Guest blogger Tash McGill headed to Whistler and tried these 3 eating establishments. Here’s her review:
Winter paradise at Fairmont Whistler
Staying at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler is a great place for those who love a wee dram. Not only does the bar feature an excellent wine, spirits and beer list, but the French bartender is aging his own whisky with honey for a twist on an original twist, the Boulvadiere cocktail.
Gone are the days when hotel bars were the kind of place a girl like me avoided like the plague. Many of the bars and restaurants in Whistler feature amazing cocktail lists, full of old classics and new twists – modern tastes demand that you’ll get as fine a drink as you could ever imagine.
Restaurants to try:
Dessert at Wildflower
The Wildflower (at The Fairmont Chateau)
One of the many restaurants to pride itself on locally raised and harvested produce, the Wildflower serves buffet breakfast and lunch before becoming a truly sophisticated dining experience in the evenings. We were treated a chef’s selection of entrees and an incredible dessert platter to share, somehow expected to squeeze our mains into the middle! Plenty to choose from to wet the palate too – some 400 Canadian and international wines on the list!
Alta Bistro Bar
Alta Bistro (on Main Street)
One of the newest restaurants to open in Whistler, this bistro is charming and casual, featuring local art on display in a funky, bright interior. This place has really invested in the bar with a state of the art unit enabling them to keep wine for long periods of time without deterioration – meaning they can have a large range of wines available by the glass. Lots of micro-brewed beers and well-crafted cocktails using housemade syrups featuring herbs from the local rooftop garden of another hotel. Here, as well as eating local produce, I was lucky enough to try a local gin, made from organic potatoes of all things! Potatoes are usually saved for Russian vodka – but if you ever see Schramm bottles on a shelf – trust me, stock up.
Gone Bakery
We’d eaten here not just once, but twice! They have a shop with a small sit-in area, where their fresh and delicious soups (about 10 varieties the day we visited) are on offer beside a range of hearty sandwiches, cakes and muffins. Just what you need in the middle of fueling a day on the mountain – or in between your village shopping and wandering the art galleries. But Gone Bakery has another location just outside the main Whistler village – and their sandwiches to go, along with tasty baked treats kept us going on our long day adventures!