Black's Pub (Whistler, BC)

Rating: *** out of *****

Located at the base of Whistler's Blackcomb Mountain, we found this great two-story pub that had a great menu; we thought it would be prefect for a casual dining experience. Black's was only 2 minutes walk from our hotel, the Hilton, and looked very inviting. At first we planned to sit on the patio, but then re-thought our decision after learning that smoking wasn't prohibited; so indoors it was. The decor was nothing spectacular; it resembled a Moxie's or a Milestones, with it's lether booths, leather padded chairs and wooden tables. We arrived at the restaurant at 7pm and were seated very promptly; the place was very empty on the inside (unlike the hustle and bustle on the patio) and we were able to pick our own seats. We looked over the menu and decided we weren't in the mood for plain ol' burgers and fries, so we ordered some pasta and a whole bunch of different appetizers to share.

My sister, who is in love with pasta, ordered their 1/2 order of Penne Alfredo for $8.50. She enjoyed the cheesy flavour but was turned off by the excess oil at the bottom of the plate.

My mom decided to follow suit with the 1/2 order of Tomato Basil Penne, again $8.50. This pasta was much better than the alfredo; it had chunks of crushed tomato a wonderful basil infused pomodoro sauce and tasted so fresh.

Who in their right minds would pass up chicken wings?! We just couldn't not order them (argh... i hate double negatives :P) and so we got their order of 12wings for $11.95. We initially asked for half of the wings to be honey-garlic and half to be spicy, but I think the kitchen was confused and served us 12 honey-garlic-spicy wings... oh well, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

I'd always wanted to try yam fries, but wasn't sure if I'd like them. Not sure why... I usually eat everything, and I figured if I like mashed yam, yam tempura and boiled yam, I couldn't go wrong with fried yam. These fries, $6.95, were served with a chipotle mayonnaise and had a lovely sweetness to them. I would certainly order them again.

I love, love, love calamari! And the calamari at Black's is now my official favorite. I'm not quite sure what seasoning they used, but the squid was fried to perfection; crispy and not overly greasy. Squeeze some lime juice on the squid and it tastes even better... dip the pieces in their chili-tzatsiki sauce and you're in heaven. Plus, it was only $10.95, for a heaping plate of this stuff.

My other sister has become somewhat of a soup-lover, and so she had to try their Tomato Basil soup, $6.95. It resembled a butternut, carrot soup and the aroma was very pleasing. Considering my sister doesn't really like tomatoes, I was surprised she finished the soup... must've been delicious!

My Mai Tai! Not too strong and not too sweet... a girly drink, I know, but it was still very tasty. I especially liked the glacée cherry :P (I am such a kid)

Black's is a quaint restaurant with some really good food. The service was a bit on the slow side, and we had to flag-down our waitress a couple times to get drink refills. But I think it was just that they were under-staffed for that night. I'm glad we chose to eat here and really enjoyed my meal. And while it wasn't anything overly fancy or anything different, the meal was satisfying. My advice would be to try their appetizers and stay away from plain old salads, burgers, pizza and pasta. Try something new, and oh yeah... order some of their drinks!