We continuously refer to this time of year as being just a tad “off”. Sure, the PEAK 2 PEAK is closed, as are various restaurant favorites so as to keep costs under control and provide a bit of respite to the hard workers and owners who wield them.

That being said, I am starting to discover this down time has a lot to offer that the high adrenaline seasons do not. Take for example the celebration of Oktoberfest. Everyone seems to be getting in to it. There is the usual host, Bavaria Restaurant, but La Bocca has forged the summer patio enthusiasm with checkered table clothes, cheap beer steins, and some toe-tapping live alpine tunes.

If I am in need of a more relaxed atmosphere, the restaurants that are a little of my league when Whistler is turned on are eagerly welcoming and luring locals in with their promotional deals. Between Bearfoot Bistro’s five-course fall tasting menu for $36, Sushi Village’s dependable $19 menu, and 21 Steps’ “3 for $35″ go-to, I have a hard time edging in a night at home.

Admittedly, I missed out on Araxi’s now famous $30 anniversary celebration menu last year. As if they knew my frustration, the $31 menu celebrating their 31st year in business has given me no choice this autumn. But as I am not a born and bred BC’er, I am still having my eyes and palate opened to some of the other hidden gems of my favorite season. I am a die-hard lover of mushrooms no matter their shape, size or colour. Fungi is a delicacy often taken for granted and I am only now learning of the foraging opportunities abound close by.