Wizard Grill

Great service and great food. The wine list is quite extensive. The mark up may be a bit higher than the norm, but there are some real gems. For all you non-​BC residents, the reason for the high markups on wine is due to the fact that the restaurants and bars need to but all liquor at retail prices from the BC government. Sad, but true.
One word of warning with Araxi, the portions are a good size. So, order wisely. If I ran Araxi, I would lower the prices and portion size. That way, you could have more small plates and sample all the goodness.

The ‘downtown’ version of the on-​mountain restaurants at the base of Blackcomb. I discovered this place when I worked as an instructor for the Whistler Schools program. If I didn’t teach these kids I would have never discovered the Wizard Grill!
It’s got the usual fare of burgers, hot dogs, pizza and fries. It also has a great Indian rice bowl which I discovered here after inexplicably missing it at the on-​mountain restaurants. It’s now one of my favourite mountain meals!

When I was 14 I went to Whistler for the first time. It was also the first time I ever tried snowboarding. I don’t have too many memories of that day other than the guy in the rental shop put my bindings on wrong so most of the day I was falling into snow troughs at the edges of runs, my instructor was hot, my jacket broke and my thermal froze to my stomach, and we had lunch in a dark, crowded Caterina style restaurant where two other girls in my group ordered french fries with cheese curd and gravy.
Flash forward October 2006. I was waiting in Dusty’s for my name to be called so I could interview for the mountain. The interview went really well and I was hired on the spot as Lead Hand to Wizard Grill. I was so excited knowing I had a job. I was shocked when I went to meet with my boss for the first time at my new job site. This was the place I ate at when I was 14. I had gone back to Whistler on holiday when I was 18 and was beginning to think the place I remembered eating at was a false memory. I remembered it so vividly at the base of Whistler. Turns out, it’s at the base of Blackcomb.
Now, I know as a former employee it isn’t quite kosher for me to review the Grill, but since the FOH staff totally turns over every season, I feel like it should be ok. Right?
So here’s the deal: The layout of this place sucks. At peak season the place gets totally packed and it’s hard to move around. One of my jobs was to direct people to the different food stations since there isn’t just one big line.
The food here is the same as the rest of the mountain. The specials can range from fair to good though, so I recommend that. If you are looking for a healthier option, go to the cold case and get the salad with feta and dried cranberries. Also, don’t forget a Happy Planet drink. So good. The muffins are freshly made and the chocolate chip muffins are especially good.
If you want a cappuccino, don’t expect much. The coffee training we had consisted of a Seattle’s Best rep showing us an improper way to steam milk. You know, not letting enough air in the beginning and then doing that stupid up and down motion at the end that makes those huge bubbles and does nothing to caramelize the milk. The year I worked there I retrained everyone properly and we turned out good stuff. I don’t think you can really count on a properly trained barista on hand usually. Let’s just say, if all you want is some caffeine, it will suffice.
If it’s open, go upstairs to the mezzanine. It’s usually the last to fill up and can be a little bit quieter. Just remember to bring down your trays and dirty dishes. You bring your tray up, you should bring your tray down. This is true anywhere you go in life. Take it to heart.