2 posts tagged “canada”

I had envisioned making daily posts while on vacation here in Whistler, but our internet access is pokey from the hotel room (better from the lobby, where I am now, beside the fire) and there have been too many other activities tugging at me instead. That's a good thing, right?

No cats here (ours are at home being ably watched by Katr) but lots of good food from which to choose. We brought some choice reading material along as well, so watch the Books section for some updates, hopefully.

We've been up here since Saturday, January 5th (drove all day and arrived about 7 pm) and it has snowed every day.Mike spent Sunday on the cross-country trails and took a day-long snowboarding lesson on Monday. Tuesday was a bit of a rest day for him and his sore muscles. Yesterday we both got out on the cross-country ski trails (yes, Mike has photographic proof on his iPhone) and I proved once again that I am not a skier, and have a slightly sprained knee as a souvenir. If I am less sore tomorrow, I may try some snowshoeing instead. Otherwise, I am content just to walk around Whistler and people-watch.

Whistler by night

So, some food notes. We had dinner at the Dubh Linn Gate Pub (in the Pan Pacific Hotel) both Saturday and Sunday nights. Great atmosphere, tasty Irish food, nice beer selection (Mike did take beer pics, but hasn't sent them to me yet for posting) and a lively Irish music act that enthralled us. They make a hot cheese spread out of Stilton, Cheddar and  cream cheese and serve it with real Irish soda bread, an easy but impressive little appetizer trick that I think I can duplicate at home.

Monday night's dinner was at the local Indian restaurant, the Tandoori Grill. Most of what we ate was familiar to us; we did order a paneer dish with a particularly rich, mellow tomato-butter sauce that I really enjoyed. And we had an order of Fish Vindaloo that pleased me greatly, as the fish was tender and barely cooked and the sauce, while mild enough for my easily-blistered palate, sparkled with pungent spices and smooth coconut flavor.

Tuesday we were scheduled for an evening sleigh-ride and so wanted an early dinner. We ended up at Caramba, which bills itself as a Mediterranean restaurant and boasts an open kitchen and a cheerful, upbeat atmosphere. I'd describe it as Italian/Spanish bistro food; dishes included pasta, pizza, seafood, and rotisserie meats. Mike had a dish of penne with chorizo and chipotle sauce; I had seafood linguini (salmon, prawns, and mussels). The dessert menu included creme caramel, which I can never resist ("there's always room for custard" being one of my mottoes) but really crossed the Pyrenees to be a proper Spanish Flan... cool, firm, eggy, just sweet enough. I'm not usually a dessert eater but I could have sat there eating that flan for another hour. And unlike most of the restaurants here, they offered some affordable house wines; we drank a bottle of their house red, a Tempranillo blend.

Last night we decided that we needed Greek food. Previously on visits to Whistler we'd enjoyed eating at a lively, garlicky Greek restaurant in the ViIlage, whose name I can't remember. We were disappointed to see that it was gone, replaced by an upscale and rather bleak-looking concept restaurant called The Mountain Club (with food choices divided in categories of Ocean and Earth... we both got the giggles looking at their menu, thinking somehow of elemental spirits). That forced us to branch out and try Kypriaki Norte, the other Greek restaurant here in Whistler Village.  We weren't disappointed; the food and dining experience were exactly what we needed and we will definitely go back on future visits. We ordered their three-course fixed-price menu, plus an extra appetizer of stuffed grape leaves, plus a liter of the house red. Mike had their avgolemono soup, while I had a lobster and butternut squash bisque. We both had the Greek salad. For  an entree, Mike ordered the roast lamb, which is Kypriaki Norte's house specialty. It arrived with pilaf and roasted vegetables, and was meltingly tender and beautifully flavored with mustard, garlic and herbs. My  entree of duck breast and mushroom risotto was delicious as well, just not as Greek. We finished with dessert drinks (an Italian dessert wine for Mike, something like a light sherry, and a small glass of peach grappa for me) and a serving of baklava.

Today, Mike plans to take the car and go up to the new OIympic Nordic Center up at Callaghan Valley and do some skiing up there. I'll poke around the village, do some reading and such, and perhaps go for a swim in the hotel pool. Since we ate so much last night we need to find something a little less... substantial tonight, at least for me. Ooof.