Elk Carpaccio | Extra virgin olive oil | Parmigiana Reggiano
Bison short ribs | Truffle mashed potatoes | Seasonal vegetables
Chocolate marquis
Recommended Pairings:
Jasper Brewing Crisp Pil – $6.99
“Riverbank Gin & Soda” with Wild Life Distillery Rhubarb Gin, saskatoon berry soda, fresh lime – $14.95
Featured Alberta Farms & Producers:
- Little Studio Farm (microgreens)
- Alberta Elk
- Alberta Bison
- Alberta Potatoes
Tekarra opened in 1952, just south of the town of Jasper in northern Alberta. The restaurant overlooks the confluence of the Athabasca and Miette river.
Owner Mike Day says, “It’s basically a cabin in the woods and our menu reflects what you would think of eating if you were traveling through the Canadian rockies. Elk, bison, rainbow trout; things that you would think of in the canadian wilderness.”
Opening at the end of may and closing around Thanksgiving, when Mike isn’t working at Tekarra, he is operating sister restaurant, Evil Dave’s Grill.
“We’re only open seasonally, so everything that we get comes from Alberta, because that’s the choice time to get the product. We work with a wild boar producer just outside of edmonton called hog wild, that is a great operation,” says Mike
When concerned with distillers and craft breweries, Tekarra only uses local. They primarily carry Eau Claire, Wild life and Park distiller products, as well as a range of beers.
“Once the Alberta craft distillers started getting on board, we started to shift all of our product over to that, so it’s a premium product with a real local flavor. In the last two seasons, we’ve shifted our entire beer line to be alberta craft beer only. The beer we serve on tap is made in Jasper,” says Day.
Tekarra Restaurant received an environmental award in 2008 for their practices and still these practices to date. It’s incredibly important under normal circumstances, but even more so in a national park.