GUIDE CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Alberta’s Bow Valley is one of Canada’s most beautiful regions, a paradise for hikers, mountain bikers, skiers and snowboarders. Unfortunately, a British Columbia wildfire over the ridge blanketed the valley with smoke that limited my family’s outdoor activities from August 6 – 11, 2018. We did get one semi-clear morning at Lake Louise that let us climb to Lake Agnes, plus one afternoon looping Johnson Lake, but our trip up Banff Gondola was completely shrouded. Thankfully, we did find some culinary relief in an area that’s not nearly well as known for eating. Learn about 12 interesting options for food and caffeine in Banff and Canmore, including one memorable stop on a mountaintop.
Establishments appear in alphabetical order, not order of preference.
Le Fournil Bakery delivers standout patisserie to Bow Valley.
Le Fournil Bakery is a community bakehouse from propriétaire Pascale Tétreault that debuted in Canmore’s Rocky Mountain Professional Centre in 2011. During two visits, their pastries were consistently flaky and light, including a buttery croissant; a savory Danish called Danoise Salée topped with tomato, cheddar cheese and pesto; and a square-ish raspberry and almond cream Danish dubbed Danoise aux Framboises. Petit-Dejeuner touted a toasted croissant filled with melted Emmental cheese and Western omelette folded with ham, red bell peppers, and onions.
MUST ORDER: Croissant, Danoise aux Framboises, Danoise Salée, Petit-Dejeuner
Rave Coffee Roasters deftly splits an espresso shot for their sample board.
Rave Coffee Roasters is Bow Valley’s best coffee option. Dean Smolicz opened a plant-lined cafe in a strip mall at the valley’s mouth in 2014. His staff brews house-roasted beans on a two-group Sanremo espresso machine, one-group Londinium espresso machine, and in pourover and cold brew. During my stay in Canmore, Rave Coffee served five different single-origin coffees. To get a better sense for Kenya Kiandu AB beans, I ordered a Sample Board featuring the light roast with notes of “orange, tea, and spice” two different ways. A split ristretto shot fueled a bright concentrated espresso and artful piccolo latte. A light, aromatic roast from Ethiopia Kayon Mountain worked well in pourover. I’d also recommend Jācek Chocolate Couture’s 67% dark chocolate bar with Rave Coffee, an impulse buy available at the register.
MUST ORDER: Pourover Filter, Sample Board
Tuesday nights call for roast chicken at Table Food + Drink.
Tuesday is roast chicken night at Table Food + Drink, the resident restaurant at Coast Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre with a mountain-facing patio. I’m sure other nights of the week are also worthwhile, but on Tuesday night, executive chef Tim Matsell charges only $29.95 for a huge whole chicken platter co-starring mashed potatoes, skin-on French fries, and seasonal vegetables that might include grilled asparagus, roasted broccolini, carrots, pickled rhubarb, and beet puree. This plate was enough food for four people, but we couldn’t resist their Caesar salad. This nouveau version features crisp romaine lettuce, punchy anchovy caper vinaigrette, crispy pancetta, and Parmesan oil croutons.
MUST ORDER Caesar Salad, Roast Chicken Night (Tuesday):
10. Toniq
Toniq crafts eye-popping elixirs like golden turmeric mylk in Canmore.
Toniq isn’t just “a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being.” A downtown Canmore juice bar by that name resides next to yoga studio featuring a reclaimed wood bar, white and black walls, communal standing table, and patio with lime green umbrellas. Gillian Shepherd sells smoothies, elixirs, cold-pressed juice, Happy Belly Kombucha on tap. Golden Turmeric Mylk is a potent elixir crafted with orange, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, coconut, maple syrup, and black pepper that’s dusted with cinnamon. Kombucha options included purple ginger dyed with butterfly pea and strawberry hibiscus. Their satisfying espresso is a signature Rave Coffee blend pulled on boxy Sanremo espresso machine.
MUST ORDER: Espresso, Golden Turmeric Mylk
11. Whitebark Cafe
Whitebark Cafe specializes in coffee and pastries at the base of Banff Aspen Lodge.
Whitebark Café is a coffee bar and bakery at the base of Banff Aspen Lodge that’s a great stop for coffee and snacks before outdoor excursions. The counter hosts a two-group La Marzocco espresso machine and brews beans from Moja Coffee in North Vancouver. I grabbed a Gibraltar and ate a Bacon & Egg Breakfast Cup featuring a hard-boiled egg planted in a bread cup with crispy bacon and scallions. Their rich multi-layered Nanaimo Bar incorporates chocolate, custard, coconut shavings, and toasted almonds. My wife’s crispy chocolate pecan cookie reminded us of Valerie Confections’ Durango cookie in L.A.
MUST ORDER: Bacon & Egg Breakfast Cup, Crispy Chocolate Pecan Cookie, Nanaimo Bar, Gibraltar
Wild Flour Bakery serves well balanced sandwiches on house-baked bread.
Wild Flour is a popular indoor-outdoor bakery-cafe in Banff with a wooden sign on the wall that reads KWONG LEE RESTAURANT BAKERY FRUIT. During construction, they unearthed this remnant from the shop that operated from 1905 to 1912. Wild Flour carries on Kwong Lee’s traditions, baking loaves like Garlic Sourdough, Mixed Seed, and Yukon Levain. Gourmet grilled cheese teams Brie, mozzarella, arugula, Granny Smith apple, maple Dijon mustard on panini-pressed focaccia. Meat Sandwich stacks local Valbella ham, spinach, ranch aioli, Dijon, mustard, mozzarella, and house-made pickled onions on a panini-pressed roll. At 11:30 a.m., they reveal sheet trays of two different types of focaccia: one meat and one veg. I preferred “Meat” with ham, mushroom, spinach, cheddar, and pizza sauce. I ate a bread-like fig anise cookie that tasted like licorice and snagged a soft triple chocolate cookie featuring milk, dark, and white chocolate chips.
MUST ORDER: Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Meat Focaccia, Meat Sandwich, Mixed Seed Mini, Triple Chocolate Cookie
Leave a Comment