Wild Blue in Whistler takes the number two spot on the Top 10 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023.
02
Wild Blue
Whistler, B.C.
Gold Sponsor
Street Address
4005 Whistler Way
City + Province
Whistler, B.C.
Reservations
Yes
Website
We can almost hear Robin Leach from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: “Miracle by the Mountain? Northern Divine caviar and Japanese A5 Wagyu are on the menu at this Whistler wonder!” While Wild Blue is luxurious in all the right ways, it’s more than a lavish steakhouse. Sure, there’s a tender pink ribeye, served with the ocean–deep umami of yakiniku sauce. And we want to faceplant those buttery pommes purées. But really, thanks to chef Alex Chen (Vancouver’s Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar), chef Derek Bendig and legendary restaurateur Jack Evrensel (who put Whistler on the culinary map with Araxi), it has elevated fine dining in Canada’s playground for the rich and famous.
Partner and chef Alex Chen nails next–level steak and seafood.
Past the polished wooden entrance, the dreamily dark room is a party every night. RiRi is playing, big tables of parents, kids and grandkids are digging into morel risotto and nose–to–nose dates are sipping Okanagan’s Le Vieux Pin.
Our hilarious waiter Jason pours a gentle habanada–ginger dressing around North Shore tataki, and it hugs the seared tuna like a favourite sweater. Roasted sablefish, fatty as a pastrami sandwich, is even more luscious in a delicate sauce made from its roasted bones. We head to the second floor – all pop art and strategic mirrors – to take selfies and use the custom rosemary–peppermint handwash before Jason returns with dessert. He sets it down warning that warm plate plus salted caramel ice cream equals sticky toffee pudding ticking time bomb, so enjoy at once. He doesn’t need to tell us twice.
Sablefish with maitake mushrooms in roasted fish bone sauce; cooks Jordan White and Corey Wall prime for prime cuts in Wild Blue’s polished wood setting.