High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Just a short post about high tea at Lake Louise -- gorgeous view, such an elegant setting for a civilized pasttime. It's all about the teeny sandwiches and desserts. My cousin's husband said, the sandwiches are so good, I'd want to just eat a big one, but I think there's something about the 2 bites that makes it perfect.

Tim Horton's

When we were up in Canada, we went to Tim Horton's, the largest fast food chain in all of Canada - eat it McDonald's. They sell primarily doughnuts and coffee, and despite the fact that Wendy's owns them, it's clear that the Canadian customers aren't there for Frosty's or chili.
The doughnuts were super-fresh, and despite the long wait, were well worth it. I loved the chocolate-banana cake doughnut as well as the maple frosted raised doughnut.
Canadians get homesick for Tim Horton's much in the same way I missed Dunkin Donuts when I live in Vegas. Horton's, dare I say, might be better than Dunkin Donuts.

American Gooseberries

In Canada, I discovered a new fruit. It showed up on top of a piece of chocolate banana pie at Canmore's Sage Bistro, a small yellow fruit with a tail of leaves. It looked like a small cherry with a texture of a tomato, but it's flavor was a little sour. It was a gooseberry, a fruit found in cooler areas on the west coast of North America.
I read up on the fruit, and there is a European version that looks more like a plum, but I really liked this fruit, so when we had a buffet at Hotel Lake Louise, and they were found scattered with the dessert platters, I ate a couple of them and got extras to have other people in our group to try.

Elk Filet at the Maple Leaf Grille

In Western Canada, eating out means beef, bison, or game meats. When we ate at the Maple Leaf Grille in Banff, the chef's Game Meat selection of the day was this Elk Filet wrapped in bacon.
Cooked medium rare, this slab of delicious animal was my favorite dish when we were in Canada.
I quite enjoyed the sides of beets as well. The Maple Leaf was another great Chowhound recommendation.

Maple Leaf in Banff, Canada

1000yregg and I went up to our family get-together in Alberta, Canada. (So I'll try not to duplicate posts with him.) One of our big dinners out with the clan was at the Maple Leaf in Banff.











Starters included my cousin's husband's artfully presented scallop and shrimp ceviche with champagne sorbet. My dungeness crab gazpacho was spiked with gin and chili oil -- I loved it -- just brought a nice tangy bite. And my boyfriend's a big believer all around in cooking with liquor.

Then my cousin's husband (who's not a big meat eater) went on to wild Atlantic salmon, and I had lamb shank served with a ragout of root vegetables and gnocchi. While it was good, to be honest it didn't compare with the falling-off-the-bone succulent lamb shank that used to be made at my beloved Jersey dive ethnic Aladdin's Palace. I preferred 1000yregg's bacon-wrapped elk filet, but I'll let him tell you about it himself.