FinePrint

Where the Herald Was Born

3.5 of 5

The Calgary Herald was born in this building on Stephen Avenue in 1893, back when news came in ink and the city was mostly mud and ambition. The paper is long gone from the address. FinePrint took the name as a wink and filled the old rooms with a wine lounge, a central bar, a big dining room and a four-seat counter facing the kitchen.

The pitch is southern French style with a prairie soul, and the tool that makes it work is a Josper, a closed charcoal oven that runs hot enough to make a steak behave. Alberta Prime striploin comes out of it. So does sablefish, roasted until the edges catch. The braised wagyu beef cheek is the cold-weather order, and the house-made wild mushroom gnocchi is there for anyone not in the mood for beef. Chef Xavier Lacaze, a Top Chef Canada alum, built the opening menu, including devilled eggs with sobrassada and crispy chorizo, the kind of starter that settles who at the table is really your friend.

This is downtown, so lunch is full of people closing deals and dinner is full of people celebrating them. Grab one of the four counter seats if you can, watch the fire, and order the sablefish. It is closed Sundays, so plan the craving accordingly.

Order this: Josper-roasted sablefish, Alberta Prime striploin, braised wagyu beef cheek, devilled eggs with sobrassada
The damage: $$$
Go: A weekday dinner at the kitchen counter; closed Sundays
Find it: 113 8 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1B4
Website: fineprintyyc.com