2007-07-27 - The Calgary Sun
By: Bill Kaufmann

No thorns for Cactus patrons; Noodles, steak hit the spot

The patio was hopping, as well it should on a glorious summer evening. Dave and I were quickly ushered outside past a lounge and restaurant area whose black and crimson colour scheme was broken by clear glass dividers. On the Cactus Club patio, dominated by a huge gold-hued Buddha, Bellinis and other fruity drinks in martini glasses were the order of the day but we opted for a few pints of Udder pale ale, the house brew. The CCC's menu is an eclectic one with Asian leanings, careening from steaks and sandwiches and quesadillas to wor won ton soup and teriyaki chicken. A starter menu is dubbed "dim sum" but it's more West Coast than Chinese wicket basket-push cart. One of its selections proved delicious -- the szechuan beans ($7.25). These were meaty green beans spiked with serrano peppers and julienned white onions soaked in a savoury sauce that were a spicy, crunchy delight. We also checked out the calamari ($10) -- a generous portion of squid ringlets in a not-too-thick gold brown batter. The calamari was surprisingly tender and arrived with two dipping bowls of tzatziki sauce, so there was no prospect of running low on dip. "These are almost a meal in themselves," said Dave. Dave and I were tempted by the seafood dishes, such as the ahi tuna ($24) and grilled steelhead salmon ($21). The CCC -- a B.C.-based restaurant chain -- pride themselves as serving seafood whose capture is sustainably "ocean friendly." But those noble practices were quite enough this night, as Dave's attentions drifted to red meat, the 9-oz. peppercorn steak to be exact ($25.50). This was a slab of beef done to a perfect medium rare, raved Dave, while the shallot and green peppercorn demiglaze didn't overwhelm the flavour of the steak. His steak was accompanied by mashed potatoes and crisply delicious asparagus. I requested shrimp ($3.75) be added to my kung pao bowl ($14.50) which proved a colourful, busy milieu of Singapore noodles, broccoli, seasoned chicken, onions, peanuts and coconut given a yummy cilantro and coconut sauce finish. As befitting a good kung pao, this was also given a definite spicy hit by the addition of chili peppers. Though we were near-stuffed, our ever-friendly and attentive server Julie got us hooked on dessert -- a sampler platter of apple pie, strawberry cheesecake and chocolate lava cake ($10). All made for a worthy finish but the richly rewarding strawberry cheesecake with its abundance of sauce and fresh fruit took the honours. My only wish was the inclusion in the platter of the key lime pie ($7.25). There were no thorns in evidence at this Cactus Club.