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Small Barrels Magazine

Reviews of Fine Wines, Luxury Hotels and the Best Restaurants on Earth

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Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

May 8, 2006 By karin Leave a Comment

Tulips in April. Three words that translate as “paradise” to a Canadian prairie dweller like ourselves. As soon as we glimpsed green rolling hills from the airplane windows, our hearts felt light. When we arrived at The Empress hotel in the heart of Victoria, surrounded by colorful tulips- in April!-perfection had been attained.

Victoria is a beautiful city – clean, quaint, relaxed, and renowned for the flower gardens in its public parks and in private yards, immaculately kept. The Fairmont Empress is a stately English manor rising from the harbour’s edge of this elegant city. With ivy covered walls, hidden courtyards, and flourishing flower beds, The Empress has a charming rather than imposing demeanor, but promises luxury nonetheless.

Our stay at The Empress was restful and rewarding. Our room was spacious and comfortable, appointed with furniture that suggested the elegance of the Victorian era. The hotel itself fulfills its outside appearances; you feel as though you are strolling through the interior of a sophisticated country manor. The main dining room, The Empress Room, is perhaps the most impressive space in the hotel. With beams and other details in rich, dark wood, walls covered in elaborately woven coverings, and a massive fire place, The Empress Room is opulent and at the same time, somehow cozy. We took most of our meals there, with the sense that we were dining in the middle of history.



Afternoon Tea at The Empress is an experience that you should not leave without. A famed tradition at The Empress Hotel for over a century, taking High Tea in the Tea Lobby of the hotel overlooking the harbour is worth the price tag. The tea itself, a “secret” blend made exclusively for the hotel, is indeed delicious. A refreshing fruit and cream dish follows. Then, the famous tiered tray of luscious finger sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, and various mouthwatering bite size desserts are served. A true parade of flavors ensued-cucumber, of course, but also the delightful carrot & ginger with cream cheese, and curry mango chicken salad. As for the delicate desserts, my heart is ever devoted to the delicious lemon curd tarts with glazed berries. Afternoon Tea was a highlight not only of our stay but of our vacation. I would recommend it to anyone staying in the Victoria area, not only guests of The Empress hotel.

Only a few detractions can be noted about The Empress. First, mornings at The Empress were incredibly noisy as the sound of the loading and unloading of massive metal cargo boxes boomed through our open window. Of course, this is the result of the otherwise convenient city location, but something to note nonetheless if you are looking for serene, lazy mornings. The lack of air conditioning in the building is also likely to be a concern in the hot summer months.

Despite these minor things, Victoria is a truly lovely city to visit, and The Empress is a stately and welcoming place to stay while you are there.

Filed Under: Destinations, Hotel Reviews Tagged With: British Columbia, high tea, The Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria

Fifty Two 80 Bistro (Whistler, BC)

October 15, 2004 By karin Leave a Comment

Fifty Two 80 BistroVisiting the Four Seasons Whistler’s Fifty Two 80 Bistro as we did in October requires a bit of imagination. Whistler is, after all, a skiing town and the white stuff isn’t truly in its element for a few more months. We therefore had to imagine throngs of people clad in snowflake patterned sweaters layered over thermal underwear turtleneck tops sipping beverages après ski by the fireplace in the large lounge at the restaurant’s entrance. Of course, our reverie could just as easily place gentlemen in classy suits and ladies in little black dresses sipping cocktails amidst this lounge’s luxurious leather furnishings and tasteful décor. Though described as a casual restaurant, the décor and menu will not disappoint those in the mood for slightly a “finer” experience.

The décor of the main dining room is fresh, modern and inviting. Warm, earthy, and peachy tones are complemented by wood accents that reflect the glow of the open stone fireplace. (There is also a fireplace outdoors for al fresco dining in the summer months.) Everything at the Four Seasons Whistler, including the Fifty Two 80 Bistro (named, incidentally after the 5280 foot elevation of Whistler’s famous Blackcomb Mountain), is attractive and in impeccable shape at this relatively new hotel.



Fifty Two 80’s a-little-bit edgy menu is seafood-inspired, with daily creations served up from the bounty of the Pacific Ocean. We were urged to begin with a taste from the “live-action seafood bar” featuring prawns, freshly shucked oysters, lobster and other tasty bites. We sampled crab and lobster “raw shots” – amazingly tender morsels of these tender shellfish were actually served in a shot glass on a tiny bed of frisée lettuce. These tasty teasers are also served with homemade specialty sauces – I definitely recommend the  tantalizing, fresh, green goddess sauce.

Seafood is king at Fifty Two 80. Sure, the daily changing menu serves up share of chicken, prime rib(and even turkey with stuffing on the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday which occured while we were there), but restaurant specialties here revolve around things with gills or some mode of breathing under water. We visited the Bistro twice during our stay at the Four Seasons and sampled several items from the menu. Between those two visits, for first-courses (following seafood “raw shots”), we enjoyed a Golden Beet Salad with lightly breaded, warmed goat cheese and a tarragon dressing, House Smoked Wild Salmon on potato blinis with dill cream, and steamed mussels accompanied by frites and a spicy mayonnaise dip. Seafood reigned for our main courses. Generously sized garlicky prawns with a refreshing tomato salsa served with a mixed green salad was one evening’s choice – and then the highly recommended Black Cod with sweet corn and chanterelles. Desserts were rich and indulgent, such as the simply and aptly named “Chocolate” – a medley of chocolaty treats such as a Bailey’s and chocolate fudge morsel and sour cream and chocolate chunk ice cream.

We found the wine list to be rather small and quite focused upon British Columbia wines. It provided an interesting  rather than stellar selection. We had the Cedar Creek Platinum Reserve Chardonnay, 2002 on the first night, which was notable for its light, non-oaky taste. The next night, being in an eclectic and celebratory mood, we began with Sumac Ridge Brut from the Okanogan Valley – not exactly a creamy Champagne, but a still a nice beginning to a meal. We then took advantage of the half bottle offerings and had both the Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2001 and the Cedar Creek Estate 2002 – the second better than the first.

Service was quite good – very friendly, and servers had good knowledge of the menu. As for dress code, think presentable (change out of your ski gear), but not overly formal.

Overall Dining Experience
We give Fifty Two 80 4 Stars – Excellent!

For more information or to make reservations, call (604) 935-3400 or visit http://www.fourseasons.com/whistler/dining.html

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: BC, British Columbia, Canada, Four Seasons, Review of Fifty Two 80 Bistro, seafood, ski, Whistler

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