Bearfoot Bistro

This place promises far more than it delivers. On a Thursday night it was half empty, and I fear that if they don't pull their socks up soon, by this time next year, the restaurant will have ceased to exist. First let me say, I was in the same party as the reviewer below.

Good things-service, was pleasant and helpful. However, they had to be, in order the explain the rather pretentious and silly way the menu was set out. How about an explanation of the dish, rather than a short title, and a random list of perhaps 2 or 3 ingredients.

Menu-see above. They had run out of mozzarella for one of the salad starters.

Price-outrageous! $98 for 3 courses whether you wanted them or not, plus a compulsory 18% service charge and even then most dishes came with with supplements. No dish other than the kobe beef was individually priced. I have an understanding of the cost of ingredients, and reckon the markup on most was around 600%. The white bean soup was very nice. Doubt the ingredients cost more than $2.

Food-good but not "wow", mini portions for my fellow diners.My lamb was cooked well, but the delicate taste was totally dominated by the sauce. My dessert (in menu described as"Custard"-included a mini creme brulee and a couple of other bits)-very tasty.

I enjoyed my meal, but not the sense that I had been fleeced.

Would I go again? If they halve the price, serve decent sized portions, and cut out the pretention...

 

 

I love eating out. Hubby & I do it once a week -- we read reviews, look at menus on line, and approach each meal as an adventure. So with that background, when we walked into this restaurant, we were initially a little surprised -- the decor looks a little run down, kind of like a motor hotel that has seen better days.  But hey, you're here for the food, right? Hubby wanted to try the Kobe beef.  Despite having called earlier, they had 'run out'.  It is funny, because we had attempted to try it 2 years earlier - also on a weeknight -- and they had 'run out' then too. Do they actually have it on the menu? Or is it just a marketing trick to lure you in and then overwhelm you with awful food? Appetizers were dull.  Mains were a let down, considering all the hype about this place.  They must have a large promotional budget because they advertise everywhere on the resort.  Hubby wanted filet mignon. They didn't have that cut (sidebar - are you kidding me?).  Can't remember what cut he had, but it amounted to a pile of fat.  He ended up cutting bits of meat from the fat and leaving a pile of it on his place. Even the server looked sheepish -- but despite doing their pretentious little 'un deux trois voila' unveiling the food routine (which, by the way, is so idiotic that it makes me cringe just writing this) no one offered to correct it, offered us a different main or a reduction in the bill - which (wait for it) was $500 including tip (we still tipped 20% because the server was an earnest young student and we couldn't bring ourselves to penalize him because the food was so awful). My main was bland and I ended up leaving part of it.  I do not understand the cult of personality about this place -- we tried it twice (this is the 2nd visit I'm talking about -- the first time it was boring, the 2nd time it was awful).  It almost seems that on some tourist websites their friends or staff are posting reviews - they read like advertisements, they all mention the chef by name, mention little strange details that actual customers wouldn't recall -- and if you write a bad review some other member sends an email telling you they don't believe you and that Chef Whatever-her-name is is the best!  What is up with that? It's bizarre.  I agree with Rotislav below -- the world seems to tilt every time I read a favourable review of this place.  It was that bad.

Normally I don't think we would have made it to the Bearfoot as we've heard how expensive it is.  We were so lucky to visit it, however, while on a walkabout dining tour with Whistler Tasting Tours.  The tour was fantastic and the Bearfoot was definitely the highlight of the night.  Being in the wine cellar was like no other experience we've ever had.  The sommelier, Ben, was very friendly and made us feel at ease instead of intimidating us with his knowledge like some places we've been.  We had an absolute ball learning to saber champagne with him. 

They then served an amazingly creative 3 piece plate featuring a crab croquet, foie gras, and himachi.  We could have stayed down there forever, but had a few more venues to visit on tour.  We look forward to a special occasion when we can return for the full experience.