The Edge Restaurant and Bar, Vernon, BC, Canada; it opened in mid-August 2024 and has quickly established itself as one of Vernon’s “It” places for fine dining. Eron brought me here to celebrate my 65ht birthday.

For those who have not been here, I’ll just say that the grounds around the restaurant building are definitely still under construction. The building itself is essentially done. However, the parking area, sidewalks, exterior lighting is only partially complete with caution tape strung across several areas. This becomes particularly problematic after nightfall as there is zero lighting in the parking lot or even adjacent to the building. The inconvenient under-construction areas transform into being actual hazards. So, currently, if you are planning to stay (or visit) after sunset, bring a small flashlight.

Our reservation was at 7 PM. But even by that time, the entrance to the building was deserted and with no signage above the closed doors, it almost appeared as if the place was closed. However, once inside the visitor is greeted with a high ceiling and walls leading their eyes to a large welcoming fireplace clad in a wood-finish metal façade.

Upon entering the restaurant, the reception is on the left, the bar off to the right, and the wine collection is visibly ensconced in a glass-sided “vault”. The wine vault is very chic and modern, but the veneer is marred by the presence of an aluminum painters’ ladder visible inside the vault. Hopefully, a more fitting ladder or access device is due to be installed. The interior of the main restaurant is paradoxically very open with its high ceiling yet cozy with its eclectic selection of seating areas. It featured some more traditional table and seat arrangements, smaller tables with chairs upholstered in a Cowboyesque material, and groupings comprised of a table, chairs, and a funky over-stuffed sofa/setee-like centre-piece. I remarked that the ambiance made me think of it as a mixture of the “Yellowstone” country club restaurant and bar (as seen in Season Two) and “Pretty Baby” (1978 film) bordello-chic. This is not a negative criticism, it’s funky and I liked it.

Eron and her friend Neelya liked the Okanagan Red they picked, Marty (Neelya’s husband) chose a beer, and I decided on a Balvenie Double Wood (Scotch). The Whisky is everything I expected. However, I was a bit disappointed in how it was served. While I can easily excuse it being served in a generic American Whiskey bar glass, it was served with a whopping big ice cube (chunk) in the liquour. Unless requested, the drink needed to be served “neat”; for bonus points, it can be accompanied by a small container of ice and a small container of water to be added per the drinker’s personal taste AFTER they have an opportunity to sample the unadulterated Whisky. Normally, I would not nit-pick about this, but this establishment represents itself as a fine dining experience; a fine dining establishment should know how to properly serve its beverages.

The appetizers were shared amongst the group. Most dishes were well-prepared and quite adequate for a restaurant at this level. The only group-negative was that the “Bacon Wrapped Bacon” needs some work; the bacon wrapping was over-done whilst the pork-belly was on the verge of being over-cooked yet not nearly crispy enough on its exterior.

As for the mains. Neelya chose the Beet Ravioli, Marty had the Fish and Chips, while Eron and I both picked the Beef Bourguignon. Neelya’s choice apparently had a “plating misfortune” in the kitchen was served with a “bonus” side of broiled chicken. Unfortunately, this was not the positive it could have been as the curry seasoning on the chicken completely overwhelmed the delicate flavour-notes of the ravioli. Meanwhile, Marty thoroughly enjoyed his main; the Lingcod was well-prepared and he loved the thinness of the crispy batter. The Beef Bourguignon was definitely the rich beef stew it should be and went well with toasted bread (which we had to ask for). However, while perfectly edible, it was not particularly remarkable as its richness was not counterpointed by much in the way of subtlety of flavour nor were the beef pieces “fork-tender”.

The service was very competent, if not a tiny bit obtrusive. The manager(?) came by the table several times to inquire, “Is everything all right?”, interrupting conversations in doing so. Our waiter would end his interactions with, “Take your time. Enjoy yourselves.”, yet his tone and body language were silently screaming hurry up! But in my mind, the most grievous transgression came with the settling of the bill. Our waiter came to the table with an electronic payment processing device. However, instead of simply handing it to the person who had identified themselves as the paying party our waiter asked, “And what would you like to tip.”, with his fingers poised in anticipate over the keypad. This rather obvious attempt to intimidate the patron into over-tipping was noted and NOT appreciated. Fortunately, Eron is assertive enough to deflect the intimidation by asking for the device so SHE could decide upon and input the amount of the tip.

All in all, despite any negative comments, I would have to conclude by stating that our visit to The Edge Restaurant and Bar was a generally pleasant fine dining experience. Yes, we had some concerns regarding the state of the under-construction grounds, voiced some minor quibbles with the drink service, were not necessarily “blown away” by the culinary creations, and a little taken aback by the attempt at “tip-intimidation”. But overall, I conclude that this restaurant generally represents a good value in the fine local dining scene; with a price point that is little above the menu at the Cactus Club, diners can experience a restaurant with a stunning patio view, a welcoming interior, service appropriate to fine dining, and competently prepared cuisine. There is definitely room for improvement, but I can genuinely say, give them a try.

Photo credit: iNFO.news.ca

https://theriseresort.ca/theedgerestaurant/