same corner.
And that friends, is it for me. I’ll share some more about what I’ve been eating in Auckland for you paid subscribers next week. Auckland is about the size of Calgary, but the food here is absolutely beyond belief. Anyway, enjoy the last week of January, I’ll be drinking in a few more days of Auckland’s very rainy summer. But, if you want more of me, be sure to check out my full list of columns in the Calgary Herald.
Talk to you soon,
Elizabeth