Tonight I’m in Rossland, a ski bum town in winter and a mountain bike Mecca in summer. This time of year it’s just the friendly locals and me, who liked the look of the funky B & B here better than the hotel in Trail where I am doing my seminars tomorrow. Good decision – this is one cool place!
Dinner is more laid back tonight – time for some good old-fashioned pub food. Again i looked to Trip Advisor for some comments on a fun place and the one that attracted me was the Flying Steamshovel. I didn’t ski off the calories but I did do a good work our this morning and I talked for 4 hours so I think I deserve a break. Starting out with a local IPA called Nasty Habit seemed like a good way to start the evening 
Once on a roll one should continue, don’t you think? The server mentioned it was wing night but I can’t eat a pound of wings alone so I compensated by peering potato skins, which she advised are “awesome”. They should be here any minute – hey look!
Nasty habit number two, check ! I might have had an easier time eating the wings, but what the heck. Caramelized onions, tomato, bacon, smoked cheddar… And the menu does say they’re “dressed “, not “garnished”. Not for the faint of heart this stuff.
If you’re a movie fan like me, you may know that Rossland was the real-life town used in the Steve Martin adaptation of the classic tale of Cyrano. This pub doesn’t look big enough to be the one Steve and his fireman pals frequented in the movie but it is just down the street from the Fire Hall if you’re not a movie buff, you can enjoy the real history of the place, worthy of a movie script. The place is named for a contraption built by a local fellow that was meant to operate like a helicopter. It did get off the ground and cleared the building but then crashed horribly. Luckily the inventor was not killed but he was smart enough not to make another attempt. I feel it’s a worthwhile thing to toast his good luck.
You know, a great dining experience doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be true. This holds for any customer experience I think. I teach people that to deliver a WOW, you have to consistently and constantly provide an experience which exceeds customer expectations. I don’t expect white glove service at a pub. I expect a good time from tasty food and drink and friendly, knowledgeable service. The gal who has served me tonight is fantastic – the kind of server an owner usually wishes they could clone. She is younger than me by probably two generations and yet she called me sweetheart when she came to see how I was doing. I loved it!
Rossland is up the hill from Trail, and The Flying Steamshovel is a bit off the Main Street – both are worth finding. And if you want to stay the night (why wouldn’t you?!) then check out The Red
Barn Lodge B & B, as it operates on the same level – quaint, cozy, true to itself. Kudos to you, Rossland, you know how to enjoy life!
PS. I’ll post links for these great places in my mobile posts as soon as I’m home.
Filed under: food, service, travel
