Rim Rock Cafe

2117 Whistler Road
Whistler, BC
V0N 1B2

T: 604 932 5565
www.rimrockwhistler.com

Brief Description: Award-winning restaurant with a strong focus on fresh game and seafood, located in Whistler Creekside. An impeccable dining experience that will not be forgotten.

I think it is always pretty stressful to be the one who organizes dinner out for a group of friends; you have to take into consideration different appetites, finances and eating particulars. It is even more stressful when that group contains people that are vegetarian, dairy-intolerant and non-red meat eaters. On a recent trip to Whistler a group of 10 of us decided to go for a meal on our last evening, so B and I had offered up Rim Rock Cafe as a suggestion. This could have turned out really, really good…or really, really bad…

The truth is that B and I were going to Rim Rock, come hell-or-high-water. We had been fortunate enough to visit Rim Rock for the first time back in January, and after that experience, we both could not recall a time when we werethat impressed by a meal or restaurant. That night could have easily turned into a disappointing evening of us sitting in the hotel with empty stomachs, when the taxi that we had called to pick us up never showed. I phoned the restaurant to tell them that we would be late and they actually called their favoured taxi company on our behalf and it arrived less than 2 minutes later. They had gotten off to a great start and we hadn’t even stepped foot into the restaurant! From the very beginning of our experience with Rim Rock until the very end, they were extremely professional and went above-and-beyond what we expected. The food was, without a doubt, some of the best food I have ever had. Yes, you read that correctly. Basically, we had no conversation over the meal because we just could not put words together. It kind of went something like this:

ME: “Mmmmmm!”

B: “Ohhhhhh…”

ME: “Oh my god, you have to try this…”

And then we would roll our eyes at each other, in bliss, after every bite. You get the picture. Basically, we could not fault that meal in January. The service: Amazing. The drinks: Amazing. The food: Out of this World!! Hence, why we could not rave enough about this place to our friends and they willingly took our advice. In reality though, it was probably just to shut us up

Thankfully, on our second trip to Rim Rock, things started off a lot smoother than our first trip. The service was flawless – attentive, but not overbearing. Basically, they allow 2 ½ hours per seating so things run effortlessly like clockwork. Drinks came out fast, specials were read at both ends of the table and the meals were delivered to all with deliberate precision. Most of us started with appetizers. I shared half a dozen oysters with my sister; half were Casino (bacon, peppers, tomato) and the other half Rockefeller. The oysters were fresh and the Rockefeller’s were baked in a creamy Hollandaise sauce which was so delicious that I wanted to lick each shell clean. In hindsight, I should have gotten a serving to myself as I could have happily devoured a half dozen solo.

B ordered the calamari, which he joyfully gobbled down. There were happy murmurs coming from all the way down the table. One of our dining companions claimed that his Rasputin oysters (tobiko, crème fraiche and vodka) were the best oysters he’d ever eaten and someone else was making similar claims about the sablefish. So far, so good…everyone was happy…

Choosing an entree at Rim Rock is difficult – everything just sounds so damn tempting! Game and seafood are Rim Rock’s specialties and our table was heavily in favour of the game – half of our table ordered the Northern Caribou! With the lasting impression that it had made on me in January, I just could not go past the Venison with home-made spaetzel. Both times that I have been lucky enough to have this dish, I have been in absolute awe of just how perfect it is. Thankfully I didn’t deviate from the chef’s way of cooking – medium to rare – and was rewarded with slices of tender, juicy venison that practically melt in the mouth. The caribou 5 were licking their lips in joy after enjoying the delicate slices of caribou with porcini cream. I traded valuable bites of venison for tastes of the caribou and also of the sablefish, which had a pistachio and macadamia crust, and it was incredible. I’m not a huge fan of fish (give me meat over fish any day!) but this was so light and the nutty crust ideally complemented the fish.

Dessert could have made a grown-man cry. Before our first Rim Rock experience, I had heard so much about their famous Sticky Toffee Pudding that there was no-way I could be tempted to have anything else. Not even theCrème Brulee could lure me in. I had passed on the wisdom to my dining companions and the people that followed my suggestion were not disappointed. The Sticky Toffee Pudding is flawless. The warm, moist pudding sits in a gooey, sweet toffee sauce and is served with a simple vanilla ice-cream. It is almost too much for my taste-buds – they want to explode in excitement! Not everyone ordered the pudding, so I got to try almost all of the other desserts on the menu. In a normal situation, they would have been impressive, probably even rave-worthy, but when compared to the Sticky Toffee Pudding there really is no comparision. Take my advice and don’t look pass the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Even the Crème Brulee couldn’t stand a chance…

Never have I been to a more successful group dining-out experience. Every course was a glorious food orgy, with people reaching over the table with forks and spoons poised to try a bite of this or a bit of that. Elated moans and groans were expelled all night. And I did not hear one complaint – not even when the bill came out and it came to more than $100 per head.

Final Thoughts: If you are visiting Whistler and have the money, spoil yourself and visit Rim Rock. You will not regret it. One of the best restaurants that I have ever been to. I highly anticipate my next visit.

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