whistler Archives - Page 2 of 2

In Seafood

Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille: Dinner at Hilton Whistler

September 9, 2016

Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille is located inside the Hilton Whistler. They serve up Pacific Northwest dishes prepared fresh daily by their culinary team, led by Executive Chef Julian Owen-Mold. An engineer turned chef, Chef Owen – Mold is leaving his blueprints across the world creating original dishes and masterpieces using selections of the finest and freshest locally grown ingredients.

A few foodies and I were invited to come here for dinner while we were staying here over the weekend. The portion and items are slightly different that what is usually on the menu.

There is the bar side and the grille side to this place and they are quite different.

Cinnamon Bear Bar

We started off at the Cinnamon Bear Bar, a more casual and fun atmosphere après bar with TVs and pool tables. You can gather around the cozy fireplace in winter or gather in the sun soaked patio in the summer, taking in the mountain views. We came here first to have a cocktail before dinner. You can have beers, high balls, wine, or whatever your heart desires as long as they have it in stock.

Muddled strawberry with rosemary and gin was a fun cocktail with no name, but it was highly recommended to us by the staff.

Manhattan is made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. They also stick a cherry in the centre of it.

Summer Sangria was what I ordered. Great having in the Summer outside on their patio on a hot day.

Cinnamon Bear Grille

The interior has a good amount of seat and can accommodate small to large groups. Best to make reservations ahead of time to ensure no wait.

An assortment of bread and butter arrived at the table as we waited for our dishes.

Tomato gazpacho with ice shrimp and vanilla oil was the first appetizer. It was cold and refreshing. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients.

BC Dungeness Crab Cake with mango salsa and chipotle aioli. We noticed that the crab cake had a lot of crab and not stuffed with fillers like other restaurants.

Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc from the Okanagan was paired with the first 2 appetizers.

Kale and Quinoa salad, organic wheat kernels, toasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and spiced almond dressing. I wanted to see more fresh ingredients with more flavours. It was weighed down by the dressing.

Grilled tenderloin of Alberta beef with Nova Scotia lobster, scallop, asparagus and a maltaise sauce. It was really good and tender. A good contrast between land and sea.

It was paired with Inniskillin Pinot Noir. A nice full-bodied wine with oak and spiced aromas.

Trio of desserts arrived at the table including smores, creme brulee and tiramisu. The desserts were fun, but the flavours were ok.

It was paired with the Taylor Fladgate LBV from Portugal. It is a port wine with flavours of ripe dark plums and cherry.

Overall, it was good to see what hotel restaurants are producing. With the great culinary scene in Whistler, hotel restaurants are easily overlooked.

We Rate Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille:

Address:
4050 Whistler Way, Whistler, BC

Website:
http://www.hiltonwhistler.com/dining/cinnamon-bear-grille.php

In Dessert

Cows: Moo Moo for Ice Cream in Whistler

October 1, 2014

Going to Whistler, I needed to make a stop at Cows to show M their really cool merchandise. If you are a fan of cows, you’ll find so many things with a cow on it. In the Summer, there are long lineups here, but since it was early in the day in the Fall, it was pretty empty.

Cow’s originated from Prince Edward Island on the East Coast of Canada. They have 10 locations across Canada, but mostly in Tourist areas like Whistler.

Stuffed animals, keychains, and stuffed animal cows. All things cow!

Half of the place sells ice cream and everything else is merchandise.

Their flavours are pretty similar to the other Cows across Canada. I went to the one in Niagara on the Lake a while ago in Ontario.

Moo Crunch (Single Scoop – $4.25) is mostly chocolate with chocolate balls embedded inside. It’s a nice treat to have when you’re wandering around Whistler.

We Rate Cows:

Address:
102-4295 Blackcomb Way
Whistler BC

Website:
http://www.cows.ca/

In Brunch

Crepe Montagne: Brunch in Whistler

September 30, 2014

Crepe Montagne is an authentic French Creperie located in Whistler Village. They have lots of breakfast and brunch items that are sweet and savoury. M and I came for a day trip to Whistler and he demanded we find some brunch. Doing a quick search on Urbanspoon, it lead me here.

There are seats inside and outside, but we sat inside since there was only one table available. It’s a cute place and I’m amazed the chef can cook in such a tight space.

Coffee is a must for every morning. We left Vancouver pretty early to get here by 9am.

Cappuccino was my drink of choice. This drink has alway stuck with me because I started drinking coffee in University when I was backpacking across Europe. I just loved the foam with the espresso. It’s exactly what I need to perk up in the morning.

