I couldn’t help but feel a little bit rounder after dining at Whistler’s Roundhouse Lodge Aug. 18.
Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Sept. 1, Whistler Blackcomb hosts a Mountain Top Summer Feast, replete with live music, seemingly-never ending dishes and stunning mountain-top views.
Perhaps it’s the starving writer in me, (or maybe I’m just a glutton), but I find great glee in a buffet. For less than the price of a three-course meal at most haunts, I can go back time and time again, selecting a new prolific plate. My heart and stomach can dig in with confidence, knowing I won’t get FOMO since I can keep coming back for more, and more and more.
The dinner was included as part of a Helly Hansen contest I was covering that weekend. The meal was exactly what attendees needed to refuel after a morning sightseeing and an afternoon spent traversing the heart-pumping Via Ferrata.
The buffet itself ranges in price depending on age, with adults paying $69.99, assuming they have a summer alpine experience ticket to upload to the Roundhouse. Otherwise, the experience runs $149.99 for the feast plus a lift ticket or bike park ticket. Ages seven to 12 eat for free when they come with a paying adult, and kids up to six eat for free, too.
Presented by See Ya Later Ranch, the buffet included five stations thoughtfully designed to appeal to every palette.
Dane Gergovich, senior manager of communications for Whistler Blackcomb, explained the feast’s history in an email.
“Whistler Blackcomb’s Mountain Top Summer Feast started in 2009 as the Alpine BBQ. In 2017, it was rebranded to Alpine Feast before taking a brief hiatus between 2020-21. Its comeback last summer came with a change to the name that is used today, and with it, an updated look and feel,” Gergovich said.
The updated look and feel includes an Indigenous-inspired food station, thanks to partnership with the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) culinary team.
The salad and bakery station comes with country breads and rolls, with rotating salad choices depending on the weekend. I was on a carbs and protein mission, though, and started off with the carving station and side dishes.
For protein, I began with flambe tiger prawns and slow-roasted prime rib with horseradish and au jus. Prawns are the way to my heart, and I went back for more on my second round. The prime rib whisked me back to memories of Sunday dinners at my family’s home.
With numerous side dishes to choose, I opted for oven roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic.
Other mouthwatering morsels I dug my teeth into hailed from the SLCC’s station. The candied salmon Caesar salad was a refreshing twist on a classic. Replacing lettuce with baby kale and using bannock croutons elevated a salad I’m usually happy to forego. There was also a cedar plank salmon from Kuterra, a farm on Vancouver Island that produces Atlantic salmon inland. Pink and flaking immediately when I dug my fork into the flesh, it didn’t disappoint.
The servers were just as delightful as the meal, approaching guests with warm smiles and kind conversation.
For full menu details and hours, visit Whistler Blackcomb’s website.
