A Night Out In Whistler

There was a rumor floating about last week that some restaurant in Whistler was throwing champagne parties for athletes who won gold medals.  My boss asked me to find out what was involved to see if it was something worth shooting.  So I called The Bearfoot Bistro and started firing questions to the owner about how it all went down.  About halfway through the conversation he said, "since you're with NBC, why don't you bring a friend, I'll buy you dinner, and you can see firsthand!"

I left work early, grabbed TJ, and headed to the high-end restaurant.  We went in not at all knowing what to expect......what unfolded was a pretty surreal experience.  It started with the owner showing me how to saber a bottle of champagne!  (Unfortunately my bottle just cracked open -- there wasn't any spray fanfare to show for it.  Talk about anticlimactic!)

Onto a mini tour of the extensive wine cellar, which included a hefty supply of Petrus....

 

Next it was off to the newly constructed ice bar.  After donning Canada Goose down jackets and funny hats, we sipped vodka shots.  Three to be exact.  It was.....wait for it.....cooooool.  

We then sat down for a five-course tasting which included oysters, caviar, and other stuff I would never otherwise eat.  All while being entertained by a table-side magician (it should be known that neither TJ or I like magic - we hate it, in fact.  But this guy was unbelievable.)

The "show" didn't end there.  For dessert, our server brought out real liquid nitrogen, and heavy cream made with vanilla beans from Madagascar (I'm pretty sure that part was made up).  She then concocted "ice cream" right before our eyes!  It was neat to see, but in truth, it kinda tasted like chemicals.

 

 

 

When it was all said and done, I kept waiting for them to hit us with an exceptionally large bill (under normal circumstances, a 5-course tasting menu goes for $198 per person), but it never came.  Instead, we threw a big tip on the table and high-tailed it out of there before anyone changed their mind.  One of my better assignments at the Games so far!!