Pesto Eggs Benedict ($14) has a fresh pesto sauce with a lot of mushrooms, topped with a medium egg and hollandaise sauce. On the side, there are hashbrowns and fresh fruit. I couldn’t stop eating this! It was so good! It was just what I needed.

2010 Breakfast Crepe ($14) has 3 eggs, Canadian back bacon, cheese and tomatoes. The eggs are inside the crepe, so it doesn’t seem like you are consuming 3 eggs. M really loved this crepe and would barely share with me. The crepe is made of buckwheat and white flour.

Overall, the meals probably had lots of butter, but it was really good. I love their savoury items.

Address:
116 4368 Main Street
Whistler BC

Website:
http://crepemontagne.com/

In Canadian

The Green Moustache: Juice and Smoothies in Whistler

September 27, 2014

The Green Moustache is located in the Whistler Village and serves up juices, smoothies, and healthy food. M and I were spending a day in Whistler and needed a place to have some juice. We passed by Green Moustache and decided to give their drink a try.

Besides smoothie and juices, they have salads, soups, rice bowls, and raw food treats. It’s good for people with restrictive diets.

Dali Smoothie (16oz -$8) is a berry smoothie.

Chaplin Smoothie (12oz – $6.50) is a mango and banana smoothie.

Both smoothies taste good but we both had a liking towards the Chaplin Smoothie because of the banana. Banana does wonders for a smoothie.

Overall, it was a nice stop for a smoothie on the ride back to Vancouver. It’s a cute little place too.

We Rate The Green Moustache:

Address:
4340 Lorimer Rd
Whistler, BC

Website:
http://greenmoustachejuice.com/

In Brewery

Whistler Village Beer Festival 2014: Recap

September 17, 2014

Whistler Village Beer Festival is a 4 day event of tastings, workshops, awards, and cask showdowns. The main tasting festival event was on Saturday and was open to the public with over 200 types of beer and 62 breweries. The event attracted over 3,500 people!

It was held in the Whistler Olympic Plaza surrounded by grass, trees, and mountains. What better place would you rather have a beer in hand? It’s really a beautiful location.

Early Bird tickets were $30, General admission was $35 and GateCrasher Tickets were $45. The only difference is that GateCrashers get early access to the festival grounds one hour before it officially opens.

Your ticket includes:

WVBF Novelty Mug (4oz)
5 beer tokens
$5 off-site food voucher

If you want additional beer tokens, you can purchase them during the event for $1.50 each.

There were long waits right when the event opened up, so it’s best to be a GateCrasher to get early entry if you hate waits.

The breweries that were in attendance were:

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Bowen Island Brewing
Stanley Park
BrewHouse – High Mountain Brewing Company
SteamWorks Brewing Co.
Red Racer
Whistler Brewing Co.
Dead Frog Brewery
Lighthouse Brewing Company
Deepcover Brewers and Distillers
Parallel 49
Driftwood Brewery
Old Yale Brewing Co
Granville Island Brewing
Canuck Empire
House Sound Brewing
Four Winds Brewing Co

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At each booth, they have a selection of beer for you to taste. Just exchange one of the beer tokens for a sample. Having a taste of new beers really gives you a sense of what type of beers you enjoy the most.

I discovered I don’t like beers with a high IBU rating, like IPA. I do enjoy lighter beers or fruity beers. At the Samuel Adams booth, a beer that I enjoyed was the Summer Ale, which has a crisp taste with a hint of lemon flavour. I know, I’m such a girl when it comes to beer. I’m looking for good beers that will pair well with my weekly fried chicken trips.

Talking to the people at each booth was great to learn more about the beer as well.

There is also live music too. This little group of four dressed up in their lederhosen, played some fun music that went well with the festival.

Most of the music played was German Oompah-style music. What better songs to have at a beer fest right?

They also had a section with beer keg art from artists. Some of them looked pretty awesome!

Of course the crowd needed some snack to help them drink more beer! There were a few food trucks and vendors in the area served up pies, pizza, and pretzels. There are also tons of restaurants in the Village if you need a beer break.

They also have a few water stations if you need to rinse your mug or just keep hydrated.

Prost! The Whister Village Beer Festival is great for beer newbies and beer experts! Fun for all those who are over the age of 19. M and I definitely had fun.

What would you do for the love of beer? Travel a few hours to go to a Beer Fest, thats what we did! Plus, some booths had a cool swag like beer openers! Samuel Adams had a cool one with their slogan – For the love of beer.

The next Whistler Village Beer Festival is set for September 17 to 20, 2015. So, keep an eye open for tickets to go on sale next year.