Kelowna’s burgeoning food scene offers some the best dining experiences to be found anywhere. There are not many places in Canada where you can you enjoy an elegant west coast dish served with local wines among a vineyard one day and have an amazing farm to table experience in town the next.
Whether you are looking to celebrate, find romance or just get your ‘inner foodie’ on – you’ll want to check out the winners and nominees of the 2015 Fine Dining Best of Kelowna list.
RauDZ Regional Table
Raudz wows their guests with fresh, in-season hand muddled fruit martini’s and offers a well-considered wine list to boot.
For me, a visit to Raudz isn’t complete without experiencing Chef Butter’s handmade Parmesan gnocchi or the oat crusted Arctic char served with spinach and potato sauté, crisp Italian style bacon, seasonal veggies and maple butter. We are creatures of habit after all. No matter what your selection Raudz West Coast/local menu is predictably excellent.
The 21-foot heritage regional table made of reclaimed midnight pine is the crowning jewel of the restaurant and can be reserved for larger groups. Otherwise reservations are not accepted. Luckily, there are a handful of neighbouring places you can enjoy a pre-Raudz drink including Micro, which is owned by Raudz.
There are no bulk mints at the end of a Raudz dining experience. The Raudz team creates uniquely flavoured gourmet lollipops every single night. It’s just one of many inspired touches at Raudz.
See the KelownaNow Business Directory for Raudz location, contact and website information.
Old Vines Restaurant at Quail's Gate Winery
The beautiful vineyard setting, award winning wines and exceptional menu puts Old Vines on the map and among the top three fine dining restaurants in Kelowna according to Best of Kelowna 2015!
Chef Sleiman’s 30 day dry aged 10oz Cache Creek Ribeye served with sweet onion and potato croquette, red wine jus pairs lovely with the 2013 Quail’s Gate Merlot. Tip: winery eating gives you the chance to enjoy cellared wines that have matured to perfection, so when possible check out the library wine list!
Reservations are recommended, especially during the busy summer tourist months.
See the KelownaNow Business Directory for Old Vines Restaurant location, contact and website information.
Waterfront Wines Restaurant and Bar
Chef and Sommelier Mark Filatow proudly sources many of his ingredients from several local farms like Arlo’s Honey Farm, Claremont Ranch Organics and Old Meadows Farm.
The roasted Yarrow Meadows duck breast with brown butter and au jus and the homemade ricotta cavatelli, grana Padano and sage brown butter are among the current favourites at Waterfront Wines.
Chef Filatow's menu is ever evolving and you'll always find the perfect wine to pair with his creations.
Pictured are the pan seared Quadra Island Scallops with miso emulsion, kimchi, cucumber and quinoa crisp.
See the KelownaNow Business Directory for Waterfront Wine's location, contact and website information.
Runners up:
La Bussola’s traditional white tablecloth service and old style Italian cooking is a long time Kelowna favourite. Established in 1974, the Coccaro family has been at the heart of La Bussola for over 40 years. The insalata capresse is a go-to as is any pasta and if you’re a fan of lamb check out their savoury herb crusted rack of lamb served with sweet vermouth and mint. Pictured is a milk chocolate mousse cake.
Pictured is Bouchons “Lapin à la moutarde”, slow cooked rabbit in a creamy Dijon mustard and tarragon sauce.
It’s fitting that Bouchons Bistro is among the few restaurants that still have ‘Hors D’Oeuvres” on the menu. No “appies” here! A standard 3-course meal might start with Bouchons’ house made country style wild boar rillettes perfumed with calvados. A must try is their duck leg confit, smoked lamb chop and Toulouse sausage served over lingot bean ragout with a hint of garlic and you wouldn’t leave France with out trying their Crème Brulee flight, would you?
Many say you can actually taste the love in the food at the Fixx Café and Pasta Bar. Get your comfort food fix with Mom’s Meatloaf (an actual menu item) or any of their amazing pastas. The Fixx is a smaller venue but offers both lunch and dinner.
Also nominated were Ricardo’s Mediterranean Kitchen, the Yellow House Restaurant, Hotel Eldorado and Joey Kelowna.
Best of Kelowna is operated by KelownaNow.com. Between April 6 and May 17, 2015 nominations and voting took place with promotional support from Bell Media, the Capital News and KelownaNow.com. Best of Kelowna has become an annual tradition and is sponsored by Excel Personnel. See the full Best of Kelowna 2015 winner list here.
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