The Adventures of A Woman Named E: Indulgences on Date Night

Last night was date night, a favourite of mine. I love getting dressed up and this particular date night was a surprise Paul sprung on me weeks ago, he said "don't make plans the 17th we have dinner reservations", excitement ensues! I love surprises.
Paul and I went out for a lovely dinner at Char Cut - Roast House in downtown Calgary. The restaurant's name stems from the term Charcuterie, see Definition:
Charcuterie (

/ʃɑrˌkuːtəˈriː/ or /ʃɑrˈkuːtəri/; French: [ʃaʁkytʁi], from chair 'flesh' and cuit 'cooked') is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.^[1] Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire. Originally intended as a way to preserve meats before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes.^[2]
The restaurant itself has a very warm and dark atmosphere, soft lighting, candles at the tables, and bold modern decor mixed with a kind of rustic charm. Even the washrooms are appealing to the eye. We were sat down at a tiny table with candlelight and comfortable chairs and I was lucky enough to end up on the cushy bench side thanks to Paul.The location of the table was the only thing I would have changed, I would have preferred a booth. The waiter was very friendly and promptly brought us drinks and menus,and offered a choice of flat water or sparkling water. Oh la la. The Menus at Char Cut are changed and printed daily and one of the chefs, Connie DeSousa was on the show Top Chef Canada. A few of the dishes she made while on the show are included in the menu. They have a lovely selection on appetizers, main dishes and shareable dishes! They also have a small and delectable selection of desserts and cheese plates. We ordered the Char Board, which is the chef's selection of various meats/sides on the menu. We also dined on a second course of Foie Gras. We skipped dessert and instead opted for a cheese plate. It was a perfect, romantic and entirely beautiful night out.
PS. Paul was a perfect gentleman. Thank you for dinner Paul <3
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a fun, romantic and reasonably priced gourmet night out.
Here's a link to Char Cut's website: http://www.charcut.com

The Menu

Char Cut Board - Top Left : Country Ham and beside that was Salami,on the white plate is the Foie Gras - melts in your mouth and full of flavour! Resting in the middle is Brioche and the jar is Pate, Beside that in the bowl is the best mustard I have ever had and in the bottom right, I don't recall the name.. but again melts in your mouth!

This is the kind of food that you can't help but smile about eating.

Cheese Plate - Paul ordered this, Gray Owl Cheese - a very flavourful Goat Cheese, and a soft Gruyere, the cheese was accompanied by Walnuts, Brioche, preserved Honey and some preserved fruit. Eating honey with cheese would never occur to me, this was simply amazing, it was just as good if not better than any dessert.