Travel Advisory

[jamiemaw]

Travel Advisory-->Whistler

There was a lot to like at Whistler this weekend, especially down at Creekside where, outside Dusty's , beer, bluegrass, bikinis and a lot of pork products announced the controlled burn of the Canadian National BBQ Championships. I’m not sure who sanctions these events, but ‘Memphis Myron’ Mixon went whole hog and the self-annoited ‘Baron of BBQ’ Paul Kirk demo’ed the basics to an appreciative and largely well-behaved crowd.

On Sunday, the Farmer's Market went full steam in the breezeway below the Chateau. Pemberton potatoes, carrots and golden beets, and the first, early tomatoes, provenance unknown. And scads of prepared products, including pies, condiments and the ever ubiquitous honeys one associates with summer at the mountain. Make a beeline.

We found some pleasant surprises in two new restaurants--more about them in a minute.

Whistler has become a little moribund over the past few seasons dining wise. Successful operators are holding onto their leases (although Jayde will be taken back over by Pasqual of Les Deux Gros ), but that was made more difficult this year by a combination of our strengthening currency, early snowfall and discounts at Colorado and California ski resorts, and the torpid speed (according to several operators we spoke with) that Intrawest, the owners of Whistler/Blackcomb, reacted to the market downturn; it seems their package discount program didn’t cut in until February. Traffic, for the first time in many seasons, was way off, in some fine dining rooms by as much as 20 per cent, about the difference between relative comfort and survival. A couple of major restaurants are reportedly for sale. Locals were also reportedly less apparent, perhaps put off by the US-dollar denominated pricing. Late seatings disappeared in some restaurants. Perhaps in reaction, we saw evidence of some summer bargains, including a dozen oysters for $9.99 at the Bearfoot Bistro Champagne Bar

So it was interesting to see one gutsy play, a small (55 indoor seats, 18 patio), prettily designed room with a terrific wine bar called Apres . It's operated by former Hong Kong shipping executive Chris Cheney and his partner Julia McKinnell, a National Post journalist. The room was designed by David Eaton of Coast Architectural, a guy swiftly gaining a reputation for elegant but functional spaces. And there was something else at work in the room, a sort of unforced intimacy--a couple of families cheek by fowl with good looking deauces. Tourists and locals. Reassuringly, there’s not a stuffed moose head or pair of crossed snowshoes in sight.

Both proprietors have a strong interest in wines, especially those that deliver value. They’ve invested in CO2 injection technology (Bermar ‘La Verre de Vin') that replaces the air in their 40-bottle by-the-glass (or flights) selections, thus ensuring a fresh pour each time. The wine list is strongly Cascadian and is encouragingly priced.

Chef Lindsay Petit’s Quebec-influenced menu crosses over several boundaries but is cogent and clean. A rillette of duck confit was cool and unctuous, napped with apricot and pink peppercorn preserve ($12). A steak mignonette ($28) was crusted with black peppercorns and served with a béarnaise as ethereal as Keith’s wit (I wish there had been more--bearnaise that is), a wonderful watercress salad and very good pommes frites. Other good dishes: Angus beef tartar ($14); Dungeness crab and mango salad ($15, neatly paired with a Fess Parker Viognier at $12); and a nightly foie gras special ($20), that might include a foie gras parfait. Desserts were well made, although a lemon flan would have been heightened with a bit of zest. We liked this place a lot, and in addition to the attention to its food and wine programs, for another reason--you can hear yourself think and it offers an adult alternative (as does its late-night menu) to Whistler's discos. Apres is located at 4338 Main Street, across from the Summit Lodge. We’ll be back for more shortly, but in the interim, you can visit their website here

The Four Seasons opened their new 240+ room Whistler property less than two months ago. It’s lovely, especially given the constrained site. The stream, pools and landscaping that run through its centre provide something ironically difficult to find indoors at the mountain: peace, even tranquility.

Edel Forristal, who was seconded from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to head up F&B, has done a remarkable job in a remarkably short period of time. Modern, interconnecting public rooms include a long lean bar and lounge warmed with wooden ceilings and leather, and the main dining room, called Fifty Two 80 that gently bends through chicanes of banquettes and white linen-topped tables out to a long heated patio with comfortable teak furniture. Elegant but unpretentious.

