Simon K.
Yelp
You want a steak, and you're in Whistler, you will not be disappointed is an understatement, to the fact your steak taste buds will be wowed. Staying at the Four Seasons for the weekend, me and my partner decided to try the restaurant that is housed within. I made a booking for 9:00PM on the night we came in, as this was definitely a hot spot on the mountain in terms of food, but oddly it is located off the Upper Village away from the busy spectacle of the Lower Village of Whistler. I could not find an earlier booking, and I am not used to feasting so late into the night, but what came was a meal I would eat anytime of day!
Coming down from our room this place is located through the lounge area of 'Fifty Two 80 Bistro & Bar', once you cut through you will see the big vertical red lit sign "Sidecut". I was greeted by David, the manager of this place, and he seated us at a table near the back, where the circular fireplace was. When you walk through you notice that this place is spactious, not too brightly lit, and has that ambience of fine dining experience in the mountains. He was very imformative of the restaurant, the food, the specialties, his own preferences and also provided us two complimentary champagne glasses to start.
Our server, whose name was Mark, kept the great service coming when he introduced himself to us. My partner asked about many items on the menu and his take on them from the preparation to personal preference of the dishes. The key that is emphasized here is that they use 40 day old aged beef, the top 2%, also you have a choice of six individual rubs and which one would fit your palate in regards to the meat you choose is entirely up to you prior to even having this thing cooked. Also another point in their special preparation of cooking is the use of an infrared grill that keeps the juices in the steak, more on this later.
The first dish that is usually brought out is the bread, and here is no different, till you take a peek at what has landed on your table! A hot assortment of crumpet like pieces and small cheese puffs is probably the best way to put it. Along with some freshly whipped butter, these treats prior to getting to the meal were wonderful. We both had to control our stomachs from the cheese puffs as we kept on eating each one.
We stuck to the main course, which was two different steaks, and two sides, as this is where you order just the meat, and anything extra must be added. The two sides we had on the night were the creamy spinach and mac and cheese to accompany our cooking meat! I had a baseball cut New York steak with the special 'Edison's Medicine' rub, while my partner had the delicious Rib Eye steak with the Black Angus rub. With the bread pieces already preparing us for the meal to come, we were excited to see how this restaurant compared to other places I have had for steak. Presentation was excellent, as they do not load the plate with anything else except that prestine cut of meat you ordered, also with a recap of how you wanted it done. I have my steaks 'blue' and this one was done right, without any doubt as they pride themselves on this.
My partners steak, which was the Rib Eye, practically cut like butter, the marblelization, or fat, but we will use the prettier word, was amazing, every bite was so flavourful, the mixing of the rub and just the quality of the meat was to really go the extra mile for. I have not even gotten to their special steak dips which came out in a trey. Usually your used to just seeing the normal A-1, HP type sauce, not here, all of this is in house, and very unique. They come in these little medicine vials, and each is so different, and really make for a different meal. You can have your meat the normal way, or change it up with a twist, and these 8 sauces enhance the experience.
I have had steaks before at some great places, and this place takes the cake in the food, but also in the entire experience. A big thanks goes to our server Mark, who made the night fun at our table, talking about his experiences with the food at the restaurant, and knowing exactly what he was talking about with the type of rub and the meat that we were going to choose. Great passion also from David, the manager, who even at the end offered to call us a cab, not knowing we were staying on the property, but that care for the little things definitely adds to an excellent night.
Another thing to point out, you can buy/purchase the rubs for your own cooking, and Mark brought out a plate with all 6 strands to allow us to try each. To be able to take something like this away from the restaurant and try on our own cooking at home will be fun. Mark also advised us to pack the piece of steak that we couldn't finish, luckily we did, even cold, it was delicious! Thank you again, I will be back!
