While chef Alex Chen spends more time than he might like on BC 99 — the Sea to Sky Highway that connects Vancouver to Whistler — his decision a few years back to add chef duties at Wild Blue to his already demanding gig at Boulevard was by any measure a winner. As could be expected given the calibre of his collaborators: Toptable Group founder Jack Evrensel and veteran restaurant director Neil Henderson. Wild Blue’s dining room is a pointedly luxurious environment, its dark wood panelling and dim lighting evoking the golden age of steak houses. Chen and his executive chef, Derek Bendig, aim to make each plate a showcase for the abundance of the Pacific Northwest. Consider their deft and modern take on linguine alle vongole, wherein the traditional pasta clams are swapped out for local Manila and geoduck, along with the latter’s sweet stock. B.C. sablefish gets an umami-rich sauce that combines Japanese flavours with French technique (a fumet of slow-roasted fish bones). Don’t miss Milan Djordjevich’s Stoney Paradise heirloom tomatoes, complemented by creamy ricotta, crisp focaccia and DOP olive oil — available for just five weeks, from late July. Grilled meats run the luxurious gamut from Provimi veal to A5 wagyu. New executive pastry chef Carl Sanchez has elevated the dessert program. Kathryn Woods’s award-winning wine list offers more than two dozen by-the-glass selections, including some great B.C. pours under $20.

One of the BEST in Whistler. JAMMED every night. Caren McSherry