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So after nearly 3 weeks, we were close to the end of our epic road trip. On the morning that we were scheduled to drive back home, we decided to keep our lunch simple. Sure, there are many great places in Kelowna for brunch/lunch, but we were tired and uninspired. Therefore, we merely walked downstairs from our room at the Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort to Oak + Cru. I was already warned that we might have an average experience here and that we were prepared for. Hey, who knows, maybe we might get lucky (with the food that is...).
Let's just say even if the food wasn't good, the location and view was worth the price already. So onto the eats, my son decided on the O+C Burger sporting 2 wagyu beef patties, cheddar, smoked bacon, sweet onions, lettuce, pickles, vine ripe tomatoes and Russian dressing on sesame brioche. This was pretty good! The meat was tender with enough moisture while the abundance of produce was fresh (although he didn't eat any of it!). Bacon was crispy and there was plenty of melted cheddar. Fries were crispy too. For myself, I went for the Baked Mac + Cheese with herb crumb topping and a side salad. Although the cheese blend wasn't sharp enough for my liking, it didn't mean the dish wasn't flavourful. I found it rather aromatic and salty enough for impact. Noodles were al dente and the sauce was the right viscosity.
Viv decided on the Fish Tacos with halibut, corn tortilla, cilantro-amarillo mayo, guacamole, cabbage, queso fresco and jalapeno. The smallish piece of halibut was flaky and moist with a thin crispy batter. Veggies were fresh and crunchy while the mayo had a fairly strong cilantro aftertaste. This dish would fall in the "not bad" category. Of note, the green salad on the side (same with my dish) was supremely fresh with berries and tomatoes. My daughter had the Pizza Margherita which was nicely blistered on the top. Although the crust was fairly thin, it was a bit dry and too chewy. On the other hand, the San Marzano tomatoes in the sauce were tangy and impactful. Okay, let's just say the food wasn't going to win any awards, but for us, it did the job and was better than expected. Combined with the gorgeous view, we left satisfied.
The Good:
- Outstanding location and view
- Food was more than acceptable
- Decent service
The Bad:
- Pricey for what you get
- There are better choices for the pricing
Believe it or not, I haven't been back in Kelowna since 2007. Yep, we were passing by on our way to Alberta and stayed for the night. Plenty has changed since then as the place has gotten more popular and hence busier with a larger population. For me personally, we rolled into town without a care in the world as the kiddies are much older and Viv didn't have a headache from them fighting in the backseat this time around. We quickly checked into the Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort and made the short stroll over to one of the more well-known spots in town - RauDZ Regional Table.
We were seated in a rather darker part of the restaurant amongst a packed crowd, hence, I decided to just use my phone camera (hence, the crappy photos). Our first item arrived pretty quickly in the Popcorn prepared with warm bacon drippings, cracked pepper and parmesan. This was sinfully delicious being fluffy and aromatic from the bacon fat. The bite from the pepper varied the heaviness as there was also the salty parm. From this dish to the Charcuterie Board, it took 40 minutes. No joke, I timed it! It would've been nice if someone would've let us know or apologized for it. Anyways, the board consisted of cured meats, house made terrine, smoked fish pate, poached prawns, artisan cheese, olives, pickles, mustard and crostinis. This was pretty good where the terrine could've been seasoned more aggressively. I thought the fish pate was interesting with an appealing fishy smokiness.
We also got the House-made Pan Bread with flavoured butter and Okanagan stone fruit vinegar. Bread was made-to-order and we enjoyed the crustiness of the exterior combined with the fluffy interior. The vinegar provided a nice hit of acidity. Right next to it, the Confit Leg Poutine with cheese curds and pan gravy was good except we felt the fries were too thin and hence did not stand up well to the gravy. We loved the chicken as it was tender with a brined bounce-like texture. Legit squeaky cheese curds too. Rather than settling for the appetizer version of the Handmade Parmesan Gnocchi, we ordered the larger portion and added a grilled chicken thigh for good measure. This was a well-prepared dish where the gnocchi was fluffy with enough firmness to provide a bite. The grilled chicken was perfect with enough char for colour and flavour while the meat was tender. Umaminess was provided by the Okanagan mushroom bordelaise and some morel powder on top.
Completing the meal, we had both the Arctic Char and the 8 oz. New York Steak. Surrounded by greens and array of veggies, the arctic char was oat-crusted and drizzled with browned maple butter. We felt the char was decently moist yet could've been cooked just a tad less. We thought most of the veggies were on point except for the completely burnt string bean. Flavours were mild with only the slightest sweetness from the sauce. As for the steak, it was perfectly medium-rare and topped with Qualicum blue cheese and peppercorn sauce. Suffice to say, the steak was not wanting for more seasoning. The creamy sharpness of the cheese went well with the peppercorns. The side of hasselback potato was pretty good. Overall, we thought the food at RauDZ to be solid albeit not mind-blowing either. The experience might've been tainted by the incredibly long wait for food too. That was most unfortunate.
The Good:
- Solid eats
- Service was good despite the wait
- Well-prepared proteins
The Bad:
- Wait was too long for food and no explanation was provided
- Pricey
Posts
So after nearly 3 weeks, we were close to the end of our epic road trip. On the morning that we were scheduled to drive back home, we decided to keep our lunch simple. Sure, there are many great places in Kelowna for brunch/lunch, but we were tired and uninspired. Therefore, we merely walked downstairs from our room at the Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort to Oak + Cru. I was already warned that we might have an average experience here and that we were prepared for. Hey, who knows, maybe we might get lucky (with the food that is...).
Let's just say even if the food wasn't good, the location and view was worth the price already. So onto the eats, my son decided on the O+C Burger sporting 2 wagyu beef patties, cheddar, smoked bacon, sweet onions, lettuce, pickles, vine ripe tomatoes and Russian dressing on sesame brioche. This was pretty good! The meat was tender with enough moisture while the abundance of produce was fresh (although he didn't eat any of it!). Bacon was crispy and there was plenty of melted cheddar. Fries were crispy too. For myself, I went for the Baked Mac + Cheese with herb crumb topping and a side salad. Although the cheese blend wasn't sharp enough for my liking, it didn't mean the dish wasn't flavourful. I found it rather aromatic and salty enough for impact. Noodles were al dente and the sauce was the right viscosity.
Viv decided on the Fish Tacos with halibut, corn tortilla, cilantro-amarillo mayo, guacamole, cabbage, queso fresco and jalapeno. The smallish piece of halibut was flaky and moist with a thin crispy batter. Veggies were fresh and crunchy while the mayo had a fairly strong cilantro aftertaste. This dish would fall in the "not bad" category. Of note, the green salad on the side (same with my dish) was supremely fresh with berries and tomatoes. My daughter had the Pizza Margherita which was nicely blistered on the top. Although the crust was fairly thin, it was a bit dry and too chewy. On the other hand, the San Marzano tomatoes in the sauce were tangy and impactful. Okay, let's just say the food wasn't going to win any awards, but for us, it did the job and was better than expected. Combined with the gorgeous view, we left satisfied.
