With such a diverse offering of restaurants in Whistler, it seems somehow daunting to choose one for an extra special occasion, but there are a select few that bear the “exquisite” factor.

Usually grouped by the fine dining category, these locations tend to signify a high price and low quantity of food, in all honesty, but are a once in a lifetime must. For our first anniversary, we decided that a “must” was just that. Past experiences at Fifty-Two 80 and their Backyard BBQ assured me the high praises sung for SideCut at the Four Seasons equated to the investment, even as a vegetarian.

In quiet October, the buzz walking through the lounge was minimal, but we were still excited to see for ourselves if the reviews were true. Taking our seats fireside, service was upon us quickly and with no pomp or arrogance. Kind and welcoming, we were guided through the menu and wine list by our server.

We had brought along a special vino from our own collection in case we wanted to pay the $40 corkage fee, but after chatting with the house Sommelier, David, we were convinced we had to try a new treat for us, Erro ‘Heavy Handed Blend’ from the Okanagan Valley since we had never seen it before. From first sip, this Merlot/Cab had us smiling and thanking David for his advised selection.

While the menu plays out quite simply – Choose your meat. Pair your sides. Add an appie. – the homemade rubs require a guided tour. The servers are helpful in their recommendations and very knowledgeable about how each spice balances with the protein. Starting off, I couldn’t help but be pulled toward a little bit of spoiling.

The truffle salad was decked out with the freshly grated delicacy; a fresh way to indulge in the rich flavour. The ceasar salad was light and full of top grade shaved Parmesan. Next, we were treated to a larger than normal amuse bouche – a beautiful hand-formed mushroom agnolotti pasta that, even as someone not fond of pasta, had me reeling from the burst of flavour.

Now I am the first to admit it seems an odd choice for a vegetarian; a steakhouse. Really? Yes, I know. But I have always found that steakhouses do an amazing job at preparing a virtual smorgasbord of vegetable side dishes that are full of life and of meal size portions. All too often otherwise I am served a minuscule sampling of what I not so endearingly term – the vegetarian option. But at a steakhouse, and particularly at SideCut, the vegetable sides are a perfect display of how the garden’s best is required to escort such prime cuts of beef.

The caliber in service you find here though was displayed when along with my roof top carrots, caramelized cauliflower, roasted beets and seasonal mushrooms, the chef delivered a rainbow like plate of vegetable decadence of his own choosing. Wow, it may have been our anniversary but I had found a new culinary crush for sure. Oh, and yes, my husbands’ perfectly seasoned NY baseball 8 oz cut lived up to the reputation garnered from friends who had visited previously.

Sitting there by the fire, palate pleased, it was hard to not at least consider one of the amazing sounding desserts, but we knew a PureBread selection awaited at home. We weren’t concerned though in missing out as we agreed that this is certainly not a once in a lifetimer – that would be too sad. We will be back.