When my husband suggested we try out the Footloose Caboose with some friends, I was up for the adventure. The pictures on their website were intriguing as they showed a fancy train car with tables that were dressed in white linen, windows covered with a deep red window treatment and wooden high backed chairs - really, what self-respecting foodie adventurist could resist?
When I checked out the menu, I was even more excited. Salmon in maple Dijon mustard sauce and sirloin tips in a mushroom wine sauce were just some of the delectable sounding offerings.
Our first surprise came as we drove to the location. Although the website shows it as being outside of Tofield, we overshot the turn off by a few miles. To get there, head East on Highway 14 and take range road 204 south. This is the turn off opposite the one going to Hastings Lake Bible Camp. After going 9 km on the paved road, take township road 502 East (left). It is located on the left hand side.
We were early so we wandered around and took in some of the sights. They have several train cars on the property, an extensive telegraph insulator collection and an interesting display of farming barbed wire. I had absolutely no idea there were so many possible types of barbed wire!
Upon entering the train, I noticed it looked very much like the picture on their website, just minus the linen on the tables. We appeared to be rushing the staff as we were a couple of minutes early and the tables had not been set.
We chose a table and began to peruse the wine menu. I was quite pleased to find many wines from wineries that I recognized like Pelee Island, Sumac Ridge, Barefoot and Jacob’s Creek. It was fortunate we were familiar with the wines as the waitress confessed to not knowing much about them. When a fellow diner asked what type of scotch was available, the reply was “the kind in a bottle”.
I was starting to get very mixed signals about our evening. The website referred to a classy dining experience and while the setting was very nice, even without the table linens (I know, I know, let it go), the demeanor and knowledge of the waitress didn’t seem to suit the ambiance.
Each of us ordered an appetizer and an entrée. My husband and I decided to share the sautéed ginger shrimp ($12), one of our guests ordered the pickled herring ($9) and his wife tried to order the herbed potatoes ($5).
The sautéed ginger shrimp is described as a Spanish-inspired dish served with garlic French bread. My husband was pleased with the shrimp, although I couldn’t taste any ginger on it or any garlic on the bread.
The pickled herring was served with sliced tomato, marinated onions and rye bread. Apparently it was very good, although to be honest I didn’t ask to try it myself.
The odd thing was that the shrimp was brought to our table first. A little while later the herring arrived. It was only after waiting a while longer that someone went to the back to ask about the herbed potatoes. Apparently, the waitress thought it was supposed to come out with the entrée.
Once that misunderstanding was cleared up (my friend elected to have her potatoes with her entrée instead of the usual spaghetti), we sat back and sipped on our drinks and got caught up on the latest news in each other’s lives. We talked about the weather, local politics, our plans for travelling next year and anything else that came to mind.
At this point, it was about an hour and a half after our reservation time. We chatted some more and talked about our experiences on trains during our youth. We talked about how thankful we were to be past the small child stage and wondered when we would become grandparents.
Two hours after our reservation time, our entrees arrived. One of our friends and I had the pan-grilled medium-rare sirloin tips that were served in a mushroom wine sauce, herbed potatoes and green beans. The sirloin was tasty and the sauce was perfect. The potatoes were seasoned with a wonderful blend of herbs and fried to perfection. The beans had a really nice tang to them that complimented the potatoes and sirloin very well.
My husband tried the cracked pepper pork tenderloin with French-inspired sherry cream sauce, savory rice and beans. He wasn’t as pleased with his selection and felt it was a bit dry and bland.
Our other friend had the whole, boneless pan-fried trout that was stuffed with pieces of ginger and a ginger lemon butter sauce. He was pleased with his entrée and said it had good flavour.
At this point, the heat in the train was making it very uncomfortable. After some fiddling with the vent at our feet we discovered it had been closed all evening. As the blessedly cool air came up around our feet, we ordered dessert and leaned back to chat some more.
Once the men were done their desserts, our crepes arrived. The fruit crepes were made with Saskatoons, raspberries and rhubarb and were sweet and tasty. The only drawback was the crepes themselves were a bit thick and appeared to have been fried in a bit too much oil. Again, we all agreed the crepes would have been improved with whipped cream or even ice cream.
Overall, our experience was very mixed. We all agreed we would like to come back, but maybe to try a lunch or breakfast. The food was decent, but not spectacular. The atmosphere was nice, but not a fine dining experience as the pictures and description on their website had implied.
More than anything, we were frustrated by the length of time it took. In the end, we spent more than three hours from the time of our reservation until we walked back out the door. Our food was not delivered at one time so some of us were eating while others were still waiting.
Our meal included four appetizers, three hi-balls, a bottle of wine, two sodas, four entrees and four desserts and came to $157.
Dining at the Footloose Caboose Lodge
20324 Twp. Rd. 502
Reservations 780-662-2372
Dining at the Footloose Caboose Lodge
20324 Twp. Rd. 502
Reservations 780-662-2372
