The Modest Butcher

Now that Dan Carkner has finished cheffing for President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chancellor Angela Merkel he's free to cook for you.

That's right, Carkner fed some of the world's most famous politicians during his four years, 2014-18, as a Parliamentary Dining Room and special events chef at the House of Commons in Ottawa.

But the allure of the Okanagan pulled Carkner away and he's now the chef at The Modest Butcher, the restaurant that doesn't take itself too seriously at Mt. Boucherie Winery in West Kelowna.

"The modest part is threefold," says Carkner modestly.

"People have started calling me the modest butcher because I'm the chef here, but he is actually a real person, Isadore Boucherie, one of the first settlers of West Kelowna (in 1888)."

As the embellished story in the restaurant's menu goes, Boucherie raised cattle, made gourmet charcuterie and grilled a mean steak.

After a day of drinking with Kelowna's first white settler, Father Jean-Charles Pandosy, a Catholic priest, Boucherie proclaimed himself the greatest wine drinker in the Okanagan.

Father Pandosy apparently said with a slur: "Well, aren't you the modest butcher."

And the nickname stuck.

Isador's name was applied to nearby Mount Boucherie, the 417-metre-tall remnants of a 60-million-year-old volcano, and also inspired the name for Mt. Boucherie Winey.

So, it only makes sense the restaurant with spectacular vineyard, Okanagan Lake and mountain views in the winery's new multi-million-dollar building is called The Modest Butcher.

It's also modest in that the restaurant's vibe is laid-back and welcoming, perfect in equal parts for apres ski, golf or wine touring or a special occasion.

The personality of Carkner and The Modest Butcher is a little goofy and self-deprecating.

As such, the restaurant's mantra is 'eating and drinking with reckless abandon.'

The menu is playful with 'things on toast' listed in the appetizer section.

It's literally seasonal 'things on toast' from the the dish-of-the-decade smashed avocado on toast, or maybe mushrooms, or carrots, or asparagus or tomato with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The charcuterie comes with a yada-yada-yada explanation because it consists of the typical cured meats, pickles and mustard.

The bestseller smoked steelhead trout in 'leftover white wine cream sauce' truly consists of wine that's been open a while at the bar.

The accompanying recipe is one of Carkner's favourites and a staple on the menu.

Braised beef poutine(ish) is a riff off Quebec's famous dish of French fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds.

The Modest Butcher's interpretation is fingerling potatoes drenched in braised beef shreds and gravy with smoked gorgonzola cheese crumbles.

And we can't forget the $125, two-pound tomahawk (which feeds up to four) is one of the steak options.

The Modest Butcher takes a wine-first approach, meaning all the dishes were created with Mt. Boucherie wine pairings in mind.