Il Sogno
24 4 St NE
Italian for I week! A beautifully decorated restaurant with a delicious sounding menu. We typically don't eat Italian so we were very excited for dinner.
Lamb Meatballs- creamy barley risotto small (3). Large (5)
Everything on the plate was just an explosion of flavour, what a way to start off the night. The lamb and risotto both brought distinct flavour profiles that meshed together very well. The risotto had a texture similar to puffed rice which was interesting. The crostini added a great crunch to each bite.
Orecchiette- pork and beef bolognese in tomato sauce
The dish produced a powerful flavour profile. Thankfully, the tomatoes brought a refreshing burst of acidity to help soothe the intensity. Overall, the pasta was cooked very well and although the dish was over seasoned, it was good.
Braised Pork Belly Ravioli- sage and arugula pesto, walnuts
Mmm... pork belly ravioli, John loves his pork belly. Continuing with the trend of the previous dishes, a strong wonderful flavour was provided in this dish. The ravioli was very enjoyable because the flavour wasn't overwhelming like in the other pasta. The side of walnuts also helped to balance out the intense flavours and added a wonderful crunch. We planned to take some home since we ordered so much food but it was just too tasty to resist.
"Porchetta"- belly wrapped pork loin, seare polenta, roasted parsnips, brussel sprouts, broccolini
Oh man, this was delicious. The flavour of the pork loin was light but accentuated by the delicious belly. The fat melted in your mouth and filled it with wondrous flavours. The caramelized parsnips with a touch of lemon provided a unique flavour that complemented the pork. The seared polenta was a welcomed variation to a typical side of potatoes.
Duck Breast- white navy beans, guanciale, roasted winter squash, cippolini, sour cherry jus
The duck was so juicy. It was cooked a little more than we would have liked, but it was delicious. The flavour was quite light which is a welcomed change from the previous dishes. The navy beans had a good consistency and flavour that complements the duck.
Carrot Cake- white chocolate caramel, ginger gelato
The aroma this dessert brought to our table was amazing. The cake was soft and moist and the ginger gelato just made the dish. Finishing with this dessert really hit the spot.
The food was very delicious and came out quite quickly, which was awesome. The first few dishes punched you in the face with flavour, whereas the mains provided more delicate flavour profiles. The variance in intensity was great since it would have been way too overwhelming if every dish was super intense (hehe John learned this from the Michelin Star manhwa).
Sadly, the night ended in disappointment when John eagerly ordered a Macallan 21. The aged statement Macallan's have been phased out so it is difficult to find in Calgary. The rich, intense aroma was absent which was the first sign of trouble. After a sip, the taste was quite lacking and we struggled to find the finish. At this point, John requested to see the bottle and his suspicions were confirmed. The server told us she was mistaken and they only serve Macallan Sienna now which is far from being comparable to the 21 year old Macallan. As proud as John is of being able to differentiate between the different Macallan's, we hope Il Sogno corrects their liquor menu so others are not deceived.
Enjoy!
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