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We were up in Whistler for the May Long weekend - "Girls' Weekend" if you will. Took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Saturday to stroll the Village. We had a hankering for something to drink and some nibblies, and Longhorn Saloon looked like a great place to sit and watch people as they headed up the mountain with their bikes. Of course it was crowded and the music was loud, but that kind of thing doesn't bother me. We were lucky to find an unoccupied table - it just needed to be cleaned up, as the previous occupants' dishes were still sitting on it. Again, no problem; the place was busy. We flagged down one of the servers, and she removed the plates and glasses right away. She didn't give the table a wipe, though, which made for a bit of stickage when I placed my arms on the table. Ewww! We asked if we could have the table wiped - eventually it was. The menu didn't have a lot of items on it appy-wise. We asked for two orders of yam fries. When asking about a drink menu, we were told that they didn't have one! Is it just me, or is that odd? I like to see what kind of beverages are available and how much they cost. Maybe the drinks are written on a chalkboard inside or something. Or not. I didn't want to wade through the very large crowd to go inside and find out. Ended up just ordering an iced tea. The yam fries ($8) were typical pub fare, accompanied by a chipotle/barbecue dip that was pretty tasty. The party atmosphere was fun, and there were a mix of couples, single folk and families (although kids are permitted with parents, we noticed the host turning away unaccompanied minors). Speaking of the host, we found him an entertaining floor show as he bopped around to the music while greeting the restaurant patrons. This is a place that is good for the atmosphere, less so for the food.
This restaurant The Royal taste of india is fantastic,Great food reasonable prices, we had butter chicken which was a perfect blend of creaminess and spice. i had to hold my self back from licking my plate. The naan is unbelievable best naan. I'll keep coming. The service was fantastic. Highly recommend.
My wife and I dropped in without reservations. They found us a table immediately. My wife order the $25 menu and I ordered the $35. She had the Spring Salad, Goat Cheese and Buttermilk Mousse, and the Pork Cheeks. I enjoyed the Chicken Terrine, Pacific Cod and Mussels. My entrée was the Duck Breasts. The servers took the time to explain to me what Buttermilk Mousse was as well as where Pork Cheeks come from. I also learned that Chicken Terrine is a paste rather than a chicken part.
Everything was served elegantly and it was all delicious. The attention to little details was amazing. Alta Bistro is my new favorite Whistler restaurant.
I will be back to impress my gourmet chef friends who think I am a total hick when it comes to dining.
It was a busy evening for the staff so we waited a long time for the food and did not get good table service. Food was okay but expected better with the prices. Meat could have been tastier and was served only warm. The pork(1inch cube) and 2 scallops appetizer was good but portion could have been bigger for $16.
We stopped here on the way out of town for lunch, thinking it looked cute and since Function is very local, it would be better quality (like the Wild Wood that used to be out there, or Alpine Cafe up north of town). Looked very nice inside and the menu seemed to promise good food. I ordered a falafel wrap, and my husband ordered a burrito. The waitress seemed pretty tense, even thought it appeared to only be moderately busy, and there were some folks who looked as though they were just sharing some coffee and visiting. Food took FOREVER, and when we got it, was a complete disappointment. Falafel wrap tasted like plain polenta/tamale cornmeal filling, no crispy outsides, no tzatziki, wrapped in a store bought tortilla. The "home fries" were barely warm, much less crisp. Husbands burrito was a skinny, sad, overcooked looking mess, with chicken rubbery. When I asked the waitress "aren't falafels supposed to be at least cooked or crispy on the outside", and did I even get the right thing, she coldly responded "that's the chef's "take" on falafel, I should have told you when you ordered" and claimed it was a chickpea and hummus blend , but I'm telling you, it was polenta! And after we got our food - that table that looked like they were just havin' some coffee? They got their food, s l o w l y, one dish at at time, not everyone at once. The last woman finally said "just put mine in a box" because her companions were almost done. The tension mentioned in the other review was noticeable - this staff does not know how to smoothly operate a SMALL restaurant. I think this place is destined to close, and we will definitely not be going back. Should have gone north to Alpine, it is ALWAYS super delicous, no matter how busy.
SERVICE: The service was very so-so, especially for a restaurant of this calibre. Our server knew the menu well, like he had rehearsed it many times before - but he never showed an interest in what we, personally, wanted to eat. The service from the sommelier was downright poor - he dropped off a wine list but walked away when we were mid-sentence asking him a question. Even when we were able to flag him down later, he didn't ask what we were eating, how he could help with pairings, etc. Our entrees were on the table for 5 minutes before we were able to flag him down again to order some red wine, even though we had told him earlier that we would be ordering a bottle of red to go with our mains. Fine if this is Cactus Club, not fine when you're a fine dining establishment. We got the feeling that we weren't worth his attention since we weren't ordering the $500 bottles of wine.
