The lunch menu features soups, salads, cheeses, quiche, sandwiches, and larger plates. They all offer impressive twists on traditional foods, but without abandoning comfort and familiarity. The servings are large. So if you want to try a variety of foods, bring along a friend (or two) and order several dishes to share.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat more vegetables, consider ordering the Grilled Market Vegetables. Served with 8-year-old balsamic, Parthena olive oil, and Fairwind Farm feta cheese, the platter is a rainbow of earthy and flavourful vegetables. They compliment the sweet vinegar and creamy cheese.

The Grilled Chicken and Brie Croissant tastes like the croissant was made only hours before. The accompanying house garden salad is fresh and light. If you’re in the mood for heavier (but no less delicious) fare, the Beef Burger with pommes frites is filling. It also gives you the opportunity to add gourmet toppings such as Gruyère cheese, bacon, sautéed onions, mushrooms and peppers.

The comfort of the Sage Bistro is matched by the kindness and helpfulness of the staff who work there. While the coffee shops and cafes of downtown Canmore are open all week, many restaurants often take Monday as their day of rest. This makes it hard to find a larger, sit-down menu for lunch. Helpfully, Sage Bistro is open on Mondays. Because it is located somewhat off the beaten path, finding a table there is refreshingly easy.

For dinner goers and après work comfort seekers, both the Bistro and the Wine Lounge are open in the evenings. The dinner menu in the restaurant showcases hearty and warm mains, while the lounge upstairs offers a smaller, tapas-style menu for sharing.

However you survive these lingering months of winter, make the snowy days a little more tolerable by indulging in the comfort and warmth of the Sage Bistro and Wine Bar.