Saturday evening at Banff’s Evergreen lounge is delicious
With so many dining options in the Bow Valley, it can take something special to stand out in the crowd. A creative menu, great service, quality entertainment can all make the difference in the experience. And at the Evergreen Dining Room and Lounge in Banff’s Royal Canadian Lodge, you get all three.
As Chef Max Charbonneau returns to the helm at Evergreen, the menu is evolving to embrace changing tastes and trends (take shared plates and Instagrammable presentation, for example) while the cocktail menu has a creative offering with some intriguing martini options including the Black Bison Martini featuring Crème de Cassis, blueberry vodka and limoncello.
We tried the new-to-the-menu asparagus and prosciutto salad, which was light and refreshing while still being extremely flavourful with mascarpone cheese, sliced prosciutto, fresh tarragon mayonnaise, Grana Padano cheese and delicate microgreens. It was almost too pretty to eat, but we couldn’t resist.
Also new this fall is a gorgeous charcuterie and artisan cheese platter featuring prosciutto, calabrese, truffle salami, house-smoked duck, assorted artisan cheese (we had double cream, Oka, bocconcini and Gouda) along with all of the classic condiments including grainy mustard, green olives, sweet pickles and a chewy parmesan baguette and crispy crackers on which to enjoy it all.
Evergreen’s French onion soup is the perfect antidote to a cool autumn evening with an intensely flavourful beef-and-red-wine broth bathing caramelized leeks along with red and yellow onions. A hearty buttered crostini is dropped on top and the whole thing is baked with Gruyere cheese to gooey, crispy perfection.
If small plates are what you crave, we loved the golden, crispy lobster and salmon cakes featuring steamed lobster, Atlantic salmon, saffron aioli, pickled fennel and microgreens.
If you’re craving something more substantial, the Mains menu offers steaks, duck, elk osso bucco, a delicious seafood medley and more. We loved the seafood tagliatelle with sweet clams, tasty baby scallops, enormous tiger prawns and gem tomatoes in a delicious white wine cream sauce.
For dessert, we had a fabulous cheesecake and a delightful creme brulee with an after-dinner coffee while we enjoyed the sweet sounds of local musician Stephanie O’Dette, who beautifully covered some old favourites and was the perfect accompaniment to a very enjoyable meal.
Visit royalcanadianlodge.com/dining for reservations and menus
