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Maple Leaf Grill

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hoplight
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Best Dining in Banff

  • February 18, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by callen60 from Ozarks, Missouri
Best Dining in Banff

We debated among three comparably priced and well-reviewed restaurants for dinner on the night of our anniversary. Nothing is too far apart in Banff, so we walked by each of them, examined the menus, peeked inside them all, and eventually settled on the Maple Leaf Grille. I’m glad we did.

In addition to our mini-tour of restaurants, one of those mandatory hotel-room tourism books helped tip the scales towards the Maple Leaf. In between the glossy photos, mostly useless articles, and copious ads was a one-page feature with eight top chefs' opinions about the best places to go, best food, best presentation, etc. No one named their own restaurant, but most named Maple Leaf Grille.

Located beneath the King Edward Hotel on Banff Avenue, it has a prime location to go with its reputation. The lounge downstairs is a pleasant, open space, with restaurant seating on one end and tables surrounded with large, very comfortable-looking leather chairs on the other end with the bar; the two spaces are divided by the stairwell leading up to the main dining room. When we popped in at lunchtime, it was awfully tempting to settle in for a drink, and enjoy the bright sunlight with a cold drink instead of cold hands. When we returned at 7 pm for our reservation, we were offered our choice of seating, and opted for the dining room upstairs.

Both rooms are done in a lodge style, with similar large and light woods. Where the downstairs feels open and spacious, the upstairs is cozy: sort of a dining mezzanine. Our 4-top was tucked against a pillar, with soft bench seating along the wall and a stack of comfy pillows at the end. (I was tempted to recline, but my wife sternly shook her head.) Although we lost the very intimate feeling of our cove-like location when two young families were seated next to us, the entire space stayed quiet through the whole evening. Plus, it was fun to watch their young kids and think about our own.

The wine list was excellent, featuring over 600 wines and proudly displaying recognition by Wine Spectator. Some excellent Canadian wines make up a non-trivial fraction of that number, but a beer just sounded good for starters, and we both ordered a Kokanee, and never made it back to the wine list.

The menu was large but not overwhelming, and each section had a healthy number of attractive choices. Curried meat balls with mint-scented yogurt, spring rolls with chili plum sauce, a hoisin duck lettuce wrap, seared scallops with wild boar bacon: we debated all these and settled on a trio of dips. The smoked salmon, buffalo mozzarella/tomato, and curried chicken came with a platter of crostini, and were an excellent start to the meal.

Both the ‘butcher block’ and seafood options were tempting, particularly a eastern seaboard cod with fennel and a gherkin aioli, but I’m in a rare phase where chicken just sounds awfully, awfully good. The prosciutto chicken had a chicken breast pounded thin, and rolled around a stuffing of sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olives, and then wrapped with prosciutto, covered in herbed bread crumbs and served on a bed of linguine. I get hungry thinking about it again: although the chicken was thin, it wasn’t dry, and the tastes were amazing. My wife opted for the apple-crusted pork tenderloin, which was accompanied by herbed mashed potatoes and a mustard au jus. The tenderloins were arranged nearly vertically, looking like an architectural construction, but she wasted no time laying them horizontal and dissembling them.

We weren’t in need of any additional food, but if you don’t splurge on your anniversary, when will you? I reluctantly passed on the crème brulee trio (maple, espresso and white chocolate raspberry) so that we could share the dense, rich flourless chocolate cake. Three or four cups of coffee later, I could still taste the chocolate.

This was an excellent meal, perfect for the special occasion we were celebrating. The server was pleasant, attentive, and unobtrusive, providing just enough of a presence to ensure we were lacking nothing, and not becoming a part of our evening. I hope I get the chance to come here again.

From journal Mountain Hospitality: Dining and Lodging in Banff

Editor Pick

Maple Leaf Grill

  • July 2, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by jenandfrank from New York, New York
Maple Leaf Grill

Located on the corner of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street is this very ski-lodge looking restaurant. Serving pan-Canadian cuisine with floor to ceiling windows, maple colored wood and a warm feeling inside and out. We found the staff to be very friendly from the hostess to the waiter. The bar is off to the right and there are two dining areas; to the left and upstairs. The bar area is set up almost like a lounge with lots of seating, windows, and TVs behind the bar. After being seated we were served some delicious olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip an assortment of warm bread in. The tables were fairly plain, keeping with the theme of the restaurant, resort casual.