So is the seafood-driven menu, a model of neatly restrained ambition. The menu is short and to the point. At lunch we enjoyed a devilled Dungeness crab dish that was deliciously reminiscent of San Francisco seafood houses. Housemade breads, especially their version of flatbread, were well executed, and the other details (glassware, service etc.), as you might expect at a Four Seasons, were impeccably polished. The Filipino bartender was credit to her profession. What we hadn’t expected though were the very reasonable prices. I’ll post portions of the menu shortly and report back on some of the dinner items.

Jordan Sturdy of North Arm Farms demonstrated his superb produce at his mother Martha’s beautiful ranch in the pan of the Pemberton Valley Saturday night. The event was the media merger of the year: Sarah Reeder, western editor of Fashion magazine married Vancouver magazine food writer (and food stylist/consultant) Murray Bancroft . Beautiful evening, lovely ceremony, and extreme bocce before dinner. Stafford Lumley and crew from Rodney's delivered fresh oysters from a tent (fiitingly, his brand new daughter is named Pearl), followed by shots of chilled gazpacho that David Hawksworth of West had brought. James Walt of Araxi sent out lots of canapés.

The main event took place under the open roof of the old mill building, with 140 of us seated at two long, white-napped trestle tables. The menu:

North Arm Farm golden beet and orange blossom salad; mixed wild greens and edible flower salad

North Arm Farm fingerling potatoes with fresh basil

Wild Skeena salmon with mint and sheep’s feta with Tribetto La Chamiza Chardonnay (Argentina)

Little Island Farm spit-roasted lamb with pomegranate and herb sauce with Domaine Espiets 2001 Cotes du Rhone (best served at cellar temperature)

In addition to Lumley, Hawksworth and Walt, The Smoking Dog's Jean-Claude Ramond was never far from the spit, swabbing the whole lamb and later, grilling chops and tenders for the ravenous crowd. We kept our forks for the cake, toasted the bride and groom with sparklers of Blue Mountain and then danced ‘til the last bus left.

Jamie

[jackandjill]

Thanks for the great post, Jamie. We'll be in in Whistler this weekend, so your information is particularly useful. I look forward to the Fifty Two 80 menu info, as we'd love to check it out if not too pricey.

Any other reco's for good dining-dollar value in Whistler is also appreciated from anyone who's been recently.

[Keith Talent]

...as ethereal as Keith’s wit (I wish there had been more--bearnaise that is)...

Careful, I'm in an exceptionally bad mood today, for while you were gallavanting with the beautiful people in Whistler, sipping Champagne, err, Canadian Sparkling Wine from maidens slippers and dining in style, I was taking my kids on my first ever camping trip. Yeah, I borrowed the inlaws trailer and pickup and headed down the I-5 to Ocean City Washington. We went with three other couples, all who also brought their kids, bringing the total of dirt monsters under four years old to seven. Read that again and reflect on what my mental condition is like. I've been working all day on scrapping the remenants of dirt from my finger nails, and have taken two showers since getting home last night, yet still detect a lingering hint of burning hemlock on my person. Even reasonably good wine tastes crappy when camping.

Here's where I ate; Nowhere.

Here's what I like about camping; Nothing.

If my kids don't eventually repay my recent acts of kindness by becoming tennis professionals or marrying into the Gates clan, I will be pissed.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

We were at Whistler this weekend as well and had two meals - the first at Bearfoot Bistro and the second at Fifty Two 80. And drinks both nights at the bar at Fifty Two 80 at the Four Seasons.

There is no doubt that the Four Seasons property is stunning - elegant, restrained, tranquil, sophisticated and beautiful. The bar is everything I could ever want - surroundings were outstanding and the ambience perfect. Intimate but without being dark and glommy. Wonderfully comfortable seating, great but restrained art. And, good drinks!

Dinner on Saturday at Bearfoot Bistro was somewhat of a disappointment, especially considering that we had just left the perfect surroundings of the Four Seasons. When making our reservation they suggested that we eat in the Champagne lounge because they had 2 large parties that night but I understand that the menus are similar in both areas. The menu in the lounge is a 3-course prix fixe for $29.95 with supplemental charges for many choices.

