GRIFTER’S TALES
WHISTLER · OCTOBER 2026
By Colin Lee MacLeod
Steak and mushroom pie. Then mash, peas, and gravy. In Whistler, even lunch can grow a summit.
Getting it peaked
At Peaked Pies on October 13, I ordered the steak and mushroom pie and had it peaked. That means the pie becomes the foundation for a pile of mashed potatoes and peas, finished with gravy. What arrived was huge. Deadly, in the best possible sense.
There are meals you photograph because they are delicate, and meals you photograph because you need evidence of what you have taken on. This was the second kind. The picture tells the truth: a proper mound of lunch, with the pie doing the structural work underneath.
The extra gravy matters
Later came more gravy, at no extra charge. That small detail stayed with me. You can have a substantial meal and still appreciate the simple business of someone making sure you have what you need to enjoy it. I left a ten-dollar tip.
My trip notes are full of prices, portions, and opinions. They are also full of little moments like that. A meal becomes a story when the food and the way you are treated belong together.
A mountain worth remembering
Whistler gave me plenty of scenery. This particular mountain happened to be on a plate. It deserves its own place in the collection.
This is my October 2026 meal, not a promise about today’s menu or prices. What I can say is that the peaked steak and mushroom pie earned its photograph—and its story.
Grifter’s Takeaway
Remember the generous little details. Sometimes the extra gravy is part of what makes the meal.
