Dups Burritos - Whistler, B.C., Canada

On Sunday Feb 10, the seventh annual Lost Lake Shuffle was held. 75 skiers, including 44 kids and their families, braved the variable weather conditions making the event another great success. We would like to thank all the sponsors who helped make the Shuffle possible…

Ciao-Thyme Bistro, Whistler Heli-Skiing, Whistler-Blackcomb, Nesters Market, Escape Route, Beet Root Café, Earls, Milestones, Marketplace IGA, Crepe Montagne, DUPS, Pasta Lupino, Quiznos, Brewhouse, Caramba, Araxi, Glacier Shop, Rogers Chocolates, Love Nest, Cows, The Toy Store, Lush, Elements Tapa Parlour, Nonna Pia's, Wildwood Pacific Bistro, 49th Parallel, Splitz Grill, Village 8 Cinemas, Going Nuts, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Affinity Sports, Spicy Sports, Avalanche Pizza, Citta's, Katmandu, Body Shop, Nesters Market, The Keg, 21 Steps, Comor Sports, Helly Hansen, CANSKI, Hatley's, Ingrids, Spaghetti Factory, Sports Stop, BBK's, Sachi Sushi, Rim Rock Café.

Thanks also to The RMOW, The Grocery Store, Slopeside Supply, Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Cliff Bar and Behind the Grind for their continued support and generosity.

To our volunteers, coaches and parents at Whistler Nordics, thank you for sharing even more of your time. One final special Thank You to Lorraine and Wendy who handled registration, results and draw prizes; you make this event happen.

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Trying to get out of my usual ritual of Elements, Dups, Sachi Sushi and Pasta Lupino, I found myself grabbing a burger at Dusty's Bar and Grill in Creekside.

Just a hop skip and a stumble from Bayshores, I thought why not try out what's for eating in my own neighbourhood? Other than the usual Sunday morning breaky at the Southside Diner – some rituals should always be, well rituals.

So brie French toast with side order of two eggs over easy wasn't an option at 8 p.m., no more than my in-case-of-emergency can of baked brown beans blankly staring at me from the drawer in my empty search for a quickie dinner.

Always a favourite place for après with mountain-sized beers and nachos with a side of The Hairfarmer's live music set, I had never really considered Dusty's a dinner hangout.

I passed by the salad, sandwich and entrée sections of the menu with prices ranging from $7 to $12 and went straight for the burger highlights. The winning burger from the Canadian BBQ Championships held last summer in Whistler was featured on the menu. If it's good enough for veteran barbecue judges, I'm sure my taste buds won't argue.

The stack of beef patty with pulled pork, thin crispy onions, tomato and lettuce satisfied my burger craving, with my friend only too grateful to polish off the other half that I couldn't finish. Bring your appetite for these brutes. Or maybe, it was because I polished off the butt-rub fries, every last one of them. And yes, that's butt-rub as in just slap it on your thighs with the coordinated butt-rub mayo dip. The butt-rub spice is the same they use on their barbecue meats.

For once, I didn't have to ask if I could have half fries and salad with my burger. The Dusty's champ comes that way. Mixed greens with balsamic was a nice surprise. My only complaint ist that the fridge must have been in overdrive because the salad was frozen. But the beer was icy cold as well, so who can really complain.

The biggest surprise of the evening was the apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. It really tasted like something my mom used to make. Apples were still firm, not too sweet and I scraped the plate clean. I was glad I paced myself with the burger.

It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood at Dusty's with burger and fry staples, friendly service and only a walk away from home.

The Beet Root Café takes the top spot this year. It is one of those rare places where the meat-lover and the vegetarian couple both leave feeling fulfilled and inspired by the variety of fresh, healthy and wholesome menu items with a focus on organic. ?Playing funky beats and selling yummy treats morning, noon and night.? The Beet Root Café features breakfast burritos, reubens, blackbean burgers, salads and soups.

A new take on an old favourite, Samurai Sushi at Creekside, is second this year by just one vote. Always fresh and fast it is a welcome addition to this rapidly growing neighbourhood.

In third place this year is the Mountain Club, which opened last January. It is very similar to its sister operation the Ocean Club in West Vancouver. The focus is on food from the earth and the sea with selections such as Salt Spring Mussels and Fraser Valley roast duck breast.

A special mention must be given to Dups burrito place on Main Street. Readers commented on its fresh ingredients and it's big-burrito challenge. Drop in to find out more.

