Best of the Okanagan

[canucklehead]

Eric - great list!

I second Waterfront and Taste of India in Oliver.

[Beebs]

Wow! That's one heck of a list! Thanks!!

[Andrew Morrison]

Just returned from Naramata Unfiltered "Sommelier Bootcamp" - three days of wine routing, blending, competing, and yes, drinking.

Quite the good times.

I've put together some videos over at UD. Take a look here.

[Mark Donnelly]

We spent of summer family holiday cycling the Kettle Valley Railway and used Kelowna as a base. We ate at Bordello, Bouchons, the Bread Co. and RauDZ (nee Fresco).

Bordello (Water Street)

Best pizza I've eaten outside Italy. Thin crispy base. A hint of fresh tomato sauce. Toppings are bog standard, but the base is the star. White pizzas (olive oil, no tomato) are alos available.

The Bread Co. (Bernard Avenue)

Great bread (wonderful ciabatta). Very nice salads and sandwiches. A great place for lunch. Very reasonably priced.

Bouchons (Water Street)

Accomplished bistro cooking. Very relaxed, but a bit out of the way. The $39 prix fix menu is not good value. Some very sad dishes. Go ALC and stick to bistro classics.

RauDZ (Water Street)

This place was hugely disappointing. The head chef has clearly run out of ideas and, more importantly, run out of enthusiasm and drive. If it was good in the past, there is not a scrap of evidence around today.

Ludicrous combinations, superfluous vegitation (I mean red, orange and yellow carrots, asparagus and mashed potatoes accompanied my scallops) and below par cooking. The mash was (i) underseasoned and (ii) stoggy. I mean, how difficult is it to not make decent pomme puree. Obviously too difficult for this restaurant.

This restaurant has an aversion to anything containg fat. I like my mash with butter and cream. Oh and salt.

My wife had the arctic char. This was okay, but it came with a bed of bacon and spinach. The bacon wasn't lardoned, but came in huge chunks. It was overly smokey and not remotely crispy.

Really one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had. Like far too many restaurants in Vancouver, this place is a triumph of style over content/substance.

Now trading on its past reputation.

[Beebs]

Resurrecting this ancient thread - there must be something new since 7 yrs ago! 

 

So what's new in the Penticton/Naramata/Kelowna area?  I'm heading there this weekend, staying in the Naramata region again and I've got 3 dinners & maybe 1 lunch to think about.  We're arriving in Naramata Thursday evening, so I'm thinking dinner at the Rock Oven at the Naramata Inn would be good to start.  The last time we were there, it was still the Cobblestone Wine Bar and it was very, very good.  Rock Oven reopened last summer, after the Inn was taken over by new operators. Has anyone tried the new restaurant?

 

Also on my list is Theo's, Greek restaurant in Penticton. We've been there a couple times and have always had a good time there, great food.

 

Lake Breeze Winery is a possibility for lunch. Ate there about 2-3 yrs ago - is it still excellent?

 

Gasthaus in Peachland - German/Austrian fare.  Never been there - is it worth going?

 

What else should is good?  RauDZ? Disappointing review upthread, but decent reviews elsewhere on the interwebs.

 

Hoping Okanagancook can chime in! 

[Okanagancook]

Your wish is my command!

we have been to the Rock Oven last year when they reopened.  It had only been open a week or two.  It was good.  I would not rave about.  The steak is apparently a rip off according to a friend who had it.  $45. It is a beautiful spot.

 

go to Lake Breeze and try to get there around or a little before noon so you get in.  We were there last week and it was outstanding.

 

in Naramata there are new owners of the cafe and they have breakfast stuff and lunch fare.  Cannot say what it is like.  They have been open a week.  I got a regular  coffee to go and it was way better than the coffee made by the previous owner.

 

the Grapeleaf beside the cafe is excellent.  Home cooking.  Their hours are a little difficult to understand. Breakfast and lunch only.  It is usually packed.

 

went to Hillside Bistro at the winery twice in the past three weeks.  It is very pricey.  I had one good meal and one sinker. So you decide.

