Vintage Araxi - 25 Years Old and Still Looking Stylish

How much fun is this? While cleaning out some filing cabinets a few months back, I came across this old photo of Araxi Restaurant circa 1984. And if this isn’t a toboggan ride down the steep side of memory hill, I’ll eat my lace up ski boots.

The photo was actually attached to a print advertisement, that from my experience with vintage type fonts, I would estimate to have appeared in a copy of Western Living magazine or perhaps one of the other glossies that existed at the time, such as Vancouver Living.

Looking at this picture of Araxi, or “Araxi’s Restaurant� as it was properly called then, it’s difficult to even recognize the place. In fact, the only thing you could find in this photo that might still be in the restaurant today is owner Jack Evrensel himself, and it looks like even in those days, he refused to wear a tie.

Now I suppose that having these things publicly examined is like having someone find your high school yearbook picture online, but in 1984, Araxi’s Restaurant was three years old and already a thriving pillar of the community. So as the local hunters in the area say, “if it’s big enough to be showing off its antlers, it’s big enough to shoot.�

This is where I really wish I had a comment mechanism rigged up to this site because I could use some help with this job, but for your sake I’ve been all over this photo like a forensic crime scientist, and from what I can see, this is what was going down at Araxi in 1984.

The waiters wore skinny ties and when the boss was distracted, took little nips of Khalua and Grand Marnier behind the bar.

Patrons were likely to be Hansel and Gretel types from the Gasthaus B&B down the road who wore their best leiderhosen and dirndls in for dinner, or maybe finalists in the ice dancing competition down at the township rink.

Décor consisted of a lot of tropical plants, even more Tiffany lamps, and as probably seemed appropriate in its day for a mountain eatery, one heck of a lot of lumber. In fact, the bar in front of the window that overlooks Whistler Village Square looks like some sort of liquor dispensing cabin in the woods. Dig the General Store-style cash register at the end of the counter.

Beyond the advertised Swiss Fondue and Banana Chocolate Cheese Cake that was the pride of the kitchen, we see that a typical table at the time held salads served in conch shell-shaped bowls, cruditee platters of broccoli flowerettes, and something that looks like deviled eggs decorated with black olives, although it could be some sort of Armenian specialty. Jack himself appears to be tucking into a crepe dish served with potato salad and carrot curls on the side, although I’m sure that can’t be right. And even if that was what he was actually eating, it would still have been wrong.

And gee whiz ….wouldn’t we all give a two dollar bill to know what wine was being poured that year? If only the waiter didn’t have his hand over the label. I’ll bet Mark Davidson wouldn’t allow that. He’d probably order everyone to stop holding their wine glasses by the bowls too. Big points for the person who can identify an ‘80s vintage bottle with a red logo on a yellow label.

Two items really have me stumped though. One is what looks to be an old fashioned popcorn popper sitting on the counter next to the bar, and the other is what appears to be a white rose next to Jack’s plate. Had he and the lady in the red dress just danced the tango? Wasn’t 1984 too early for the edible flower fad? Or as usual, was Araxi just way ahead of its time?

Just to complete the atmosphere, this is what was likely to have been piped in on the sound system…. The top ten hits of 1984.

1. When Doves Cry.....Prince
2. What's Love Got To Do With It.....Tina Turner
3. Jump.....Van Halen
4. Karma Chameleon.....Culture Club
5. Like A Virgin.....Madonna
6. Hello.....Lionel Richie
7. Owner Of A Lonely Heart.....Yes
8. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now).....Phil Collins
9. Footloose.....Kenny Loggins
10. Ghostbusters.....Ray Parker, Jr.

Not to forget the number one best seller in Canada that year..

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night … Corey Hart. Hey, in Whistler that’s not always a sign of snow blindness.

Order up another bottle of Mateus and shake your groove thing.

AND HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY, ARAXI!