Chef Di Gennaro excels with pasta. A simple dish of Taglierini with porcini coulis and black truffle pesto is a revelation. The noodles, possessed of a fresh, springy quality, have a texture that's less slick, more sauce-like, and absorptive of flavour. A big hit, the sautéed, house-made ricotta gnocchi comes with a lobster sauce, white truffle oil and onion sprouts delights.

Moving on to mains: the mammoth milk-fed braised veal shank ($34) comes plated around a mound of mascarpone risotto and gremolata crème fraiche, topped with white balsamic/veal jus. The meat had the requisite flavour and juiciness, but serving it with more than just a drizzle of sauce would’ve been a marked improvement.

The Roasted pheasant ($35), a Muscat wine and rosemary flavoured breast sitting atop morel mushrooms and parsnip puree, was flawlessly executed and ravenously devoured. The presentation was a highlight of the pan-seared 7oz AAA beef tenderloin ($36) with a port reduction and served with gorgonzola mousse and sautéed broccoli rabe.

Dining here can easily balloon into a two-hour experience - more than an hour may pass before entrées arrive and 25 minutes could go by before dessert hits your table. Still, Capo is steering the Calgary dining scene in the right direction with the only drawback being its popularity. On an average weekday evening the space is packed wall to wall with young trading-up types grazing on Cal's gustatory riches. -R.B.