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Banff New Yrs Eve - good restaurant?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Am going to Banff for New Year, arriving mid afternoon on New Years Eve. Thought up a cunning plan - choose a good restaurant and book a table in advance for New Years Eve. Any recommendations please? We will be four adults and three children aged 12,14,16 one being a veggie.

Any suggestions gratefully received Cool
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I imagine that the Banff Springs will lay on something pretty lavish. They have a brilliant buffet in the Bow Valley Grill, and a posh and pricey restaurant called (IIRC) the Banffshire Club. Veggies are more or less outlawed in western Canada, but the buffet will have plenty of veggie options.
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richmond, Thanks for that. A friend also recommended Saltlik - whats that like?
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I don't know; it gets a good few favourable mentions on here. There are plenty of good restaurants in Banff, a search on here will reveal them. The Banff Springs Hotel would be a great place or a special occasion, I'd say, becase of it's appearance and atmos.
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That's what you call organised. No wonder we can never find a bloody table anywhere!
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You will be very tired, is it worth spending a lot? When we stayed there for New Year, arriving about 3 days earlier, we still didn't manage to stay up late enough to see the New year in.
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Colin B, Thats very true, we thought a good meal would be a nice way to spend new years eve even if we dont manage to see the New Year in. Thanks for the tip though.
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Jennyski, you can't book Saltlik usually unless you are a large party, i think 8, so i guess you could lie and say one person didn't turn up. Look for Buffalo Lodge although can't imagine there would be much of an atmosphere. Earls is a shout.
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Rossfra8, Thanks, am a little ahead of myself I guess but cant help getting excited already!
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How much you looking to spend- Buffalo lodge your looking at about $100, Saltlik maybe $80.
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Rossfra8, Not sure really - need to cater for the kids tho which will be difficult as my daughter is virtually vegetarian. Don t want to spend ou on our first night as hope to avail ourselves of the many restaurants of Banff and even fit in a days shopping too!
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Jennyski, although as I indicated, vegetarianism is only one rung up the ladder from paedophilia in western Canada; K.D.Lang's home town removed her name from it's city limits signs when she outed herself as a veggie (probably a myth, but you get the picture - this is cow country, not aubergine country), you'll get veggie pasta in most places. The Banff Springs buffet will give her the best choice thouh. Even if you don't go there for NY, do go there another evening.


Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 31-03-08 22:43; edited 1 time in total
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Colin B, good point about being tired.We almost fell asleep in our meal on our first night. Kids were even more tired than us.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
richmond, Yes we certainly will try it - thanks for the info. maybe best not to book anything too expensive for NY eve - we fly at 9.30 am from Gatwick and arrive in resort mid afternoon so by midnight I guess we will be wanting to sleep badly!
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We are just back from Banff and had a very pleasant meal here.......the place is a bit like the Tardis in that it looks pretty small from the outside but once you get in there is a lot of room on 2 or 3 floors. It is right on Banff Avenue, near the town centre. Being Italian it should be able to cater for the kids (and maybe the vegetarian as well !!). As said above vegetarians are not the prime market there, as you will see by the steakhouses.

http://www.giorgiosbanff.com
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 Poster: A snowHead
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richmond,

There are plenty of veggies in BC: I think you'll find its an Alberta thing!
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Jennyski, Try this website , http://www.taximike.com/ it gives a great guide to most of the Dining options in Banff . We're going for a couple of weeks in Jan 09
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Acacia wrote:
There are plenty of veggies in BC


