SKI TOWN NOW HAS CHIC, CONTEMPORARY, AND TASTY NEW SPOTS

By CINDA CHAVICH

(BANFF, ALBERTA) – “Check to see that it’s moist, don’t sniff it, but if it’s sticky, send it back.”

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in the Rockies, a perfect day to be out on a mountain trail, yet this group of visitors is not thinking about the great outdoors. They’re more interested in the piece of cork that Anthony Chalmers is waving around as he walks them through his animated wine tasting tutorial at Fuze Finer Dining.

“If wine got out, air got in – you don’t want that,” says Chalmers as his students swirl, sniff and scribble notes.

You may know Chalmers from his years overseeing the wine cellars at the Fairmont Banff Springs, but these days he’s in charge of a creative Banff venture that’s adding a hip new edge to the local food scene. Part restaurant, part cooking school and pure urban chic, Fuze is a bit of an anomaly in Banff.

With a design plucked from the trendy warehouse scene in Vancouver’s Yaletown, Fuze is unlike anything in town. It’s a sprawling space designed as a destination for food lovers - complete with a big demonstration kitchen for Chef Gary Dayandan’s myriad of cooking classes, a little jewel of a culinary store, and a sleek, glowing glass wall housing bottles from Chalmers’ eclectic wine list.

And it may be a harbinger of tasty things to come. While the overpriced burger at major sights remains a fixture in Banff, a recent tour through our scenic mountain capital found a town that’s truly grown beyond its pub grub past. In fact, it’s now easy to plan a weekend around wining and dining in Banff. Whether you’re ensconced in luxury at one of the big hotels, hopping among trendy restaurants downtown, or simply looking for a great loaf of artisan bread for a picnic, you’ll find that Banff is a small town with a big dining scene.

ECLECTIC CHOICES

Of course, Banff is first and foremost a tourist town and most menus reflect that fact. The continental cuisine of the earliest railway hotels is still evident here, and for those with unlimited budgets, hotels like the historic Fairmont Banff Springs offer a world class dining experience.

Visitors are always hungry for a taste of Alberta beef, so steak houses remain a big draw, and there’s no doubt the Rockies have inspired some wonderful, regional cuisine. Chefs at places like Buffalo Mountain Lodge and The Maple Leaf Grille are renowned for creating contemporary dishes with indigenous ingredients, like wild morel mushrooms, northern caribou, bison and elk.

The Swiss alpine influence is also still in evidence on mountain menus and why not? What better place than a cosy table at Ticino to indulge in a gooey mass of melting Gruyere and Emmenthal, while a charming old-world waiter explains the technique of scraping the last crusty bits of cheese from the bottom of the pot?

It’s the kind of fare that sustains skiers and outdoor types. Like the Mounties in red serge and the ubiquitous fieldstone fireplaces, it’s what you expect here in the middle of Canada’s original national park. But it’s nice to discover the unexpected, too.

NEW TASTES

At Fuze, the look is sleek and subdued, cosy booths and leather-topped tables set in a cocoon of chocolate brown and soft amber light. It’s an urbane environment for Chef Dayandan’s global menu which ranges from grilled asparagus, beet and portabella mushroom salad with truffled vinaigrette and maché, to spicy Thai-style risotto of shellfish scented with lemongrass and green curry, and Indian-spiced hot apple tart with chai ice cream.

It’s similarly sultry at Cafe Soleil. With a rustic patio theme and an eclectic tapas menu, the vibe is distinctly Mediterranean. It’s easy to get stuck on the wine list – there are more than 30 food-friendly Spanish, Italian and French wines by the glass – before delving into the extensive selection of small plates to share. From crostini of warm ratatouille and goat cheese, to spicy skewers of grilled chicken and figs, tender “lollipops” of lamb and a refreshing ceviche of scallops and oranges, there is much to explore on this menu.

And in the Muk-a-Muk Bistro, at the stylish new Juniper hotel, a modern menu and pared down mountain aesthetic is giving new life to a favourite local haunt (formerly the Timberline Inn). Don’t miss the original photos by famed Banff mountaineer Bruno Engler and the circa.1955 menu displayed along their main floor “heritage hall”. Back in the day, the fanciest meal here would set you back just over ten bucks – mock turtle soup, chateaubriand and baked Alaska for two, plus imported cheeses. Today, in the Muk-a-Muk Bistro (the word means “to feast” in the Chinook dialect) there’s a delicious panko-crusted portabello mushroom burger or pan-seared Arctic char in a tomato gin broth, and a new spring menu will celebrate the area’s ancient history with eclectic Native-inspired tapas and other shared bites.

PACK A PICNIC

Another joy of a park visit is a picnic, and gathering the goodies for such an informal meal has become a lot easier, with the opening of an artisan bakery and a gourmet deli in the new Bison Courtyard on Bear Street. Hidden away from the clearly commercial Banff Avenue, this block is sure to become a new hangout for food lovers. With it’s stunning selection of hand-formed organic artisan loaves (a beehive of chewy wheat levain is perfection), pastries, scones and panini sandwiches Wild Flour is just the kind of bakery cafe that’s long been missing in Banff.

And soon Calgary cheese expert Ryan Rivard and his wife Camilla will open the Bison Mountain Bistro and General Store in a space next door, a restaurant and deli where you’re sure to find just the kind of artisan cheeses, cold cuts and other goodies to go with that amazing bread.

