Saltlik

bwesthoven guide
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
4
Photos
Editor Pick

Saltlik

  • July 2, 2006
  • Rated 2 of 5 by jenandfrank from New York, New York
Saltlik

Saltlik is broken into two parts; the "Lik Lounge" and the restaurant. The lounge is plain old sports bar on the main floor with lots of TVs, a few tables, large bar and scantily dressed women serving the masses. Sort of like Hooters with the wait-staff being comprised of young pretty girls dressed in belly shirts and short skirts, serving all men. Happy hour in the lounge is from 5pm-2am, which is the longest happy hour I have ever heard of. The restaurant upstairs has a hip mountain lodge atmosphere with vaulted wood ceilings and a huge wood burning stove with a copper hood in the center of the floor. There are booths on the perimeter with dark wood tables in the center of the room, all spaced very well apart. The wait staff are in all black and the menus themselves are monstrosities made of wood and metal.

Oddly enough, they do not serve any bread, breadsticks, olives – nothing to snack on pre-meal. I guess they are just too hip for that sort of thing. Appetizer options include: french onion soup, curry cheese plate, calamari, escargot and dry ribs. We ordered the "almost famous dry ribs" which were served on an over-flowing plate, marinated in a honey glaze and easily an appetizer for two people. Entrees included three salads, surf and turf, pork chops, ribs, halibut, salmon and steaks. The steaks, which they are "famous" for are cooked in 1200 degree infrared ovens – sounds like a gimmick to me. We ordered the spicy ceaser salad and a bone-in ribeye. The salad came covered in pepper flakes, with about 4 ounces of chicken and a handful of spicy croutons. It was smothered in a creamy dressing and the chicken was severely under-cooked. The salad was definitely not a bell ringer and to be honest, I love spicy food, but covering lettuce with pepper flakes is hardly my idea of spicy eating. Terrible. The steak was served ala carte, which is typical of steakhouses and was in fact very good. We ordered two loaded baked potatoes, which were served plain and the waiter came over with a platter of toppings; bacon, sour cream and chives that were cut fresh at the table.

Had I known in advance that we would be charged EXTRA for a dipping bowl’s worth of vinegar (for my salad) and a 1oz. cup of steak sauce – I would have never sat down to eat. 1.50 CAD – EACH!!!! This annoyed me more than words can describe. The entrees range in price from 17-35 CAD. Attire is comfortable, open from 11 am – 2 am. Accepts MasterCard and Visa. Locations in Vancouver and Calgary as well. The staff is friendly but slow. The menu is not really for kids, nor is the atmosphere. We made reservations but the restaurant was empty mid-week, off season. Recommended for steak or to watch the game with the boys – otherwise don’t bother.

From journal Breathtaking Banff

Saltlik

  • December 16, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by JGeddes from Calgary, Alberta
Very nice, laid-back place with a great selection of drinks and food. I had a great turkey sandwich that could have made all four of us full. I really enjoyed the meal, and will go back again.

From journal Ski trip with friends to Banff AB

Editor Pick

Saltlik

One of the things a traveler hears a lot about when visiting Alberta is its famous beef. The Saltlik does a mighty fine job in preparing this local source of pride.

According to their literature, Saltlik cooks its fine cuts of beef in "a 1200 degree infrared oven." My husband and I were very impressed with the quality of the beef, the seasoning and cooking of the meat and the array of sauces that the chef created to pair with the various cuts of meat.

Entrees are served on their own and side dishes come in portions that are large enough to satisfy two or three people. We chose the seasonal vegetable which was a lovely grilled asparagus with fresh parmesan cheese shaved over the top. My husband loved it. It's hard to convey just how remarkable this was, but he rarely eats anything green and never, never raves about vegetables.

We also had some shoe string fries which were very hot, very crisp and nicely seasoned and a terrific pairing for the steak.

The wine selection is more than adequate. Our server was knowledgeable and able to make good recommendations. There are more than a dozen choices of wine by the glass and eight beers on tap, according to the menu.

The dining room has the feel of an upscale ski lodge with vaulted ceilings, a fireplace and some nice original art work.

We chose a molten chocolate cake for dessert. It was especially wonderful drenched with the port recommended by our server. Espresso and after dinner drinks are available.

We seriously considered returning to Saltlik for a second night, but wanted to get out and have as many different dining experiences as possible in our short stay, so we didn't give in. On my next visit, however, it will be one of my first stops.

From journal Spring skiing and relaxing in Canadian Rockies

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