Restaurants in Fort McMurray

Let's be honest. Fort McMurray is no gourmand's paradise. Until very recently, it might even have been a food fancier's version of hell. The recent corporate invasion bumped things up to adequate, with the arrival of Moxie's (9521 Franklin Ave.; tel. 780/791-1996), a chain roadhouse-style restaurant, and Earl's (9802 Morrison St.; tel. 780/791-3275), a popular North American chain with a surprisingly cosmopolitan menu -- Thai curries and vindaloos mixed in amid the burgers and fries.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, Earl's quickly became the busiest place in town, satisfying the pent-up demand; similarly, the lounge at Earl's, called Fuel, slaked the town's thirst for a bar where the women didn't take their clothes off (for money, at least; on a Saturday night at Fuel, anything could happen).

The best eating in town, however, is undeniably at the Sawridge Hotel and Conference Centre (530 Mackenzie Blvd.; tel. 780/791-7100), a large hotel on the town's southern fringes, at its Hearthstone Grill and Lounge. You can dine from a list of Alberta classics, like a beautiful bacon-wrapped Alberta beef tenderloin, a walleye fillet from the northern lakes, or pork chops from the nearby town of Trochu, all complemented by a huge stone fireplace and soaring, vaulted rough-timber cathedral ceilings. The menu is a little eclectic to be true fine dining -- quesadillas and nachos are among the appetizers, alongside mussels and heart of palm salad -- but everything, from the wood-fired pizzas to the juicy rib-eyes, is good. And in Fort McMurray, where you'll surely be looking for comfort at some point, this is the place to find it.