Rimrock Café — Restaurant in Whistler Resort Municipality

One of our top dinner experiences ever for my wife and I.

This is a very rare 5 out of 5 Stars for me.

We dined here Sunday October 13 2024. The food was beyond very good, service was very attentive and caring and the atmosphere was warm and cozy.

We had the Fall Special, $69 each and pick 3 of 4 course choices which we shared.

For the first course, my wife chose the raw oysters and I chose the lobster bisque. The oysters were very well prepared and the lobster bisque was very nice and creamy, not too strong but elegant.

For the second course my wife skipped because she picked a dessert, more on that later. I got the beef tatare which again was very nice and well balanced and had a cured egg yolk on top that you then mix in.

For the main, third course my wife chose the Salmon which after asking was King Salmon otherwise called Chinook Salmon. It was done to perfection, the best we have ever had. It was juicy and flaky because it was cooked medium raw if I recall correctly.

For my main third course I had the 14oz Ribeye Steak with frites and asparagus. I ordered it Chicago style, so near rare but with a good char on the outside. This is the first time anyone has got it right. The Bernaise sauce was a great addition to the rich flavor of the perfectly prepared and presented dish.

For the Dessert, my wife's choice was the delicious Basque Cheesecake which didn't disappoint.

The service upon arrival was nothing short of great from the host Sue to our wonderful waitress Sarah who took pictures for us and was very attentive, warm and knowledgeable about all aspects of all the dish choices.

I appreciated that they timed and brought out the dishes to us shortly after we were finished the last dish. For instance, since my wife skipped the Second choice to opt for the dessert they brought out my second choice of Tatare knowing we were sharing then we were both served our mains at the same time. This may seem trivial to some but it was very professional and attentive. Also to have both a Salmon dish and a Steak dish ready and served at the same time to perfection when they both take different amounts of time and care to prepare was impressive.

My wife and I were there to Celebrate not only my Birthday but our Anniversary and most importantly our Baby Moon which for those that may not have heard of that is when you go on a trip before expecting a birth of a child. So we had a few things to celebrate besides it also being Thanksgiving weekend.

They set us up with a special table near the Fireplace which we absolutely loved. It was very thoughtful and made us feel very appreciated.

For drinks my wife had a Virgin drink called Road to Hana which is orange, coconut, mango, pineapple, guava and passionfruit which she enjoyed very much.

I started with a Moscow Mule then had a pint of Guinness with my steak.

We had such a great experience that we won't hesitate to come back in the future. We absolutely will be back. As they said it's a tradition to come back to celebrate and we have a few to pick from.

Thanks from both my wife and I for the...

Impromptu visit. Our group of three sat on the patio which was underwhelming. The seats were uncomfortable and any ambience still lingering from the walk through the restaurant was tainted by the roaring sounds of the highway. The service was not up to par for an establishment of this calibur. We waited a very long time to be greeted by our server and waited again for drinks. For drinks we ordered a mock tail, cocktail, and glass of wine. The attention to detail was lacking as the mock tail was made with large cubes ice on the bottom and crushed ice on the top. 5 sips and it was gone due to the amount of ice. At $10.00 for some juice i wasn’t impressed. We ordered the seafood sampler appy and it was ok. Not overly special. The ahi tuna in the sesame cone was tasty. The ceviche was underwhelming. Apparently it was made with a hint of coconut but all I tasted was cumin. The main course was halibut. It was a good sized portion and cooked to near perfection. It was served with sweet potato mash and some seasonal veg tied together with a scallion (nice touch). All this served alongside a porcini mushroom risotto. The halibut dish gets 4 stars. I’d recommend it. From the kids menu we ordered the filet lignin and the Mac and cheese. Fair prices and good portions, but the filet mignon was a bit tough. The peppercorn sauce was a hit. For dessert it was the sticky toffee pudding and it was delish! 5 star dessert. Waited an incredibly long time for our dessert order to be put in and our plates weren’t cleared promptly despite our nonverbal signals. It wasn’t clear whether staffing was the issue or ???? There were only 3 other tables on the patio while we were there and all were served by another server. Nonetheless, I’ll be back in the fall/winter for their second chance to make a first impression and to dine inside as the ambience appeared nicer and more...

The filet mignon and duck were exquisite. The issue came with the two orders of salmon at our table. Both of them were underwhelmingly seasoned, but on a more serious note, both had pin bones. At first, this was dismissed by the waitress, but when we asked for the manager, he came to our table tense and already looking ready for a fight. My husband (a former chef himself) explained the issue, and the manager said that pin bones in salmon were normal. My husband explained that they were a choking hazard, and a detriment to the dining experience because our companions could no longer eat comfortably and instead had to pick carefully through their food. The manager became even more annoyed, accused us of "insulting their chef's integrity", and began to ask what we needed to rectify the situation. My husband explained that we weren't looking for freebies, and he continued to press us on what we wanted. It's worth noting that no form of apology was ever offered, not even a simple "We're sorry you had an issue." When pressed, my husband said that his mother could take a dessert to go, to which the manager said that if her meal was ruined and she was still hungry, she could eat it there. At that point, we said to forget the dessert, asked for the check, and left.

I am not a person who often complains at restaurants (in fact, I very often let issues slide completely), but when a highly rated cafe charges $50 a plate for salmon, not only do I expect more of them than the local fish-and-chips joint, but I expect that the staff's customer service skills would at least be on par with a...