Salmon Arm can get ready for mouth-watering steaks, tasty chicken and tender chops, as the new owners of the former Mino’s Restaurant are preparing for a May opening.
Now renamed the Heritage Chop House, David Courtney and his wife Bette are busily cleaning, repairing and prepping the historic home, which has housed a number of restaurants over the past two decades, including incarnations as Minos and the Orchard House.
“It’s a beautiful old place, with a lot of history and a great location,” says David. “But it has been closed for 17 months, so we’ve got our hands full getting everything cleaned up and in shape for operating.”
David promises a unique dining experience, modelled after a traditional Chicago steak house. He has sourced suppliers for local beef, chicken and pork, and notes entrees will all come with vegetables, as well a unique and wide-ranging variety of side dishes for the diner to choose from including scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese or sautéed mushrooms. This will be complemented by the diner’s choice of an array of sauces from sweet to spicy to savoury.
“Things can be mixed up, so every time you come in, you can pick a different flavour, even if you choose the same basic meat dish. As far as I know, there won’t be another restaurant like it in the whole Okanagan Valley.”
After more than 30 years as a chef, David is deeply familiar with what it takes to make a restaurant a success. He and Bette wanted to move to the area from Calgary after previously owning two establishments in Calgary and one in Trail. But the couple have also known life in the Okanagan when, years ago, David was a chef at the Delta Lakeside Penticton.
While an exact opening date has not yet been determined, the couple are certain that in May, there will be diners digging into full plates of food.
“It’s all coming together and we are anxious to get the doors open and start serving the people of the Shuswap.”
