Mount Engadine Lodge, where we stayed for our honeymoon, is famous for their restaurant. For guests, they serve four meals a day: breakfast, a packed lunch, afternoon tea, and a three-course dinner every night. Many non-guests travel over an hour from Calgary for Sunday brunch, tea, and dinner. So we expected the food to be good–we just didn’t know how they’d do with gluten-free food.
Overall? I’d give Mount Engadine 5/5 for the taste/quality of the food and 4/5 stars for gluten-free eaters. The food was fresh, local, and excellent–but we had two small mishaps during our stay. I’ll describe a normal day of meals, then explain the mishaps.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served family-style, like dinner, between 8 and 9am.
To start:
- Fruit, yogurt, and juices (GF)
- Granola and pastries (not GF)
Main:
- Choice #1: An egg dish (always GF; I enjoyed their Mexican frittata and plain scrambled eggs, while Eric loved their eggs benedict!)
- Choice #2: Some kind of pancake or French toast (not GF)
- Sides: Sausage or bacon (both GF) and roasted potatoes (GF)
Lunch
At breakfast, you fill out a paper with your lunch order, which staff pack while you eat. Lunches include:
- A sandwich (on GF bread; you can ask for a variety of lunch meats, cheese, vegetables, and spreads)
- Fresh veggies (GF)
- Trail mix (GF)
- A cookie (GF options–we had almond, chocolate chip, and ginger during our stay)
Afternoon Tea
Tea is available between 2 and 5pm and includes whichever of the following you choose:
- Hot beverages (GF; coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and cider)
- Charcuterie boards (GF crackers; includes smoked and cured meats, hard and soft cheeses, pate, olives and pickles, candied nuts, and other spreads)
- Desserts (GF options–brownies or cookies with berries and cream)
Dinner
Dinner is definitely the “main event” at Mount Engadine, served between 7 and 8:30pm. There is always bread and butter to start (GF bread is available).
First course: Soup or salad (usually GF). Examples:
- Coconut milk pumpkin soup
- Roasted apple and parsnip soup
- Green salad with fresh vegetables, cranberries, and avocado-lime dressing
Main course: Meat, vegetables, and potatoes or rice (always GF). Some favorites:
- Beef tenderloin in red wine and mushroom glaze + sauteed broccolini + roasted potatoes, beets, and peppers (I don’t usually like beef but this was fab!)
- Pork chop + mashed sweet potato, brussel sprouts, and squash
- Honey mustard-glazed king salmon + rice pilaf + roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, and brussel sprouts
Dessert: Always a GF option! Some favorites:
- Chia pudding with fresh fruit
- Brownies with whipped cream and strawberries
- Triple berry parfait with custard and whipped cream
My Laundry List of Restrictions
Since I was unable to eat undercooked eggs or meat during our stay in addition to being gluten-free, I was rather nervous about food. Mount Engadine was so accomodating! They cooked all of my meat and eggs well-done and offered alternatives when that wasn’t possible (for example, I couldn’t have the hollaindaise sauce on eggs benedict, so they cooked eggs on toast to my liking instead).
Two Mishaps
(1) Eric had one celiac reaction. It was mild, likely due to cross-contamination such as forgetting to wash hands between preparing the gluten and GF lunches. He still enjoyed the trip! In retrospect, I would probably specify extra precautions to be taken when preparing E’s food. I often assume that people know how serious celiac disease is–but that’s rarely an accurate assumption.
(2) On our last day, someone put a glutenous cookie in E’s lunch despite him specifying “gluten-free” on his order. Since I received a gluten-free cookie, we could tell that his wasn’t–but it would have been unfortunate for another person who didn’t know.
Overall, I would say that Mount Engadine is an excellent choice for a winter getaway or honeymoon for non-celiac folks. It’s also a great choice for gluten-free folks with one caveat: specify your sensitivity and what special preparations you need before you arrive, so that you needn’t worry whilst visiting. They have fantastic gluten-free options for every meal. You’ll definitely feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth despite your restrictions!
