Grizzly House - Banff

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Cleanliness

Price: $$$$ 35-50 per person      Would I go Back: Yes      Reservation: Highly Recommended

This is a restaurant that you cannot just drop in as you will never get in until about 2-3 hours later if you're lucky.

Everytime I go to this restaurant I'm always afraid that the place will burn down with me in it but I can't get enough of the food. It is a very quaint log cabin feel that used to be a disco club and rumour has it - a swingers club. Everything is made of wood and it's quite dark in there. There are speakers hanging from the ceiling that sometimes produce sparks and almost every table that have candles and flamable oil on the table. Thank god that the table tops are not made of wood. I'm not sure if they're still working but there are telephones at every table if you want to call another table (swingers club?).

The service is good sometimes you get the one off waiters or waitress that is not so great. Also keep in mind this is not an in and out restaurant. A meal usually takes about 2 hrs. The establishment is famous for it's fondue with amazing dipping sauces.

You can get exotic meat for your fondue for the more adventurous souls and beef and chicken for those that want to keep it safe. Appetizers consists of a cheese and bread fondue, a vegetarian fodue among the choices. For customers that thinks oil fondue for the main course is fattening they can choose to cook their food on a hot rock. I personally like the oil fondue as they have flavoured the oil adding another layer of flavour to your meat. If you're not sure how the cook your meat. Your server will give you pointers.

We can't forget dessert! We always have the chocolate Toblerone fruit fondue. I'm not sure what other desserts there are as I never check. :)

I would say this is the best fondue place I've ever been to.

WARNING: Do not where you favourite sweater. This is another establishment that everything you wear into will come out smelling like smoke.

Banff Springs Hotel Rundle Lounge Afternoon Tea - Banff

Overall

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Service

Atmosphere

Cleanliness

Price: $$$$ 35-50 per person      Would I go Back: Yes      Reservation: Recommended

Afternoon tea is held in the Rundle Lounge, I would recommend booking ahead especially if you have a food allergy so they can prepare the food to your dietry needs and they'll reserve a table for you by the windows if they can.

This lounge area is on the second floor and is nicely furnished with old victorian style decor which can set a nice atmosphere. If you get a window seat to have your afternoon tea it can be quite breathtaking looking at the mountains while sipping your tea. Unfortunately the Rundle Lounge doesn't just serve afternoon tea at the afternoon tea time slots. There is alot of others ordering off the lounge menu looking for a quick bite and you may end up with some noisy groups as the Rundle Lounge is an upscale bar lounge. For this I did not give it full stars as it would be more enjoyable to have afternoon tea in a more peaceful environment.

The service is not quite on the ball of things. We've been a few times for afternoon tea and they always seems to be a little confused with our booking. The waiting are nice and friendly but not quite on the ball of things sometimes like the teas, we would ask about the flavours of the tea selection they just read the name of the tea. In fact sometimes when we go there seems to be a bit of confusion going on. Since having afternoon tea is a slow process and the tea goers like to enjoy and relax with their company, a few times there was a feel of being forgotten. They do bring the food and take away the dishes promptly but once you have your pot of tea and the three tier tray comes, after they go through what's on the trays their attention is elsewhere. I had to ask for some more hot water or fresh tea as we only had one pot to share.

The food on the tray was good. The finger sandwiches were cute but not very inventive (cucumber sandwich, carrot sandwich, egg salad sandwich and smoked salmon with cream cheese). There were scones with yummy devonshire cream and jam but there weren't a selection of types of scones ( I remember only some raisin scones and plain scones). The pastry and treats were a bit lacking in creativity as well. There was a lot of nanaimo bar like treats (Which I barely ate as I have a peanut allergy and they were kind of iffy. Even the server was not sure. And I called ahead for reservations and notified them of my allergy), lemon tarts and chocolate covered strawberries. They bring a box of the complimentary tea you can choose from or you can have the Banff Springs special blend tea.

In all the food was good for what was served but totally lacking in ingenuity and a disappointment for the price you pay for this afternoon tea experience (this is off the other afternoon tea experiences I've had). If they improve on the atmosphere like having an area that's just for afternoon tea, more attentive service, and more creativity for their selection they can make it a 5 star afternoon tea experience as no one can beat that beautiful scenery outside of that window.

If you're looking for an afternoon tea experience you don't need to go far as Banff for a Calgarian. The Palliser also serves afternoon tea although it's not listed on their website. (see review)

The Waldhaus - Banff

Overall

Food

Service

Atmosphere

Cleanliness

Price: between $$$$ 35- 45 per person and $$$$$ 45-55 per person    Would I go Back: Yes    
Fine Dining    Reservations: Highly Recommended
 

The Waldhaus is situated on the Banff Springs Hotel compound but is not attached to the hotel itself. The restaurant calls itself a “House in the Forest”.  It is Swiss and German fine dining at it's best. I've had other German cuisines that have more variety of selections but this restaurant defines fine dining.

