The secret is out about the Okanagan.
This month, USA Today named the area the second best wine-growing region to visit in the world, and for good reason. The Okanagan is definitely a place that allows for long, lazy days of meandering from one award-winning winery to the next, sipping all manner of varietals and blends.
But this region is also home to some of the best food producers and growers in the world, meaning local chefs have unparalleled bounty to work with. And what they do with it can blow your mind – and palate – right out of the vineyard. From Kelowna in the north to Osoyoos in the south, here are 10 dining destinations you won’t want to miss. Some are brand new, some are more established, but all are outstanding and offer a fantastic taste of the (more than) OK valley.
Old Vines at Quail’s Gate Estate Winery
This stunning location overlooking the Boucherie Mountain Bench slopes down to Lake Okanagan, offering views of vines, water, and mountains. It’s the food that will blow you away, however, thanks to the incredible passion and dedication of executive chef Roger Sleiman. Almost everything is sourced within BC, with the bulk coming from the fields and gardens in the surrounding area, including chef’s own. Open year-round, the menus change seasonally, but BC spot prawns with ricotta ravioli were standout, especially when paired with Quail’s Gate excellent rosé.
Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill
Open May through mid-October, this stunning stone-colonnaded outdoor space offers another stunning view of lake, vines and mountains. More importantly, the food is as pretty as the surroundings, and thanks to executive winery chef Chris Stewart, it’s almost all sourced locally. Try the grilled octopus with madras yogurt and lentils with a glass of the Martin’s Lane Viognier for kicks.
Salted Brick
Brand-new to downtown Kelowna, this small charcuterie and wine bar is run by first-time owner/chef Jason Liezert, who readers might remember from his time in Vancouver at Boneta, Save On Meats, Corner Suite Bistro, and The Parker. Liezert butchers and cures all of his own locally-sourced and ethically-raised meats, and sources local artisan cheeses, and wines from the Okanagan and Pacific Northwest.
Check out the meat fridge for takeaway items, enjoy a charcuterie plate at one of the high tops, or indulge in one of the massive sammies, like the slow-roasted brisket or the smoked tongue off the dinner menu.
Local Lounge & Grille
Chef Lee Humphries was mourned by Vancouverites when he left the helm of C Restaurant to move his family to the Okanagan and take over the toque at Local, but Humphries has found his stride, and every step is delicious. The food here is all about casual comfort, but it’s done with inventive twists and local, seasonal ingredients. Match it with a bottle from the stellar wine list and take it out onto the patio to enjoy the unobstructed lake view. Don’t miss the chicken-fried oyster mushrooms from local cultivator What the Fungus (WTF) or the two-burger combo with ground chuck, smoked bacon, pickled beets and a fried egg.
Burger 55
Speaking of burgers, when in Penticton, all roads lead to Burger 55. What started as a tiny shack off the railroad tracks has morphed into a busy bricks and mortar establishment that features customized burgers with serious cred. Pick a bun (or tortilla, or salad), pick your meat (I recommend the lamb or AAA Angus beef) and then go crazy with cheeses, toppings and sauces. Grilled peaches with beet strings, “drunk” caramelized onions and feta cheese graced my lamb burger and created a monster that need a little more than two fists to handle properly. Neatness not included.
Bogner’s of Penticton
Over 35 years ago, this secluded heritage home in downtown Penticton was transformed into Granny Bogner’s, loved by locals for its country home cooking and surrounding gardens. Today, under the ownership of Chef Darin Paterson, it has become one of the city’s fine dining destinations.
Practically self-sufficient in the summer and fall months, thanks to the private farm operated nearby by the restaurant staff, as well as the onsite kitchen gardens, it’s not uncommon to gaze through a window and see one of the kitchen staff run out to clip some leaves for the hyper-local caesar salad or pull some herbs with which to garnish your meat. The menu changes frequently, based on what’s available locally on any given day, including the lamb that is raised a few miles away.
Paterson also has rotating prix fixe barbecue menus on Friday and Saturday nights that include five courses for a reasonable amount. By the glass selections are very reasonable, like the Van Westen Voluptuous red, which goes for $11. Pair it with the braised lamb ragu over the housemade gnocchi.
Theo’s Restaurant
In Vancouver, Greek food is that cheap thing you line up for on Davie Street, but in Penticton, it’s a culinary showcase that shows you what you’ve been missing. Theo’s has been quietly serving happy locals for almost 40 years, but has yet to be discovered by most out-of-town visitors, which is a shame.
The building was constructed in 1976 as a re-creation of a village in Crete, complete with indoor vines and plants, secluded balconies (including a Romeo and Juliet balcony where just-engaged couples have carved their names) and an authentic mix of stucco, tile and stone. The same family has been running it all these years, and currently Nikos Theodosokis (son of the founding couple) handles operations. T
he grape leaves for the delicious and moist dolmathes come from their own vines, and are still made daily by Nikos’ mother. The hummus and taramasalata are not to be missed, and the roast lamb – the benchmark for any good Greek restaurant – is a large juicy shoulder baked over oregano branches and dressed with garlic, lemon, white wine and mustard.
Smoke & Oak Bistro
Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery’s new bistro is all about the barbecue—and the spaetzle. If you think that’s an odd combination, then it might help to know that winery founder Adolf Kruger is of Germanic origin and knows a thing or three about German noodles.
The winery’s emphasis on grapes like gewurztramienr and riesling made barbecue a perfect fit, and chef Sarren Wolfe uses vineyard cuttings and wine barrels to smoke the meats in an authentic competition smoker imported from Tennessee. The sauce is made from local fruit and Wild Goose wine, and all meats are served with spaetzle made from Kruger’s family recipe. Go for the smoked pork ribs with spaetzle, baked beans and salad or the monstrous share platter, which gives you a little taste of everything.
Miradoro
Featuring another Vancouver transplant—this time former Aurora Bistro owner/chef Jeff Van Geest—Miradoro has solidly ensconced itself as the south Okanagan’s top dining destination. Located at the award-winning Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, the restaurant is a partnership between the winery and Manuel Ferreira, founding owner of Le Gavroche in Vancouver.
Van Geest is a perfect fit here, as the local, seasonal, ethical, sustainable ethos that he championed at Aurora is given free reign here, and the results are innovative and inspired. Classic Neapolitan pizzas like the bascaiola, with sweet fennel sausage, grilled mushrooms, confit garlic and chilies over a cream base, are excellent, but the dinner menu is where Chef’s talents are truly let loose. Morel-crusted elk, pork belly in a gewürtz glaze, or more of those heady pizzas are all worth trying. Menus change frequently, which makes each visit a welcome surprise.
Joy Road Vineyard Kitchen
Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart of Joy Road Catering have long been lauded as two of the best chefs in the Okanagan. Their legendary al fresco winery dinners at God’s Mountain Resort in Penticton are a local byword, and you can catch them every weekend at the Penticton Farmers’ Market, selling their rustic Okanagan fruit galettes.
Now, they have a permanent kitchen at Black Hills Estate Winery in Oliver, and everyone’s rejoicing. The menu focuses on small plates and snacks, like the excellent faro, cucumber and French radish salad with salsa verde and sweet onion, or the fall-apart meatballs. Don’t miss the Berkshire pork, raised by Ewart and Smith, or the heartier pizzas, like the green garlic pesto with house smoked bacon, potato and goat’s cheese, or the fennel sausage meatballs with fresh arugula, provolone and heirloom tomatoes.
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
