Rimrock Cafe - Banff National Park

So disappointing. My wife and I both love food and have visited the vast majority of the best dining establishments that Alberta has to offer and it has a ton quite frankly. To be clear best doesn't always mean most expensive; price should be a reflection of quality and creativity ascribed value. Eden is one of these restaurants which is grossly out of touch with how the restaurant industry works, but manage to stay afloat based on the merit of the hotel in which it is located. Our meal cost 510 dollars. In six years, across the province we have never spent this much on a meal. Particularly, we have never spent this much on a meal that lacked both culinary skill (in relative terms it was still good, but not exceptional) and ingenuity. Service was fine but lacked real connection with the food and wine that was being served. The sommelier brought out flat wines some from eastern Canada (sorry no offense but the quality ones are far and few between) that were so run of the mill it was astounding. The bottom line was the food good? yes it was for all intents and purposes good. Was it worth it? not by the furthest account. With the perspective of half of a four figure number buried into this meal take your hard earned and eat somewhere that offers great food, real character and more importantly value. In Banff alone there are so many other great restaurants. We had a great experience at Restaurant Le Beaujolais. Knowing what I know now I would move on and not bother with Eden (which even as a name goes is weak).

I love to be surprised and this meal was a great one. It was our Honeymoon so I went all out and did the 7 course chefs tasting menu with Somolliers wine selection. Outstanding on all counts. By far the most expensive meal in our lives, this has set the high bar.

I went there for a Christmas dinner a few years ago as a personal get away. It was a nice experience but not worth the $350 it cost me for my dinner and few drinks. The food was extra ordinary but small portions. Recently we were there for a wine experience, a friend is the President of a local wine club and had invited me as a guest for the weekend. They had gotten a deal for a reception on Friday and the dinner on Saturday so it was a much more palatable experience dollar wise. If you want to experience a five diamond restaurant then go for the experience.

During a recent spa trip me a couple of friends decided to finish our day with a meal from Eden. I'm not even going to go on and on with a review because at the end of our meal the 4 of us decided that it was one of the best dining experiences we have ever had. Not just in Calgary or Canada as we have all traveled around the world. This was one of the best experiences we have had period. The only downside was the length of service. We arrived for a 6:00pm reservation. We did the 4 course dinner and finished at 11:30pm

The setting is amazing, great views and staff are really helpful and friendly. Drink selection is nice but the food seems to be a few years behind what the rest of the world is doing. Its OK but nothing amazing.