Palmer's Gallery Bar & Grill

Sometimes, I wonder if Bubbly is on drugs...  She is ever-so-happy and buzzes around like she's high on sugar.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining as she is an awesome person and her antics are truly entertaining.  But then again, her restaurant suggestions border on bizarre.  With Chill and I having just finished a round at Pemberton Golf Course, she thought it would be a great idea to meet at the Whistler Golf Course for dinner.  Huh?  Okay... She insisted that it would be a great place to hang out.  And so we did...

We started with an order of Nachos and when it hit the table, we were shocked at the size.  This could've easily fed a golf foursome.  Sure, we had four adults, but we didn't even put a dent into it as more than half was left on the plate at the end.  As a dish, it was pretty typical with crunchy chips topped with cheese, tomatoes, peppers and something different in black beans.  I thought that the guacamole could've used more lime as it was a bit bland.  The salsa was sweet with little impact.  For Bubbly, she had the Salt & Pepper Wings with chipotle ranch.  The wings were super crispy to the point where it was crunchy with well-rendered skin.  Inside, it wasn't juicy, but hardly dry either.  With a smooth start and a spicy finish, the chipotle ranch definitely had impact.

For myself, I had the Poached Prawn Wrap with waffle fries.  This was another enormous portion where the wrap was stuffed with buttery soft prawns (more like shrimp).  Mixed with a copious amount of mayo with a slight kick and red onions, there was some zip to an otherwise mild wrap.  They could've used less mayo though as it was quite wet. The large waffle fries were super crunchy and slightly spicy.  Viv went for the Half Turkey Sandwich with a bowl of Salmon Corn Chowder.  The sandwich itself was nothing special, but it did the job.  However, the chowder was light and more soup-like than creamy, but it tasted creamy though.  The sweet pop of the corn added the necessary impact while the salmon was moist.

For the kiddies, half of them went for the Chicken Strips and fries (yam fries in the picture and the other half had the Grilled Cheese and fries.  Well, these were as generic as these type of kid's meals could get.  Other than the multigrain toast and the use of white cheddar, these could be found on any other kid's menu.  They were nicely executed though and easy on the grease (despite the inherent cooking methods used).  Well, chalk this up to another family-friendly meal that didn't necessarily yield anything interesting.  On the other hand, it did do the job and we did have a relaxing time looking over the 18th green.  Yet at the end, we were quite cold...

The Good:
- Low-key relaxing place
- Kid-friendly

The Bad:
- It is generally "just because" food

Wild Wood Bistro

With the full compliment of kiddies from both families, we were sizing up which place to invade within Whistler Village for lunch.  Obviously, the place needed to be big enough to accommodate a party of 9 with 5 kiddies.  Also, it couldn't be incredibly expensive nor could it serve up exotic eats that would scare them, specifically my son...  Actually, Chill's son is worse because he only eats 3 things: McD's chicken nuggets, fries and Fresh Slice pizza.  Yes, that specific!  So after a bit of research, we headed over to the low-key Wild Wood Bistro in the Whistler Raquet Club.

At first, I considered brunch, but then I ultimately went for the Beef Dip with a side of Crab & Portobello Bisque.  Impressively large in size, the sandwich was filled with beef.  Although not necessarily chewy, the beef was not particularly tender either being quite dry.  Naturally, the beef was reheated in the dip itself which meant it took on the flavour which was really salty.  So with each dip, the sandwich got saltier and saltier.  Thankfully, the cup of bisque was small because I wasn't sure if I could take any more of it.  Super rich and creamy, it was heavy and full of herbs.  I thought the abundance of thyme and dill was overwhelming as well as the woodsiness of the mushrooms.

Viv decided on the Westcoast Benedict with BC smoked salmon and pan potatoes.  The poached egg was a bit overdone where the yolk was only mildly runny.  Interestingly, they decided to fully cook the smoked salmon where its appearance was a little off-putting.  Ultimately, it didn't affect the flavour as much as the texture, where it was a little strange.  The Hollandaise was good though being creamy with enough lemon to make an impact.  Crisped up on some sides, the pan potatoes were hearty and starchy.  Bubbly ended up with the Natural Benedict with avocado and tomato.  Her poached egg was done right while the flavours were definitely on the milder side.  A bit of salt could've helped, but then again, that could be added later.

