The Flightdeck - YYC

[CD]

One rough landing at the Flight Deck

May 2, 2008
THE CALGARY SUN
BILL KAUFMANN

A funny thing happened on the way to dinner -- it taxied but never took off.

At least that was our initial Saturday evening experience at the much-anticipated Flight Deck -- a roomy, impressive $5-million-plus structure seven years in the making.

The dream child of a group of WestJet pilots, our first visit on Day 12 of its operation saw the kitchen staff overwhelmed by a full-court press customer onslaught.

While we waited an hour for our appetizers, we gazed about the two-level wonder whose open-concept arched ceiling resembles an aircraft hangar.

Sure enough, the place is situated beneath a Calgary airport flight path.

We'd never seen so many TV monitors, banks upon banks with scores of them beaming footage of fighter planes obliterating training targets.

The aviation meme continues on the menu with Richthofen's flying weiner schnitzel, the Sukhoi salmon burger and Antonov perogies.

All they were lacking was the Messerschmidt marinade.

When they finally arrived, the Cobra bites ($9.95) proved an instant hit with its lovely, blindingly-white and tender chicken breast done up in a delicate batter not unlike tempura and with a notable garlic kick.

A sweet chili sauce dip delivered some spicy heat.

The Siam salad ($11.95) offered up delectably seasoned sesame chicken breast along with shredded romaine in a tangy citrus dressing with peanuts.

Tossed in the mix were crunchy wheat chow mein noodles, alfalfa sprouts mandarin oranges, onions and red peppers. Very tasty and uplifting.

Unfortunately, a crisis in the kitchen and a huge, curious crowd shot down our entree order and we, like others around us, bailed out.

The apologetic house very reasonably picked up our beer and appies tab.

Our return nine days later revealed a much sturdier operation, though the Monday night crowd was far more sparse.

The chicken quesadillas ($9.95) were plump and brimming with meat, tomatoes and cheese.

Our French onion soup ($5.95) had plenty of all the right ingredients in a dense layer of mozzarella and plenty of onions.

But I found the broth listless, weak.

And while the mini-Yorkies boasted plenty of tender, thin-sliced beef, a tasty in-house red wine gravy and fiery horseradish sauce, they arrived stone cold.

Picking from a menu dedicated as much to an eclectic mix exotic destinations as to aircraft, Mizue went with the sea scallops ($18.95).

These were thick, succulent scallops -- a dozen in all -- wrapped generously in bacon and basted in a savoury, yummy herb butter.

My maple pork chop ($14.95) had been prepared in a maple syrup and dijon glaze and set amidst apple sections heavily doused by the sweet confection.

The glaze worked well with the big pork chop with its robust grilled flavour but the meat was a little overcooked and parched.

I opted for the baked potato over the mashed spuds and rice while the excellent veggie medley completed the dish.

Dessert was the white chocolate banana cream pie ($5.95).

The menu mentioned sinful and that it was, with banana bits coated in banana custard on a bed of graham cracker crust and blanketed with molten Bernard Callebaut white chocolate.

As with the entrees, dessert was large-portioned -- and it was finished with a battery of fresh strawberries drizzled in chocolate sauce.

While the Flight Deck seems to have ironed out its service turbulence while providing cuisine with promise, some of the fare still experienced a rough landing.

---

Sun Rating: 3 out of 5

FLIGHT DECK
INTERNATIONAL BAR AND GRILL 1200-9560 HARVEST HILLS BLVD. N.E.

HOURS:
11 A.M.-2 A.M. (MON-FRI)
10 A.M.-2 A.M. (SAT)
10 A.M.-2 A.M. (SAT)

DRESS:
CASUAL

MAIN ENTREES:
AROUND $16

LICENSED - YES

VISA, MC, AMEX, INTERAC

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Complete article here...

[Go Guns]

I was there last night. Service was good. Food came out quick and was tasty. I mean, it's no Beaver, but it's not trying to be either. Kinda more like a Moxies. Their Flightdeck Ale was cheap and tasty, apparently made by Sleemans.

I'll be back!

