By: Lindsat Forsey
[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hoever coined the phrase “good things come to those who wait,” probably enjoyed paella. Like soufflé or risotto, the traditional Spanish dish comes with about a half-an-hour wait time when ordered in a restaurant. Build that sort of anticipation in hungry diners, and you’d better deliver an authentic, mouthwatering meal. Calgary’s Ox and Angela Restaurant and Tapas Bar, does
just that.
“People don’t seem to mind waiting for paella. They just order some tapas to share in the meantime and socialize,” says Andrew Moore, executive chef. “The whole vibe of the food and the restaurant itself is inspired by that easy-going and fun attitude you find in Spain.” Ox and Angela’s Paella ($36, serves two to three people) is made-to-order using traditional bomba rice, thought by Spanish chefs to be the ideal grain for the dish since it can absorb plenty of liquid without getting soggy; it translates to big flavour. In this rendition, chicken and Spanish chorizo mingle with garlic, onion, peppers, tomatoes, beans and rice, cooked down on the grill in a house-made stock. “We finish the dish in the oven to give it a nice crust called the socarrat,” Moore says, explaining that the crunchy layer on the bottom and around the edge of the pan is considered the best part among paella aficionados.
Jayme MacFayden and Kelly Black, Ox and Angela co-owners, opened the restaurant in August 2011, along with former co-owner and chef, Stephen Smee, following the success of their other neighbourhood establishment, Una Pizza & Wine. (Smee sold his share in the business in 2014.) The restaurants are situated a block apart along busy 17th Avenue, in the epicentre of the city’s shopping and entertainment district. “We don’t take reservations at Una, and we always have a long wait list, even during the week,” MacFayden says. “Our original idea was to open a cocktail bar nearby where people could go while they waited for a table, but the space we found was too big for that, so we decided to open another restaurant.” Opening costs were $440,000, including the purchase of the lease and assets from the previous tenant.
From the street, passersby are drawn in by Ox and Angela’s energy, with its convivial atmosphere and large bar. Inside, two distinct spaces — one bright and window-filled, the other darker, with wood accents — inspired the restaurant’s name. “At first we were going to call it The Ox, tying into Spanish culture and the running of the bulls, which worked for the more masculine side of the restaurant, but we needed a female counterpart,” MacFayden says. A Google search for the word “ox” turned up a photograph of a couple named Ox and Angela, and the moniker was born. “It was important for us to create a space people feel comfortable in,” she says. “It’s our mandate to be very welcoming. There are no rules about having dinner. You can come in for drinks or dessert, make reservations or walk in, it’s casual and fun.”
While the restaurant itself has remained more or less unchanged since opening, the menu has been reinvented. In its first incarnation, Ox and Angela was a Latin American restaurant, inspired by fabulous iconic cocktails such as the margarita, the mojito and sangria. “We wanted to do something the city hadn’t seen, but we were spanning a huge [number] of countries, from Mexico to Argentina,” MacFayden says. “The concept was hard to convey to our staff and even harder to convey to guests. It was a disaster.”
Una’s good reputation kept Ox and Angela busy at first, but, six months after opening, the crowds began to trickle off. “It was evident we had missed the mark,” says co-owner Black. “We had to check our egos and admit that our great idea wasn’t working.” The Una menu was heavily influenced by Spanish cooking, so the agile restaurateurs recreated their new venture as a tapas joint. The response was immediate. “The minute we changed the concept and focused the food, people started talking, and Calgary is the kind of city where word of mouth means everything,” says Black. As a testament to the savvy owners’ ability to adapt quickly, sales have nearly tripled since 2011, although exact sales figures have not been disclosed.
“Many operators will cling to their pride to make something work, but Kelly and Jayme found another way to make their idea resonate with people,” says Justin Leboe, owner and executive chef of Calgary’s acclaimed Model Milk restaurant, also located on 17th Avenue. “I ate at Ox and Angela recently, and the food is better than ever. It’s been interesting to watch that evolution,” he says. Leboe praises the menu for its balance of masculine and feminine dishes — its focus on both meat and vegetables as star ingredients, for example — and raves about the Za’atar Fried Chicken ($15) with harissa dip and kale chips.
“The food has really hit its stride, but the restaurant’s strength lies in the whole package,” says the Model Milk chef. “The level of service and attention to detail is a reflection of their commitment and passion. They aren’t just offering food but a rich experience, with a great room and an incredibly well thought out beverage program. They’re doing things that are unique, not just in Calgary, but in Canada.”
Along with quaffable cocktails, such as El Mojito ($13) made with spiced rum, mint, brown sugar, white grapes, passion fruit and muddled lime; and the Cava Sofia ($12) a blend of pisco (South American brandy), lemon juice, pear purée, Dibon cava and East India solera sherry float, the beverage program showcases vermouth, with 11 choices on offer ($4 to $15 for one ounce), a selection of 10 different sherries ($6 to $18.50 for two ounces), and, as an ode to Spain’s current gin-and-tonic craze, 13 types of gin ($6.50 to $40 for one ounce).
“In Spain, there are bars dedicated to gin and tonic,” explains MacFayden, who travelled this summer with Black and Moore to the country that inspires their busy restaurant. Moore was keen to explore his culinary muse. “We visited Barcelona and San Sebastian and got to see two different versions of Spanish food,” he says, noting the regional variations in cuisine. “It was great to experience first-hand the places where our dishes originate from.” The trio ate tapas in both cities, gobbling up Ox and Angela favourites, such as Patatas Bravas ($7.50), which Moore describes as a turbo-charged hash brown, made with baby potatoes, which have been roasted, crushed and fried, then tossed in a spicy-sweet tomato sauce and topped with aioli and green onions.
“Eating tapas is entertaining and approachable,” MacFayden says. “When everything is shared, it breaks down barriers. It forces people to get to know one another and have conversations about more than just the weather.” MacFayden, Black and Moore are having just as much fun as their customers these days. The restaurant recently partnered with local urban farming company Leaf Ninjas to transform a neighbouring 4,000-sq.-ft. piece of property into an edible garden and, this month, MacFayden and Black are opening a 65-seat taqueria (taco shop) in Calgary called Native Tongues. Three years after opening, the restaurant and its owners have found their groove. Good things take time, after all.
