Bearfoot Bistro, British Columbia
Who says what? Zagat Survey, The Times, Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado, American Wine Society Journal, Bon Appetit and the Chicago Tribune try to outdo each other with accolades for this Canadian dining institution, in Whistler, British Columbia.
What do we say? Truly inspiring - from waiter Rory's martini trolley, which parks tableside to start the proceedings, to the theatrical French counting of 'une, deux, trois' by the staff as they reveal your meal from under its silver dome, setting the aromas free. Who said North American dining wasn't fine?
Executive chef Melissa Craig's yellowfish tartar, seaweed-crusted loin and blood-orange caviar deserves a Michelin star all to itself. Follow it up with tamari-marinated black cod with British Columbia spot prawns, then a duck confit and white-bean pancetta butternut squash ragout and fresh perigord truffles. We sample the Michel Cluizel chocolate trio, which goes straight to our thighs, before Rory returns with another trolley. His riveting rendition of fromage history is topped only by the revelation this cheese connoisseur is lactose intolerant.
Highlights? Sommelier 'Captain Kirk', down in the wine cellar with his sabre. There is something potent about slicing off one's bubbly bottle top with a razor-sharp sword. His wine list is just as impressive: a thick tome of biblical proportions and perhaps the best in Canada. In 2004, Bearfoot Bistro fell victim to a C$200,000 (HK$1.4 million) wine heist by burglars whose bosses had refined taste buds. Vintage bottles of signed Mouton Rothschild and the like were whisked away after wires to security cameras were cut. Word is that the culprit was a wine collector of significant clout.
Bet it's expensive. You win that bet. The three-course menu, at a basic C$90, is good value considering the quality of fare, but start adding wine - and you will - and we're talking C$180 a head, minimum. Five courses will set you back C$125 for the food and another C$120 for matching wines. But blow the budget and go straight for the eight-course decadence of the Gastronomique menu, at C$225 a person ... for food alone. Call ahead, because 24 hours' notice is required.
