Culinary road trips piqued my interest. Recently returning from a two week long road trip with my lovely wife, three year old daughter, and one year old son, I can safely say that there is no place like home. And home cooking. We took the Coquihalla to Merritt, then the #5 Yellowhead all the way to Lake Louise, where we stayed at the Lake Louise Inn. Fabulous scenery, but the most notable part about the food was the fact that the restaurant didn't have any shelled eggs for breakfast. On to Banff, we enjoyed some killer fondue at the Grizzly House, where of course our server was someone who recently worked with my current sous chef. Typical! Hey, you work at (blank)? You know so and so? Of course! Three days in Edmonton saw no interesting food, outside of great home cooking and some hot dogs at the West Ed Mall waterpark. Taking the Calgary Trail to Calgary, we managed to find the Krispy Kreme doughnut place. Easily the whitest, softest, most sugary thing I've ever put in my mouth. I didn't even have to chew! Needless to say, it was so bad we only bought two dozen. A day downtown visiting my old boss, who is now the restaurant chef at the Delta Bow Valley was really fun. Seeing another big, big, big kitchen is always a treat. My wife hates that I always want to sit in a restaurant where I can see the kitchen. Aside from some more great home cooking, Calgary was a bust, like always. Taking the #3 Crows Nest to Kimberley, we found what we were looking for. We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn Trickle Creek, which is the best hotel I have ever stayed at. Fantastic buffet breakfast, great facility, staff and views that can't be beat. Big things seem to be happening in Kimberley, with a construction boom happening. Our next stop was historic Fort Steele, where we had a wonderful time on opening day, looking in on the blacksmith, and all the period costumes. Lunch was a good bowl of chili, and couple loaves of natural sourdough fresh from the 100+ year old bakery. Continuing onto Nelson, and the east shore of the lake, I was asking myself what I always do when we visit. When can we move here? A couple meals at the Red Fish on Baker St in Nelson was all we could take in, aside from some even more delicious home cooking. Onto Osoyoos and a night in Keremeos before returning home. This was probably the restauant highlight of the trip. A place called Arleigh's Restaurant on Main St. served the best roast beef I've ever had to pay for. They even cooked my wife's salmon to a nice medium. When's the last time you got that at a family restaurant? Awesome homemade pie topped off the evening so well, we returned the next morning for a big breakfast, before driving back home. -- Matt.
