Hell’s Kitchen Finale at Araxi in Whistler

Most people I know have heard of the reality television show Hell’s Kitchen, right? Who doesn’t love watching Chef Gordon Ramsey throw hissy fits if the beef wellington is under cooked? Well this season’s of Hell’s Kitchen, the winning chef will get their spot at the fine dinning restaurant Araxi up in Whistler, BC. Yes, the same Whistler that is home to the 2010 Winter Olympic games, also the same Whistler than Robyn and I enjoy going up to for some ski and snowboard action.

We recently got to attend the finale party up at Araxi with thanks to Robyn’s luck! She won Miss604’s contest which was a 1 + guest prize for the finale party, I of course being her guest! Robyn was totally excited as she never wins anything. A great early birthday present for her right? I booked our 1 night accommodation at the Mountainside Lodge and we set out for Whistler and the Araxi with thoughts of scallops and more!

When we got to Whistler we checked into the hotel and wandered around the village as we usually do. We noted that Araxi as being set up, what we didn’t know was what to expect once we were in side for the evening event.

When 7:00PM rolled around we headed out into the chilly evening towards Araxi. Spot lights flooded the village and a lineup was seen in front of Araxi.

The closer we got to the front, we realized why it was taking so long to get into the restaurant. Ariel, Dave, Kevin and Tenille were outside with people getting their photos taken as the guests filed into the building. We made note how much happier Kevin looked at this time than the other chefs. Though our vote was still for Dave, that one armed bandit!

Once we got into Araxi, it was filling up fast. We met up with Rebecca and John near one of the many large screen LCD TVs that were set up around the restaurant. There were no tables in sight, just a lot of people standing, drinking wine and socializing.

I guess Robyn and I were both expecting a sit-down type dinner. The Hell’s Kitchen event was more of a social gathering with various wines and hors d’oeuvres. Did I mention that there was an open bar?

The food itself was pretty good, but we were expecting to have menu items. I guess this means Robyn and I will have to come back up to Whistler and have dinner at Araxi. I know Robyn was looking over the Araxi Three Tier Seafood Tower, so we might have to hit that up too.

Out of all the photos I took, it looks like I missed getting Kevin’s photo as the 4 chefs moved around the restaurant during the final episode. Too bad, he’s a pretty cool guy too!

The moment Dave walked through the door, the crowd in the restaurant went pretty wild. There were some people who seemed to have been shocked at this but it seems like the majority wanted Dave to win. I also think he will fit right into the Whistler life too.

On a photography note, I am a tad disappointed with my photos from the evening. I opted to leave my flash behind and just use my 50mm f1.8 lens, but even at ISO1600, photos didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked them. Trial by Error right? Next time I go to an event indoors my flash is coming with me no matter how large it is!

Want to see more photos of the Araxi Hell’s Kitchen finale party? Check out John’s Flickr set for the event. Pretty impressive with his new Nikon D90!