Chill went for the Tiger Prawn Chorizo with Rice (rather than linguine).  With big meaty prawns exhibiting a nice snap and large slices of spicy chorizo, the dish was not longing for ingredients.  In terms of flavour, it wasn't exactly super spicy, but it was zesty with the tang of tomato and the sweetness of the peppers.  The rice could've been less moist though as there was more than enough sauce.  My son insisted on the Large Kid's Burger with pan potatoes even though we were warned about its large size.  Well, it was indeed large with a moist and juicy patty on a soft brioche bun.  I was able to sample this and I thought it was pretty good, especially for $6.99.  And yes, we had to remove the veggies and fruit from his plate...  *sigh*

My daughter decided to try the Grilled Ham & Cheese with Creamy Tomato Soup.  Nothing particularly out-of-the-ordinary with the sammie, but the soup was just plain weird.  It was super chunky and thick resembling a tomato sauce than a soup.  I gave it a sample and it wouldn't have looked out of place on top of a pile of spaghetti.  Tastewise, it was definitely creamy with the zing from the chunks of tomatoes.  So, it didn't taste particularly bad though. Ironically, right next to her, Chill's daughter had the kid's Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Not overly dissimilar to the tomato soup, the pasta sauce exhibited the same chunky tomatoes with a certain tartness (just minus the cream).  The pasta was al dente while the meatball was moist.  Overall, it was a hit and miss meal where the hits never made it to #1 on Billboard.  But for the price and overall kid-friendliness of the place, it is an option for those in Whistler with kids-in-tow.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions
- Kid-friendly

The Bad:
- Average eats

Mile One Eating House

Despite being featured on Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here", I was not familiar with Mile One Eating House out in Pemberton.  It wasn't until my ride up to Araxi's long table dinner that it finally appeared on my radar.  Suggested by our awesome driver, it suddenly became priority number one on my visit to Whistler the week after.  Besides, with 5 kiddies in tow, finding a place where the food is both plentiful and reasonably-priced was important.  So instead of driving 10 minutes into Whistler Village, we headed North for 20 minutes to sleepy Pemberton.

Luckily for us, we had made a reservation because the place was packed for a Sunday night.  The lineup to order food was almost out the door, but they did their best to expedite the food. Seeing how my diet over the past few days lacked items in the shade of green, Viv and I started with the Mile One Greens with mesclun greens, grilled asparagus, Pemby blue potato, boiled egg, red bell peppers, purple cabbage, Okanagan white wine & honey vinaigrette.  This was a large salad that ate like a Salade Nicoise without the tuna (but could be added for $6.00).  All the greens were fresh and crisp, potatoes were fully cooked, but not mushy while the eggs were just barely done.  I found the dressing to be light, yet effective at the same time with a definite white wine taste where it was balanced off by the honey.  Viv had a side of Farmstead Poutine which featured roasted potato wedges, Okanagan cheese curds and gravy.  Being fairly thick and firm, the roasted wedges were not affected by the copious amount of gravy where they retained their firmness.  The gravy was starch-thickened and silky with a salty kick.  I loved the cheese curds as they were squeaky.

For my main, I went for the Okanagan Apple Bangers & Yukon Gold Mash served with BC mushrooms and smoked Fraser Valley bacon and Nelson Brewing Oatmeal Stout gravy. Again, the portion size was substantial with a large mound of rustically mashed potatoes (with chunks and skin).  They were doused with a thick and creamy gravy that had a definite stout hit which was cooked down so it wasn't bitter.  The good amount of mushrooms added more depth with a woodsy essence while the ample bacon provided a smoky saltiness.  As for the bangers, they were meaty and sweet with a natural pork flavour.  These were firm with a nice snap casing.  Viv decided to go for something lighter in the Tuna Burger with sesame crusted & seared rare Pacific Albacore Tuna, purple cabbage slaw, wasabi mayo, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Beautifully seared ever-so-slightly with a nutty sesame crust, the tuna was plentiful and soft in texture.  I liked the red onion as it added crunch and a sharpness while the slaw upped the crunch and provided acidity.


