RauDz (A Restaurant Review)

​Whenever we visit Kelowna over the last few years my parents are so great and let Matt and I go out on a date when we are there. We usually go out to a movie and dinner but this time we were on a search. We really wanted to find a great local restaurant that used local fresh ingredients and that left us begging for more so that we would want to come back. Well RauDz succeeded very well on every single aspect that we were looking for.

RauDz is located where the old Keg used to be in the heart of downtown Kelowna. It is right off of Water street near the Fire station. Parking was super easy for us because we went on a Tuesday at 5:30pm, if you plan on going during the weekend you will have a harder time with parking but that is downtown Kelowna for you. 

​The restaurant has a rustic feel to it and has a nice ambiance, we were greeted by the hostess opening the door for us and welcoming us in. We got to sit in a nice booth right by the window. Right away our server came over and gave us a detailed description of the specials of the day and got us our drinks. The waitress was super friendly and knowledgeable of the menu.

​Once we looked over the menu, which we already did online and to me is a big bonus because I like to kinda know what I want before going. The prices were actually really decent for the high quality restaurant and ingredients they use. Matt and I could not decide, everything looked and sounded amazing. 

I was torn between 6 dishes but decided on getting The Crispy Bison Sandwich and Matt got the RJB.

The Crispy Bison Sandwich was this: panfried pressed Bison shoulder, cherry relish, potato bread, fried potato chips and roasted onion dip. When they brought my plate out I couldn't even handle how good it smelt and looked, they plate so beautifully. I took the first bite and it was pure perfection, the bison was so tender and the outside was perfectly crispy, the cherry relish was the perfect compliment to the bison meat, plus the chips and dip were a nice little side. I also got a side of roasted seasonal vegetables which consisted of brussel sprouts, beets, carrots, parsnips and leeks, the simplicity of the vegetables was a beautiful showcase for the more hearty late winter early spring vegetables.

The RJB was this: Grilled beef tenderloin, butter poached crab, shaved cured bacon, onion jam, brioche bun, roasted potatoes with duck fat mayonnaise. This one was Matt's and from what I could tell he really enjoyed it, he did let me have a tiny bite and from that little bite I know what I am getting next. I mean really a beef tenderloin burger essentially is what it was and you can't beat that!
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​We decided to go down the entire menu each time we come to Kelowna and just tick off everything, that is our goal and we will accomplish is. 

As far as dessert it was the perfect ending to a great meal, once again it was hard to decide but Matt ended up getting Raudz signature dessert which was: Double chocolate mashed potato brioche, chocolate cookie tuile, raspberry sorbet, and a warm chocolate sauce. It tasted pretty amazing and the sorbet was so fresh and full of flavor.

​I got the Chocolate caramel crunch which was: salted caramel ice cream, with a chocolate pudding/mousse, a decorative chocolate piece on top and sponge toffee. People I was literally licking the spoon and trying to dig out every last morsel of that dessert from the glass container that held it. I was tempted to lick the bowl as well, but that would have been not very lady like, plus I was on a date I still need to keep up good manners even after almost 6 years of being together!

Our experience at this restaurant,  was one that we will be holding onto as a standard for the next place we will try out. We like to try new restaurants and unfortunately we haven't always had as good of an experience as Raudz gave us.

Thank you to the chef and staff at RauDz we will be singing your praises and will be returning when we come to visit again. Plus those strawberry  dill lollipops you send home with your customers instead of a mint was just the cherry on top of a good evening.

*Update: We went back again in the summer for a much needed date night and man it just hits it on the nail every time. It was so tasty and I am pretty sure we decided it will be a tradition every time we are back in Kelowna. I wish there was one here in Calgary.
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