The menu was a nice size and the chef boasts the fact that he uses the best ingredients from around the world. Appetizer options were; grilled calamari, lobster cappuccino, French Canadian onion soup, Canadian Cesar salad, spinach salad, brushetta, dugeonous crab cake and a seafood tower (with 3 serving sizes). We chose the grilled calamari which was served with black olives, spinach and pita in a butter sauce (11 CAD). Very good. The lobster cappuccino was basically bisque with large pieces of lobster. The menu boasted that is was "award winning" (19 CAD) – honestly it was good, not great and a very small portion for 19 bucks. The brushetta was served in a decorative sectioned bowl with hummus, tomato "salad" and zucchini & peppers (see picture). This came with large pieces of bread cut like sticks, served in a tower. Excellent and definitely enough for two.

Entrée options were chicken, bison filet mignon, 4 eclectic pastas, elk, salmon and beef tenderloin. The chicken was served with roasted mash potatoes and goat cheese and the bison filet mignon had blue cheese, asparagus, broccoli and scalloped potatoes (see picture - we ordered medium, it came medium well .. but still delicious as was the chicken). Although we were too stuffed for dessert some choices were; crème brule, hot chocolate lava cake, cheese tray, sorbet, gelato, cheesecake and an apple tart.

Every course was presented beautifully, and the waiter was more than happy to explain dishes, offer opinions, recommend wine, etc. Maple Grill offers a huge wine list – 40 pages (wine by the glass started on page 36), I believe the waiter said they have over 150 Canadian wines alone! Awarded the Wine Spectator of Excellence in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Reservations required during peak season. Limited parking (on the street). Our bill was 107 Canadian with 2 glasses of wine (7.50 Canadian each), 3 appetizers and one entrée. Open for lunch from 11 am-5 pm and dinner from 5-11 pm. Casual dress attire. Accepts all major credit cards. www.banffmapleleaf.com

From journal Breathtaking Banff

Maple Leaf Grill

  • December 29, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Pizzaman12 from Ashburn, Virginia

We had dined at a few places in Banff thusfar without a memorable experience. We were attracted to Maple Leaf because of its Wine Spectator award. As obvious tourists, we were seated at a table on the second floor overlooking Banff Avenue. The wines by the glass were outstanding. Our appetizers were good, but not great. We had a lobster cappuccino, which was imaginative, but not flavorful.

However, our entrees were much more enjoyable. My wife enjoyed a duck dish with a beautifully seasoned cherry sauce, while I tried elk tenderloin for the first time. I did not find it overly gamey, and the rosemary demiglace that accompanied it was very enjoyable. The souffle I tried for dessert was above average, but not as good as Morton's (my favorite souffle). My wife had a trio of strawberry items that was flavorful and well-presented. Our waiter was very knowledgable, with an excellent personality. Based on our other dining experiences in Banff, I would highly recommend this as one of your stops in Banff.

From journal Canadian Rockies

Maple Leaf

  • April 23, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by DrewD from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
You can get a nice taste of "Canadian cuisine" - again, who knew? I highly recommend the Alberta beef, as well as the surprisingly pleasant British Columbian whites. They also feature bison and other Canadian carnivores. It is right off the main drag in town and provides a tasty getaway from the usual burgers and beers.

From journal Spring Skiing in Banff/Lake Louise

The Maple Leaf

  • December 14, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by justin23 from Rothesay, New Brunswick
The Maple Leaf offers the finest food as well as service. The atmosphere is tremendous - the two-storey restaurant is finished in all maple, with the upstairs taking a rustic approach. The servers and hosts provide excellent service and suggestions for your vacation. They are locals, so they know what goes on every night of the week. The Maple Leaf has an excellent chef who provides the finest dishes I came across in my travels through Alberta.

From journal A white paradise in Banff

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