The kiddies shared the Southern Comfort Mac n' Cheese with grilled Fraser Valley chicken, smoked bacon and broccolini.  Continuing the theme of large portions, the mac n' cheese was no exception.  It was full of somewhat soft macaroni, chunks of firm grilled chicken breast and crunchy bites of broccolini.  I found the flavours to be pretty balanced with a slight sharpness from the aged white cheddar.  The addition of mozzarella helped bring the whole dish together where there was just enough moisture clinging onto each macaroni.  Chill went for the 10 oz Grilled Rib Eye Steak consisting of Canadian Heritage Angus Beef, vine-ripened tomato & Salt Spring Island Beddis blue cheese salad, Yukon Gold potato wedges, grilled asparagus and Okanagan red wine glaze,  This was done a nice medium-rare where the steak was flavourful on its own (and as tender as rib eye can get).  I particularly liked the red wine glaze as it was more like a demi with a rich wine flavour that was properly cooked down.

Bubbly opted for the Cheese Steak with Heritage Angus Beef, red bell peppers, mozza, Blue Buck Beer braised onions, horseradish mayo in a hoagie bun.  She added some goat cheese to amped up the flavours even more so.  The firm while not overly dense bun held up well to the ingredients that featured surprisingly succulent slices of not overly thin beef.  It was nicely spiced where the onions added a tangy sweetness.  I didn't notice the horseradish mayo too much as it was rather mild.  As you can see in the picture, there was plenty of cheese.  Her kiddies both had the Pemby Meadows Cheeseburger with aged cheddar and a side of wedges.  The buns from Blackbird Bakery (across the street) were firm, but sufficiently airy so they weren't too hard.  The thick beef patty was not exactly juicy, but it wasn't overly dry either.  It was naturally-flavoured and sported a smoky char on the outside.  With the use of aged cheddar, there was enough sharpness to make an impact.

Seeing how we waited awhile to order and for our food, they presented us with a platter of Grilled Salmon drizzled with a sweet soy glaze.  It was literally perfectly prepared as it was fully cooked while still moist and fatty.  The sweet flesh was accented by the sweet soy, but we had to be conservative with it as it was salty.  Bubbly couldn't resist having dessert so she went for the Apple Rhubarb Pie with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream.  This was served hot with a flaky and buttery firm crust with a tart and sweet filling.  This was a nice way to end a good meal at Mile One Eating House.  Considering that most places in Whistler don't offer up good value nor interesting eats, I think people should consider driving up to Pemberton to give this place a try.

The Good:
- Decent prices
- Decent portions
- Some interesting menu items

The Bad:
- Well, it is a drive from Whistler
- Ordering can be a bit of a drag during peak times

21 Steps: Kitchen & Bar

Trying to find a reasonably-priced restaurant in Whistler Village can often be a challenge.  Sure, there are some cheaper spots, but as we learned from our experience at EI Furniture Warehouse, you get what you pay for.  Now let's make it even more challenging and add the fact the place needs to be kid-friendly AND offers up a reasonably-priced kid's menu.  Okay, if you have stopped laughing, please pay attention because we thought 21 Steps fit the bill after taking a look at their webpage.  With Viv and the kids finally making it up to join us, we headed over to the Village.

Although I wasn't particularly hungry, I wanted to try one of their smaller plates and upon asking our server which one to order, she suggested the Star Anise and Orange Braised Pork Ribs.  Good call, as these were addictively good.  With a quick deep fry, the ribs were crispy on the outside while fall-off-the-bone tender on the inside.  The star anise really came through in terms of taste and aroma.  There was a 5-spice-like flavour to the dish as a result.  The drizzle of Chinese mustard added both a tang and kick to the otherwise very sweet glaze.  For my larger plate, I went for the Boneless Pork Chop with porcini mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies.  Everything on the dish was prepared beautifully including the thick, moist and tender pork chop.  The rich and creamy mushroom sauce was woodsy and well-seasoned where it had the proper consistency that clung onto each piece of meat.  I found the mash to be creamy with little chunks and super buttery.  The veggies were still vibrant and crisp with just the right amount of seasoning.

