Far from home, he took himself out for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner at the Inn Grill. The friendly staff, cozy atmosphere, and gluten-free food (a must for Warren; there are no cheat days with celiac disease) made this pseudo-single Valentine’s Day a meal to remember — for all the right reasons.
A (Single) Valentine’s Day in Jasper at The Inn Grill
Our sales team is often on the road for work. Unfortunately for Warren, sometimes duty calls on a holiday.
Table for one, please
The dining room is surrounded by glass on two sides and the other walls had stone and wood accents with a gas fireplace. The room is cozy with soft lighting and lots of natural light during the day. The Inn Grill at the Jasper Inn and Suites would be the perfect place to treat your Valentine’s Day date — if I had one. Instead, I’m treating myself after a long day on the road. Here’s what I had:
Starting things off
The caesar salad starter serves fresh and crispy romaine lettuce with a light citrus favour that was not overpowering. The bacon chunks were soft and tasty. It’s normally served with croutons, but they were left off to make the salad gluten-free.
The main course
I super-sized the lamb T-bones from a portion of three to a serving of six. The perfectly grilled, medium-rare lamb T-bone steaks were coated in a light, sweet barbecue sauce. Sharing the plate was a serving of jasmine rice, and a wonderful assortment of four veggies — sweet and tender red cabbage, a crispy grilled buttery squash, al dente carrots and peas.
Something sweet
The dessert was a little decadent, considering I was ordering for one, but my server Megan indicated it was “not huge” when I asked. Still, another person to share it with would have been a great help. Two gluten-free chocolate chip cookies sandwiched vanilla ice cream with butterscotch and chocolate drizzle. The plate was decorated with a side of whip cream, topped by a maraschino cherry and a cumquat. It was very sweet and filling — a great way to end my meal.
The hostess and waitresses were very friendly and efficient, even as the restaurant was full of couples and families celebrating Valentine’s Day, an effort I appreciated.
Homeward Bound
The next morning I helped myself to the breakfast buffet. It was plentiful, and included scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, bacon, assorted breads, hot and cold cereals, a variety of juices, fresh fruits, yogurts, hard boiled eggs and more. Plus endless hot coffee! Finally, I was on the road back home to my sweetheart.