Oak + Cru

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

RauDZ Regional Table

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

NUDO Ramen House

Our original plan for Spokane in terms of dinner was The Flying Goat.  However, we were pretty much settled into our hotel in Downtown and didn't really feel like heading back out with the car.  Furthermore, we were pretty much sick of all the fried chicken and BBQ that we'd been consuming since we left LA.  Yes, #firstworldproblems I know...  So we went for plan B and decided to walk a few blocks over to Nudo where we would have the opportunity to eat some noodles in soup.  Get it?  Nudo?  (noodle...).  Yes, we knew the place wasn't exactly an authentic Asian restaurant, but that didn't matter to us.

Before we got to the "nudo", we had the Popcorn Shrimp which had way too much going on in our opinion.  When we could find a nugget of shrimp, it was over-battered.  It was cold-water crunchy though, so texturally, it was okay.  The goopy mess of sweet soy and sweet mayo just made things too heavy and over-seasoned.  I would've much preferred the sauces on the side.  This was a definite miss for us.  Next, the Red Sauce Pork Wontons were decent.  Feature a delicate dumpling wrapper, the wontons were fairly light and cooked just right.  The pork was tender and juicy while being lean.  We found the sauce to have a mild kick to go with the salty sweetness. No, these were not the typical Szechuan-style, but at the same time, they were good in their own way.

Onto the mains, everyone had a bowl of ramen except for me.  I went for the Pineapple Curry Fried Rice with BBQ Eel.  Okay, let me get this out of the way first...  This dish was really sweet.  Combining chunks of pineapple with the syrupy sweet glaze of the unagi sauce totally overwhelmed the curry essence.  This was disappointing since the fried rice itself was deliciously caramelized and nutty.  Furthermore, the large piece of buttery eel was great on its own.  Maybe this could've been 2 separate dishes.  Onto the ramen, my son ordered the Shoyu that included BBQ pork, soft boiled egg, corn, nori, fish cake, inari and bean sprouts.  All of the components were quite good including the al dente fresh ramen noodles and well-charred pork.  Egg was runny too.  However, the soup was pretty weak where we could taste the soy sauce (shoyu), but little else.  There was no depth or any other discernible flavors.

Fortunately, my daughter's Tonkotsu Ramen was more flavorful, albeit just slightly.  Consisting of the same ingredients, there wasn't anything different in that regard to the shoyu.  However, the meatiness of the 15-hour pork broth came through with umaminess and body.  With that being said, it was still lacked depth.  The best broth had to be Viv's Spicy Miso as it had a slight kick to go with the fermented bean essence.  Even with that, this was on the sweeter side and we were expecting more saltiness.  Okay, to be frank, the ramen at Nudo was actually decent.  However, with all of the ramen we've tried elsewhere, this was pretty average in comparison.  Now if we look at Nudo in a vacuum and only consider where it is located, then it becomes slightly above average.

The Good:
- Modern dining space
- Solid service
- Decent

The Bad:
- Decent for the area, but it would be lacking in a metropolitan such as Seattle

Congratulations to the winner of this year's draw!

As you can see in the picture, the winner this year of the $100 GC to any restaurant is Irene T!  Congrats.  Contact me with a DM to admin@shermansfoodadventures.com

Notorious P.I.G.

After a full day at Yellowstone (probably not enough, needed 2 days at least!) and an overnight in Bozeman, it was time to make our way back home.  Our plan for the day was to drive west through Montana, then a small section of Idaho and ending for the day in Spokane, Washington.  Prior to that, we had a scheduled stop in Missoula, Montana for some lunch.   I guess we weren't the only ones with that plan as the place was packed and we settled on a table inside with crappy lighting.  Hence the below-average pics from my smartphone.

We ended up getting the Old Joe Platter where we could chose any 3 sandwiches plus a full slab of ribs and 4 sides for $52.00.  A good deal if you ask me!  So we ended up with the Tri-Tip Sirloin with Deviled Egg Potato Salad. as well as the Beef Brisket with Slaw.  They didn't mess around with the meats as they piled it on the soft ciabatta.  Smoky and tender, the tri-tip was not as dry as it appeared.  Loved the eggy potato salad as it was creamy with bits of tender potato. As for the brisket, it was also tender with enough moisture that it wasn't chewy.  Lots of smokiness and seasoning from the caramelized rub.  Slaw was fresh and crunchy.

Despite being super skeptical, we got the Turkey sandwich with Smoked Gouda Mac n' Cheese.  Normally, smoked turkey can be dry and lifeless, but this was super moist and dare I say, juicy.  It was flavorful and ultimately (gasp), our favorite of the bunch.  The side of mac was delicious with the silky smokiness of the cheese.  Yes, this was the best sammie, but the Full Slab of Ribs were also very good.  The meat fell off the bone yet retained its texture.  It was tender with a balanced amount of smoke and only the slightest effect from the rub.  A thin layer of tangy BBQ sauce added just enough moisture and added taste.  No wonder the place was so busy, the food was very good and the prices even better!  Great choice for a quick lunch while passing through.