Viv tried the BC Bowl with a bevy of smoked salmon, linguine, onions, peas, capers in a dill cream sauce.  This was a substantial amount of food as there was so much salmon, we could barely see the pasta.  About that pasta, it was toothsome while bathed in a rich and creamy sauce.  There was plenty of dill as well as the saltiness of capers that was balanced off by the sweet pop of the peas and onions.  Chill, who was joining us for dinner because Bubbly was still in transit, had his standby with the 10 oz Sterling Silver NY Steak with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies.  The steak was moist and tender where it was slightly past medium-rare.  There was no absence of flavour due to its well-charred exterior and chipotle garlic butter on top.  Again, the mash and veggies were good accompaniments.

For my daughter, she had the kid's 5 oz Sirloin Steak atop mash potatoes.  For $10.00, we thought it was a lot of food, considering that fact it included a beverage as well.  We asked for the steak to be prepared medium-rare and it was ever-so-slightly past that.  But that didn't mean it was not still wasn't succulent.  Much like Chill's steak, it was well-charred and seasoned where there was an appealing smoky flavour.  My son decided to be boring and had the Chicken Strips and Fries. The fries were thin and mostly crispy with quite a bit of starchiness left.  Hand-made and breaded, the chicken strips were natural in texture while not dry nor chewy.  Each piece was firmly crisp and not greasy at all.  Although the prices were still not cheap, it was inline with everything else in the Village.  But considering the quality of the food and the fact there is a reasonably-priced kid's menu, I would eat here again.

The Good:
- Nicely executed food
- Decent value considering its location
- Reasonably-priced and portioned kid's menu

The Bad:
- Of course with anything in the Village, it isn't cheap

EI Furniture Warehouse

With the sting of the $32.00 plate of mini-sashimi at Sachi Sushi, we had to keep our costs in check.  But being in the heart of Whistler, trying to get get cheap eats is usually reserved for visits to the Golden Arch.  Other than fast food, the chances of keeping bills in your wallet are as good as not stepping on Lego in my living room.  They hurt!  Anyways, there was one option though where the food is all $4.95 smack dab in the middle of the Village.  With locations in Vancouver, EI Furniture Warehouse gives a cheap option amongst overpriced touristy restaurants.

For myself, I'm not sure if I actually saved any money because I ended up ordering more food.  I started with the Hot Wings with celery, carrots and ranch dip.  Considering the price, the portion of wings was okay.  They weren't particularly spicy due to the extremely light toss in hot sauce.  On the other hand, they weren't completely devoid of moisture, which meant the meat was not dried out.  For my main, I tried the Chang Mai Bowl with fat hoikken noodles, asian greens and veggies, pea shoots, spicy soy chili sauce and toasted almond slivers.  For me, the noodles resembled udon more than anything else.  They were nicely toothsome though.  As for the veggies, they were crisp and plentiful, but I didn't see any pea shoots.  I found the sauce to have a decent spice level, but it was more tart and sweet than anything else.  I added chicken for $2.25 which was not really a good value since there was very little of it.  Moreover, they were in little bits that were dry.

Chill went for a Mexican theme by going with the Hard Shell Tacos consisting of spiced beef, lettuce, cheddar, fresh salsa and sour cream.  We did some bartering where he traded me one taco for 3 chicken wings.  I found the taco to be soft in spots due to the moisture of the ingredients.  The beef was surprisingly moist and easy on the grease.  There was a decent amount of it where it didn't lack seasoning either, exhibiting some spice.  As if hard tacos weren't enough, he got an order of the Nachos for One as well.  These were baked with cheddar cheese, tomatoes and jalapenos served with salsa and sour cream on the side.  Even when considering the price, these nachos were severely lacking in toppings.  Hence, it was like eating plain chips.  They were lightly crispy though.  I found the salsa to be more like chunky tomato sauce as there wasn't much spice.

Mr. Ed opted for the Braised Beef Spaghetti with fresh herbs, hint of cream and slow cooked braised beef.  As much as the pasta itself was fairly toothsome, the sauce was devoid of impact.  It was as if they didn't use any salt.  Hence, we could only taste a faint tomato flavour which was neither tart nor savoury.  The beef was tender though, yet it didn't have any impact as well.  Snake was smart and went with the ol' standby being the Works Burger made of premium Alberta beef, sauteed mushrooms, gravy, macho sauce, Swiss, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun.  He substituted his fries with a side of Onion Rings.  Similar to all the other times we've had this burger, the meat wasn't exactly juicy, but it wasn't too dry either due to the ingredients and sauces.  The brioche bun was soft where it wasn't overly dry.  As you can ascertain, the food here is not great.  But for the price, how can one really complain?  ...especially in the heart of Whistler Village.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Edible

The Bad:
- So-so food
- Service was sloooow...

