Dining

For those staying at Sunshine Village, the Eagle's Nest Dining Room ($$$–$$$$) in the Sunshine Inn offers fine dining with lobster and filet mignon. Chimney Corner Lounge ($$; left), the inn's fireplace lounge, serves a very good sit-down lunch. Try the barbecued beef and a local-brewed ale. Ask to sit in the sunroom so you can watch the skiers and riders on Lookout Mountain. The cafeteria has one of the best selections of food at any ski area in this region. The Creekside Restaurant ($) at the base of the gondola serves a hearty breakfast or choose a la carte. Flavored cappuccinos are also on the menu. Take time to look at pictures from Sunshine's past during the early glamorous days of skiing, as well as Native American relics and antique outdoor winter gear.

DINING AT SUNSHINE MOUNTAIN

In the Town of Banff, diners have a tremendous choice of restaurants. You will find almost every variety of ethnic food, as well as the familiar steak-and-seafood restaurants. Restaurants here, especially those on Banff Avenue, often are on the second floor above the shops. Sometimes the entrances are obvious, sometimes not.

DINING IN BANFF | TOWN OF BANFF DINING PAGES

The Fairmont Banff Springs alone has 10 restaurants. The Banffshire Club (762-6860; $$$$), The Fairmont's premium dining experience, evokes the intimacy of a rich yet understated private club. Tapestries, wrought-iron light fixtures, vaulted ceilings, archways, leather, fine linens, bone china and crystal set the stage for exquisite cuisine. The menu has a French influence, with entrees changing by the season to make the best use of fresh regional specialties. Wine aficionados will appreciate the wine list representing more than 2,000 labels; scotch fans have a list of 75 scotches. Castello Ristorante (762-6860; $$) specializes in Italian dinners. The expansive lunch buffet at the Bow Valley Grill (762-2211, Ext. 6841; $$–$$$) is worth a visit. Choose from a wide selection of salads, soups, side dishes and entrees as well as stir-fry and pasta stations. A dessert buffet is available for C$5 more. An a la carte menu is also available, but the best value is the buffet. Austrian, German and Swiss fare, including schnitzels and fondues, are the specialties at Waldhous (762-6860; $$), an Austrian escape within a former golf clubhouse. Rich woodwork, a huge fireplace and Bavarian accents complement the menu. Grapes (762-2211, Ext. 6660; $$) is the 21-seat wine bar. Light meals are also available.

Le Beaujolais (corner of Banff Avenue and Buffalo Street, 762-2712; $$$) receives high praise for its French cuisine. Meals can be ordered a la carte, but the restaurant specializes in fixed-price three- or five-course meals. You are likely to see diners in coats and ties, though neither is required.

The dining room at Buffalo Mountain Lodge (Tunnel Mountain Road, 762-2400; $$$; right) offers relaxed elegance with hand-hewn beam construction and a massive fieldstone fireplace. Rocky Mountain cuisine is its specialty, with a variety of wild game and fish. The wine list was awarded Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence" several years in a row.

Tiki bar meets the Wild West at the smoky Grizzly House Restaurant (207 Banff Ave., 762-4055; $$–$$$$). Alberta beef and exotic game meats are the specialties, fondues and hot rocks are the preferred preparations, and smokers are welcome. Take a walk on the wild side and stretch your wallet and tastebuds by ordering the exotic fondue dinner, with shark, alligator, rattlesnake, ostrich, frogs legs, buffalo and venison.

The Maple Leaf Grille & Spirits (137 Banff Ave. 403-760-7680; $$$-$$$$) is a rustic-chic restaurant specializing in the bison tenderloin and other Rocky Mountain game. Start your meal with a seafood tower of oysters, mussles, prawns, scallops, smoked salmon, squid, crab, and lobster (all flown in fresh four times per week), and end with a molten chocolate souffle.

For gourmet Italian, try Giorgio's Trattoria (219 Banff Ave. 762-5114; $$), which serves Northern Italian pastas and pizzas, or Guido's (116 Banff Ave. above McDonald's, 762-4002; $$) for American Italian food, such as spaghetti, lasagna and chicken parmigiana. Ticino Swiss-Italian Restaurant (415 Banff Ave., 762-3848; $$–$$$; below left) specializes in dishes from the Italian part of Switzerland.