FOOD: The food was pretty good, but not that impressive, given that you're paying a minimum of $98 per person for 3 courses (plus a "supplement" for many courses). The food was complex in that each appetizer/entree/dessert was made up of at least 4 or 5 different "components", so you can see the attention that goes into each dish. But sometimes, the combinations didn't go that well together, just blended into each other, or you had to eat the dish with every "component" on your fork to really get some great flavour. There wasn't much to complain about (except that my lobster was overcooked), but the dishes just didn't have the standout quality that I expected, given the reviews and reputation of this restaurant. I much prefer the Rim Rock for both food and service in Whistler.
Christmas in Whistler, where to dine for dinner? Booked online for Alta Bistro well in advance. Snow and wind outdoors but toasty warm inside. Greeted at the door and seated immediately. Service friendly and efficient. The Winter Menu offered two set 3 course dinner selections. $29/$39. Upgrade was offered for the holiday meal - an extra $6 brought on a trio of ham (pork cheek, shank) with braised red cabbage and mashed potatoes. Two of us started with the Pâté & Charcuterie Board with cheese selection. Very nice selection and the flavours a nice blend. I selected the higher priced menu; three oysters from Fanny Bay served nicely chilled, Pan Fried Octopus and White Prawns were tasty although a little on the oily side, main was the Apple Wood Smoked Arctic Char Filet which was cooked to perfection - might have done nicely on a small bed of mashed with the warm salad on the side. My dining partner had the same but subbed in the ham trio. Food value, excellent. Portions correct, this is a bistro not an American diner. Wine list was comprehensive, many wines by the glass and many more by the bottle. Service for this very busy evening was wonderfully attentive. Would certainly return.
It's been about 15 years since we were last at an Old Spaghetti Factory; the kids, when they were little, loved the place with it's multiple courses, funky decor and big plates of kid friendly pasta. We were in Whislter and stumped for a place to eat dinner that wouldn't break the bank. We both spotted the OSF sign and half jokingly said we should do it for old times sake. Well, with no better options staring us in the face, we ended up going in laughing about expecting the traditional Spumoni finish to the dinner.
Sure enough, it's pretty much the same as it was 15 years ago.An all inclusive dinner of tossed salad, sourdough bread, pasta, dessert and coffee. Many of the pasta dishes are the same. I ordered the brown butter spaghetti I always use to get and wife ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. Now we don't expect Authentic Mange Italiano at the OSF, just mildly spiced pasta and sauces at a good price. And that's what we got. My brown butter spaghetti was not overly greasy and was nicely dressed with fresh ground parmesan and pepper. Quite delicious. Wife enjoyed her meatballs in a very mild marinara though she greatly prefers our zingy home version. And sure enough, the spumoni ice cream showed up at the end. Just over $30 for two with tip.
OSF is really a family restaurant and for the consistent food and value that kids will enjoy, you can't go wrong.
We were up at Whistler for a lazy day of shopping and playing in the snow before Christmas and we popped into Black's Restaurant and Pub for a late lunch. We had never been in Black's before and have to admit that what attracted us was an empty table next to the fireplace on a cold windy afternoon in the Village. We armed ourselves with mugs of hot tea and perused the very short lunch menu while warming in front of the fire. The restaurant is fairly bright and spartan but functional and there were a dozen groups of 2-6 diners and skiers enjoying some drinks and food while we were there.
The lunch menu is burgers, pizzas, fish and chips, meat pies, soups, sandiches and salads. We decided to order a pizza each; wife got a Margarita and I ordered a Hawaiian. They come with the usual hot pepper flakes and finely ground parmesan for extra pizza dressing. The crust was excellent, nicely crispy, medium crust and the only disappointment with either pizza was the overall blandness of the toppings. Not a gourmet pie with robust cheeses and zesty marinara but fairly average toppings. We brought a few slices home with us.
But our waitress, an Aussie from Melbourne, was very personable and she really made the lunch memorable, chatting and swapping stories with us while industriously doing her rounds. Always nice to meet a server who actually makes you feel like you're more than just a table and tip. Bill was $50 with a generous tip.
Have been twice here for dinner after getting brunch one weekend in the fall. The servers were very friendly and welcomed us back.
Twice we went on weekend evenings (one Friday one Saturday) for the Southern BBQ menu. The Saturday night was very busy but the servers were very pleasant. The food was amazing. Hushpuppies were to die for and the fried chicken was awesome. Portions were huge. We had so much food leftover that we were able to make another meal out of it. Great value! The last time we were there, the chef came out to talk to us so we were overall pleased with the place and will definitely be back! Great neighbourhood and local feel to the place.
We went here during Cornocopia hoping to get into Sidecut, the newest steak house in the Four Seasons. It was full but the host showed us a menu for Fifty Two 80 which was basically the lounge/bar next to Sidecut. It was a busy Saturday night and they had a Burger and Fries special on for only $12... which is actually cheap for Whistler! We were pleasantly surprised when the biggest burger you have ever seen arrived with a bowl of fries as well (huge patty including an onion ring inside and all the fixings). The service was amazing (Adree I think her name was) and food was incredible. I didn't know what to expect from just a lounge but I think I'll eat here instead of the steak house next time... they had different specials for each day of the week and hoping to get some fish taco's next time..
