Juilliard – not NYC’s famed school of the arts, but rather another Calgary restaurant, illustrating Boomtown’s identity crisis of trying to emulate the Big A. I’m only now becoming hip to the trend in the restaurant and lounge industry of naming your establishment after something famous and intriguing, more specifically something famous and intriguing form New York. Central Grand Resto (you’re fooling nobody by switching the words around) SoHo Bar and Grill, and the former Manhattans Nightclub (formerly called Bermuda Triangle – I’ll leave that for what it is) are evidence enough of this trend.

The, some might say, “cursed” space in the Burns building (many businesses have come and gone) is now home to Juilliard, another venture from owner Jesse Glasnovic (of Auburn Saloon fame). With the move of the Auburn to 9th Avenue SW, it seems Glasnovic wanted another spot for the playwrights, thespians and even patrons to hang out before and after their shows at the Centre for Performing Arts. Is Calgary’s Juilliard as hard to get in to as New York’s prestigious arts school? Do I even know what a plié or fouetté is?

The answer is yes and no. Thankfully, no rigorous auditions are required but, as of the soft launch on September 12th, their hours are kind of sketchy and they’re only serving tapas. One hopes that once the grand opening gala rolls around on October 4th, things will be along the lines of gaining entrance to a community college rather than one of the world’s most acclaimed academic institutions for the arts.

Until then, if in the area catching a show at the nearby Epcor centre, you can stop by (sporting your guinea pig best) for some delicious items courtesy of ex-Blink food maestro Andrew Kazakoff. My advice is try the luscious grilled lamb chops with mint pesto and toasted pine nuts with some mixed fries on the side (of the russet shoestring and yam variety) followed by the mellifluous Juilliard crepe (baked brie, apples and caramelized onions with honey yogurt). The rest of the menu is filled out with conservatively priced artisan burgers, greens, gourmet soups and a dinner and dessert selection that is still being worked on in a top-secret laboratory somewhere.

The atmosphere reasonably adheres to the “simple elegance” of the restaurant’s marketing. As you enter the space, a mellow, low-key ambience, with old sepia tinged photographs greets you, and mahogany wood accents throughout should appeal to the theatre-going crowd. The moderately priced flavourful menu will appeal to the rest of us, and if you’re in the spirit to show your compliments to the chef, I’m sure the staff would appreciate a grand jeté upon your departure.