The Post Hotel is a lovely place to spend and celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. The holiday falls on the second Monday in October, but many families celebrate with a bountiful Turkey Dinner on the Sunday. This tradition is upheld beautifully in the dining room at the Post for all of their guests, which on that evening swelled to include many Calgary and Banff-area residents gathering in large, multi-generational family groups and for a delicious dinner.
While the full menu is still available, a luscious, multi-course Thanksgiving meal, crowned of course by a golden roast turkey, was the star of our recent visit this past October. Pop the champagne with us (make it an elegant, sparkling Billecart-Salmon for this special occasion…)
…and first feast your eyes on the menu:
The wine lovers’ dilemma with almost any tasting or multi-course meal is what to pair with all the variety. Glancing at the menu you’ll see that we had a trout tartar, strudel, and turkey- with-gravy riddle to solve. The Billecart-Salmon completed the first piece of the puzzle, complementing the amazingly luscious tartar which was matched perfectly with a sharp-sweet-creamy honey mustard coulis. The photo doesn’t lie – the portion was very generous.
The second course was also a fine partner for the champagne. The strudel filling was a blend of finely-chopped rich and earthy mushrooms wrapped in delicate, buttery phyllo pastry. The red cabbage foam didn’t photograph particularly well (looks a bit like blueberry yogurt) but it was prettier in person and very good with the strudel. The shiny golden ball on the left is the apple jelly – delicate, tart and sweet, and refreshing.
At this point in the meal, our wine was poured – a 2012 Patz Hall Pinot Noir. It had a clear red, purple colour characteristic of the grape, and a smooth, elegant taste. The only red to match roast turkey in my experience. (The wine went well with my last few bites of strudel as well…good timing!)
And here it is – Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey dinner is served!
I have had wonderful homemade turkey meals over the years always prepared by loving hands, and nothing can quite replace the ambience of that special family gathering. But I must say that this meal was outstanding. The white and dark meat morsels of turkey were moist, tender and…just what turkey should always be. The cornucopia of ingredients in the stuffing – chicken, bison, fuji apple, chestnuts, sourdough pretzel bread, to name a few – made for an impressive accompaniment. The turkey port wine sauce was a rich pool of gravy, the kind you encourage everything on your plate to touch and sop up. (And while I admit to eating and enjoying the canned stuff, the spiced cranberry chutney was out-of-this-world – so good!). Even the brussel sprouts and carmelized cubes of sweet potato were perfect.
Apologies – we don’t have a shot of the lovely dessert (must be that Turkey/Tryptophan effect). It was a Pumpkin Mousse with Ginger-Pecan cookie, maple whipped cream and orange/cranberry compote – but like all Post desserts, it was delicious and generous.
The meal may not have been ‘homemade’, but it was certainly made with loving care. The many families surrounding us, clearly engaged in a yearly tradition, confirmed that this is a wonderful place to celebrate the holiday.
While I’m sure we now have you dreaming of visiting the Post Hotel in October, it should be noted that the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in October is also the last weekend the hotel and dining room is open before a five-week closure as staff prepares for the busy winter ski season. So, our suggestion is to aim to spend a few crisp, early-October days in the Rockies at the Post, ending a great stay with a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner you won’t soon forget.
For more information on dining at the Post Hotel or to view a dinner menu, please visit www.posthotel.com
Famed French Chef Joël Robuchon has created a menu “degustation” unparalleled by any restaurant in Vegas, and likely by any restaurant in North America. From the decadent 13 course list, to the exquisite delicacy of the ingredients, to the soaring bill you will face when all is said and done, Robuchon is far more than a meal; it is an unforgettable event.
The wine list is, to be sure, out of this world. But the varied flavors on the tasting menu make picking the perfect wine a challenge, if not impossible. With a desire to match at least most of the courses and to indulge in a wine as fine as the meal, we selected a Burgundy –Cote de Nuit, Dom Rene Engel 2002. Our sommelier was supremely knowledgeable, and as French as they come–an unusual encounter in a city as American and over-the-top as Vegas. And of course, the fleet of servers and attendants is constantly clearing away this, and refilling that, before you even know your needs. The service is so good and attentive it is almost too good, taking perhaps a fraction of intimacy away from the meal.
And so one cannot imagine a place to stay that could surpass the grand Chateau Lake Louise that sits overlooks the lake and stands seemingly level to the mountains. A lakeside room may be the finest accommodations on the planet. But setting “setting” aside, there is another place tucked away in Lake Louise. If it lacks the supreme view, it more than makes up for this shortcoming in terms of service, dining, and other luxuries.
And it is only the beginning of the luxuries. The rooms, cozy and attractive with wood-beamed ceilings, are outfitted with fine sheets and down pillows and comforters. You sink into the homey yet tastefully patterned sofas and chairs set in front of the fireplace. Bathrooms are spacious, clean and modern, complete with an air tub and fine Aveda products. Even the towels are lofty and cozy. And this is just the sort of touch that you come to expect at the Post Hotel where the greatest attention is paid to the smallest detail to make you feel transported, pampered, and worry-free.
The hotel itself is spacious, with a main building, and several private cottages along the mountain brook. If you need a change of scenery from your room or the unparalleled outdoors, an attractive reading room,the great room of the chalet, is steps away. Comfy reading chairs, board games, and walls lined with books make this room a particularly homey and relaxing way to spend a few hours.
Consider the Post while at Lake Louise. Yes–visit the lake, take the scenic hikes, book a seating for High Tea at the Chateau, and dine at the Waliser Stube there for a classic cheese fondue–nobody does this better than the chateau. But you will not regret returning to the Post to be pampered, to luxuriate over food and wine, to be served like you are a cherished guest. This is what a holiday is all about.