Row Fourteen at Klippers Organics & Ciderside — Restaurant in Area B (Cawston/Lower Similkameen)

It's important to note that Row Fourteen is astounding…even considering the hype built up before our arrival. My friend and I were visiting numerous wineries throughout the day, and from the start, the recommendations flowed. "Have you heard of Row Fourteen?" "Do you have a reservation for Row Fourteen?" "Are you going to Row Fourteen? "Why aren't you at Row Fourteen now? And so on… After seven hours in Keremeos Wine Country, we finally reached the climax of our day. We sat down and were presented with the smallest menu in the history of menus. Okay, that's hyperbolic, but the options ultimately came down to only two—a tasting menu with or without protein. Like many top-end restaurants, at least the new ones, Row Fourteen takes pride in being farm-to-table, gleaning produce from around the province. Initial courses proved impressive, from the buttery chicken pate to the pea carpaccio. However, the meal took an unfortunate turn when the protein arrived….but that requires a disclaimer….which will probably discredit my opinion, but here it goes. I know I'm open to a lot of cuisines. But I don't think it's wrong to say certain foods are disliked. I mean, it's not from the lack of trying. So, when I get a tasting menu like this, I want to say that I will eat anything...and I will. I'm allergic to kiwis and related foods, but I have never seen a tasting menu feature them in my life. But apparently I need to add the caveat, "If you bring me whole fish or shellfish, I will eat it, but I will not enjoy it." I mean, I try to be a good foodie; I try. And I get egotistical people saying, "well, you just haven't tried it my way," and I become an optimist and want to be proven wrong. And I never am. I don't enjoy it, and I feel it's my fault for not stressing my tastes. And I dove into that fish like a champ, and the first few bites were terrific...but halfway through, the texture threw me off and it became inedible. I spat out a piece, and I threw in the towel. It sullied the sumptuous meal, and I feel I have no one else to blame but myself for not being honest. It's not a complete hatred of seafood. I love sushi in almost every capacity. But I dislike almost all shellfish, especially when it's still in a shell. I have a severe aversion to eating meat off bones, including if it's a whole fish, and if a head is included, I check out. And there it was that day, a whole fish with the head staring up at me. But ignoring my aversion to the look of the dish, with this fish, halfway through, the texture and the flavor completely turned me off. Row Fourteen did show me that I can no longer be silent when it comes to tasting menus, which I believe will probably upset chefs when given that sort of provision. I feel the need to make that disclaimer because if I am paying for a meal, I think I get to say, even if a tasting menu. Yes, some chefs may take that as a challenge. And I am okay with that but know that you may and will likely fail. That's why I will from now on state very specifically: "I have no dietary restrictions and will try everything you present before me, but just so you know, if you give me seafood, especially shellfish or whole fish, I will not enjoy it." And before you criticize my score, let me also talk about the beet dish. While it appeared appetizing and offered the promise of being transcendent, it was nothing of the sort. The problem with beets is that you have to overcome the impediment…that you're serving beets. Beets… aren't very good. Just on their own…they don't offer much complexity because of the overpowering flavor of it. They're fine in salads, but even borscht is an acquired taste. And, alas, this dish felt like a chef trying to make a point and failing to do so. You can accent a beet dish with cherries and nuts, but in the end, I'm tasting nothing but cooked beets. So, that's Row Fourteen… undoubtedly good, but also disappointing at...

TLDR: didn't get all the food advertised on the menu and 3/6 received dishes were good, bison tasted awful and the service wasn't the best. Possible food poisoning. Overall disappointed.

4 of us went for the valentines special after hearing nothing but good things about this restaurant. We made a reservation for 7:30 and did not sit down until 8, but they were busy so it was completely understandable. Others seemed to have waited longer. We ordered the "localvore" carnivore meals and drinks at the same time. It took a while to get our drinks, and most of the interactions with the servers were a little awkward except for one woman wearing a red shirt who was personable and fun, didn't get her name though. The tasters she served us while waiting for the table were awesome! It took us just over an hour to receive the bone broth and then our bread, which was probably the best part of the meal. The Beetroot was done well, but the rest of the meal unfortunately wasn't quite up to par with what we paid for. We didn't get to try two of the items on the menu, which was the apricot "olives" and the sunchokes. We were instead given the parsnips with no explanation on if they ran out of the other items or not. The parsnips would of been a lot better if they had of been peeled, but we couldn't get half way through them. And then we got the dry-aged bison... It was two tiny slivers for two people, and it was not good. My partner described it as "fishy tasting, almost like spam". He powered through and ate one of the slivers while the rest of us passed on it. We were chatting with the table next to us and they agreed it was hardly bison, nor was it good at all, they described it as "canned food". The flourless chocolate cake was very rich but wasn't bad. A lady who seemed to be the manager came over to ask why if there was anything wrong with the bison, and got quite defensive and tried to explain what dry-aged was when we gave our honest thoughts on it. She then brought over the walnut and parsnip cake from the vegetarian option as compensation, which was a little dry but wasn't terrible. They discounted our meals and we went on our way. Within an hour of getting home, my partner who ate way more of the bison than the rest of us ended up in the bathroom sick from what seems to be food poisoning. I called in to let the restaurant know, not expecting any compensation but just to inform them, and the manager was rather short with me telling us to go to the hospital to make a report, which at 10:45pm on valentines day during covid is not something we want to do. All in all, it took us 3 hours to get through that dinner. The food and service were disappointing, especially...

Favourite food on trip to BC interior. Bar none.

We had visited in November 2020 to sample the ciders. Met the knowledgeable co-owner who served us ciders with great enthusiasm. I promised myself to visit next time for food as the kitchen and decor spared no expense.

Fast forward almost a year and we are back in end of September 2021. The world is a mess and dining options are getting slimmer.

We decided on the tasting menu with meat. Honestly, the vegetable dishes were superbly satisfying on their own.

The first few bites came out and it was like something you’d see in Chef’s Table. Almost everything was grilled with fire. Not merely a regular grill. I spotted some firewood outside of the kitchen so I assume it’s a real fire. No propane bbq marks here. Getting close to the kitchen you could feel the heat.

The combinations of flavours and juxtaposition of ingredients was mind boggling. Some places use the same garnish and that works but Row Fourteen went much further. Cheese bubbled into a sauce like texture over beets for example. The last main I believe was island venison, the most tender deer I’ve ever had.

You see eateries try to stand out, to brand, whatever. The chef here is living his dream working in a beautiful setting creating what he wants. Row Fourteen is out of the way. It’s in the middle of nowhere. But what a singular attention to your plate. No doubt countless trial and errors. Our meal was a masterpiece. Half the price of a tasting at Hawksworth’s. A gastronomic bargain.

Service was merely good (as if that’s a flaw) and unpretentious. Again the interior is beautiful, minimal, and purposeful. It was quiet on our Monday night dinner. Row Fourteen deserves all the accolades from the...