The Good:
- Fair pricing
- Super-friendly service
- Well-prepared meats

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit limited, so you need to wait
- Parking was surprisingly hard to find

Roost Fried Chicken

I've always had Yellowstone National Park on my bucket list and every year that passed by, it seemed to be forgotten, with other destinations taking precedent.  So when we had the chance to add it to our already long road trip, it wasn't a very hard decision.  Despite the crowds, we thoroughly enjoyed the diverse ecological spots in the park and spent the entire day exploring.  As such, our desire to hit up Triple D's featured restaurant, Roost Fried Chicken, in Bozeman appeared to be impossible as it would be closed by the time we got there.  Viv did her best driving, making up a tonne of time and we actually made it just before last call.

Of course we had Fried Chicken on our minds as I ordered the whole bird Southern style with 2 biscuits and 2 large sides.  If there was any question about the freshness, it was all answered by our nearly 30-minute wait.  We weren't bothered by it since the chicken was very good.  Crunchy and fairly well-seasoned, the batter was on point with rendered skin.  Most of the chicken was juicy except the breast was a touch on the drier side.  We didn't like the biscuits as they were dry and hard.  The side of Broccoli with cheese was terrible as it was woefully overdone.  However, the Loaded Grits were creamy and thick with lots of cheese, bacon and green onion on top.  We weren't able to get the mac n' cheese since they were sold out for the night.

To get a taste of spice, we also got the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with lettuce, comeback sauce and pickles.  This was rather saucy and indeed had a kick.  I wouldn't say it was super spicy though.  Chicken was tender and almost juicy while the batter still had a slight crunch.  We got a side of fries with it and it was hot and crunchy.  Also added the coleslaw and it was freshly crunchy albeit rather bland.  In general, the chicken at Roost was pretty solid and definitely hit the spot after a long day at Yellowstone.  Too bad about being so late as we missed some of the other items (as they were sold out).  Maybe that is why the broccoli was so terrible (at the day).

The Good:
- Solid fried chicken
- Good service
- Fair pricing

The Bad:
- Some sides were meh
- Long wait, but chicken is made from scratch

Red Iguana

When I was originally planning this road trip, I had considered making the long drive from Bryce Canyon to West Yellowstone in one day.  Hey, it was only 8 hours according to Google Maps!  Upon reflection, it really would've made for driving purgatory, especially in the heat of summer.  Furthermore, the kids might've planned a mutiny as a result.  So back to the drawing board and it was clear that we should really stop in Salt Lake City.  We ended up visiting their most famous attraction in Temple Square and then heading out for eats at one of their most popular restaurants - the Red Iguana.

Featured on Triple-D's, I guess we had to eat here?  Get the double reference?  Nevermind...  Anyways, we arrived early and not only snagged a parking spot, we secured a table within minutes.  Before we got to the food (and it took awhile since the menu was so long!), a basket of Tortilla Chips and fresh salsa hit the table.  Hey these were good being crispy and light while the salsa had a real nice kick.  To help me decide which of the Moles I would ultimately order, they brought out a plate with all of them for me to sample.  These included from the top left: Verde, Coloradito, Red Pipen, Almond, Negro, Amarillo, Poblano and Mango in the middle.  Each had their own unique qualities including the smoky nuttiness of the negro and sweet aromatics of the poblano.  Bright and mild, the verde tasted like it appeared while the coloradito was nutty with depth of spice.  The red pippen was salty and nutty whereas the mango was sweet with a prawn-like aftertaste.  Lastly, the almond exhibited pumpkin and the associated fall spices.

I ended up choosing the Amarillo with turkey and a side of Spanish rice, refried beans and flour tortillas.  If we focus solely on the mole, it was fantastic.  So much depth and balanced spice from the aji and habenero chilis.  Sweetness was provided by the golden raisins as well as the tomatoes.  This went really well with the tortillas.  However, I wasn't a huge fan of the turkey as it was pretty dry.  Yes, I do understand turkey can be lean, but this was not all that appealing in my opinion.  Viv decided on the Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo.  This consisted of shredded chicken atop a tostada with refried beans, lettuce, cheese, crema and salsa.  By visuals alone, it was obvious this would be one of the lighter dishes.  The chicken was tender and mildly spiced while the crunch of the lettuce and crema kept things fresh and bright.

My son went for their signature dish being the Puntas de Filete a la Nortena or top sirloin strips sauteed with bacon, jalapeno, onions and fresh tomatoes atop almond mole.  This was another huge portion consisting of meaty sirloin with a surprisingly mild array of flavors.  Maybe I was expecting something more impactful, but nevertheless, it was tasty.  There was an aromatic nuttiness to the dish accented by the slightest touch of spice and fattiness from the bacon.  For my daughter, she went for the other featured item being the Enchilada Nuevo Mexico.  It featured seasoned beef cooked with corn kernels, potatoes and spices topped with sauce made from dried chili guajillo, jack cheese and egg.  This was actually pretty spicy and she needed quite a bit of water on the side.  Hence, it resulted in a full-bodied flavor that was a bit smoky and plenty rich.  Again, this was a huge portion as it also came with rice and refried beans.  As evidenced in the pictures, they don't mess around when it comes to portion sizes.  We thought the food was pretty solid, yet at the same time, not sure if we would wait in line for it.

The Good:
- Huge portions
- Friendly people
- Big menu

The Bad:
- Good, but not worth the lineup IMO