The bar is fully stocked with a huge wine list and unique cocktals.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been commuting to Canmore every morning for work. Though I’ve been to the town half a dozen times over the past year, Canmore always seems to fall by the wayside for its more popular, busier counterpart, Banff.
While in Rome (or anywhere else), one of the best things to do is go where the locals go for food. One such stop is Crazyweed, perpetually lauded as one of Canmore’s best restaurants. It opened in 1997, and now the daughter of the owners, Eden, has taken over running the kitchen.
Wine galore!
The restaurant is filled with bottles of wine from all over the world, and I really mean filled. They line up like soldiers along the walls and shelves, tantalizing and tempting you to pick a bottle. A chalkboard near the entrance lists the bottles that are on sale at any given time, which means that impulse purchases of wine as you’re leaving is a likely possibility.
I was on assignment to take some photos for the Canmore Dining Guide put out by RMV Publications, which means I got to do what every food blogger loves doing: creating sweet, sweet food porn. I’ve always been ‘that girl.’ The one taking photos from various angles with my phone before I dig into a meal. I look at a meal like a piece of art, some deserve posterity (and posts on Instagram)!
My lovely server brought out three surprises from the kitchen and two from the bar. I was brought two cocktails; a blackberry mojito and the ‘Orange Blossom,’ a whiskey and orange sour. I’m not one for whiskey (drinking pure fire is never enjoyable for me), but paired with orange juice, triple sec and Grand Marnier, it was actually really refreshing. The egg white foam was firm but yielding, just as it should be. The blackberry mojito was quite sweet, but the freshly muddled blackberries added some tartness that played nicely with the mint leaves.
Melt-in-your-mouth goodnes
First course was an ahi tuna ceviche with cubes of avocado, watermelon, jicama and cucumber in citrus juice and mezcal, garnished with fresh herbs, kumquat and crunchy tortilla strips. The tuna and avocado were incredibly tender, so they were perfectly complemented by the crunchy ingredients. I was really grateful that I didn’t have to share this dish with anybody, because it was all of my favourite things in one beautiful bowl.
Next, I was delivered a towering plate of spare ribs. While I didn’t try it (reasons here), the menu describes them as “slow roast, thick 5 spice spare ribs with Chris’ sweet, sticky, spicy sauce, pickled vegetables with daikon and crispy potato ruffles.” It was one of the best presentations for a dish I’ve ever seen.
Lastly, I was presented with Chef Eden’s miso-crusted sablefish. The fish was laid on a bed of wilted organic spinach, marooned in a sea of tamari and sesame broth with charred shallots and shiitake mushrooms. On top was a generous dollop of shredded daikon, which added a freshness to the dish that would have otherwise been missing. I’ve never tried sablefish before, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. The answer? Heaven. Sweet. flaky, fishy heaven. It was oven roasted, resulting in an incredibly succulent piece that flaked apart with the greatest of ease. The crust wasn’t crusty, rather it was like a sweet glaze that enveloped the fish and added flavour to every bite.
It’s easy to impress your dinner companions by treating them to meals like this.
If this food erotica hasn’t turned you(r appetite) on, you’re somehow impervious to good food. Seriously, get in your car, enjoy the beautiful hour long drive to Canmore, and go to Crazyweed or any of the other amazing restaurants in the town. After you’ve got your fill, take advantage of the plethora of amazing things to do around town, like hiking Ha Ling Peak, enjoying the patios with views of mountains rather than skyscrapers, and exploring the trails. Canmore isn’t the typical destination that Calgarians have in mind when they drive to the mountains for the day, but it offers spectacular panoramic views of the mountains just like Banff does, has cute little boutique and specialty shops (not just tourist-trap crap), and it is has far fewer swarms of tourists on any given day. Calgary is awesome, but Canmore is pretty great too.