Blog – Dining in Panorama

The Summer of Travel
Last summer we spent as much time as possible checking out all of the activities that Vancouver has to offer. This year is quite the opposite as we will be out of the city for a large portion of the summer. Some of our travels are business related but we plan to see as much as possible along the way. We started the travels with a 10 day road trip through the Kootenays and Okanagan with the first stop 5 nights in Panorama. We were disappointed that much of the resort was still closed for the off-season even though we arrived on June 18^th but we did manage to find one restaurant that was serving an up-scale dinner menu (as opposed to the offerings at the T-Bar Pub).

Earl Grey Lodge
The Earl Grey Lodge is located near the top of Panorama Mountain Village and contains 5 bed and breakfast guest rooms as well as Greys Restaurant. The restaurant has a small lounge which can seat 16 – 20 and restaurant seating for approximately 40 guests. The owners Phil and Claire serve the guests themselves and make everyone feel extremely welcome in their home (they live on the main floor of the three story lodge). The only other staff includes a chef and a lodge manager. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm during the summer (starting approximately June 15^th) and extended hours in the winter ski season. A 3 course fixed menu is available Friday and Saturday. We had the pleasure of being some of the first guests to try items from their newly introduced summer al la carte menu.

Menu and Food
The menu includes a selection of share plates, salads, pastas and entrees. Because there was so much that we wanted to try we stayed with the share plates on this trip but would like to go back again to try some of the entrees. We started with the Seafood Crespelle which is served as two pancakes filled with mixed seafood in a creamy sauce. The seafood included chunks of salmon and sea bass as well as shrimp and was garnished with greens in a tasty vinaigrette. Course one – delicious. We then moved on to the Prosciutto di Parma. This was a bit of a stretch for both of us but we wanted to try something that we normally wouldn’t. The roasted wild spring mushrooms softened the saltiness of the prosciutto very well. The dish was good but still not one to add to our favorites list. Course two – good. After the two appys we were both too full to try an entrée so I chose the Wild Mushroom Ravioli appetizer and Jeff chose the Spaghetti and Meatballs. The ravioli itself was a bit over cooked but the filling was terrific. The pasta was served with a cauliflower puree and grilled asparagus. The spaghetti sauce was delicious as were the meatballs. The meatballs were loose with a smoky flavor that was unique and very tasty. Course three – very good. Overall we were very happy with our choices.

 

Service
Phil and Claire were both very personable and friendly with all of the guests. Since we were at the restaurant for almost three hours we got to know a bit about them and even headed over to the T-Bar Pub after they closed to grab a drink and chat. The experience overall was the highlight of our Panorama stay.

Watch for our next blogs on the newly opened Copper Point Resort in Invermere and our 5 winery stops through the Okanagan.