 

many wineries have food now.  Joie has a pizza oven, Red Rooster has a lunch service on the patio done by Bogners.  Therapy have some kind of patio grill but I do not go there as I do not like their wine for some reason.  I think it is because of the location of their vineyard.....in a frost pocket.  Misconduct has a bistro which is apparently pricey with tiny portions.  Bench 1775 which has the best view in the valley have picnic baskets and you can sit on the patio, drink wine and eat.  Good wine also.

 

the vanilla pod at poplar grove is worth going to just for the view and the great wine. It gets mixed reviews and I have had mixed experiences but it is really worth a visit for a snack and a glass of wine.

 

in penticton Brodo is wonderful for lunch and if you want East Indian food Lashi is excellent.  The Cellar Door is supposed to be good.  I do not like Theos but it is consistent.  The Bad Tattoo has good beer and pizzas, worth a visit.The Cellar Door and The Cannery bewery on Ellis are also good.

 

be sure to visit our good friend at Deep Roots for a great story, nice people and pretty good wine...they won a Platanium for their Gamay last year at the All Canadian wine Awards.  The view rivals Bench 1775.

 

have not been to Gausthouse but hear good things about the restaurant, not the pub.  We do not go out to eat in Kelowna much but my brother has been to Raudx a few times and he loves it but it is a pain because there are no reservations.

 

we have been to Bouchons and it was excellent.  Waterfront has a fantastic chef but I have not been there..

 

hope that helps.

cheers and enjoy your trip

if you have any questions when you are out here or if you want to pop round for a glass of wine on our deck overlooking the lake give us a call. 778-514-1587. Heather 

 

[Beebs]

Thank you, Okanagancook, this is great - I'm saving your post to take with me!  I'll definitely check out some of your suggestions.

 

I'm going to try for Lake Breeze, probably Sunday before we head back to Vancouver.  I think we'll skip Raudz for now, especially if they don't do resos.  I don't want to drive all the way to Kelowna just to find we can't get in.  Bad Tattoo & Cannery are on my list now.  There may be a group dinner one of the nights with folks staying out in Kelowna, so perhaps I'll give Gasthaus a stab, since it's midway between Kelowna & Penticton.

 

I'm looking forward to checking out some of the wineries - Bench 1775 & Deep Roots are now on my list too.  Poplar Grove is gorgeous and I like their wine.  Haven't tried Vanilla Pod yet, but I've heard mixed reviews and a bit pricey.  Snacks are a good idea.

 

DH has given me specific instructions to limit our wines to 1 box only, but 1 box is pretty vague - could be 1 per type of wine! 

 

So many places to try, so little time!  Will report back. 

[Okanagancook]

Possibilities here are getting endless.  Enjoy and would love to hear your feedback.

[Okanagancook]

FYI, the Naramata Bench Wineries did very well at the All Canadian Wine Awards just announced. Our good friend at Deep Roots won best red wine of the year for his Syrah and a few other Golds.  Hope to managed to go there.  

 

http://allcanadianwinechampionships.com/acwc-2016-results/

[Beebs]

Been back a week, but didn't get around to reporting back.

 

We had a great time in Naramata/Penticton!  The hot early summer weather was a real treat.

 

Went to Rock Oven the night we arrived, Thursday.  Only 3 other tables while we were there.  Sat out on the patio, ordered a bottle of wine, I had the roast chicken, DH had the roast pork. Food was lovely, and it was nice to just take our time with the wine. Ended up staying quite late, as we started chatting up with the other guests there.

 

Next day was a work day and finished off in Kelowna.  A group of us went to Sandhill Winery for their Friday night happy hour - $5 wine & snacks & live music.  Their wine is only decent, but it was a great lively atmosphere, really packed, good music. BNA Brew Co. for dinner & beers. None of us had been, but it was walking distance from Sandhill.  Food was surprisingly very good!  I had very tasty onion & goat cheese pizza & DH's boar ragu pasta was excellent.  Good comments from the rest of the group too.