On November 3rd, 2011 I went into the Burnt Stew Cafe for the first time since it opened, I had been thinking of going there for a while. Once getting there it was very busy which was fine because they were still taking orders and getting people's food out. I placed my order and was patiently waiting for my food when I realized I forgot to ask if I could have pickles on my sandwich as well. The cafe was beginning to clear out and so I thought I would ask if I could add pickles. To my surprise the server flat out told me "No" so of course I asked why? She said the chef was slammed and that if she asked him he would explode on her and be super rude. I gave her a funny look and thats when she offered to go into the back and see if she could get me a pickle on the side. I feel like the service in Burnt Stew was horrible I would never say no to one of my clients or tell them one of co-workers might explode if you ask him something. I understand it was busy but maybe think about putting it in different terms, this experience makes me not want to return to the Burnt Stew Cafe.
First I have to mention that I started with low expections. All I wanted was a big juicy hamburger and fries.The food met my pre-lowered expectations. The service, however, failed to meet my expectations.
My advice to fellow diners is to order (2) drinks, (2) fries and extra condiments when you place your initial order -- for this will be the last time you will ever see your server. I don't know where she went, but we had to finish our hamburger without a drink refill and no extra sauce for our fries. I saw other servers walk by our table, but our server totally disappeared. My wife and I felt a bet abused and victimized.
Dear Mr. Spot, If you are going to run a "McDonald's like" burger joint, please lower your prices and add a drink dispenser so that I can have refills when I need them. A front counter for easy ordering would be recommended. You can save money on servers and cooks and just buy everything prepackaged. You have a great location. It is shame to see you squander good real estate. Just a thought...
What a deal! Had the 5 courses for $30 offer and it was delicous. We had 8 people in our party and they all ordered different combinations of the 5 course deal. I had the duck which was fantastic. Another ordered the steak and we all felt it was the best steak ever. Desserts were wonderful.
The wine list looked very complete. Ordered two types of wines that were perfectly paired with the food.
Everyone was very impressed and are looking forward to our next Whistler visit.
There were six of us that had a mini-holiday in Whistler this past summer. Our first night we had dinner here. BIG mistake!!! FYI - we love the Spaghetti Factory in Gastown and Richmond!!
The guy who was serving us was so slow and clumsy. Took forever to get our salads. The bread tasted old and looked old.
The portions up here are definitely smaller than the ones down in Vancouver.
Was not happy with experience here at all.
Avoid this place. Will not be going back!
I was thoroughly delighted with our entire experience in Christine's 'casual fine dining' restaurant. Not only is it the best location in Whistler with mountain vista views, the food was was excellent. Everything we had was extremely fresh. The mussels were divine and my friends steak was cooked perfectly. The menu is French inspired and there is something for everyone. The pana cota was a winner! Our sever was very knowledgeable. I felt the value was great considering the quality of the food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone who wants to treat themselves up the mountain!
From the street, 21 Steps looks like a exclusive privated club that is only for the popular kids. We climbed the 21 steps and discovered heaven. Drinks and small plates is the way to go. The drink of choice was the Blueberry Bliss and we all loved the Merguez: Lamb Sausage small plate. We will be back soon.
We love this place whenever we are in Whistler. I love how the service the sushi on a little wooden boat. The food is fresh and well prepared and presented. Favorite sushi was the spicy tuna roll as well as the spider roll. Never had a disappointing meal or experience.
Stopped in Whistler for a quick bite to eat. Decided on The Brewhouse. There was three of us. It was a warm night so we opted for the patio. It was great! The atmosphere was great. People watching and the music wasn't too loud, didn't feel crowded or felt we had to hurry.
After we were seated promptly, it took a while for our server to come take our drink orders. The place was busy in the patio but not busy at all inside. My husband ordered a beer but took over 15 minutes to get to him.
We shared the Green Salad ($7), Prime Rib Sliders ($13) and Mac & Cheese ($16). Salad was OK. Prime Rib Slider, which was an appetizer was VERY plain! No zing, no excitement. I thought there should have been some sort of garnish to it but nope, just three buns on a white plate. We should have ordered a hamburger instead! Mac and Cheese was definite overpriced!! The food wasn't delicious . . just ok. Total amount was $60 - way too expensive! Took a long time to get our bill too . . . and then to pay!! Our server was nice but soooo slow.
All in all, it was nice to be able to sit outside and absorb the atmosphere but would we go back? Maybe. We have fond memories of Brewhouse when it was first opened years ago so I guess that's why we chose this place.
I have always wanted to try this place. The food is fabulous! The location is kind of off the beaten track, but the ambiance inside totally makes up for it - cozy, comfortable and a kind of rustic romantic feel. Service is friendly & attentive, without being overly fussy. The food speaks for itself - we tried both the halibut and the mussels and they just melted in your mouth. Great presentation, taste, and texture. A great place for seafood after a long day of hiking, skiing, or snowboarding for sure! Will definitely come back for more!