The Grill Room, Fairmont Chateau Whistler's four-diamond-rated steakhouse, has been named one of Canada's Top 100 restaurants based on diner reviews from online restaurant-reservation service OpenTable.
Generated from diner reviews collected between Oct. 1, 2018 and Sept. 30, 2019, the list, which is ordered alphabetically, includes nine B.C. restaurants—but only one from Whistler. The Fairmont's Executive Sous Chef Derek Bendig said the honour means even more knowing that it was derived from customer feedback.
"That's always nice, because that's the people who are coming and spending the money. You don't know that they're there, you don't know that they're going to review, so it gives you a true depiction of what we're doing as a restaurant," he said. "I think there's still a lot of room for growth for us, but we're definitely on the right track."
Bendig added that product has been a big focus for the Grill Room over the past year. Calling it that "indulgent room" where diners will find everything from succulent Iberico ham to foie gras, it's important that the ingredients on the plate meet the restaurant's high standards. "That's really what the Grill Room is all about," he said. "We're an à la carte restaurant, so it is all about the piece of meat or the piece of fish that's on the plate. Trying to get the best product we can through the doors. That's a lot of relationship building with people and getting the products not just into our restaurant but into B.C. in some cases."
Of course, balancing the desire for the finest products with a commitment to sustainability means The Grill Room also relies on its local and regional suppliers using ethical practices, like a new initiative launched this year to bring in fresh rainbow trout from the N'Quatqua First Nation in D'Arcy.
"You do want to get local stuff and we do," Bendig explained, highlighting one of its most popular products, its signature dry-aged Pemberton Meadows steak. "We're trying to make sure those products are not just quality but a quality of life for the animals."
The Fairmont's more casual Wildflower restaurant has been where the hotel has really amped up its sustainability efforts, with roughly half the menu falling under the Planet 21 banner, a company-wide initiative that promotes sustainable development in the hotel industry.
That falls in line with a trend that OpenTable picked up on in its diner-review data: the rising demand for plant-based foods. Globally, reviews mentioning plant-based foods have increased by 136 per cent since 2017. The findings also showed that healthy substitutions are becoming more popular as well; cauliflower crust, for instance, was mentioned 487 per cent more in diner reviews since 2017, while another popular vegan ingredient (and common pork substitute) jackfruit has been mentioned 148 per cent more in the past two years.
OpenTable also reported that users are eager to try new things, with 70 per cent of diners making reservations for restaurants they've never been to before. In terms of cuisines, North American food was the most popular for breakfast and lunch, while Italian was the top choice for dinner.
The Grill Room just launched its new winter menu. To learn more, visit fairmont.com/whistler/dining/grillroom.