As mentioned above do make a reservation as this is a very popular restaurant. It's also a good idea to call ahead because even though their website says open daily it does have seasonal closings.  If you are planning to go do try to book as early as possible. Like the Grizzly House it does get booked up weeks in advance. Also allow yourself time to relax and eat as most German cuisine goes it's not a quick bite affair, let alone this is a fine dining restaurant so everything is going to be paced.

The Waldhaus is built in 1927 and was used as a club house. It's on the hill right next to the golf course and Spray River. The atmosphere of the place is of an old hunting cottage with dark, rich wood paneling and a large fireplace. With the fireplace it has a cozy cottage feel if you go during the winter. This building is full of atmosphere with wood paneling, candles on the tables, dim lit dining area, and a big cozy fireplace it's sure to transport you to a more rustic time.

The service here is excellent. It is a prime example of fine dining service at it's best. When you arrive you are met promptly by the maitre d' confirming your reservation and takes you to your table. He/she also pulls out your chairs and sits you down. They also put your napkin on your lap, give you a run down of the menu and specials are suggested. A soummellier (wine steward) will come around as well to give you a run through of the wine selections and suggestions of wines to pair with your dinner.

The food is well presented and flavourful. The menu has a fondue section (Swiss cuisine) and a a la carte menu. I usually go to the Grizzly House for fondue and tend to go for the German selection of the menu at this restaurant. I like the Rocky Mountain Smoked Meat platter which has game meat and cheese pairing. The menu also changes along with their specialties. All of their selections are really delicious. You can see what their most recent menu by going online along with their wine selections. They also have a yummy dessert menu that is not available to view online though. :(


Aftermath: Really full, satisfied, and happy as it was a very stress free environment. That's how good the service is.

The Evergreen Restaurant at Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge - Banff

Overall

Food

Service

Atmosphere

Cleanliness

Price: $$$$ 35- 45 per person  Would I go Back: Yes   NOTE:  Fine Dining

This restaurant is in the Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge in Banff. It's not really big restaurant but despite that it's not very busy both times I went. Once on a weekend in November and once during the summer during the weekday. So no reservations is required. As it's a ski resort style hotel their dress code is really lax so you can wear whatever you want really but I don't think they appreciate ripped jeans.

It is a pricy restaurant but what isn't in Banff. I always suggest to tourists if they can afford it to go to the fancier restaurants and not the usual large chain restaurants all glammed up. Mainly because they're so busy so I sometimes find the price is still the same but the food might not meet your expectation as well as the service. (see Banff - Food and Service)

The service at this restaurant is quite consistant, both times I've been there I had good service and the staff was very friendly. The staff knows what they're doing and have knowledge of the menu, specials, and can make recommendations. One of the waitresses I've spoken was from Australia and have been there for three years now. That's some working holiday! I gave them a 5 star as far as service goes in Banff their staff are quite good. The restaurant is really clean, the table settings are appropriately placed and the silver ware are really clean. Hint: Those that are scared of more than one fork or knife work your way in from the outside. The bread knife is sometimes placed above the plate though. I can't comment on the washroom as it's in the hotel and not in the restaurant.

What I like most about this restaurant is that you can see the chefs at work as the kitchen is in full view for the diners. When you sit down they provide you some fresh made bread along with oil and vinegar and a paste that's really good (can't remember what it is) If you can't decide what to have for appetizers because everything looks good they have Chef Sampling for Two in the appetizer section which consists of Chilled spicy prawns, Albacore tuna, marinated bocconcini, air cured bison, prosciutto,garnished with kalamata olives & marinated artichoke hearts which are all really yummy. When I went the first time they also had a main course sampling dinner but since they do change their menu slowly the dinner sampling platter no longer exists. I would recommend the Paddle River Elk Medallions which is marinated in espresso & maple syrup, dauphine potato & chanterelle mushroom, seasonal vegetables with sage & port jus. It's really good and I would suggest to take the chef's recommendation to have it on the rare side as the more the elk meat the tougher it gets. Their raviolis are amazing as well. They are fresh made pasta by the chef. Something that is becoming rare with fine dining that this restaurant still do is between course they serve a palate cleansing home made sorbet. They have a really nice dessert menu as well or if you're like me and is absolutely in love with their sorbet you can ask if you can their sorbet as a dessert. The chef will be happy to accommodate your request and he'll even top it off with some spun sugar decorations. The chefs really put alot of effort in making the food good along with good presentations. Don't expect to be in and out really quick either, the chef paces the food coming out. This is definitely not a dine and dash restaurant.

I really like the atmosphere of this restaurant it's not big but well decorated and not too stuffy. As mentioned previously I love the open concept kitchen. One thing you'll notice and I did mention earlier is that it's not busy even during the peak season. Reason being is that it's of higher price range so the students that spent all their money to get on the hill usually won't be able to afford to come here. So no loud teenagers. Another reason this restaurant is not as well known as the Waldhaus and along the strip of where all the hotels are and most visitors head into the core of Banff to find food, it is a hidden gem in plain view.

The restaurant indicates their dining experience as "Dine in an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere, and enjoy an inspired menu highlighting the best of Canada." pretty much sums it up. The chefs take pride in their culinary skills and do their best to make everything perfect. A truly enjoyable Canadian Rocky Mountain cuisine.