[Argus]

I love raw meat, and I'll try it nearly anywhere that has it on the menu. My experiences so far:

Kobe Steak Tartare at Craftsteak in Vegas: It was fabulous. I think it is best compared to some sort of meat flavoured butter. Its texture was divine, and the flavour was incomparable. I really haven't had anything like it - raw beef in this context really is nothing like the cooked stuff.

Beef Tataki: I've had this at various Japanese restaurants. Usually it is served blue rare, sometimes raw. To be honest I prefer it blue rare - it gives it a more pleasant texture (in this particular dish). It may be the nature of the ponzu sauce that makes me prefer it barely cooked.

Mystery Ethiopian Dish: Not really a mystery, but I don't know the name. It's cubes of raw beef in a thin, powedery red sauce. Almost like a curry, I'm not sure what to compare it to. The rawness of the meat was integral to the dish, allowing the flavour of the spices to play a greater role. If you have Ethiopian food and see a dish resembling this description I highly recommend it.

Beef Carpaccio at a vineyard in Napa Valley: Yet another glowing review. I forget the vineyard (I visited plenty, and drank at most of them), but this appetizer before the wedding dinner was excellent. It was served on a crostini with a rich mayonnaise type sauce, and it was impeccably matched with the red wine they were serving. This is the raw beef dish I'd consider most likely to appeal to people who are squeamish about eating raw meat, the thin slicing again makes the beef almost melt in your mouth.

No other dishes come to my mind that involve serving raw beef, though I'm sure there are plenty. I'd be keen to try other ones, and I recommend it to anyone. I don't understand the desire many people have for well cooked foods. I find the flavours are finer in raw or lightly cooked dishes in most cases, though of course it depends on the food in question. It's certainly not a health risk if you eat the right cuts; any decent restaurant that offers it will be safe, as will any good butcher shop.

I see that you live in Calgary, just go to one of the many fine steakhouses your city boasts and try a blue rare steak or a tartare. I know that Catch has some tartares on the menu, but they might only have seafood (I know they have scallop and tuna, both amazing). I've eaten at the Blue Nile in Calgary, but they don't have the Ehtiopian dish I described, so try Marathon (in Kensington) or somewhere else if you're interested.