Devoting attention to eating is the best thing of the day.
People come here for doing outdoor activities, getting closer to mother nature, having fun with their family and friends. I can tell that Kananaskis village is one of the best recreational areas for nature enthusiasts and having a vacation. However, the food made in this village is absolutely underrated. I never heard anyone mention food while talking about this town.
Today I am going to introduce some dishes that impressed me a lot. As I live here, probably a suitable person to go with this topic, I swear the dishes listed below are recommended by local people and friends I met here, some of them work in restaurants. But, the list is based on their suggestions plus my own opinion, I only present food that I like, so it might be slightly assertive somehow.
Forte
Forte is one of the best restaurants in Kananaskis village, located in Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, featuring a stunningly elegant interior, professional hospitality services, and of course premium dishes.
Braised Short Rib Pappardelle
I randomly asked five employees who works there before the day I placed the order, and to my surprise, four of them mentioned the same dish, which is their best-selling Braised Short Rib Pappardelle. It is made in a combination of mushroom cream sauce, pulled Alberta short ribs, white truffle oil, and parmesan. See the photo below, looks tasty, isn’t it?
It’s my second favorite dish, for now, I don’t have words to describe it in detail, I can only say that you definitely can not miss this one if you visit Forte.
Remember: Must eat while it is still hot.
Blacktail
If you walk into the Pomeroy from its main entrance you will see the Blacktail on your right-hand side soon, it features a semi-open dining area and a classic bar counter where people can enjoy beers, cocktails, or wine.
Blacktail Burger
I asked for suggestions from friends who work there like always, and the most common answer was about “Burger”, so I randomly chose one of the burgers on the list, Blacktail Burger, which serves with fries by default.
The size of the burger is honestly 1.5 times bigger than A&W, no offense, it’s true. The beef patty is super thick and fits well with lettuce, tomato, and dill pickle. Also, the sauce is the key that impressed me, saskatoon berry, I never heard about it but it tastes sweet and a bit sour, very similar to raspberry, to be further, it’s between strawberry jam and raspberry. However, when it mixes with beef patty, it is perfect! Good try Blacktail.
Poutine
In addition, if you are fascinated with the most iconic Canadian cuisine, you can upgrade the side dish to poutine for only CA$7. I do love their gravy, I can taste the flavor of some vegetables, no idea what exactly is, my roommate said that is celery. Anyway, it eliminates the oiliness of meat and cheese curds.
Market Cafe
You can grab a cup of coffee to wake you up on a laid-back Kananaskis morning from Market Cafe. They serve Starbucks-like coffee and beverages at a reasonable price in this touristy town.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
I tried their brew coffee with double sugar and double cream the first time I found this place, it’s not bad but nothing to get excited about, just average. So the second time I asked my friend Hayder, “Would it be possible to tell me which one is your favorite, or let’s say the bestseller?” He answered without hesitation “Iced Caramel Macchiato!” and showed me the photo in the meantime.
It sounds like a regular caramel macchiato, right? But Hayder added, “You must go with oat milk, I make one for you!” He is definitely a coffee fanatic, I never thought oat milk could fit so perfectly with expresso and caramel.
I love how flavorful this coffee is and tried several times to make it on my own but just can’t make the same one as they do. That’s why it is marked on my must-eat list.
Highly recommended: Iced Caramel Macchiato with Oat Milk and Less Ice.
Moose Family Kitchen
If you are a Japanese food lover, you absolutely can’t pass up the only one making Japanese cuisine in Kananaskis village, which is Moose Family Kitchen.
Super Bowl
Their best-selling is Super Bowl, which comes with stir-fried Teriyaki beef, red ginger, green onion, sesame, and the secret sauce on rice. The beef is tasty and easy to chew, you won’t eat any beef tendon or fats since they’ve already removed those parts. In addition to its flavor, the price is at a very competitive CA$10.50, so it’s worth having one as lunch.
Matcha Mooster
As summer comes, people turn to have something cool after long bike rides or hikes. Luckily, Moose sells the only soft-serve ice cream in the village with a wild range of flavors such as vanilla, black cherry, cheesecake, cotton candy, and pina colada. As they primarily sell Japanese food, my suggestion is to get what they are good at, which is Matcha!
Their Matcha is premium and has a richer taste than any I drink in downtown Calgary. When Matcha mixes with vanilla ice cream and blends with Oreo, it becomes Matcha Mooster as shown above. Seating on the bench of Village Rim Tail and eating a Match Mooster has already become my weekly basis, that’s how I enjoy the time after work.
Curry Bowl
Last but not least, the Curry Bowl made by Moose Family Kitchen is my favorite dish in Kananaskis Village, nothing can touch it!
It consists of beef, beef tendon, beef fats, and tomatoes, cook for long hours to get the meats tender and dissolved well with curry. The topping can be replaced with sliced cheddar cheese for people who don’t like red ginger, but I would say extra red ginger is the best combination for this curry.
P.S. Curry Melt on white bread is also delicious!