We started with the Ceaser salad and know that the choice was probably at fault but we both found the salad to be bland and quite uninteresting. My husband followed with the buffalo shortribs and I had the lamb. His shortribs were good but my lamb chops were hopelessly undercooked. Basically raw. They were taken away and recooked. To their credit, they didn't charge me for the lamb chops but it seems to me a fairly signigicant error given that I could tell as soon as I put my knife to the meat that it was hopelessly underdone - there wasn't a shred of resistance. The goat cheese tartlette for dessert was very good and clearly the best of the 3 courses.

Our main complaint, however, was the ambience - and I know we were in the Champagne Lounge but it was filled with other dinners not drinkers. What we objected to was the lounge act. It really detracted from the evening - talking was impossible and thus the interupted meal service was simply compounded. And I mean lounge act - a singer who, while not that bad, would be better suited on a Holland America cruise ship. I do not want to sing along with my meal. Ever.

Prices on the wine list seemed high; we are only familar with the prices of the local wines but $14 for a glass of Inniskillin Pinot Noir seemed steep to us. From what we could tell the mark-up was at least 250%.

Service wasn't what I would have expected from a restaurant that has received so many excellent reviews but then again it is summer - maybe they have trouble retaining their skilled staff in the summer. But I must reiterate that they didn't charge for my under-done chops so I can't really complain.

The next night at the Four Seasons was a completely different story. Explemary service from knowledge staff and the setting was stellar. The wonderful streams and water features make dining outside an extraordinary experience. The food is well presented, wine list limited but good with excellent BC representation.

We both had the skirt steak and it was flavourful and, most importantly done exactly as ordered. As we were eating late we didn't have a first course but I would definitely recommend the seafood bar - it looked fabulous. The flatbread as mentioned by Jamie really was terrific. Slightly thicker than phyllo and brushed with a spicy wash of peppers and sea salt. I wonder if they use a pasta maker to get the cracker dough that thin? Might be worth experimenting.

We also went to the Farmer's Market on Sunday and snagged some wonderful Bintje potatoes from Pemberton and stone fruit from the Okanagan. Resisted the pies - but only through tremendous self discipline. My husband scored a 5 kg tub of the most amazing honey. So all in all it was a great weekend. If you are in the Four Seasons Bar try their Mile High Martini (Fifty Two 80 - get it? Don't worry - I didn't at first!)- it was wonderful. Could have easily had more than one - but once again self restraint kicked in. Anyway, back in the city, back at work and looking for excuses to go away again.

[jamiemaw]

I've been working all day on scrapping the remenants of dirt from my finger nails and have taken two showers since getting home last night, yet still detect a lingering hint of burning hemlock on my person.

Keith,

Surely the lesser Talents have now had the chance to compare and contrast the beaches of Oahu with Ocean City. Yet no loin of indigenous-/kayak-/line-caught orca in the latter? I should of thought it was the least we could expect, perhaps draped over the son-of-hibachi?

Re your fingernail concern, have you ever considered a career in industrial detergents?

Finally, in light of the forthcoming Olympics (we should all hope), thank goodness the Grecian formula, err, Gods, still prefer their hemlock straight up. Kind of reminds us of you drinking just-OK wines out of a Nyquil lid.

Much love at home,

Maurice Richard.

[stovetop]

Bearfoot Bistro has always been about smoke and mirrors; for me it is the most overrated restaurant in Whistler; this place deserves criticism because when you stand on a milk crate claiming to be the one, it is easier to throw rocks and bring you back to earth, I really hate this about fine dinning, why does it have to be so dam pretentious, charge outrageous money and they will come??

Give me a milk crate, some good food, wine and company, through on a table cloth and I feel that this can precede anything that these type of dinning rooms and style want to communicate.

Ego does not sell food forever, after a while like in the Wizard of OZ the works will be found out and a few notches will be busted out to reveal to the public what you really are.

[jamiemaw]

jackand jill

Delighted to hear you’re going up the hill.

