Rouge Restaurant creating dishes inspired by Canada’s 150th

In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the chefs at Rouge Restaurant have created nine dishes, each inspired by a different Canadian province or region.

On Wednesday, Rouge unveiled its first of nine “Canada150 Coast to Coast Plates” feature dishes. Each month, the restaurant will debut a new feature only available in the month it is released.

Calgarians looking for a little East Coast flavour in May can enjoy a dish inspired by the Atlantic Maritime region in the form of a handmade lobster tortellini with sauce Américaine roe and a lobster foam.

“There has never been a better time to celebrate Canada’s sustainable agriculture, fisheries, artisan producers and indigenous peoples,” said Paul Rogalski, co-owner of Rouge Restaurant.

New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have all been combined to represent one region-inspired dish, and the same goes for Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

Each feature item will be available for both lunch and dinner, and each dish will have a Canada-inspired wine, beer or cocktail pairing available. On top of taking a culinary tour of Canada, the Mealshare Calgary program will provide a meal to a youth in need for every Canadian-inspired featured dish purchased at Rouge.

“My team and I are excited to experiment with ingredients we don’t usually incorporate into our locally focused menus at Rouge,” said chef Brian Diamond. “It’s also a great opportunity for us all to learn more about the history and diversity of each province’s food culture, while putting our own creative spin on a dish.”

Rouge is open for lunch Monday through Friday, and dinner is available Monday through Saturday. Rouge will also be serving brunch and dinner for Easter Sunday on April 16, Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14, and Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16.