If you’d rather have someone else make your sandwich, Evelyn’s (three locations) is the place to go for big slabs of homemade bread and fresh ingredients (they roast chickens every day for their chicken sandwiches).

Stop at Keller Foods for your typical backcountry snacks – designer gorp, sports drinks and a sinful selection power bars. And for international and Canadian wines, along with good wine-buying advice, head downstairs to the dusty cellar that is The Banff Wine Store.

COCKTAIL HOUR

When in Banff, you must have a cocktail while you watch the sun set on the rocks. A favourite spot with the locals has long been the Timberline (now The Juniper). The lounge, with it’s wall of windows and massive fireplace reflects the rocks of Rundle within and without – truly the best place to watch the light play across this definitive local peak.

Or if you’ve just hiked down from the hot springs, a stop in the richly-appointed lobby lounge at The Rimrock Hotel is in order. Not only is this a room with a view, once settled in a high-backed leather chair in front of the massive limestone fireplace, you’ll soon be exploring the long list of single malts and ordering another steamy blueberry tea.

Tourist towns like Banff are often characterized by what is bad about the food business – places where the captive audience of mainly transient guests suffers through bus tour buffets, and other mass market meals. And while that may never change, it’s good to know that Banff is growing beyond burgers and beer.

So go for the scenery, and stay for the food.

IF YOU GO:

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Even if you never plan to strap on a pair of skis, work up an appetite (or at least conjure the spirit of discovery) by getting into some of Banff’s hidden corners. Start by walking in the footsteps of some of the town’s original artists and explorers, people like Peter and Catherine Whyte or Mary Schäffer Warren, at The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Not only is this museum filled with stunning mountain art, the Whyte’s story – of a Boston debutante falling in love with a Canadian mountaineer at art school, a secret romance and a life living and painting in the wilds of the Rockies – reads like a movie script. It also gives you a great insight into what it might have been like to live in this isolated area, back when there was no highway to Jasper, no shopping malls, and no ski resorts save the rustic Skoki Lodge they managed in the 1930s.

There’s also a good heritage homes trail to explore, just beyond the Banff Avenue shopping strip, with significant historic homes and buildings marked with interpretive signs.

One such house belonged to early eco-tourist and feminist Mary Schäffer Warren. A botanical artist, author and explorer at the turn of the 20th century, Schäffer organized several expeditions into the uncharted mountain wilderness before finally reaching Maligne Lake in 1908. She set out to catalogue wild plants and explore ‘Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies’ (the name of her 1911 book) long before there were roads or rail lines here, and many of her early drawings and photographs, like the charming portrait of the Stoney family of Sampson Beaver, are classics.

Or plan a picnic out on one of many of the hiking trails that start in town – you may see some wildlife on the pretty Fenland Trail, an easy 30-minute loop with interpretive panels created by a local artist. The walk down through the steamy marshes along the boardwalk at the old Cave and Basin, with its tiny fishes and knots of floating watercress, can be equally alluring on a cool day.

The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, 111 Bear Street, 762-2291, www.whyte.org

Banff Lake Louise Tourism, 403-762-8545

www.BanffLakeLouise.com

WINING AND DINING:

Fuze Finer Dining, 110 Banff Avenue (upstairs, Clock Tower Mall), 760-0853, www.fuzedining.com

Ticino, 415 Banff Avenue (in the High Country Inn), 762-3848, www.ticinorestaurant.com

Cafe Soleil, 208 Caribou St., 762-2090, cafesoleil@secretbanff.com

Muk-a-Muk Bistro, The Juniper, Mt. Norquay Road, 763-6205

Wild Flour Bakery Cafe, 211 Bear Street, The Bison Courtyard, 760-5074

Maple Leaf Grille & Spirits, 137 Banff Ave., 403-760-7680, www.banffmapleleaf.com

Evelyn’s, 201 Banff Ave. (and two other locations), 762-0352

Keller Foods, 122 Bear St., 762-3663

Banff Wine Store, 302 Caribou St., 762-3465

Bison Mountain Bistro and General Store, The Bison Courtyard (TBA)

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, www.fairmont.com

The Rimrock Hotel, Mountain Avenue (403) 762-3356 www.rimrockresort.com

RECLINING:

There are hotels for every budget in Banff but here are a few new favourites:

Tarry-a-while B&B, 117 Grizzly St., (403) 762-0462, www.tarry.ca

Banff pioneer Mary Schäffer Warren was an explorer, author, photographer and feminist in the early 1900s. She married her favourite mountain guide, Billy Warren, and they built a pretty Arts and Crafts cottage that sits on a quiet Banff corner. It’s now a comfortable bed and breakfast – truly one of the gems of this tourist town. $100-$175

The Juniper and Muk-a-Muk Bistro, Norquay Road, 763-6205

If a more contemporary room with some more recent local history is more your style, try The Juniper, nestled at the base of Mount Norquay in a secluded setting. This 1955 property (the former Timberline Inn) is a longtime local haunt and has recently been refurbished – now a sleek, minimalist space with the feel of a modern boutique hotel, complete with fluffy robes, yummy bath products and a view that won’t quit. $97-662.

(this feature originally appeared in Avenue Magazine in 2007)

©Cinda Chavich

www.tastereport.com