[scrambled_legs]

I prefer Big Al, the manly woman's review. Strange, he/she takes the time to sign up for an aviation forum only to post a restaurant trash review and vanish. I still want to know where he rests his bag in the other public shitters.

[sprucemonkey]

Cue the man!!



Are all the staff "FlightDeck Owners"? If not, that could be their problem.

"Excuse me big al. You forgot your purse in the shitter. Here ya go."

[Big Al]

I went into the girls bathroom and I had turned backwards to keep the door open for someone else following right behind me. I turned back around and ran into a pillar! Once you sit down to pee, there is a small ledge to the right where you can rest your bag and there is a coat hanger on the door as well and I think the toilets were self-flushing. When washing your hands, the sink automatically starts, but not the soap. Why!! Why the sink, but not the soap dispenser??

Big Al, you got something funky going on downstairs or do you always urinate sitting down in the ladies latrine? At least you had a place to rest your bag.

Dear God, the soap doesn't automatically dispense... Holy Crap what are you supposed to do???

Scrambled_legs - the whole reason I discussed why the soap didn't automatically dispense is to point out that if the toilet flushes itself and the sink automatically starts, then why the heck did the Flight Deck not spend the money to install soaps dispensers that automatically start?? You have 2 out of 3, why not 3 out of 3?

BTW, I'm a female, hence I go to the girls bathroom.

[scrambled_legs]

Care to explain how you got the name, Big Al???

[. .]

Other users posting from this IP
Flightdecker [ 1 Post ]

maaate, or should I say Flightdecker busted!

[ziggy]

Well......went golfing 3 days ago, decided to go to the Flightdeck for dinner afterwords. (The other three in my golf party had not been there before, I have, three times, twice bad, the other time OK. So i thought i would give it another chance) Well, that was the last chance. As per usual, the food was cold. So i sent it back. A beef dip. How can you @#$! up a beef dip? So they brought me another one. It was nice and warm, and I would have ate it if the roast beef didn't have bright pink and blue color on it. I know RB had the odd color, but nothing like this. In their defense though, the manager came over and apologized for everything. (he seemed pretty practiced at it) I sure hope these are just growing pains!!!!

I guess Woody's wasn't that bad in the first place

[Captain X]

I was in on a Friday 2 weeks ago around 4:30 for a early meal. Sat upstairs in the lounge, no waitress acknowledged our presence for 15 minutes even though they walked by and looked at us. All we were looking for is "we'll be right with you". Reading the previous posts I figured when she did stop by with menus (total wait since sitting down 20 minutes) and ask for drinks I better tell her right now what we want (for our food selection) ... so we quickly looked through the menu and ordered right away. Food came out after 45 minutes.... Club Sandwich and Hamburger with a appy of Cobra bites. The other person in our party had ordered a coffee which was not brought out with our drink orders as it was being made.... not a big deal. However she came by to see how our meals were (15 minutes after we got our food) She said she'd have the coffee right away. (15 minutes more had passed) We asked for the coffee again. She said oops I will get it right away.... she came but 10 minutes later without the coffee again. we never did get his coffee! I think it was just our waitress having the memory of a mule. The food was good, although its pretty hard to mess up a club house and a hamburger. But the service from our waitress was SHIT.

total time inside was 2 hrs.

The only good part was the house brand ale was alright and the price was pretty cheap

won't be dining there again.

If this restaurant was in any other province, the poor service and food that others have said they have experienced would have caused it to be shut down. But the good ole Alberta economy will ensure they will be fucking up peoples orders for months to come.

Congrats.

[Dash-Ate]

but do they require a training bond from the cooks

[Big Al]

Care to explain how you got the name, Big Al???

Care to explain how you got the name, Scrambled_legs????

[scrambled_legs]

bad broken leg... and yours... third leg operation?

[yycflyguy]

[gulfan]

Have things improved?

[Chickaddd]

nope

[gulfan]

Months later? I can't believe there are 101 TV's!

[daveg]

Months later? I can't believe there are 101 TV's!

.....and the food and service still the worst in YYC.

[Captain_Canuck]

The food is mediocre at best and the service, in typical Calgary fashion; SUCKS!