'Nothing like this in the Okanagan': Vernon restaurant a game changer
Perched high in the hills above Vernon the Edge Restaurant and Bar quietly opened its doors last week giving diners some of the best views of any eatery in the region.
"There's nothing like this in Vernon," Rencor Investments president Terra Renton told iNFOnews.ca. "I don't think there's anything like this in the Okanagan."
And she's likely correct.
Sitting more than 1,000 feet above downtown Vernon, The Edge quietly boast expansive views over Okanagan Lake, the city, and beyond.
Stepping out on the patio, which can seat 120 guests, it's not hard to see that the restaurant and bar are certainly unique in the North Okanagan, if not the entire region.
As soon as you walk through the entranceway into the light-filled dining room it's immediate that The Edge is something quite spectacular.
"We wanted to have a special occasion place, a place you go to on a birthday, a place you go to when you're on a girls' trip, a wine trip, a place that visitors would want to come to," Renton said. "We see it as somewhere where you could come (to) golf or come just to the bar, but also could come for a really special dinner, as well as like a great date night."
The interior design is eye-catching and full of character. It steers well clear of the rudimentary grid format seen in many restaurants.
"The creativity is definitely there," she says. "It's not beige on beige on beige."
The crown jewel of the project is arguably the huge deck, and as summer heads into fall, the tables around fire bowls will keep it open long after it is too cold to sit outside.
The menu features everything from pub basics like burgers and tacos to Tomahawk steaks and Haida Gwaii halibut.
There are also some more unusual offerings such as roasted corn and jalapeno gnocchi, a pork belly bao bun with pickled papaya, and a wagyu beef tartare with arugula, pickled shallot and freshly grated horseradish. Realizing that families are a big part of the local and tourist demographic there's also a kid's menu.
Tarra said their focus is to purchase everything as locally as possible.
Prices seem fair given the location and setting with a burger costing $22, a lamb sirloin $36 and a West Coast seafood bowl $39. The Tomahawk steak is the priciest offering at $210 and serves two.
While diners can drop $500 a bottle of Dom Perignon, Okanagan bubbles start at $65, and a decent white wine from Naramata can be had for $45.
A beer will set you back the same price as a pub.
Along with the restaurant and bar, housed in the 30,000-square-foot building is also a golf simulator room, a conference room and a banquet room, all of which can be hired out for private events. There's an outdoor amphitheatre of sorts, designed for concerts and weddings.
Renton said that weddings will likely become a big part of the business.
It's been more than five years since the project was announced and it's had some setbacks since.
Less than one year after being announced general manager Ian Renton told iNFOnews.ca the project was on hold as the company was still in a legal spat with the City of Vernon over a $65,000 bill for a water line.
The issue clearly got resolved and Terra says construction started about three years ago.
The family company bought the golf club in 2014 after it went into receivership and has more ideas for the location.
Terra says plans are in the works to build a spa at the site, although for now she's concentrating on the task at hand.
The restaurant had wanted to open earlier in the year, but as with all big projects, things took longer than expected. They've also had to hire a few dozen hospitality staff in mid-summer when most in the industry already have their jobs secured.
There's still a fair bit of landscaping construction going on outside the restaurant, but Terra is certain that give it a week and it will look quite different.
So how much did all this cost?
Terra is mum on the answer, but it's easy to imagine it stretching into eight figures.
The Edge restaurant is just a 10-minute drive from downtown Vernon and more information can be found here.
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