Avenue

What Wood Be

A pared-back reno and a thoroughly modern menu brings new life to a historic log homestead

By John Gilchrist and Catherine Caldwell
Photography By David Dean

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Sometimes, while dining in a restored historic building, we wonder what the original residents might think. Like while we’re at The Wood in Canmore.

How would the Sherwood family feel about the new tenants occupying the log home they lived in during Canmore’s early years? Would they recognize their house behind the slate entrance and the long bar, the double-glazed windows and the big leather chairs? Would they like the huge, industrial, gas-powered stoves and the flush toilets? And what would they make of all those semi-clad folks lounging on the deck on a sunny Canmore day? For that matter, what would they make of the huge deck adorned with beer umbrellas in the first place?

Such are the puzzles we ponder as we enjoy a beet and goat cheese salad or a bowl of mussels in a coconut green curry sauce. They’re simple thoughts about the people who came before us, who homesteaded in this beautiful but difficult country and left a physical legacy near the end of Canmore’s Main Street in a couple of log buildings.

One of these buildings had started life in Bankhead, near Banff, and had been floated down the Bow River to its current location after the coal mining town shut down. (Just how bad do the roads have to be to decide that floating a house down the Bow is your best alternative?)  

Since the departure of the Sherwoods decades ago, the log buildings — the second was built after the first one arrived by river — have been used as a grocery store, a bookstore and as a pizzeria. At some point, the buildings were cobbled together and became a restaurant known as Sherwood House, an obvious and appropriate name. More of a bar with passable burgers than a restaurant, the Sherwood House was a Canmore tradition for years, known more for its sunny deck and cold beer than anything that came out of the kitchen.

Then, in 2007, a change of ownership took things in a different direction. The group that owns Wild Bill’s in Banff and The Drake in Canmore picked up the moribund Sherwood House. They brought the place back to life by stripping it down to its loggish beginnings and renaming it The Wood. Gone was the heavy, dark paint that made the place gloomy and the carpet that had been there since who knows when. The passageway between the buildings was enlarged, creating two spacious dining areas — a lounge in one building and an evening dining room in the other.

A new kitchen was installed and all the modern restaurant accoutrements were added.

Then the group made a very smart move. They brought in chef Michael Lyon, who had been plying his trade at Banff’s Maple Leaf Restaurant for six years. Lyon, who also spent four years at Planet Hollywood in Moscow, became executive chef and partner and immediately set about developing a menu that celebrates local ingredients and incorporates international flavours. He grills a 20-ounce, bone-in rib-eye and serves it with truffled mushrooms, or stuffs an organic chicken with goat cheese, basil and sun-dried tomatoes. He sets out a vertical shrimp cocktail with cognac and horseradish rosé sauce, and he sears duck breast that is matched with duck confit hash, arugula and grape tomatoes. Lyon’s food is a robust and rich complement to the old log homes and a happy upgrade to previous menus.

Lyon, a Torontonian who saw the light and moved west about eight years ago, is a busy fellow and active in his community.

He works with the town and other Canmore restaurants to develop a staffing pool to make life easier for everyone. It sets a collegial, co-operative tone to the restaurant industry. Lyon sees the Canmore dining scene as lively and growing, but in need of help through the development phases. He’s a builder.

Lyon’s irrepressible energy has also helped him film a pilot for a Food Network series. Through it all, Lyon features Alberta and Bow Valley products and promotes his adopted area to the max.  

But many a day, you’ll find Lyon at the grill or the bar or on the deck of The Wood, visiting with friends and customers who will shortly become friends. We wonder what the Sherwoods might think of Lyon. Perhaps that he’s a fitting character to continue their legacy; the kind of fellow who might float a log building down the Bow. Just because it might be an interesting thing to do.

The Wood is located at 838 Main St. in Canmore, 403-678-3404.