They've been driven there from Alberta. Huge refugee colonies of bearded sandal wearers (and that's just the women) at the BC/Alberta border, relying on shipments of courgettes from Vancouver and Seattle and sustained by the occasional copy of The Guardian smuggled in by a UK well wisher en route from Banff to Kicking Horse. It's a blot on the face of an otherwise liberal country.
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malcolm1, Rookiemark, Thanks for the suggestions folks - the veggie daughter really likes the look of Giorgios as she loves pasta so that might be the answer for New Year! Have saved taximike into my favourites as that will be handy when we go too. Good ole snowheads! Smile
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Jennyski, at the risk of pimping the Banff Springs buffet even harder, they have a 'pasta station' at which you can choose your own pasta sauce ingredients and have them cooked up into a sauce and dolloped onto pasta. Giorgio's is not at all bad, and provides a welcome respite form steak, but is nowhere near as impressive as the BS for a special occasion.
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richmond, You really like it there, dont you? I will take all suggestions on board but am having second thoughts given the time change I think we will be pretty knackered as Colin B suggests. Dont know what to do really - do we get there and have a sleep, going out later or just have an early meal and call it a night, missing New Year? Anyone out there done this before? We fly at 9.30am New Years Eve from Gatwick so I am guessing we will be in resort by early afternoon but of course this is going to feel like evening to us!
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Jennyski, Would think a 9.30am dept. would get you there around 2-3pm. Get a couple of hours kip then go out for a meal around 8- 9 pm. Should enable you to stay up a while and try to beat the ole jetlag Smile

For good food worth trying the Mapleleaf, cant remember if they did a proper veggie option tho Confused You can book a table for as many or few that you wish, but will be popular on New Years Eve.
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Jennyski, if you don't go to the BS, I shall kill myself, simple as that. Your decision.
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Jennyski wrote:
Am going to Banff for New Year, arriving mid afternoon on New Years Eve. Thought up a cunning plan - choose a good restaurant and book a table in advance for New Years Eve. Any recommendations please? We will be four adults and three children aged 12,14,16 one being a veggie.

Any suggestions gratefully received Cool


wow - 9 months ahead ... gives plenty of time for research, I guess Madeye-Smiley

There's a couple of good Japanese places in town, they do vege stuff. And I found the food at the Irish pub surprisingly edible. They'll have potatoes at least.

I wouldn't panic about booking though until after summer ...
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gortonator, we had a superb Japanese meal in Banff, but don't remember which one now. 14 year old stuffed himself on sushi !! This thread has been good, we've revived lots of happy memories of our Banff trip. Mainly foodie ones, we'll get onto the skiing part later.
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Quote:

Am going to Banff for New Year, arriving mid afternoon on New Years Eve. Thought up a cunning plan - choose a good restaurant and book a table in advance for New Years Eve. Any recommendations please? We will be four adults and three children aged 12,14,16 one being a veggie.

Any suggestions gratefully received


Where are you staying? That might determine the location to an extent..........if you are tired/jet lagged somewhere reasonably close to the hotel may be a good idea in case taxis are in short supply and you have to walk (in sub zero weather).

As a veteran of a fair number of US/Canada trips I have to say my rule is usually eat early at the start of the holiday or else you will be falling asleep waiting for the food to arrive. Banff is I think 7 hours behind the UK so 8pm or 9pm Banff time is really 3am or 4am UK time. You may be different and may well be up for a slap up meal then.......my family generally arent.

You could always celebrate the UK New Year at 5pm Banff time and then go to bed........which will get you up early for NewYears day when everyone else is nursing an hangover
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Helen Beaumont wrote:
gortonator, we had a superb Japanese meal in Banff, but don't remember which one now. 14 year old stuffed himself on sushi !! This thread has been good, we've revived lots of happy memories of our Banff trip. Mainly foodie ones, we'll get onto the skiing part later.


Helen Beaumont, yep, there's some very good food in Banff.

And talking of skiing, New Years Day is normally a blissfully deserted ski day. I never miss it
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Quote:

Would think a 9.30am dept. would get you there around 2-3pm. Get a couple of hours kip then go out for a meal around 8- 9 pm. Should enable you to stay up a while and try to beat the ole jetlag

Good plan bones, would like to see the New Year in if possible.

richmond, Ok ok I'll go - shall I mention your name to get the best table? wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
By all means; they all know me in Banff. I'd go out for an early (by UK standards) dinner and forget about the bells; you'll wake at 3am anyway (giving you a full day on those empty slopes).
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Dial a pizza a couple of drinks, the world extreme eating championships on ESPN "the Ocho" cable. Early night/Early rise the next day and all that beautiful snow to yourself.

