With a farm-to-table dining concept, the wood burning forno oven adds a warm glow to the stylishly cosy lobby restaurant, decorated with stone access and with unparalleled views of the Three Sisters mountains.
I always like to start my evening with a cocktail and I am thrilled to report that Rhythm & Howl present some of the most creative and flavour-packed mixed drinks in the Bow Valley. Bar manager Forrest Propp isn’t messing around with his curated list of libations. The Ode to Redzeppi with aquavit, amaro, creme de caco, lacto-fermented blackberry, peppercorn and soda had depth, body and flavour. Eye-catchingly crimson and with a pleasing fruit round garnish, I’ll be back at the bar for this sip alone. Also delightful was the pisco sour riff, Dancing With Wolves, with melon infused pisco, grape, italian bitters and lemon. Yum.
While truly excellent from open to close, revellers may be thrilled to learn that Happy Hour happens twice daily with 50% off draught beer, wine and cocktails, plus a range of affordable bites, including a stand-out $10 fried squash with ginger & soy emulsion, pickled mushrooms and carefully administered cilantro. Perfectly crispy and with highly pleasing notes of umami, this snackett (which, by the way, isn’t featured on the main menu) pairs perfectly with bubbles.
Award-winning chef Jason Leizert, original proprietor of Kelowna’s beloved Salt & Brick, takes the lead in the kitchen, presenting an array of hearty “mountain” inspired dishes with fresh, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. Meat fiends will find joy in the hanger steak, presented with a moreish measure of rich Diane sauce, mushrooms, carrot and potatoes. The pumpkin and brown butter sauce that accompanies the perfectly seared steelhead trout is also a pure puree joy, with flakes of brussels sprouts leaves and seaweed adding salinity and peppery vegetation, with lemon and pickled red onion balancing out the dish with bright acidity.
While the menu may simply state “pasta” , the freshly prepared, porcini and mascarpone stuffed ravioli with a delectable thyme butter is decadent and filling. Pair with a glass of Quail’s Gate Okanagan Chardonnay for a real eyes-closed-in-utter-bliss sensation. If chards aren’t your bag, feel free to browse the carefully crafted wine list, featuring accessible but delicious sips from Canada and the United States.
Dessert is a ritual I will gladly always observe in a dinner sitting and is served later on into the evening until 11pm. As I couldn’t choose between the burnt lemon tart and the wood fried apple tarte tartin I had a “heck-it, I’ll have both” moment (shared gladly and perhaps a little too greedily with my partner). The tart presents as gleefully zesty and unabashedly gooey, perfectly offset with honey ice cream (swoon) and thyme syrup. The tatin is positively wanton; decadent butterscotch and a doushing of whiskey ooze in ways that are sure to make you swoon.
Rhythm and Howl is open from 7am - 11pm daily, with happy hour running from 3-6pm and 9.30-11pm.