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The Best of Whistler is just around the corner with locals voting their favourite bands, retailers, make-out spots and restaurants.

I'd like to narrow the latter category down to a more bite size vote with my own Best of Whistler eats around town starting with lunch stops — listed in no particular order.

I think I can take credit for eating the most vegetarian taco salads from Dups, tucked behind Marketplace. Owners Taylor Wilson and Dan Mullen start grabbing for that crispy tortilla shell even before I've opened my mouth to order.

I come here time and time again because food is fresh (you can actually watch staff spoon out fresh avocados for the guacamole), tasty (beans and meats alike are seasoned in house) and healthy (although I don't think I've ever asked them to hold the sour cream). I can order and have dinner on the fly within in minutes, with bills never running more than $10.

Most of the people pulling up a stool to the casual eat-and-go hangout are on a first name basis with the owners because locals just keep coming back again and again — some say, it's just Taylor's damn good looks and Dan's razor sharp wit.

It's also the only place in town that can legally roll a phatty and take pictures of customers with it and post it on the Phatty Burrito Wall of Fame.

This little Mexican gem is even going to be highlighted in the National Post as one of the best places to eat in Whistler. But the real seal of approval comes from my four-legged friend Teddy — he prefers not to be classified as a canine.

On nights that I am really lazy, Teddy and I will share a chicken taco salad. He eats the rotisserie-roasted chicken. I try to make my way through the salad and Teddy finishes what's left over. It's the only vegetables he's ever eaten and the beans are a great source of protein for both of us.

Slope Side offers sweet solution

Do you cringe whenever you order take out and are handed a plastic or Styrofoam container?

One local business is aiming to change the way Whistlerites enjoy their to-go treats by offering biodegradable and compostable packaging options.

Slope Side Supply has kept local eateries' supply cabinets stocked for almost 13 years now.

Tony Horn, one of the owners of Slope Side, said their latest initiative is to cut down on waste from the local food service industry by introducing a new line of products. They began offering sugarcane "clamshell" containers and plates, biodegradable plastic products, and corn-based cutlery to their clients about three months ago.

The sugarcane products are actually made from bagasse, which is the fibre leftover from sugar production.

Horn also points out that these products can not only be put directly into a compost bin, but since bagasse is normally burnt as waste product, using it in the containers actually prevents air pollution.

The only downside to the sugarcane containers is that they are shipped all the way from China. But Horn hopes that some day they will be made closer to home, cutting down on pollution produced through transporting the product.

Horn said they have been trying to find a reasonable alternative to Styrofoam and plastic packaging for a few years.

"We saw stuff like two years ago that didn't have the spill guard or a really proper way to close," said Horn, "… at the end of the day, the container's got to work. You can't have people spilling their pasta on the way home in their car."

Finally, Slope Side found a company that had what they were looking for: Vancouver-based Biodegradable Solutions.

So far, Horn said he is impressed with the number of clients who have opted to use the new products, with about 15 to 20 local companies making the switch.

"Some people instantly say 'Yup, that's what I want. Even if it's not perfect, I want to switch to this.'"

Dups Burritos was one of the first companies to get onboard with the eco-friendly products. Dan Mullen, co-owner of Dups, said they decided to go with the sugarcane plates immediately because they knew customers would like them.

"All we've heard for the past year is, 'oh, I don't want Styrofoam, I don't want Styrofoam.' We actually had some people bringing in their own plates."

"Everyone wants to do their part without actually going out of their way to do it, so to speak."

The new packaging is slightly more expensive than Styrofoam or plastic. For example, Horn said each clamshell container is about 10 cents more than the traditional version — which is almost a 33 per cent price increase.

"The way we look at it is we're trying to do our part," said Mullen. "…It was pretty much a no-brainer."

Mullen also said he hopes the price of the product will decrease as it becomes more mainstream.

While the price hike may seem significant, Horn points out that everyone used to drink coffee out of Styrofoam until Starbucks introduced paper cups. Despite the fact that paper cups cost almost four times as much and don't insulate as well as Styrofoam, they became the industry standard.

"The reason that people have done that is because of a look and the preconceived notion that you don't really want to drink your coffee out of Styrofoam — it's kind of gross," said Horn.

He added, the cost factor isn't what has stopped most clients from switching. Some businesses are hesitant to switch simply because the packaging won't work for them — it may not be the right size or design for their product.

