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Rustica – Silvertip Resort Canmore

Alright, it’s been a month of eating out and I love it! We went for a fancy dinner at Rustica in Canmore, Alberta – at the Silvertip Resort. From Calgary, going towards Banff (Highway 1 West) and take the Canmore Town Centre exit. Take a right at the stop sign and a left at the Holiday Inn hotel. Take Silvertip Trail up the mountain (5 minutes) to its termination at the Timbers Clubhouse. We actually asked for some directions as we got to the resort as the restaurant isn’t really marked well.

This restaurant is really nice, and the ambience is just fantastic! I can see this location being really popular in the winter as well as the summer. The real wood/log burning fireplace really set the mood for me! Rustica is known for it’s beef, so we knew we’ll order beef! Right after we put in our orders, a fantastic array of breads came to the table! The bread was fresh and delicious – and it tasted great even without the dipping sauce (Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar).

We were a table of 4, and we actually shared most of our food. The first appetizer that came to our table was Caribbean Crab Cakes which was a loose crab cake (not dense at all) that was crusted with coconut, and had some spicy mayo on the side adding tons of flavour to the crab cakes.

From there, we had a bowl for their soup of the day – which was Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with truffle and it was a really creamy soup that wasn’t overly fatty… leaving you feeling kind of bloated! The freshness of the soup was really delicious.

Then, our last appetizer was Tequila lime Scallop Ceviche, which was a ceviche made of bay scallops guacamole, mixed with a fresh salsa fresco. As a serving vehicle, it was served with grilled tortillas! It was a refreshing and very fresh ceviche, and to be honest, I had a better time eating the ceviche alone – I didn’t need the tortillas!

Mom and dad shared a large piece of Filet Mignon which was extremely tender and juicy! This piece of meat was cooked to perfection, and flavoured perfectly!

I ordered the Mixed Grill which was a fantastic combination of all the best offerings (in my opinion!) It had a 4oz piece of tenderloin, half a rack of ribs and some prawns!

My husband ordered the New York Steak which was remarkably tender making this an exceptional beef steak!

The 4 of us ordered a bunch of side dishes to share, and it was also tasty! We ordered baked truffle penne, and garlic fingerling potatoes! We were so satisfied with our main meal, we decided to get some desserts to split and to stuff ourselves to the max! We ordered Cheesecake Spring Rolls which was deep fried cheese cake, berry coulis, caramel sauce

Then, the final dessert we ordered was the Lemon Tart which was a refreshing lemon tart with whipped cream and candied lemon!

This restaurant makes delicious food, and presents it in a sexy way! The price was competitively priced, especially for the Canmore region. Canmore offers lots of fantastic offerings and this is a place you should try!

Rustica on Urbanspoon

Rustica

2000 Silvertip Trail
Canmore, AB T1W3A6
(403) 609-6599

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The Grizzly Paw

I love all the food in Canmore, Alberta, and when we stopped by this time, we went to try lunch at The Grizzly Paw which I had known they brewed their own beers and made their own sodas. I’ve tried their soda for the first time from a food truck in Calgary – the Perogy Boyz, and I’ve loved it since then!

It was a busy Saturday afternoon when we went (during a long weekend), and waited about 30 minutes for a table – which I thought was very reasonable, since it was the tail end of the lunch rush! Of course, I sat down to order a bottle of their Cream Soda which is a delicious naturally brewed made with the finest vanilla beans.

I was looking for a lighter lunch option and settled for the Down South Salad Wrap, which was a fresh “salad wrap” made with lots of lettuce, cheese and mango salsa. Inside the wrap had spiced chicken breast with avocado spread on the wrap. When all these ingredients are rolled into a tortilla wrap, it was a delightful lunch!

We also ordered a Mushroom Swiss Burger with Bison Patty with mushrooms, topped with Swiss cheese. This burger became very special after we substituted a “normal” beef patty to a bison patty. You definitely get the gameness of the bison meat which added a lot of extra flavour to the burger.

Overall, this was a fantastic place, and now it really makes sense why the restaurant/brewery is always packed – at any time of day! This is a location I have no problem returning to, as the food is really delicious! I really love that they make their own beverages as that is a special touch of uniqueness they’re able to offer to the community! With plans for them to expand, I’m sure they’ll still be packed!

