THE NEW OLD ELEVATOR
By Kevin McIsaac
October 29th, 2002
W. C. Fields once wrote of a safari in Africa where, “Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.”
Should Mr. Fields have been on safari in Fernie, near the Old Elevator restaurant, he may have been more sanguine. For the food and water at the Old Elevator are first rate. And most assuredly someone would have found the old quipster a corkscrew and something to apply it to.
I had the good fortune of attending a dinner at the Old Elevator on a brisk Thursday evening last week. Chef Tim Lockhart walked us through the new menu and owner Gordon Sombrowski favoured us with some samplings from a changing wine list.
Mr. Sombrowski has taken a personal interest in expanding the cellar at the restaurant saying, “We won’t have the largest wine selection, but we’re focusing on having the most intelligent wine selection.”
We sampled a cross-section of wines from the new, improved cellar, including the 1999 Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva, the 1996 Masi Amarne Delle Valpolicella and the 1998 Chateau Souverain Alexander Valley Merlot. My personal favourite was the Valpolicella, but all three were very palatable. With over 400 more wines to choose from, the Old Elevator looks like a natural for the Fernie oenophile.
Where the wine menu was titillating, the food was sobering. Good, plain food is a motto Chef Lockhart lives and works by - simple ingredients combined creatively. Mr. Lockhart, most recently from Whistler and Vancouver, combines a strong background in Italian fare with a wonderful knowledge of Canadian game and ingredients.
Dinner began with curried coconut prawns with sautéed spinach, followed by venison with a strawberry balsamic demi-glace served over veal jus risotto. Then pan seared blue marlin with a black olive and orange reduction served on baked lemon. And for desert a baked pear stuffed with marzipan served with a blackberry coulis and maple syrup.
The meal, set in the historic old grain feed building, was nothing short of amazing. With each new dish eliciting “ahhs” and “oh mys” from the table, followed by excited chatter as each dish was sampled and its virtues extolled upon. This is a delight not to be missed.
The Old Elevator is located at 291-1st Avenue in historic downtown Fernie. For reservations call (250) 423-7115. They are open 5-10pm Tuesday to Saturday.
Don’t miss their “Taste of Tuscany” event this fall from October 22nd to November 16th. More information can be found on the Old Elevator website www.oldelevator.com.
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