Horn said Slope Side is trying to convince manufacturers to produce different sizes, so their eco-friendly options will appeal to more customers.

Generally speaking, the supply industry hasn't focused on environmental issues, Horn said. But as global warming has come to the forefront in the media, things have started to change.

However, Horn is the first to admit there are some challenges to recycling in the corridor.

He said they are in a "weird grey area" when it comes to their new products, because not everyone composts or is even aware that the container they are eating out of is biodegradable.

While he believes the municipality is doing a great job of promoting recycling, he hopes they will continue to improve their programs and add a composting component.

"With the new transfer station opening in the Callaghan, there's a lot of things kind of going to be tied in with that, and if we do get the commercial composter, composting is going to become as big a word in the valley as recycling."

Table Scraps

So many of my favourite eats around town attach some sort of activity or ritual along with it.

Sunday mornings are all about picking up a Globe weekend edition and going for breakfast.

A few a.m. rendezvous of late include pulling up a stool to the frittatas at Elements. It always seems a stool these days with more and more people catching on and sliding into the cozy booths.

While a few forkfuls of the banana and pecan French toast left a memorable impression — my breakfast companion only begrudgingly parted with two bites — I can't bring myself to order anything else other than the frittatas; they are just so yummy and with the entourage of potato tartlets with crème fraîche, artisan multigrain bread with apricot jelly and smoothie shot, this dish proves it is the sum of the parts that makes it worth getting out of bed early to beat the lineup. Goat cheese, proscuitto, asparagus, portobello mushrooms and roasted peppers are only a few of the chi-chi quality ingredients that are baked into the egg foundation.

The breeze on the Alpine Bakery and Catering Company's sunshine-y patio isn't always conducive to a paper, so instead I bring my dog Teddy, who is happy to sit in the shade just off the patio while I indulge in the Gone Slam breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, Irish-cream French Toast and homemade hash browns — chefs couldn't fit anymore on the plate if they tried to. A fried banana side cranks this morning wake up call into something unique. A stroll with Teddy around Lost Lake Park afterwards is the perfect way to walk off all the deliciousness, and the reasonable prices and quality food always result in bumping into lots of friends who have also discovered this out-of-the-way Alpine gem.

The Loonie Race promises to work up an appetite that makes anything taste good. A hamburger at the Longhorn Saloon grilled up memories of summer barbecues at home last week. The simple, but hearty patty was satisfying after putting in some handlebar flying time, and the curry bean salad and refreshing zesty salsa made the first timer humiliation all worthwhile. For more information, on Loonies, visit worca.com.

Spending lots of time working in the Marketplace square these days and even more time at Dups, the Mexican eatery formerly known as La Torterilla. I swear I am going to turn into a veggie taco salad. I live off these things. Everything is made on site: the shells, seasoned beans, salsa and guacamole. You can feel good about this "fast food" with healthy, fresh ingredients. Okay maybe not the fried tortilla, but I am still on schedule for coming out of hibernation and surviving a bikini. That's also thanks in part to the brown rice and veggie bowl at Moguls.

Without the perfectly steamed crisp vegetables and healthy-minded brown rice, I would not have survived the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival or at least my pants wouldn't have. The locally-owned café was right in the hub of all the festival activity and I could be in and out of the doors within five minutes with a body-friendly meal. The homemade Thai sauce is my favourite of the half a dozen sauce choices and best of all, you get to put it on yourself.

Another meal on-the-go must is Avalanche Pizza. I can eat those cheesy triangles with ease while walking or driving. The organic dough is chewy and the toppings straightforward, with classics such as cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian and veggie. You don't need to buy a whole pizza for that mozzarella fix with pizza available by the slice.

I've only done it once, but I think I may have found a new tradition in the making. Going to one of Whistler's many cultural nights, but starting off the evening at Caramba! with tiramisu is sort of a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers coupling. Smooth, classic and light on the feet, this dessert is worth a second curtain call.

Other food sporting activities include chefs putting on a show at Teppan Village and Mongolie Grill. The open kitchen at the Aubergine Grille always puts on a good sideshow as well. Some might qualify people watching as an activity on the Citta' patio.

But with the next Loonie Race being the Tour de Trash starting at the Cal-cheak campground and ending at the Millar Creek Café, I think the Thursday night ritual is the most active dining experience of them all, paid for not in cash but in the currency of bumps and bruises.

