For our monthly girls’ night, we picked Bar Milpa on purpose. We’d heard Duncan Ly and a new crew had taken over the kitchen. And days earlier, The Herald ran a piece on the restaurant shakeup, which I took as a sign from the culinary gods. Before Milpa, we’d had wine at my place; I poured Kournikova, Betty, and Québécoise wines from my recent Metrovino tastings. For this post, let’s listen to Tame Impala – Dracula.
The room itself surprised me; it was a dark teal and quieter than I expected for a Friday. The last time we were here, we were stuck in the back corner by the bathroom, which feels like I’m sitting in WestJet’s ultra-basic economy. This time we sat smack in the middle of the room.
Milpa focuses on Latin-inspired beverages. Betty, Kournikova and I started with Pineapple Nom-Nom, cold and bright, and refreshingly priced at only $12. I always order whatever Kournikova selects, as she knows her cocktails and doesn’t like them sweet. Québécoise picked Blue Drank with Tito’s vodka ($12).
The first dish to come out was the Tuna Tostada ($16). The tostada was crunchy, loaded with fresh tuna. It made for a great bite, salty, saucy, with a little heat underneath. I was pleased to see how much tuna they piled on. With seafood prices what they are, most Calgary restaurants aren’t this generous. This was everyone’s favourite dish of the night.
Betty’s second favourite dish was the Scallop Crudo ($22). The scallops were clean-tasting and not fishy. The pickled chilis added heat, and the rhubarb leche de tigre gave it a nice pop.
The Elote ($15), which is a shaved sheet of corn, came piping hot. Crunchy and cheesy, each nibble gave way to sweet, salty kernels.
For our second drink, Betty, Kournikova and I had the Patrón Margarita ($19), while Québécoise chose a Ma-W-Eh Hi-Ball ($12). The margarita was good too; citrusy, salty on the rim, potent yet smooth.
We ordered the 6 oz Flank Steak ($22) medium rare. It came out closer to well done, though the presentation was beautiful.
The Seared Cabbage ($17) fires off on all cylinders. The cabbage was hot and tender, yet still crispy. The whipped feta was decadent, the salsa macha smoky, and the candied peanut sweet. Nom, nom, nom! Milpa serves one of the best versions of charred cabbage in the city. I made a mental note to bring my friend Lululemon to Milpa. She’d appreciate the vegetarian dishes and the cocktails.
Another must-order is the Quesabirria Taco ($14). I dipped the taco into the steaming-hot consommé and bite through the crackly shell. I loved the blistered edges of the taco and the flavour bomb of the meat, salsa, and cheese. I had to suck back juices from the beef brisket. It was messy in the best possible way.
We were all happy with our experience. What I appreciated most was how hot each dish was and how fresh the raw appetizers were. It was also nice to enjoy twelve buck Pineapple Nom-Nom instead of the standard $20-and-up cocktails at most bars. Don’t get me wrong, I know alcohol is expensive, and restaurants need to make money to keep running. But whenever I see a well-priced drink, the inner student in me squeals with glee.
On the way out, we ran into Trevor Nguyen, the general manager, and André Bueno, the bar manager. We chatted with them briefly and thanked them for such a great meal. Congrats to Duncan and the team on the delicious revamp of the menu.
Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.
