“Child-friendly” can often be a dirty word in my book, but an impromptu weekend road trip up to Whistler showed that some restaurants do understand that both kids and adults can be satisfied with quality ingredients and excellent cookery. As you’re heading up the Sea-to-Sky over the next few sunny months, consider stopping at these two spots, with or without the kids in tow.
Fergie’s Cafe
Part of Sunwolf Resort, a fantastic camping, eagle-watching, fishing and rafting resort owned by Jess and Jake Freese, Fergie’s Cafe has been attracting locals and tourists for more than a handful of years. Located in Brackendale, between Squamish and Whistler, it’s just a few scenic minutes off the Sea-to-Sky and sits right alongside the Cheakamus River. Chef Tom Giblin, who’s been running the kitchen since last July, turns out stupendous breakfasts and two-fisted sandwiches that will have grown-ups crying uncle. Ingredients come from the local growers in the Paradise and Pemberton valleys, and the emphasis is on free-range and organic.
All-day breakfasts like the house-smoked pulled pork eggs benny on housemade buttermilk biscuits ($14) are decadent and soul-satisfying, as are the daily sausages ($3.50 as a side), like the honey mustard rosemary garlic version the child devoured alongside her Nutella-stuffed French toast ($13) with poached pears, salted peanut butter caramel, and candied toasted almonds. Feeling more savoury? Try the smoked brisket sandwich ($15), loaded up with caramelized onions, mushrooms and housemade horseradish mayo. As you’re leaving, grab one of the gluten-free chocolate brownies.
Word of warning: Fergie’s gets jammed on the weekends, so be prepared to wait if you arrive later. It’s not too much of a hardship, as there’s lots of grassy space for kids to run around and work up an appetite.
Open Monday-Friday, 9am-2pm; Saturday-Sunday, 9am-3pm.
Fergie’s Cafe | 70002 Squamish Valley Rd., Brackendale | 604-898-1537 | SunWolf.net/Fergies
Grill and Vine
Located in the Westin Resort & Spa in Whistler, the Grill & Vine belies its lacklustre but accurate moniker by reinterpreting the classic grill menu with local produce and well-raised animals under executive chef Bradley Cumming’s rule.
The wine program is excellent, encompassing 16 rotating wines by the glass through the Enomatic system, as well as another couple dozen available as singles or part of flights. There’s lots of local representation here, such as the Joie Noble Blend Riesling and the Tightrope Viognier, but don’t miss the excellent Cali selections, like the “Freakshow” Cab Sauv from Lodi. They’re all designed to pair well with the solid plates.
The BC salmon tasting ($16) is one such keeper. Wild, house-cured slices sit alongside a lovely tartare and a spoonful of wild salmon caviar, properly presented with a mother-of-pearl spoon. Layer over the perfect rye crisps and crème fraiche for tiny bites of luxury. The Fred Flintstone-sized pork ($30), roasted on the bone in the stone oven, is glazed in apple Dijon and sits over a bed of onion puree and Madeira sauce.
Speaking of stone ovens, this one also produces what could be the best pizza in the village. Just don’t tell the kids, because the children’s menu here is stellar. Items like Asian-style salmon with soba noodles ($16) and turkey sliders ($12) offer healthy choices, but for little foodies like mine, it was the three ounces of filet mignon, perfectly medium rare, sided with local carrots and broccolini, and a smash-your-own-potato set-up ($20) that won her over. Little pots of milk, crème fraiche, butter and cheese awaited her input, and made me slightly jealous.
The restaurant has also just launched a $34 four-course tasting menu that is one of the best deals in Whistler and includes the above-mentioned pork in a smaller version.
Open daily for breakfast and dinner.
The Grill & Vine | 4090 Whistler Way | 604-935-4344 | GrillAndVineWhistler.com
• Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
