The Drake - Canmore, AB

If you're in Canmore Alberta, and you've gone to the Grizzly Paw Pub to get a bite to eat and then maybe a little legless, then you might want to go to The Drake Inn & Pub afterwards to get wrecked.  After last call at the Griz, one of the few places still open is The Drake.

Haha, as you can tell, the clientele is pretty colorful, and it's pretty much party-time the minute you walk in.  The fella on the left there has a real Captain Jack Sparrow look....minus the pink pants.

The staff are just as lively as the customers.....we had shots this nite....lots of shots and I was pretty much messed up not long after arriving here.

The wings were absolutely ginormous.  They were juicy on the outside, nice bread coating and seasoned perfectly, and if I wasn't so full from dinner, I might have had more.  Suffice to say, the two wings I managed to eat came up shortly after.

When we arrived, there was a stage and a live band playing.  I'm not sure if they have this every night, but then again, it was a Wednesday night and the party was just getting started.

Most folks were from out of town, either just visiting or here on Working Holiday Visas, so you'll get a chance to meet people from all over the world.  I was only in Canmore for one night, but my impression was that there was definitely a party element of this town and we bumped into them at the Drake that night.

Like I said, if you're in town and you want to party late into the night, the Drake might be one of those places you want to hit.

The Grizzly Paw - Canmore, AB

I was in Canmore, Alberta last week for work and found myself at The Grizzly Paw Pub with a couple of co-workers before the big event.  My day had started at 0600 with very little sleep the night before, and very little food for breakfast.  By the time we rolled into Canmore at about 1400 or so in the afternoon, I was starving and probably would have eaten my travel companions.....haha, just kidding W-T and MC.  My co worker had been to Canmore before so she recommended this place.  It was so good we came back again that night after the ceremony.

It was a pretty sunny day, and everybody wanted to sit outside in the patio. 

One of the most beautiful Caesar's I had ever seen.  It had olives, and a stalk of pickled asparagus.  The salt and pepper ring was made up of chili powder and some kind of fancy sea reddish sea salt, the drink itself was pretty potent, quite spicy.  I didn't order this, but I sampled one later that night and let me tell you, it was firey.

Tuna Salad Wrap - $11.95

The Grilled Vegetable Panini - $12.95

And of course, I ordered something with meat.  The Canadian Classic Burger which comes with Candian back bacon and cheddar cheese.  I got my burger with a patty of Bison.  I tell you, this burger was glorious.  The meat patty was tender, moist, not very gamey surprisingly....just incredibly tasty.  The back bacon was like eating the a really thick and tender slab of ham.  Perfection in a burger.  The bun was a bit dry, but then again, not all burgers are made with a brioche buns.  The meal came with the option of fries, salad, or both.  Greedy as I am, I got both, and it was perfect because I had something greasy and deep fried, and something relatively healthy. Actually, the fries weren't all that greasy, nice and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside.  The salad was pretty good too.

At night, the Grizzly Paw turns into a pretty cool place to hang out and get legless.  The staff are very friendly, and in particular our server was fantastic.  The drinks kept coming, and that's all that mattered.  My pal here having some sort of sampler.  Apparently the rasberry beer was good.  That's our server in the picture.

I'd defintely go back to the Grizzly Paw.  I couldn't stop thinking about that bison burger I had.  I just hope I get to visit Canmore again!