The Prairie Table

🎟️ The Prairie Table, by Alberta Grains
📍 Quick Facts
•Event Type: Upscale, Outdoor, Field-to-Table Culinary
•Location: Destination unknown
•Duration: Full Evening

When Geoff and I moved to Calgary, we decided to immerse ourselves in the culture. To drink in all Calgary and Alberta could offer and embrace the western way of life.

Alberta Grains personified and brought that to fruition this past weekend through their Prairie Table event.

 We knew what we were signing up for….sort of; A mystery meal, served to us at a secret location, with a bunch of people we didn’t know. It was billed as a ‘an upscale outdoor dining experience on a working farm’. Sounds deliciously intriguing. Sign us up!

We were told to dress ‘Prairie Chic’ or ‘Boho’. Think — Free-Spirited layers, flowing maxi skirts, fringes, paisley, and layered jewelry. Warm neutrals, jewel tones with cowboy and vintage flair, all this under the open prairie sky?

Sure, that alone was enough to give me the shivers.

We spent the summer curating our outfits. We took care in assembling exactly what we thought would be the perfect expression of the new out West version of ‘Us ‘: Newfoundlanders turned saltwater cowboys.

Finally, we were ready.

We arrived at the pick-up location, a hotel in NE Calgary, from where there would be a welcome reception and later a motor-coach to the secret destination.

Double doors opened to a sea of ‘upscale cowboy’. Beautiful people in varying degrees of western wear. There were silk scarves and plaid shirts, cowboy hats and fedoras, boots and pretty delicate shoes. It was the perfect mix of prairie boho.

The next task was to find the registration table and then the welcoming champagne. We found ourselves a glass of something sparkling and fizzy. We circulated.

 Conversations twirled us around the crowd like ballerinas at the Royal Ballet. We talked about Smithbilt hats and moving adventures with Mark and Debbie, investments and social media marketing with Trevor and Madi. We chatted and compared outfits (you guys looked fabulous) with Kate and Matt. We talked about the frustrations and joys of farming with Devin and Carrie. Our dance card was full and we drank it in.

We were all loaded onto the motorcoach to Westway Farms in Didsbury, AB. An agricultural business owned and operated by Tom and Carol Hadway that specializes in growing pedigreed seed and raising purebred Simmental cattle.

We toured the farm and were treated like royalty. We were served an amuse bouche of ‘Assortment of Flatbread Truffled mushroom, Italian trio and grilled peach’. There was a bottled concoction that was served as a ‘light refreshment’ that may have contained a wee bit of hard liquor.

Next it was back to the coach and a short trip to the other end of the farm where the dining marquees had been set up.

Here a section of the field had been transformed into a true country wonder. Alongside the kitchen tent, where the chef crew were scurrying to finish last-minute tasks, was the dining marquee; tables had been set with antique lanterns, crystal goblets and candle holders. A delicious mix-match of cutlery adorned the place settings, alongside a rustic stalk of barley tucked into a gossamer napkin and tied together with twine.

Just outside the dining tent, a violoncellist added to the charm. Quaint tractors and trailers served as drink stations, and near to that, a local florist, who used mixed textures and foraged blooms, to create custom relaxed, garden-style floral arrangements for guests.

Next in our line of sight, jars and bottles were tied to a wooden archway, dancing in the prairie winds. These marked the way to a flower-topped coffee table, a sofa and matching chair in a field of prairie grasses and grains. All Instagram-worthy photo ops just waiting for patrons to step inside the scene, smile and strike a pose.

And in her own little world, a lone artist created a painted tapestry before our very eyes— her own interpretation of the beautiful view that we were lucky enough to share.

It was a feast for the eyes. It was everything we imagined it would be and more.

The dinner bell rang all too soon; we could have stayed and explored and chatted for hours. We found our table and introduced ourselves to the guests that we didn’t know.

The first course: Pan Cornbread Served with honey and butter Petit Surf N’ Turf Petit filet, butterfly prawn, corn riblets, salsa verde, horseradish cream and corn puree.

The cornbread was the softest I’ve ever tasted; the prawn and beef were perfectly cooked and perfectly paired with their accoutrements.

Salad Course: Arugula & Berries Salad, Whipped feta, assorted berries, arugula & basil microgreens and candied walnuts with a basil vinaigrette.

 Delightful.

Main Course: Port Wine Braised Short Rib Heirloom carrots, glazed beets and mashed cauliflower.

All perfection and heavenly.

Dessert: Lemongrass Panna Cotta, Blueberry compote, barley & pistachio granola.

 Light and refreshing.

As we finished our meals inside the warm and cozy tent, the rain poured. Thunder roared, and lightning lit up the skies, giving us a spectacular light show while we dined. The universe seemed to be showing its approval for such a fabulous night.

Afterwards, a sea of umbrellas and smiling faces shielded us from the rain as we ran to the shuttle bus that would take us back to our waiting coach.

On our homeward journey, with our headlights competing only with the brilliant flashes of lightning, we passed through the cornfields one last time. A quiet enveloped the tour bus.

Contentedness.

We wondered if they had somehow managed to order the weather to match the occasion.

The Prairie Table was, as promised, an unforgettable evening that unfolded beneath the vast prairie expanse. A magical time and place where an intimate feast was dramatically serenaded by a crackling electrical storm lighting up the dark horizon.

How frikkin cool is that?

📊 Scorecard
•Production Quality: 5/5
•Engagement & Content: 5/5
•Venue Comfort: 4/5
•Value for Money: 5/5
•⭐ Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
Notes for improvement: Full points would have been given for comfort if there were seating areas alongside the high-top tables in the main tent.