Chorney-Booth: Tropical keeps the party going at new Victoria Park location

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Sometimes restaurants have to find the right location to truly shine. Tropical, which sat on a somewhat sleepy stretch of 17th Avenue S.W. from 2015 until earlier this year (and in a smaller incarnation in Crescent Heights for six years before that) was largely known as a party bar, peddling giant margaritas and hosting Latin DJs on the weekend.

As it turns out, all this time Tropical’s superpower has been its food. Despite being billed as a “Mexican soul” menu, the restaurant’s secret weapon is a small selection of extraordinary Colombian fare. A move to Victoria Park has allowed Tropical to keep its signature party vibes going, while also better showing off its food.

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Tropical’s new home is in a familiar location, in what was previously the home of the much-beloved Foreign Concept restaurant. While the space ultimately proved to be too spacious for Foreign Concept’s pan-Asian finer dining fare, the sprawling building is just right for Tropical. The main room’s tables can be pushed aside for dancing on weekends once the DJs move in, while the side room, which the previous tenants could never quite figure out what to do with, is now a Tulum-themed cocktail lounge.

Traces of Foreign Concept can still be found throughout the room — owners Dalila Rubio and Fabio Ferrer were smart enough to keep many elements of Aly Velji’s original design while augmenting it with imported furniture, woven lamp shades, and lots of greenery. With a 200-person capacity, it’s double the size of Tropical’s last location, allowing the restaurateurs to expand into a new lunchtime service aimed and nearby downtown office workers.

Rubio and Ferrer are originally from Colombia, but when they expanded their business in 2015, the couple didn’t feel like enough Calgarians would be attracted to a place strictly specializing in Colombian cuisine. So, they positioned Tropical as a Mexican restaurant, selling tacos and tostadas with some Colombian dishes scattered throughout the menu.

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“When we were on 17th Avenue, we realized that people were looking for Mexican food and tacos because they were more familiar with that,” Rubio says. “We sell ourselves as a Mexican restaurant, but we’re also showcasing our Colombian traditions.”

Colombian food is known for its smoked meats, empanadas, arepas, and other deeply savoury dishes, which make a small but mighty mark on Tropical’s menu. The show-stopper is the Latin Street BBQ platter ($70), loaded with pork belly, smoked picanha steak, roasted corn, and potatoes. The meat is prepared in special barrel smokers the owners brought in from Colombia. Other Colombian-style favourites include the smoked pork belly aguachile with serrano peppers and tamarind sauce ($15), potato and pulled pork croquetas served on a generous smear of guacamole ($16) and Colombian-style corn empanadas ($8.50 for two). The tacos ($5 to $7 each) remain a favourite and are often stealthily filled with Colombian smoked meats as well as more typically Mexican fillings.

Since the late-night club element remains, Tropical’s attention to cocktails hasn’t waned. There are margaritas galore (including a premium tamarind version) and a strong list of signature cocktails including the “Lucha Libre” featuring popcorn-infused vodka as well as palomas, pina coladas, and other favourites.

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Tropical is open Tuesday through Sunday, with hours varying by day. The restaurant is located at 1011 1st St. S.W. and can be contacted at 403-909-5225 or through tropicalyyc.ca.

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In other restaurant news, The Wilde, the rooftop restaurant at the Dorian Hotel, recently launched its new summer menu and it represents one of the strongest showings from the fine dining restaurant yet. Executive chef Joshua Dyer’s team created a menu making the most of summer bounty with playful items like a play on beans on toast ($28) with navy bean tempeh, heirloom tomatoes and pickled seasonal vegetables, foie gras terrine ($36) with cherries and rhubarb, served with a side of root beer beignets, and entrees including delicate B.C. sablefish ($59) with patty pan squash and grilled cauliflower and picture-perfect mushroom cannelloni ($40) made with house-rolled pasta designed to resemble wood grain.

These are fine dining prices to be sure, but they come with fine dining service and a staggering attention to detail. The Wilde is located on the 27th floor at 525 5th Ave. S.W. and can be contacted through thewilderooftop.com.

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Finally, canine culture is a major trend in the food service world and the folks at Village Ice Cream have responded with their first Dogs of the Village ice cream to be sold by the pint. Village’s carrots and cream flavour is made just for pups and as of July 20, it will be available in tubs decorated with illustrations of 48 carefully chosen local dogs. A dollar from every pint sold during August will be donated to the Canadian Animal Task Force.

To celebrate this new dog-friendly treat, Village Ice Cream is holding an event at its Victoria Park location (431 10th Ave S.E.) on July 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The party will feature a live DJ, a dog photo booth, a market featuring dog-focused products, and more. To learn more about the dogs featured on the pint packaging, visit villageicecream.com/dogsofvillage.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.

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