The first time you go to The Haddock and Hoof on 17th Avenue, it is definitely a case of looks being deceiving. Housed in a former Pizza Hut location, the building still looks like its original resident from the outside, which seems a little out of place considering it is labeled fine dining. Once you walk in however, you feel like you are in a completely different place. The interior is a soothing and intimate environment that brings the coast to you. At first glance. some of the menu items may seem a little steep. However, once the food is set in front of you for the first time, you realize that the quality and quantity of food definitely gives you a real bang for your buck.

We headed out on a recent Wednesday night to see what the buzz is about – right now it’s hard to get in on weekends and reservations are advised. We jumped right into things by sampling the smoked salmon bruschetta – toasted baguette points with cream cheese and Atlantic smoked salmon. Salmon can be hit and miss, but in this case we were please to see it was lightly smoked and not in the least bit fishy – a statement made time and time again by all of us over the course of the evening. It was our first inclination of the portion sizes that awaited us – these were not small pieces of hard bread, but rather large tender slices that could almost be a meal on their own. We also tried the seafood chowder – large pieces of scallop, lobster, shrimp and haddock in a rich creamy soup. Once again, this alone could make a meal, and there was no skimping out on the seafood; by far one of the best seafood chowders I have ever tasted!

We decided to splurge and get the fisherman’s platter – a combination plate that can easily feed two to four people. A selection of seafood appetizers and main courses was brought out – at this point we were seriously running out of space on the table to put the food! The pound of mussels is cooked in a white wine sauce, and they go down so easily – soft, tender and just about falling out of their shell. The Digby Nova Scotia scallops were also cooked in a white wine sauce, and were huge and tasty. The breaded shrimp was good, but what really caught all of our attention was the calamari. I love calamari – and Haddock and Hoof’s has ruined that experience for me because after trying theirs I don’t know how I can ever eat it anywhere else! It’s simply the best I’ve ever tasted – it’s so good I can’t even type out the proper words to give it justice. Then there were the Kings Crab legs, where the claw was the size of a small fist and the meat was incredibly tender. This all came with literally a slab of lightly battered haddock, also featured on their Fish and Chips platter. As if that wasn’t enough, the fisherman’s platter also comes with a choice of two sides and two salads.

This is what I meant about the menu – the prices look steep, but this can be very deceiving. Individually an order of fish and chips is $16, yet it seems like the sheer size and quality of the dish is doubled from your average restaurant. The menu boasts “this is our secret recipe and the best you will ever have in your life.” I would say that is pretty close to accurate, and certainly the best fish you will get so far away from the ocean.

We also tried the Lobster Flambé – large and shredded pieces of Atlantic lobster and peppers both flambéed in garlic and brandy, served with a blend of wild and white rice. It’s an interesting texture and flavor blend – certainly worth experiencing.

We wrapped up our meal with dessert – a fruit flambé and the Grand Marnier tiramisu. The flambé had nice sized chunks of fruit and tasted really good, but it was the tiramisu that had us raving. If you are a coffee fan you have to try this – we joked that it was good enough to recreate a certain famous movie scene involving Meg Ryan. After our eyes were done rolling back in our heads with pleasure we packaged up what we hadn’t been able to eat and headed home, quite full.

After reading this review thus far, you are probably thinking “Ok, so it’s a seafood restaurant, where does the ‘hoof’ part come in?” Well, simply put, Haddock and Hoof’s has such an extensive menu that we didn’t even make it to the non-seafood side of things, which includes panini sandwiches, salads, steak and chicken. Not everyone is a fan of seafood, so if you want good Alberta beef and your partner wants lobster, then this is a restaurant where you can both get what you want. If the seafood selection, size and quality was any indication I can only imagine what the rest of the menu has in store. In addition, they also offer a Sunday a la carte brunch and a $10 lunch menu.

Don’t let the outside fool you, it is what’s inside that counts. Reasonably priced, especially compared to other upscale seafood restaurants, nicely atmospheric with fantastic food - Haddock and Hoof’s is definitely worth many more visits.

Haddock & Hoof’s
3851 17th Avenue SW
(403) 242-0522