Glacier Saloon – Lake Louise, Alberta

Glacier Saloon is located downstairs of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which is a lovely resort. We went there for Valentines day, and we had failed to make reservations for dinner. We ended up at Glacier Saloon, and it was a pleasant surprise! The prices were actuaally reasonable considering the location!

I tried 8 oz Spring Creek Flat Iron Steak Sandwich grilled sour dough, portabella mushroom, arugula greens, blue cheese cream sauce & fries, where the food was really good!

The other dish we ordered was the special, a pork chop on a bed of whipped buttermilk potatoes, seasonal vegetables.

Both dishes were really tasty, and I would be back, even if places weren’t filled up!

Glacier Saloon

Chateau Lake Louise,
111 Lake Louise Drive
Lake Louise, AB

Chez Francois – Canmore, Alberta

We made it to Chez Francois one long weekend evening, and it turned out to be a fantastic place to eat!! We sat down, pretty late, and no one gave us any problems for coming in an hour and some before closing!

They started our evening with an awesome greeting from their friendly staff, and gave us some bread with duck pate. The bread was really fresh, and the pate was really tasty, smooth, and creamy! It was quite delicious.

We started off with FeuilletĂ© d’Escargots which were escargots in puff pastry with a creamy herbs & garlic sauce, and it was really wonderful!! It’s been awhile since I had great escargot, and Chez Francois prepares it to perfection!

For the main, I enjoyed the Saumon Colbert which was poached salmon topped with shrimp and scallop mousse glazed with a Hollandaise sauce.

We also ordered the Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise grain fed chicken breast light creamy raspberry vinegar sauce

With such a wonderful experience, we definitely will be returning, as we didn’t order a dessert since it was getting quite late. The best thing about Chez Francois, it’s opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll find another opportunity to return again!

Chez Francois

1602 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6111

Sage Bistro and Wine Lounge – Canmore, Alberta

Sage Bistro and Wine Lounge is a great place to go — whether you’re looking for a quiet place for dinner, and a nice place to gather and celebrate! It seems to have the ambiance to cover it all!!

We were lucky to be able to make reservations the same day, even though we had to compromise the time a little. I’m sure glad we did though! Our dinner here was really good, it’s always nice to have a great meal from start to finish.

I didn’t want an alcoholic drink, so I opted for Homemade Honey Thyme Lemonade which was really refreshing lemonade with a hint of honey and thyme. It was a perfect drink for the day as we spent the entire afternoon outdoors!

We started this great meal with duck rillettes, which was riesling braised duck confit, a small amount of lingonberry compote, topped with petite cornchon on grilled baguette. It was just amazing!! We piled a huge spoonful of duck confit on the tiny grilled baguette, then topped it off with the lingonberry compote (jam like) — and like a cherry on top, the little pickle! It was quite a memorable appetizer and one I’m still drooling over while thinking about it!

For the main, I had the special, which was a Maple Sockeye Salmon and that was excellent. The Salmon sat on top of a great chilled noodle salad filled with julienne vegetables. It was quite refreshing of a meal, and it tasted light! It’s something I wish I knew how to make!

The other dish we enjoyed thoroughly would be the Lamb Shank, where the lamb is braised in port & rosemary topped with gremolata with saffron risotto on the side.

Since everything has been so wonderful, we ordered a dessert to share as we were stuffed. We ordered the Neapolitan Tower which had layers of cinnamon phyllo squares, mixed berry compote and lemon custard cream. You really taste the great crisp texture of the phyllo squares which contracts really nicely with the lemon custard cream, which is probably mixed with the mixed berries as it tasted a lot like a raspberry mousse. Regardless, it was a wonderful dessert, and I wouldn’t mind to enjoy this meal again.

Sage Bistro

1712 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-4878

Communitea Cafe – Canmore, Alberta

Now that I’ve been to Canmore a few times, I always go by Communitea and never go in. This time, we made the extra effort to go in and it was perfect!

The space was spacious, clean, and comfortable! I really enjoyed my time there, and I’m sure all their customers did too!! It’s the weirdest thing I’m about to say, but they made me the best chai tea latte I’ve ever had so far!! It was perfectly spiced, the texture was smooth, and I can go on and on! It was just really nice!

We also had a cup of London Fog and again, it was really smooth and delicious. It seemed to have hints of vanilla and ginger which was a really refreshing twist!

As this was an in-between meal stop, we only ordered 1 panini to share – The Westcoaster, which was the perfect amount as their panini’s are quite large! It was nicely toasted, filled with eggs, smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and spinach. The dill cream cheese was a little over powering, or there wasn’t enough smoked salmon. It was a great tasting panini, but I would either put less of the dill or more smoked salmon – then it would become top notch!

I am sure I will be back next time I’m in town! Just a great little place to sit down and enjoy some relaxing time pass by! I think I’ll try their steeped tea leaves as they have a huge selection and I do enjoy my tea leaves!

Communitea Cafe

117, 1001 6th Avenue
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6818

Chaya – Banff, Alberta

If you’re looking for the best Japanese place to eat in Banff, look no further. Chaya is owned an operated by Japanese owners, so you definitely know the food is authentic. I love going to Chaya as they have great udon noodles! I normally order a chicken udon, as that is my ultimate favourite dish from Chaya! It is really infused with great flavours in both the chicken and the stock they use for the soup!

The location is quite small, so I recommend going right when they open (at 11am) or right after the lunch rush! It’s quite often they would have Japanese tours going in there for a quick bite!

They offer a huge variety of Japanese cuisine, and besides udon, we really like the soba and the rice don. This location is tucked and hidden beside McDonalds right on Main Street and is often missed. But, keep your eye open for Chaya and enjoy their food! Their dishes are slightly on the expensive side, but it’s well worth it!

Chaya

118 Banff av
Banff, AB
(403) 760-0882