Best Whistler restaurant for a special occasion?
 

My husband and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary in Whistler. Has anyone been to the following restaurants? Which one would be the best for celebrating a special occasion?

--Araxi
--Bearfoot Bistro
--Umberto's: Il Caminetto
--Quattro

If it is the best food you are after do a word search for Patrick and Whistler Al. Patrick just posted a very thorough trip report and Al is a resident with a lot of insights.
Now, if by special occasion restaurant ambiance is more the issue for you than food (although the food is good, not spectacular at last report) I suggest you try the Edgewater Lake Lodge. On my visit I had an exceptionally good wild salmon, but that may have just been my good fortune. Patrick was not as impressed with the food on his visit last month. Edgewater is about 2 km out of town, sits right on the edge of the lake and has really lovely views of Whistler and Blackcomb as well as the float planes taking off and landing.

Let me qualify that last post. While we did not find the food "amazing" at the Edgewater as you might at some other restaurants, I'm not sure we expected to. It was really very good (and two of us particularly LOVED their own farm raised venison). But all in all, if we had to do it over again, I think we'd still choose the Edgewater for a special event (ours was a birthday). The setting was the remarkable part of the evening. During our two week trip to the Northwest, we ate in some really wonderful restaurants. But the Edgewater, while not the outstanding one for food, was certainly an outstanding special event place.

If you live in the mountains -- maybe it wouldn't be. We live in Florida.

Thank you for your input so far. I'm hoping Whistler Al will jump on board and give his recommendations.

My husband doesn't have a preference where we go, he just wants to eat at a restaurant where he can order a nice steak. So, I'm considering Hy's Steakhouse. Any opinions on that place?

Aloha Lavaflow,
My recommendation would be Araxi's. Hy's does a great steak, but so does Araxi's and they also offer so much more variety. Read this review, http://www.evalu8.org/staticpage?
page=review&siteid=8556
and go to www.araxi.com to see their current menu. As an alternative, I would recommend Trattoria diUmberto. It is a little less formal than il Caminetto, and it is our favorite spot( after Sushi Village)
Have a GREAT anniversary. We celebrated our 20th on Maui last year.
I will also be responding to your Provence question on the Europe forum, as soon as I can find my journal. Cheers, Al

WhistlerAl-- it's so nice to have a Whistler resident on this board who is so helpful in answering questions! Thank you for recommending Araxi.. I've heard great things about that place.

What do you know about Rim Rock Cafe? Why choose Araxi over Rim Rock Cafe?

And just out of curiousity-- why does Trattoria di Umberto seem more popular than Il Caminetto?

We also ate at Trattoria Umberto thanks to Whistler Al's recommendation, and we were glad we did. We loved the place. We peeked earlier into Il Caminetto and looked at the menu, and somehow instinctively thought we'd enjoy Trat Umberto more.

Hi lavaflow,
The Rimrock is definitely the best SEAFOOD restaurant in Whistler. But if hubby wants a steak, I probably would recommend Araxi over rimrock.I should mention that Rimrock also serves steak, cariboo, and elk, but they are really known for their incredibly fresh seafood dishes. Also, it is a 5 minute drive or $15 cab ride (after wine) to the Rimrock, so that should be taken into consideration. If you are staying in the village, Araxi's is a short stroll from all hotels. You can check out the menu at www.rimrockwhistler.com
Trat is less formal than caminetto, and I like the menu better. I can not go in there without having the goats cheese salad :>) If you're eating there , ask Walter for table #1 Cheers, Al

WhistlerAl-- Thanks for comparing Araxi and Rim Rock Cafe for me.. I didn't mention that I have actually eaten at Araxi a couple years ago. My husband and I were with a huge group of people, so I was busy socializing and really can't remember the meal very well. So, part of me wants to try it again.. and another part of me wants to try someplace new! But, it seems as if we can't go wrong with Araxi...

From your raving review of Trattoria, we will definitely try that one night.. and ask for table #1. (What's so special about table #1?)

lol, nothing really special about table one. It's just a nice round table in the corner , nice view, and good people watching,and if it's busy and loud, it's out of the traffic area.Cheers, Al

lavaflow -
I too am a fan of Umberto's Trattoria - we have a timeshare in the same building and we eat at least one of our dinners there every year.
Although I do love the restaurant - it does get hopping at times. Great energy but it isn't necessarily a very quiet place. I guess it depends on when you are going. We visit in February and inevitably the trattoria is full every night with people at the bar as well. Keep that in mind if you want to have a low key quiet dinner.
Happy anniversary!

Whistler Al, how is the Zen Whistler restaurant? We have sushi-mad friends going up to Whistler in a couple of weeks. Looked at the Sushi Village site and know that it's popular, but come on! Maki made with crab stick? In the Pacific NW? Shame, shame, shame.

BTilke, those were my thoughts exactly when I saw the Sushi Village online menu. We went anyway and I must say the food overall was quite decent, even the "crabstick" California roll. Not nearly as good as one made with real crab from a topnotch sushi bar, but tasty nevertheless. Although maybe a late dinner after spending the day on the slopes had something to do with that.

I was in Whistler in February and ate at Araxi, Bearfoot and Quattro.......each were similar as they were all very fine restaurants but I prefer Araxi the most. The owners own West in Vancouver also.

I also ate at Rimrock which is more "laid back" but the food is outstanding. It is a few minutes from the Village but much worth the trip.

Bon Appetit..........

We enjoy The Monk's Grill.
We always stay at The Aspens and it is a easy walk down to The Monk's Grill from our condo.