Elements Urban Tapas

After a grueling 18 holes of golf at Nicklaus North Golf Course, we were famished.  Boy, stepping on those pedals in the golf cart was really tiring!  On some holes, we even had to walk to our ball as the carts weren't allowed on the fairway.  Imagine that!  If it weren't for the staff helping us carry our clubs from the car to the golf cart, we could've thrown out our backs!  And let's not even get into bending down and placing our ball on the tee...  So much physical activity!  We deserved tasty food.  Hence, we headed over to Elements Urban Tapas for some share plates and a couple pitchers of sangria.

After mulling over the menu, we decided to get 7 items to share beginning with the Two-Tone Frites with roasted tomato & black pepper aiolis. Consisting of both potato and yam fries, this was a simple yet surprisingly addictive and attractive plate of food.  Seemingly equally firmly crisp while still retaining a bit of starchiness, the fries did not lose their texture, even to the last piece.  Although each dip was good, I preferred the black pepper aioli due to the pepperiness combined with its mild smoothness.  On the contrary, the roasted tomato was much more subtle (intentionally of course) with a very mild sweet tang.  With another seemingly straightforward dish, the Wild Boar Bacon-Wrapped Baby Tomatoes were little explosions of flavour.  The plump, sweet and slightly tart tomatoes were accented by the saltiness of the rendered and crisp bacon.  Although the pesto was another layer of flavour (basil herbiness), it wasn't even necessary since the tomatoes were fine on their own.

Onto some bigger dishes, we had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak Salad with spinach, croutons, tomatoes, olives, blue cheese, crispy shallots and sundried tomato dressing.   We got the blue cheese on the side because Chill and Snake didn't want any...  Wimps!  Anyways, the steak was prepared a beautiful medium rare.  It was well-charred on the outside while juicy and moist inside. Naturally, for myself, I thought the blue cheese went well with the steak providing a salty sharp flavour.  Next up was the Blackened Pacific Ling Cod with bean cassoulet and grilled chorizo.  I found the cod to be flaky and firm while lacking in inherent flavours.  However, the spicy and salty chorizo were more than able to alleviate that problem.  The tomato-based cassoulet was neutral-tasting except for some spice at the tail end.

Although beautifully plated and carefully prepared, the Lettuce Cups with Ahi Tuna was not a crowd-pleaser at our table. Nothing particularly wrong with the individual components as the tuna was nicely textured (soft, but not mushy) and naturally sweet while the lettuce was fresh, crisp and properly trimmed. The rest of the veggies, soy roasted cashews and seasoned rice noodles added even more textures and in the case of the cashews, an aromaticness. Snake, in particular, felt the dish was lacking impact as it was full of different textures, but at the same time, was missing that one flavourful component.  For myself, I thought it was fine as it was supposed to be a lighter dish where one could regulate the strength of flavours with the nuoc cham.  Another lighter dish of sorts was the Steamed Westcoast Mussels in a coconut red curry with lemongrass and kaffir lime.  The mussels were buttery and plump while bathed in a creamy aromatic broth that had just the right amount of spice and acidity.  I could really taste the individual components especially the coconut milk and curry.

We ended off the meal with the Slow Cooked Pork Belly with bacon & rosemary bread pudding, apple butter and maple cider glaze.  Meaty and fork tender, the pork belly exhibited a natural roast pork essence that was accented by mildly sweet apple butter.  I would've liked to see even more zing from the glaze, but it was full of depth nonetheless.  The bread pudding was pleasant being soft and sweet with the aroma of rosemary.  However, I would've liked to see something crispy to provide some textural balance (the skin wasn't crispy).  Overall, we thought the meal was good with carefully prepared eats.  Prices are on the higher end, but we're talking about Whistler here and whenever "tapas" is in the name, you know it won't be cheap.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared eats
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Dining room is super-cozy (could be good for a couple)