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Holiday rush of quick bites that leave time for sleeping in

Raisin oatmeal cookies from Whistler Cooks are my favourite reboot for the afternoon. Arguably almost healthy, like a bowl of oatmeal in one tidy hand held package, these chewy, circle havens will tide you well into the dinner hours.

I don't need to even specify my order anymore at the new Dups Mexican place, the former stomping ground of La Torterilla. Large taco salads with homemade salsa, guacamole, spice-infused beans and fresh leafy lettuce I swear have become the sixth food group in my diet. The salad is a guilt-free pleasure and best of all, no washing of dishes is required. You get to eat the bowl. Sustainable dining you might say.

Splitz's French fries are another quick grab that both Teddy and I enjoy. However, I don't share the garlic-mayo special Splitz dipping sauce with my pooch. He's a straight-up ketchup kind of guy.

Big soup bowls at Gone Bakery in Whistler Village are back with all those wonderful hearty soups to warm up with after a day on the slopes. When Gone first changed owners the store was ladling out smaller soup bowls at the same price. All is well in the lunch world again with bowls of warm elixirs filling up even the hungriest of mountain men — and if not, you've always got cheesecake brownies to fall back on. Yam-carrot, cheddar cauliflower and meat-based soups cozy up to homemade, thickly cut breads such as jalapeno cheddar or my personal favourite, honey oat.

Need a good dose of veggies? The vegetable stir-fry at Moguls is both fast and runs the garden gamut with your choice of adding chicken or tofu. Veggies are lightly steamed and piled on top of rice or noodles. The best part is that you put on the sauce yourself, so you can add as little or as much as your waistline allows. The Thai chili sauce is always the first bottle emptied.

Moguls also satisfies the quick chocolate fix with hot chocolates topped with chocolate whip cream, just in case the kid-friendly caffeine motor starter wasn't enough.

Pasta Lupino Gourmet is always great for a quick grab. The homemade sauces and pastas are always consistently good with fresh-from-the-oven foccaccia and pesto-dressed salad for sides. The tiramisu is a fast and favourite find as well. Pasta and pizza dough is also available to cook at home.

It's been a while since I visited Ingrid's Village Café. I kind of overdosed on the yummy garden burgers on whole wheat Kaisers and the chewy chocolate cookies. I think I've gotten my second wind, especially with thoughts of the lemon cake beckoning me back.

Grilled paninis at Cracked Pepper are gondola friendly eats. I always try to stray from my usual apple, Brie and caramelized onions toasted sandwich. Tomato and fresh basil; turkey and Swiss; and proscuitto paninis are only a few of the daily rotating choices, but the apples toasted in gooey cheese always keep me coming back for the same. The egg sandwiches and egg scramble wrap with salsa, cheese and potatoes are also favourite finds.

Breakfast is still my favourite meal of the day thanks to the goat cheese and red pepper frittata at Elements, veggie omelet at the Southside Diner, Gone Slam bit of everything plate at Alpine Bakery and Catering Company, and fresh tomato and avocado eggs benedict at any of the Wild Wood's locations (Whistler Village, Function Junction and Pemberton).

Avalanche Pizza is tucked away off the Village Stroll with in-hand lunch quick fixes. There is nothing fancy about it: cheesy, simple toppings and lots of grease like good pizza should be. You can literally feel all the starch and mozzarella going to your thighs. But with scores of powder around these days, it's just one more excuse to get on the mountain.

I'm always looking for new favourite finds. Share your favourites and what makes them so by dropping me a note at nicole@piquenewsmagazine.com.

Table Scraps

A quick burger and fries at Splitz, veggie lasagna at Pasta Lupino's or taco salad at Dups Mexican eatery were a few feasible one-hour quick grabs for dinner.

When my companion suggested dinner at Elements Urban Tapas Lounge, I looked at my watch, hoping I had missed a daylight savings time change.

"Maybe we can get a seat at the bar," I reasoned as the call of my favourite two-tone frites — a.k.a. french fries — with nose turned in the air beckoned me in.

The bar was packed, but there was one table left. I let our server know about the show and within 15 minutes of walking in the door, my vision of yam frites was a wonderful smelling reality. The change over from a curry to a chipotle dip with the fries was a bit of a disappointment, but the Mercedes Benz of fried potatoes, thin and crisp, more than made up for the change.

Tapas-style dining is always such fun. I love getting the chance to try a number of different dishes and talking about them over shared plates.