Alternatively dial the veggie a spinach pizza and go to Saltlik yourselves to gorge on fine burnt cow wink
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fatbob, Yes of course the slopes should be reasonable empty the next day shouldnt they? I suppose the lifts etc will be operating on New Years Day?
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I have not been in Canada over the New Year but have been in the US. They treat Jan 1 pretty much like a Sunday as far as shop opening is concerned ie 11 or 12 as compared to 9 or 10. I cant believe the lifts wont be running as normal.
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New Years Day is a normal ski day, and a good one, as most people are hungover and don't get on hill untill after 11am. bed at midnight, first lift at 9am is always my plan for Jan 1st
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Definately the best restaurant in Banff is Le Beaujolais on Banff Avenue. We have been there 3 times and the food is "awsome" they have a wine room with over 1000 wines on the wine list. it isnt cheap, but you get what you pay for, and if you drop it in conversatin to anylocal that you have been to "the beau" they will be impressed.
You would probably need to book it now though for new years eve as most of the clients we saw there were Canadian who drove up to banff to eat there. Smile
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There is an excellent chipper on Castle Street. and the chemists on the High Street doubles as a coffee shop. This is Banff, Aberdeenshire, isn't it?
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dan2000 wrote:
Definately the best restaurant in Banff is Le Beaujolais on Banff Avenue. We have been there 3 times and the food is "awsome" they have a wine room with over 1000 wines on the wine list. it isnt cheap, but you get what you pay for, and if you drop it in conversatin to anylocal that you have been to "the beau" they will be impressed.


I enjoyed Le Beaujolais, but it's pretty olde-wordly faux-french formal atmosphere turned me off a bit. Bit like 70's dining, not 21st century Canada. Wine list is very impressive.

Not been for a couple of years, but have really enjoyed food at Buffalo Mountain Lodge:

http://www.dininginbanff.com/restaurants/buffalomountainlodge.shtml

Watch the Elk wandering around outside, and then wander in and see how it's mates taste. Normally darn good Toofy Grin

Fuze was pretty good too.
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Jennyski:

Just seen your query.

We arrived in Canmore (nearly Banff!) late evening on Dec 30th 2 years ago. We skied a deserted Norquay on New Year's Eve and by the night were so knackered (but still hungry) that we ended up with an early evening Domino's takeaway pizza in our hotel room....That was even after a good kip on our arrival night.

The thing to remember is that when New Year chimes, your body clock will be telling you it's 7am....

On a plus point, the slopes were also virtually deserted at Lake Louise on New Year's Day.
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mountainaddict, Yes the more I think about it, we will be shattered and unlikely to stay up to see in the New Year. I think I would rather pass on the celebrations in favour of a lovely quiet days skiing on New Years day instead. Is Norquay the nearest to get to? Am thinking of somewhere close for New Years day and not too difficult, to get the ole ski legs back?
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Jennyski, Norquay is the closest to Banff, and well worth skiing, but Sunshine is not much further (10 mins v 20mins) and you need to jump in the car (or bus) for either. If I was treating myself to a quiet NY's day on the slopes, I'd head for Sunshine, if only because in my experience, Norquay is quieter than Sunshine at busy times, if you see what I mean ('busy' being a relative term).

You'll have no difficulty in getting an early dinner in Banff (unless things are different on NY's eve), even at a top notch restaurant.
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Quote:

by midnight I guess we will be wanting to sleep badly!

And badly will be exactly how you do sleep, if my own experiences of longhaul flights is anything to go by. I've done a lot, too. I remember my 8 year old daughter literally falling asleep face down in her chicken nuggets and chips after 36 hours in the air and/or airports, when she had hated all the magnificent food on offer from Qantas Business Class, or in Changi airport, and begged endlessly for buns. I had to stagger back to the room with her asleep and covered in ketchup. Strongly recommend the option of crashing out and getting on the first lifts on New Year's Day! snowHead
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