Block rewards diners who want familiar anchors and a few left turns in the same meal. Bao, bison tartare with bone marrow, Hiyashi Chuka, Tokyo Fries and shio koji salmon make the menu feel more exploratory than a standard downtown bar order.

This is the Banff pick for diners curious about ostrich, rattlesnake when available, buffalo, venison, elk, alligator, and other game-meat fondue routes.

Brazen rewards diners who want familiar ingredients pushed a little sideways: smoked trout in doughnut form, bison carpaccio, duck wings, and a playful Ginger Beef plate all create useful discovery points.

Crawfish buckets, etouffee, seafood gumbo, hot sauces, and Cajun-Creole breakfast plates give curious diners a wider lane than the safest Banff dinner order. It is still approachable, but the best parts of the menu reward people who want something less expected.