The Grizzly Paw on Urbanspoon

The Grizzly Paw – Canmore, Alberta

622 Main Street
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-9983

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Marra’s Way Sushi Ltd – Canmore, Alberta

We were wanting sushi this one evening from Canmore, and even though this wasn’t the original location we were looking for, I’m happy we stopped to experienced Marra’s Way Sushi, located just off the main street in downtown Canmore.

We tried many types of sushi, from specialty sushi such as three sister, smoked salmon and spicy shrimp salad, all which were really good. I really liked the fact they used a local attraction to make the “three sisters sushi”, which really was quite tasty. I believe it was salmon, shrimp and tuna, which made a very good “sample sushi” plate. The smoked salmon was quite fresh, and I actually didn’t get a lot of smoked salmon flavour – maybe there was too much rice, or too little smoked salmon… or even the pretty pink wrap took flavour away. It was still really good, even if it was just a plain salmon roll, the quality of the fish was there.

Of course, our usual suspects as well surf clam, inari, and gyoza with Green Tea and Miso Soup to drink! The gyoza was actually quite disappointing for me, and it came deep fried without stating that on the menu. It was not only fried to a crisp, which is good, but the flavour of the pork filling was just tasteless, so it was a bad note to end with. Regardless, I think I will be back (just not for the gyoza’s), especially if I’m looking for a “fast food sushi”! Very fast, convenient, delicious and cost effective! Each plate of sushi was on a coloured plate, and with the colour, it had a price (Orange plate = $2.40, Blue Plate = $3.99, and White Plate = $5.99)

Marra’s Way Sushi Ltd.

637 10 St
Canmore, AB
(403) 609-0479

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La Belle Patate

I’m not usually in search for poutines, but this La Belle Patate was recommended to me while I was discussing about the fact I didn’t get the opportunity to try the poutine stand at the Calgary Stampede as it was from a food truck in British Columbia.

We ordered a small order of Supreme Poutine which has onion, mushrooms and bacon on top of a bed of fries, cheese and gravy. It was really good, and the chunks of topping was generous and added so much flavour to the poutine. This poutine has set the bar high for all other poutines I may ever eat from now on! The gravy was really good, and it didn’t taste store bought, so that’s always a wonderful sign that they care for the food they prepare for their customers. This poutine had great texture and great flavour, and it wasn’t hard to finish off the entire order of poutine!

We also ordered a Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich and it was massive! The meat wasn’t too salty at all, in fact it was perfectly prepared! I find with most Montreal Smoked Meat, it just seems too salty, but I’m so proud of La Belle Patate that prepared it to perfection – It’s a huge pile of smoked meat that was juicy and tender! These sandwiches are served on light rye bread, with a coat of yellow mustard which is the perfect vehicle for the massive amount of Monteal Smoked Meat, without any condiments that may take away from the flavour! They also served this sandwich with a Kosher Pickle that was crispy. This sandwich was so big that I almost wasn’t able to finish it up, but from it’s deliciousness, I ate the whole thing in spite of being over stuffed.

Finding this location was fun too, I just assumed that everything is in downtown Canmore, but this is actually tucked into their industrial area. I can see the location being quite busy during the week, but we went on a weekend – of a long weekend, and there were only a few tables – which is still really impressive as it’s not located on the main road of downtown Canmore.

La Belle Patate

102 Boulder Cres Bay 4
Canmore, AB T1W1L2
(403) 678-0077

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Solara Resort & Spa in Canmore

Solara Resort & Spa is one of Bellstar‘s newest properties! It offers a new modern ambiance, and the interior decoration and design is very sleek, modern and masculine. The resort opened it’s doors to the public at the end of 2010, where it was loved by many – even with the amenities not completed. Today, the pool has opened, and the kids water play area, and some other, but I have not been back yet!

The resort is really warm, and quiet! The floors are cork flooring, which really softens any noise you may hear around! The patios/balconies are really large, and the space overall in any suite is really big and comfortable! It is an excellent resort to park yourself at! Solara offers complimentary secure underground parking with a car rinse stall for you to wash off all the highway pest!

My favourite part about my Solara experience would have to be the bathrooms. In our suite we stayed in, it had a lovely stand alone soaker tub that I took advantage of! After a long day of hike, my feet were tired, and really appreciated the tub. In the morning, I loved the walk in shower! It has a large rain shower faucet, as well as body jets!! You can use both either to relax after a long day, take a nice refreshing shower to start a long day, or just use the extra faucets to get wet, and rinsed as fast as you can!