restaurantREVIEW - Steakhouse tradition with a warm welcome

Steakhouse tradition with a warm welcome

MARCH 2007 — VOLUME 5 ISSUE 3

Warmth, hospitality and family are all key ingredients that make the Sun Peaks Lodge Steakhouse a delicious dining option at the resort.

Owner Mario Erler, along with wife and business partner Silvia and chef Dennis Bond, operates the 80-seat steakhouse within the Sun Peaks Lodge, just back from the village walkway.

Guests of the steakhouse are welcomed personally by Erler when they arrive at the restaurant. The feeling of comfort and relaxation is something the Erlers work very hard to convey to the guests they welcome to both Sun Peaks Lodge and to the steakhouse. They invite everyone from families with young children to couples looking for an intimate meal, from small groups to larger parties, to come and spend an evening with them.

“We open up at five o’clock. Families with little ones are more than welcome from five o’clock onwards. It’s still quiet and the kids can be a bit louder. Then later, the more mature guests [join us],” Erler explains. “People sometimes don’t know that we open at five, and that we’re kid-friendly,” he emphasizes.

A traditional steakhouse, the Sun Peaks Lodge Steakhouse offers generous cuts of meat, fresh vegetables and complimentary starches. What sets the steakhouse apart is the quality of the product and the variety of options. Erler explains they purchase only high-quality beef, which Bond cuts in-house. They also offer more than just steaks, with pasta and chicken options as well as a few selections for vegetarians. Of all the menu items, ribs leave the kitchen most often. Bond believes that presentation has a lot to do with the dish’s popularity.

“The ribs are epic. They’re standing on the plate instead of lying flat, so when the servers walk through the dining room, it catches people’s eye,” says Bond. “It’s served with simple sides, French fries and coleslaw. But it’s done with a whiskey and maple syrup barbecue sauce smothered on top, and baked in the oven to finish it.”

Erler and Bond both agree that of the items on the menu, the bison goulash is the one they get the most questions about. Bond explains he chose bison because it’s often associated with Canada—he finds the restaurant’s European guests are particularly keen to try it. Bond describes the meal as simple comfort food, served in a stew with German-style egg noodles and braised cabbage.

The steakhouse is in its second year, and Erler characterizes their second season as a success. Between the Erlers’ background in international hospitality and Bond’s experience in food and beverage service all over Canada, the steakhouse’s future is full of promise.

If you’re looking for comfort and hospitality during a spring visit to Sun Peaks, the Sun Peaks Lodge Steakhouse is awaiting your arrival—expect simple, delicious food and a warm welcome.

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