Bumper's The Beef House (603 Banff Ave., 762-2622; $$–$$$), with a cozy log interior, has been serving Alberta beef since 1975. Tender prime rib comes in four cuts which is accomapanied by a very hot horseradish sauce. The chicken cafoosalum has a very tasty maple sugar-lime sauce. The meal comes with a good salad bar; try the mango jalapeño salad dressing or the creamy cucumber. For dessert, order a large nut sundae and share with at least three people. There's a good kids' menu, plus they will take most adult choices and make a smaller portion for children 12 and younger.

Not surprisingly, steaks and chops dominate the menu at the second-floor Saltlik, A Rare Steakhouse (221 Bear St., 762-2467; $$), where tables surround a copper, central fireplace. Veggies and potatoes are priced separately and served as sides. For those who prefer other protein, chicken, salmon and tuna also are on the menu.

Typhoon (211 Caribou St., 762-2000; $$–$$$) is the place for eclectic Asian cuisine, served in a colorful dining room. Make a meal from the all-day appetizers or choose from entrees such as green Thai chicken curry, spicy tiger prawns, and pork & beef satay, each listed with a wine recommendation. Or choose from more than a dozen beers, half from Asia.

The intimate Cafe Soleil (208 Caribou St., 762-2090; $–$$$; below right) is a Mediterranean tapas and wine bar. Choose from an all-day tapas menu, with more than two dozen tantalizing but affordable choices, or a Big Tapas menu after 6 p.m. Evening dining offers half a dozen choices of more expensive delicacies such as lamb tajine, beef tenderloin and seared ahi tuna. Paninis, pizzas and pastas are also available. Ask for suggestions to pair the right wines from the wine bar with your tapas selections.

The popular Coyotes Deli & Grill (206 Caribou St., 762-3963; $$–$$$) specializes in tasty Southwestern meals, including vegetarian and pasta dishes. Try the smoked chicken burrito or the roasted vegetable and shaved asiago pizza. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner reservations are recommended and if you're 15 minutes late, you lose it. If you want a natural meal to complement all that natural beauty, head to the Sunfood Cafe (Sundance Mall at 215 Banff Ave., 760-3933; $) for vegetarian fare such as stir fry, Swiss cheese roesti, smoked tofu and zucchini pasta and portabella pasta. If you have food allergies, the restaurant promises to prepare the food according to your needs.

Earl's (229 Banff Ave. at Wolf Street, 762-4414; $$) gets rave reviews for moderately priced Canadian beefsteak, fresh salmon, pasta and thin-crust pizza. St. James Gate Olde Irish Pub (205 Wolf St., 762-9355; $–$$) specializes in hearty Irish pub food that warms the heart on a cold winter day. Wild Bill's Saloon (201 Banff Ave., 762-0333; $$–$$$) is a big ol' saloon and dance hall that serves big ol' burgers made from beef, elk, buffalo and boar, as well as seafood, steaks and chicken.

Aardvark Pizza & Sub (304 Caribou St., 762-5500; $–$$), the locals' choice in homemade pizza for over a decade, makes a great thick-crust pizza.The buffalo wings are also mighty tasty come in mild, medium, hot or suicide (mild is an accurate description). Open 11 a.m.–4 a.m. Delivery is free and there's a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

One of the most tongue-in-cheek places to eat breakfast, lunch or an informal supper is Joe Btfsplk's Diner (221 Banff Ave. 762-5529; $). Set in a 1950s-style diner decor complete with jukebox and Elvis posters, this restaurant serves huge portions.

For gourmet coffee, the best hot chocolate in town, delicious pastries and darn good chicken sandwiches, visit Evelyn's Coffee Bar (210 Banff Ave.; $) and its sister shops Evelyn's Too (229 Bear St.; $) and Evelyn's Three (119 Banff Ave; $). Second Cup (Cascade Plaza Mall at 317 Banff Ave.; $) serves coffees, pastries and atmosphere that are anything but second-rate. Enjoy lounging in stuffed chairs in a cozy ambiance.

Dining Legend (Cdn$): $$$$–Entrees $30+; $$$–$20–$30; $$–$10–$20; $–less than $10