Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Horsethief Pub & Eatery -- by gcleff11


Ahhhh, the beautiful Kootenay Rockies, in British Columbia.  Alpine mountains, bighorn sheep, natural hot springs, friendly locals, and.....poutine.  Yes, poutine.  The official, unofficial comfort food of Canada.  We all can make it:  french fries, brown gravy and cheese curds.  But can we make it at home as well as the real deal north of the 49th Parallel?  Might as well try to make lasagna better than your Italian grandma...

I asked our staff at the resort we were vacationing at Thanksgiving week where we might encounter the best made poutine, and threw in as an afterthought an inquiry about where we might also find the best Alberta beef burger.  Horsethief came up as the place to fill both squares.  It's one and only review on Urbanspoon did not offer any encouragement on how our meal would be.  In the end, the Horsethief did not disappoint.  It hit it out of the ball park...

Lunch for my wife, my oldest daughter, and I started with a split of a large portion of you know what.  My wife and I decided to opt for soup with our meals, knowing that the savory starch area would be deliciously covered...




My daughter selected their version of the teriyaki burger.  I wound up finishing it for her, and I loved it.  Not terribly, syrupy sweet like teriyaki burgers I have had elsewhere.  It wound up being one of the best things I sampled here...





My lovely wife selected a sirloin sandwich, which essentially was like a mid-western philly cheese, made with sauted pepper and onions.  She upgraded her soup selection to french onion, and boy was that ever a great choice.  It was astoundingly good, and I base that on the one-and-only spoonful that she allowed me.  "Absolutely not" is what I heard after asking for seconds...




This place is a bar.  19 and older, only.  I wanted my 18-year old to go and try their "Bet You Can't" burger, but to enjoy it in the pub he'll have to wait another year.  Like a good dad--and knowing full well that there was no way in heck I was going to finish this beast--I went for it, so he could have the rest back at the resort.  What a monster.  And that delicious Alberta beef came up ace of diamonds, baby...
 




Realize the place wasn't too busy at lunch time on a Friday afternoon out of season.  Heck, there were half a dozen other local joints that were seasonally closed because of the timeframe of our visit.  But I have a hard time thinking that these guys don't do just as good a job when they get busy.  Their ingredients were all fresh, their portions were more than ample, and their preparation was very well done.  Bravo Horsethief Pub & Eatery.  You made these Yanks' one and only sit down dining experience Canada this time very memorable...





BUSINESS NOTES:  They're open through off seasons, but it's best to check their website if you visit:  http://www.horsethiefpub.ca/  As mentioned earlier, under age is not allowed so it's not family friendly.  Ignore their approval percentage in Urbanspoon.  It's suspect, in my humble opinion.  Look at the photos, folks...


Horsethief Pub & Eatery on Urbanspoon 
 


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