May I make a suggestion in the form of a progressive dinner/dine-around? We found it a good use of our time, especially as much of the creativity was more apparent in the appetizer/raw bar menus. So here’s a list of places that you can access easily, order a couple of plates or more, then move on. It’s also more budget-friendly.

Araxi

Quattro

Fifty Two 80

Zen or Sushi Village

Val d’Isere

Après

Bearfoot Bistro Champagne Bar (Oyster special)

Chef Bernard’s remains our favourite for reasonably priced breakfast—try it on Sunday and take in the market too.

Here are some sample items from the Fifty Two 80 dinner menus:

Raw Bar

Oysters $2

Salmon Tasting $15

Seafood Platter $16/person

Shellfish Platter $24/person

Firecracker Roll $10

Sashimi plate $12

First Steps

Onion Soup $9

Salmon Chowder $9

Moules Frites $15

Tuna Carpaccio/

asparagus/avocado $12

Crab Cocktail $16

Salads

Valley Greens $10

Caesar $12

Bibb lettuce pear

blue cheese, walnut dressing $14

Golden beet &

Goat cheese $12

Large Plates

Seaffod Pappardelle $18

Forest fettucine $18

Lobster $36

Braised halibut

Artichokes/clams $28

Wild Salmon $28

Arctic Char/morels $26

Black Cod/sweet peas $26

Snapper Bouillabaisse $24

Coq au Vin $22

Spit

Lamb leg $30

Chicken $26

Pork Roast top eye $26

Grills range from $26 for wild salmon to $48 for a 14 ounce New York Steak

Sauces include béarnaise, red wine, peppercorn, tomato salsa

There is a selection of additional vegetable sides at $5 per

Desserts are $9

Wine Snapshot

Gl Btl

Sumac Ridge Brut 10 36

Blue Mtn Gold Label Brut 46

Mission Hill Pinot Grigio 9 36

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 46

Cedar Creek Plat Chard 16 64

Inniskillin Dark Horse PN 13 52

Black Hills Nota Bene 77

La Frenz Merlot 51

Kistler Chardonnay 185

Andrew Rich Pinot Noir 97

Cedar Creek Plat Res PN 70

Who knows, it might be fun to take a widely available BC wine and compare by the glass prices around the town.

Hope this is helpful.

Jamie

[merlin]

Was it not the Bearfoot that was one of the subjects of Joanne Kates' excoriating review of Whistler dining some years ago?

The waiter who mentioned that the chef was making a special ham dish for the high spending Americans. That "special" ham called "jambon"

The lavish spending party including the purported FI race car driver who was subsequently arrested and identifed as the con man who had been bilking people from coast to coast passing himself off as a "French Rockerfeller" or some other such family name.

[stovetop]

Yes, that French Con Man saw right through the smoke and mirrors and put on his own show, the restaurant fell hard on the smell of money, it took a few visits and he took them for a lot of money, but some of the guest did not fall hard for Rovencourt antics, some of his quest smelled a rat among them, this dinner was the end for the con. Like I said smoke and mirrors only work if you have ignorant and money hungry people, but you can not Con every one, you must know your audience.

Rovencourt should have quit while he was a head; he got greedy in the Whistler life style and caught up in the luxurious life style, in the end it brought him down.

steve

[jackandjill]

Jamie, thanks very much for the itinerary - it sounds like a recipe for a great weekend. We'll definitely check out Fifty Two 80 and as many of the others as we have time (and room) for.

We're already thinking of going to Caramba and Portobello. So many dining options, yet so little time.

Hopefully, we don't fall down and break our collective crown.

[stovetop]

jack and jill try the rimrock-creekside (one of the oldest)

and waters edge

two great restaurants

waters edge has the best view in whistler

it is on alta lake

steve

and la rua

[poutine]

I've been visiting Whistler regularly for 11 years now & never miss an opportunity to dine at Rim Rock Café. My friends (locals) nor I have never been disappointed. We even ate there on their seasonal opening night a few years ago (when they rolled out their "tasting" menu) and it was as if they had not been closed for the summer.

[jamiemaw]

Jack and Jill,

How was your weekend in Whistler? Anything exciting to report on? Did you make it to the Four Seasons or Apres?

Do dish.

Jamie