Opinions and suggestions are unbiased and merchandise are independently chosen. Postmedia might earn an affiliate fee from purchases made by means of hyperlinks on this web page.
Article content material
Anybody who pays consideration to the restaurant panorama in Banff is probably going conversant in the Banff Hospitality Collective (BHC), the restaurant group overseeing a few of the city’s most beloved eating places together with The Maple Leaf, Magpie and Stump, Park Distillery, and The Bison. The collective’s “power in numbers” benefit has raised the bar for the entire companies beneath its banner whereas pushing unrelated Bow Valley eating places to up their sport as effectively. Some locals might grumble about BHC’s overwhelming affect, however there’s little question it’s helped flip Banff right into a vacation spot Calgarians may drive out to simply for dinner (and an in a single day keep ought to the night embody a cocktail or two).
Commercial 2
Article content material
BHC’s most up-to-date successes include some additional sparkle because of the work of chef Justin Leboe, who takes care of the collective’s culinary growth. Pre-pandemic, Leboe was one in every of Calgary’s best-known cooks and the face behind Pigeonhole and Mannequin Milk. He began his gig at BHC in March 2020 and was virtually instantly pressured into pandemic mode, slinging takeout pizzas fairly than working his magic on future restaurant initiatives. As soon as that handed, Leboe led the opening of BHC’s Three Bears Brewery and Good day Sunshine and in 2022 he lastly bought to carry the eating places he was employed to create to gentle.
Article content material
Bluebird Restaurant and Foyer Bar is the newest and maybe biggest jewel in BHC’s assortment. Situated in an almost 100-year-old constructing that’s greatest generally known as the previous house of Melissa’s Missteak (don’t fear, that restaurant has relocated to a different spot on Banff Avenue), the 180-seat restaurant is an ideal image of mountain heritage stylish. The constructing did bear an in depth renovation, together with the restoration of its valued ceiling and wealthy picket partitions and the set up of a dramatic 15-metre hearth with stonework mimicking the city’s predominant bridge. However as BHC’s CEO Mike Mendelman says, “Should you didn’t know the historical past of the room, you wouldn’t comprehend it was a brand new restaurant.”
Commercial 3
Article content material
As for the meals, Leboe knew that he needed prime rib to be the centrepiece of Bluebird’s idea. The slow-roasted meat is astonishingly juicy, with cuts going from $49 for 10 ounces of thin-sliced beef to $120 for a bone-in 24-ounce slab. Sides are important, with expertly-prepared choices like Yorkshire pudding ($12), herb and garlic roasted carrots ($11) and a large fully-loaded baked potato ($12), all portioned for sharing. The menu is rounded out by a number of steaks (simply in case the prime rib is bought out) and different mains, in addition to must-try starters like a luscious seafood-laden crab and shrimp Louie ($23), fried Manchego cheese topped with cantaloupe and macadamia nuts ($19) and coal-roasted snap peas with mint and grapefruit ($17). The cocktails lean in direction of the tropical, as do most of the desserts.
Commercial 4
Article content material
“We knew that we needed to create a way of place, given the constructing and its historical past,” Leboe says. “It was evident that the room was going to affect what the restaurant grew to become. We needed meals that might mirror the mountains and the historical past of the city whereas being modern and inclusive.”
Whereas Bluebird deserves a good bit of glory, Banff diners shouldn’t overlook Lupo, the second-newest BHC restaurant, which opened earlier this 12 months. This two-level celebration of all issues Italian has a whimsical vibe, however the meals itself is made with the utmost seriousness, with a lab creating recent pasta tweaked to fulfill the atmospheric situations of the day and pizza dough crafted from a starter that Leboe cultivated from scratch with recent berries. The meals is meant to be authentically Italian, however by in style demand Leboe consented to incorporate Americanized dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, although his meatballs are filled with housemade ‘nduja, pushing them effectively past customary purple sauce joint fare. Like Bluebird, it’s a enjoyable, high-level consuming expertise that nearly outshines the mountain views.
Commercial 5
Article content material
Bluebird is positioned at 218 Lynx St. in Banff, with Lupo across the nook at 208 Wolf St. (upstairs). Data on each eating places will be discovered at banffcollective.com.
***
In different mountain restaurant information, there’s been some chef strikes on this planet of Fairmont’s inns. Earlier this 12 months, chef Atticus Garant took the chief chef place on the Banff Springs Lodge and now two sister inns even have new head cooks. Chef Andrew Whiteside, who labored on the Jasper Park Lodge in 2013 earlier than searching for culinary journey in Bermuda and Maui, has returned to that lodge as govt chef. Somewhat farther afield, chef Cliff Crawford has been named the brand new govt chef on the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. It will make for some good resort consuming in the course of the winter snow season.
Lastly, and somewhat nearer to house, Lil’ Empire Burger, which arguably makes among the best burgers in Calgary, simply opened its third location. The beloved native burger joint’s new store is in Capitol Hill, on the similar nook the place you’ll discover The Artist Lounge and Weeds Cafe. Get your northwest burger repair at 1837 twentieth Ave. N.W.
Elizabeth Chorney-Sales space will be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Comply with her on Twitter at @elizaboothy or Instagram at @elizabooth.