 

Penticton farmers' market the next day, spent the whole morning wandering around.  It's certainly gotten much bigger and busier since we were there a few years ago.  Skipped a proper lunch in favour of snacking at the market.  Dinner at Gasthaus fine dining side, as DH insisted on schnitzel over all the other options.   Crazy old-school European kitschy space!  We split a salad & appies, had schnitzels, split a dessert, bottle of wine.  Food was good, but not excellent, large portions.  Fun experience in a retro kind of way. The pub side was packed when we arrived, the dining room less so.

 

Lake Breeze Patio with a group for lunch the day we went back to Vancouver.  Got there early, just as they were opening, and there was a line up already.  Food & wine was as excellent as expected.

 

For wineries, we didn't visit too many, about half a dozen or so.  We opted for smaller wineries that we hadn't been to before.  Can't remember off the top of my head what we brought back.  The white wines were very, very good - I understand last year was a great year for white wines.  We brought home quite a bit more white than red or rose.

 

Upper Bench Winery & Creamery - they haven't been around too long. Did a wine & cheese tasting, purchased a bunch of wine. We went back on our way back to Vancouver to pick up some cheese, which they kindly packed in a box with ice pack. 

Bench 1775 - loved it, you weren't kidding about the amazing view! Unfortunately, they weren't starting their food service till after we'd gone home, so we missed out on the patio. Very good wine, bought half a case. Gave Bruno the friendly labrador a few pats. 

Deep Roots - this is the winery I wanted to visit the most!  Their Gamay was excellent, and a couple bottles went home with us, along with a half dozen or so others.  I saw they won their wine award a few days ago - I'm really pleased they did! I just checked my receipt and I have 1 Syrah!

Lake Breeze - I really liked their Semillon.

Ruby Blues - Didn't like this winery. We went because a coworker asked if we could pick up a couple bottles for her if we happened to be in the area.  The only one I liked was the gewurztraminer.

Gray Monk - It was on the way back from a work visit and my coworker wanted to go. Picked up a couple bottles.  

Maple Leaf Distillery - this was a lot of fun, we had a great time with Jorg! We tasted a couple liqueurs down at the farmers market, but decided to head up to the distillery to check out a couple other items.  Went home with cherry liqueur, maple liqueur, and prune brandy. Afterwards, Jorg introduced us to his feather friends - his pet pheasants & parrot. 

 

Thanks for all the recommendations, Okanagancook!  I'm going to have a good 3 cases of wine & spirits to last us to the middle of summer!

 

[Okanagancook]

 Well. Excellent job!  Ruby  Blues got a gold for their Gwertz.  They tend towards Germanic style wines seeing Prudence is Austrian, she is the owner / winemaker.

 

We were just talking about wine sales at Deep Roots with the owner and they are probably going to limit the number of bottles of the award winning wines so no one is disappointed when they visit the winery.  What do you think about that?

 

Shawna at Bench makes wonderful cheese and Gavin is creating some nice wines.  He was the assistant wine maker at the original Poplar Grove winery and then at Pentagw before they bought the vineyard on middle bench.  Nice people and he has a great palate.

 

Bruno is a beast.  He is owned by Val who is the GM of the winery.  Have to plug them here:. Val donated a whole case of wine to our Syrian Family fund raising dinner we put on last week!  Very generous.

 

well, come back to the bench for some more great experiences,

cheers

[Beebs]

I think it's not a bad idea for Deep Roots to limit their award winners. It would be a shame for visitors to go all the way there just to find that they can't buy any.  We could have bought plenty more bottles, but, alas, running of room in our car.

 

I didn't much care for Ruby Blues because I gravitate towards dry/off-dry wines, and I found their selections too sweet for my liking.  I tasted their red and white Stilettos, and the sparkling rose.

 

Too bad we missed the Syrian Family fund raiser - I've been following along on that.

 

Bruno was just lovely - I wanted to scoop him up and take him home with me! 

 

We'll be back soon!