In the mood for one of what we used to believe were the best burgers around we stopped at the White Spot restaurant at 10400 Macleod Trail South in Calgary, Alberta. The service was slow despite the restaurant being half empty at 2:00 in the afternoon. We waited a good 10 minutes before our server Christina arrived.

We wanted a glass of red wine with our dinner so we tried two different selections. We had a glass of the Jackson Triggs Merlot (Proprietors Select) and a glass of the Peller Estates Merlot (their feature wine). Both were a “big” disappointment!

Valerie had the traditional burger while I had the Monty Mushroom burger. We both had the fries with a side of gravy. The burgers were pretty good with a couple of exceptions……..the one piece of tomato on my burger was a little sliver of a piece from the end of the tomato and it was obviously old as it was soft and wrinkled and the buns were not as fresh as they might have been. The rest of the burger was tasty with the meat cooked just right (not overdone!). If you like thick cut fries, you’ll like these…..we prefer thin cut our selves. The gravy could definitely use some help as it was pale and not very flavorful.

Our server was not very attentive and when she did stop by once to see how things were, we asked for extra napkins which never did show up. When we asked if we were to pay her or at the front she said we could do either but we might be better to pay at the front as she sometimes takes a long time to find the card machine. Having already waited long enough throughout our visit, we paid at the front.

The restaurant was clean as were the washrooms. The garbage cans in both washrooms were overflowing.

Having had a similarly disappointing experience with breakfast at the Edmonton, Alberta White Spot just a month earlier, we have decided to take White spot off of our list of restaurants. Too bad….we used to love their burgers. Having said that, it was the Kelowna White Spot where we have had great burgers in the past.

We rate our experience at the White Spot restaurant in Calgary Alberta as a 2 star and certainly not worth the $40. We could have had just as good experience at MacDonald s or A&W for half the price and half the time. Sorry White Spot….you are no longer in our books as the best burgers around….what happened???

Our first experience at Ruth’s Chris Steak House was to celebrate the announcement of my son expecting his first child and my wife’s son becoming engaged.

We received a nice friendly greeting on arrival and quick seating. Very nice ambiance. White tablecloths. beautiful unique fireplace on one wall. Great service from start to finish.

Excellent selection of wines (a little on the pricey side). À la carte menu (also a little on the pricey side).

We started with the Calamari which was not very good at all. It was drenched with some kind of sauce which made the battered coating very soggy rather than crispy and calamari itself was very rubbery. I know….it’s squid and it’s supposed to be rubbery…but this was VERY rubbery. Between 6 of us we ate only about 1/2 of the dish. I complained and they did not charge us which was decent of them.

The entree’s were brought to the table on plates that had been heated to 500° F. Seemed a little excessive and more than a little dangerous. Like most people, I usually touch my plate at some point in time while dining.

Their claim to fame is serving USDA corn fed beef. They do have Alberta beef on the menu, but most of the choices are US cuts.

My wife’s son and I had the USDA Rib-Eyes. What should have been a very tender piece of meat was more than a little tough. It was tasty and medium rare as requested. One of our future daughter in laws had the chicken and the other the Portabello Mushrooms. They both were happy with their selection. My wife had the Alberta Tenderloin. It came topped with butter which history has taught us is not a good sign. It was medium rare as requested but also on the tough side for tenderloin. My son had the tenderloin and scallops. He thought the scallops were better than the steak.

The side of Broccoli was overcooked and had a burnt or grilled taste. The potatoes Au Gratin were ok but nothing special. The snow peas with garlic was our best side order pick.

All that said, it would look like our group of 6 unanimously agree that for a Steak House, they could use some improvement.

Dinner for 6 (including 2 bottles of wine) was just under $500.

We rate Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Edmonton, Alberta) as a 3, thanks to the ambiance and the excellent service. Not worth the $$$$ price tag. Outback’s would have been a much better choice.