Best Tables: Destination Dining

Alberta bound

Banff’s Bison Restaurant & Lounge puts an elegant spin on the Rocky Mountain experience

At an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters, Mount Rundle deserves some serious respect, as do its neighbours, Tunnel and Sulphur mountains. The triptych of peaks anchor the panoramic views from Banff National Park’s Bison Restaurant & Lounge’s two patios and give the slow-food dining spot its inspiration for a grand menu of classic Canadian cuisine.

Downstairs, televisions and glass-front cabinets displaying craft beers from breweries in Canmore, Calgary and Kelowna give the lounge its casual industrial vibe. A cheese counter displaying more than 50 carefully selected varieties to be paired with the 25 regional charcuterie meats cured, smoked and dried in house is the first hint that ingredients are king at the Bison, with clever combinations coming in a close second. Inspired pub grub, like the poutine with housemade smoked molasses ham, cheese curds from Alberta cheesemaker Sylvan Star and four-cheese mournay sauce with piri piri elevate the quintessentially Canadian fare into a Rocky Mountain delicacy.

Upstairs is the Bison’s upscale restaurant, where dark wood and cool stone skip the tourist kitsch and defer to floor-to-ceiling windows to remind visitors that they are in one of the most picturesque towns in Canada. Order wine from a list culled from the best of California and Pacific Northwest and watch executive chef Michael Wrinch in the open-concept, copper-clad kitchen as he creates regional entrées of pork, beef tenderloin, bison striploin or venison adjusted seasonally, with local produce and housemade preserves.

A wood fire oven pumps out pizzas topped with wild mushrooms, preserved lemon, spinach and bella lodi cheese or buttercup squash, Sylvan Star cayenne gouda and goat cheese. Sugary comfort foods, like smores, are spruced up with flourless chocolate cake and lavender marshmallows and sweetened with a hint of Alberta honey. From merguez corndogs to black pepper and huckleberry cheesecake, the Bison’s menu reflects a culinary landscape as impressive as the mountain range that serves as the backdrop. (Jaelyn Molyneux)

211 Bear St., Banff, AB, 403-762-5550, thebison.ca

Garden Variety

À la Table des Jardins Sauvages

Nestled in a crook of the St. Esprit river, 45 minutes northeast of Montreal, À la Table des Jardins Sauvages (literally, “the wild gardens”) is about as rustic as it gets. Forest-to-table meals unfold in an old summer cottage belonging to François Brouillard, a fourth-generation coureur de bois (fur trader). While he forages the most delectable wild edibles, chef Nancy Hinton brings a remarkable refinement to the kitchen, creating delicate crêpes from cattails, pairing home-smoked arctic char with sea parsley rillettes, and incorporating cosmopolitan twists like Korean-inspired kimchi with wild ginger. A menu for vegetarians, and a BYOB policy, add to the charms of this contemporary table champêtre. (Sarah Louise Musgrave)

17, chemin Martin, Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, QC, 450-588-5125, jardinssauvages.com

Local History

Maison Tait

Shediac, on the Acadian shore of New Brunswick, calls itself the “Lobster Capital of the World,” and it’s hard to argue as you pass the huge, extremely detailed lobster sculpture before turning into the parking lot of the historic Maison Tait. Maison Tait features the cuisine of chef/sommelier Chris MacAdam, who employs local fare when possible, including — obviously — fresh seafood. An example from a nearby farm is the Ferme de Diamant duck breast with duck bone jus, soba noodles and asparagus a la meuniere. A recently updated wine list nicely compliments MacAdam’s menu, with a sommelier-selected mix of Old and New World, including bourgognes blanc by-the-glass — not that common in the region. (Craig Pinhey)

293 Main St., Shediac, NB, 506-532-4233, maisontaithouse.com

Wine and Dine

Hillebrand Winery Restaurant

The dining room at this Niagara wine country restaurant is in perfect synergy with its environment — infused with airy, understated elegance. Executive chef Frank Dodd’s seasonally inspired menu features local ingredients. Dood makes liberal use of Hillebrand wines in his dishes, which are then expertly paired by winemaker Darryl Brooker. Diners enjoy all of the tastes of Hillebrand while looking out at the vineyards that are visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In addition to an à la carte lunch and dinner menu, the restaurant has prix fixe dinners for $35, which include such choices as icewine cured and smoked Atlantic salmon as a starter, Lake Huron wild trout as a main and icewine caramelized apple brioche pudding for dessert. (Jennifer Hamilton)

1249 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-On-the-Lake, ON, 800-582-8412, hillebrand.com

Room with a View

Fetch

If you were any closer to the rocky shoreline in this contemporary multi-level oceanfront restaurant, you’d need a wetsuit. Chef Andrew Springett, formerly of the Wickanninnish Inn, serves generous portions from his reasonably priced, something-for-everyone menu, which includes inspired market-fresh salads, wholesome organic beef burgers and a wild B.C. salmon dish with spot prawn risotto in a Dungeness crab bisque. Have a nightcap at the wavy bar in the Float Lounge — the Hendricks Caesar is legendary. Be sure to check out the dramatic wine cellar with its mostly Pacific Coast offerings, or reserve the cellar for a wine-pairing dinner. In summer, the dining room opens to an oceanside patio. (Kasey Wilson)

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, Ucluelet, B.C., 250-726-4800, blackrockresort.com