With 18 years of Dine Out under my (thankfully elastic) belt, a few hours spent clicking through the current festival’s menu offerings has me convinced that this is one of the best lineups yet. There are plenty of good reasons to relish Dine Out Vancouver. While the festival has grown to include many more special events than in the past, the three tier menu offerings remain at its core. This year boasts a record number of 318 locations.
Don’t be daunted! The Dine Out Vancouver Festival restaurants page is a truly useful tool that allows you to easily narrow down your options by brunch, lunch or dinner, vegetarian or gluten free; cuisine style; and by neighbourhood.
1. The big names are here
Hawksworth’s Dine Out Vancouver roasted squash salad with Hannah Brook greens, gingerbread and brown butter foam
If you were ever looking for a measurement as to how Vancouver has matured and evolved as truly desirable dining destination have a quick look at who’s offering a $45 Dine Out menu. Many, if not most, of the city’s top rooms are here, from Hawksworth to Bishops, Bacchus to l’Abattoir, Wildebeest, Boulevard at Sutton Place, Chambar and Notch 8 at Hotel Van. And the list goes on. In short, if you’ve never been, there’s no better time than the present to check them out.
Go on! Yes, it’s a deal but that doesn’t mean you have to skimp. Splurge a little for an even better experience. Also worth noting: several restaurants offering $45 Dine Out dinner menus are offering $35 lunch menus. (See below!)
2. Book early—for Dine Out lunch
We’ve said it before: if your schedule permits, lunch really is the best kept secret. Among the more stellar picks is Hawksworth’s $35 menu. Consider this: roasted squash salad (above), sea bass with cauliflower salad and chorizo vinaigrette, and dessert of dark chocolate Chantilly with raspberry and almond? And those are just a few of the choices. Sign me up!
Here are some more lunch deals that caught my eye.
Maenam. Angus An’s modern take on Thai melds classic and traditional Thai elements of sweet, sour, salt and heat. Blend in a passion for the purest of local ingredients and it’s easy to see why this Kits destination room is a potent lure. His Dine Out lunch menu is a great way to experience it.
Water Street Café. One of Gastown’s longest running rooms. The lunch deal here looks pretty good, even with the add-on for a couple of entrées.
Feast Neighbourhood Table. This smart restaurant tucked away in West Van never disappoints. And it’s the perfect spot for a little lunchtime escape.
Chambar Dine Out Pot au Feu aux Legumes d’Hiver
Chambar is offering a three-course Dine Out Vancouver lunch menu Monday through Friday for $35 per person. Go for pot au feu aux legumes d’hiver, Miso tuna, ratatouille, spicy meatballs and more! Not to mention extraordinary Liège waffle with irresistible toppings! Dinner, nightly at $45 pp.
3. BC VQA wines, smartly matched
Ancora’s Ras el Hanout Spiced Winter Vegetables: squash puree, cous cous tabbouleh, chimichurri, with Blue Grouse Traditional Method sparkling Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris
Vancouver has one of the most dynamic sommelier communities on the continent, which adds up to good news for Dine Out Vancouver. With wines of British Columbia as a partner, several more savvy restaurants have gone to the trouble of matching wines to their menus. Some options are more mundane than others, where restaurants are obviously well connected with some better wineries. Several also offer smaller pours so you can taste with every course and walk a straight line afterwards. Never a bad thing.
Also worth noting, it was the fledgling BC Wine Institute that first introduced the idea of food and BC wine pairings to Vancouverites who were just discovering wines from the Okanagan, as well as the Island and Fraser Valley. The link here takes you to the BCWI’s extremely helpful wine pairing page.
One of the best options is Provence, which arguably has the most extensive menu around, plus wine pours offered in two sizes—’regular or petit pour’. The wines are thoughtfully sourced and matched. But the clincher is the choice of no less than eight desserts—all with suggested dessert wines in every style to go along.
You can find a partial list of smartly paired Dine Out wine menus at the bottom of this post. But here’s a few that caught my attention …
Ancora
Arms Reach
Brix & Mortar
The Deck Kitchen + Bar
Feast
L’Abattoir
Lift Bar+Grill
Provence
Wildebeest
Zen
Please note: If your optional ‘BC VQA Wine/Beverage Pairing’ includes Napa Valley wines (no matter how exclusive they might be), you didn’t make the cut. Sorry about that. ;-)
4. ‘Destination rooms’
Back in the days when we used to edit (pre-Google) Zagat Survey we had a special section titled ‘worth the trip.’ This year’s line-up yields quite few restaurants a little further afield that seem well worth the trip.
They include:
Arms Reach Bistro (Deep Cove)
Blue Canoe (Steveston)
Bufala (newly landed in Edgemont Village)
Olive & Anchor (Horseshoe Bay)
Zen Japanese (West Vancouver)
5. Dine Out Deals at every level
What’s immensely appealing about Dine Out is that there really is something for every-one and every wallet. If you don’t mind a bit of a splurge you’ll find tremendous value at the top tier rooms, especially if you consider the service levels, settings and glassware that go along. And on the budget side, just pop in the numbers and search. You’ll find a few ideas. How about: Britannia Brewing for fried oysters, Two Rivers grass fed beef burger, and Sticky Toffee—for $25?
I’m in!
***
Dine Out menus with savvy BC VQA wine options:
Arms Reach Bistro
Banana Leaf
Blue Canoe
Carthage Café
Cavu Kitchen
The Deck
Deepwater Micro
Diva at the Met
Feast Neighbourhood Table
Gurkha Himalayan
l’Abatttoir
Provence
Trump Champagne Lounge
Wildebeest
Wild Tale
Zen Japanese
Last course
Ancora Dine Out Manjari Chocolate Bar – maracuya yuzu curd, dark chocolate ganache
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