Best Whistler: Araxi

Although Araxi (Gold) may have been founded 25 years ago as a traditional après-ski eatery, it’s now consistently the best fine-dining restaurant on the mountain. Find fresh ingredients handled simply (the seafood preps show a deft hand), often with exquisite results, and a well-managed raw bar. At the Bearfoot Bistro (Silver) chef Melissa Craig skillfully approaches her craft and has seamlessly made Bearfoot a food-primary restaurant even if the fabled 12,000-bottle cellar might say otherwise. The clean-lined Fifty-Two 80 Bistro (Bronze) offers confident Four Seasons service with spectacular ingredient sourcing…and “oh, that cheese course,” sighed one judge. Après (Honourable Mention) bases its cosy menus (and well-attended cooking classes) on Pemberton Valley produce and coastal seafood—it’s a founding member of Slow Food Whistler. At the Rimrock Café (Honourable Mention), an extensive and well-executed menu (“the oysters Rockefeller always make me feel rich”) gets special raves from large parties.

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