I am horrible about locking into favourites. I of course chose the frites and the prawn and avocado lettuce wrap as a lighter alternative. The do-it-yourself wraps are presented with lettuce leaves that you stuff with shredded vegetables, noodles, cashews, and a meat, seafood or tofu highlight. Don't forget to drizzle or dip with the sweet Nuoc-cham dipping sauce. In addition to prawn and avocado, other options include tuna sashimi, pork and papaya, and spicy tofu with crunchy noodles. The spicy tofu is my top choice, only my dinner mate wasn't quite ready for a Soya bean adventure — contrary to popular belief, tofu will not turn you into a tree-hugging hippie nor does it taste like an Elmer's glue glob, when properly prepared. These wraps also make the perfect light lunch. (The Elements dinner menu is the same as the lunch menu.)

Normally, I would fall back on the blue cheese beef tenderloin, the prosciutto wrapped asparagus or the absolute-must-try green curry prawns with crispy rice noodles, all of which I have had on more than one occasion, but thankfully my dinner mate steered me in new directions.

The seared ahi tuna was presented beautifully on thin sliced cucumber with green onion and red peppers curling in delight, like my toes, and the chicken skewers with to-die-for peanut-style dip were casual fun.

Elements dishes successfully marry a fusion of culinary cultures showcasing high-quality, fresh ingredients complemented by unique sauces that don't overpower, but instead allow the stars of the night to shine: the seafood, game meat and fries. Well, they are at least stars in my world.

One hour later, I was walking up the pathway to the Chateau to see one of Canada's biggest stars. I didn't miss a note thanks to the efficiency of our talented server (thank you Brenda) as well as the Elements kitchen and support staff. It was an evening of wonderful surprises; a world-class concert and dinner all on the spur of the moment on one timely plate.

Elements Urban Tapas Lounge is located on Main Street. The funky hideaway, tucked away from the craziness of the Village Stroll, is open from 7 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. It's a great place to grab dinner after a show at MY Millennium Place, which is only a short walk away.

The cozy 42-seat lounge dressed in the four elements of dark wood, copper accents and a wall waterfall, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Voted 2005 Best New Restaurant in Pique Newsmagazine and managed by the talented April Solonyka, Elements never disappoints. They've also got my vote for Best Date Restaurant.

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Whistler's got a new wall of fame and you don't need to chuck yourself off a 50-foot cliff or down a dozen jugs of beer to get there.

A meal that might leave Godzilla passing on seconds landed in Whistler with a giant olé!

The Dups Burrito Mexican eatery is home to the Phatty Burrito, care of new owners Taylor Wilson and Dan Mullen, basically a regular chicken burrito times two in one wrap — and if you eat it all your sour cream-smeared face will grace the Phatty picture wall of fame, so everyone in town can revel in your eating feats.

The Dups Burrito business is still not a recognizable name around town —the owners still haven't put up the new business sign. Dups replaces the former La Tortilleria at MarketPlace, which was sold to the two Mexican food experts three months ago.

Long-term Pemberton residents, Wilson and Mullen ate at La Tortilleria religiously for more than a decade. On learning former owner Anna Suski was selling the restaurant to buyers who would change the place, the two former Summit Ski managers intervened. Where would they get their daily burritos?

So dedicated to the hand-held meal is he, Wilson traveled far and wide in search of the best chicken burrito even before he decided to pass on skis for rotisserie spears. (All of Dups chicken is rotisserie roasted.)

Walking into the "new" place, the differences are subtle, other than the cheery Mutt and Jeff team manning the tortillas and beans. But if you order the vegetarian taco salad, the new offering of sautéed peppers might catch your interest.

"We want to keep it somewhat the same, but add our own spice of life to it," Wilson said.

Biting into my regular lunch or dinner quick grab, I rested easy with the familiar homemade salsa, guacamole and spice-soaked beans. The taco salad experience is like a conversation with the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Waistlines rest easy with the salad filling of lettuce, rice, guacamole, beans and hand-cut salsa, but cry "La Cucharacha" with glee at the crispy tortilla bowl, perfect for breaking off and dipping. It's nachos with a conscience.

The two boys' big ideas extend beyond the burrito, with future possibilities including fish tacos, a liquor licence and family-friendly seating.

The two quickly tired of the La Tortilleria and Trattoria restaurant telephone calls mix up. The new name was the product of a few too many beers one night. Think of the symbol of Pemberton, backwards.

Dups In The Media

Thanks for the shuffle

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Slope Side offers sweet solution

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