Ten years ago, prix fixe menus in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»were about as extinct as a Lillian Vander Zalm headband. But fast forward a decade and Dine Out Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»(Jan. 20 to Feb. 5) has changed all that, turning the town's dining public into a bunch of menu super sleuths, intent on hunting down the best deals to soothe holiday weary wallets.
If you haven't already been working your mouse over at Tourism Vancouver's website, chances are you've missed out on some of the hottest tickets. However, even the likes of Hawksworth still have good slots available as of press time.
This year's edition features the biggest number of participating restos to-date (230), as well as some fancy hotel prices to tempt out of towners-not to mention a slew of special events, including a food truck component (Street Food City, Jan. 24 to 26) and the no-holds barred Dine Out Jan. 20 launch: Plated and Paired at the Public Market, Granville Island.
The expanded choice of events reflects Vancouverites' growing appetite for food and wine tastings of every kind, say Dine Out organizers, who wisely appear to be charting a course towards a broader, citywide festival that overlaps the vibrant dining scene with performing arts and a host of other activities.
A couple of sneak previews served as reminders that there are deals to be had at every level.
Rustic but polished Campagnolo on Main Street more than delivers for $28, with a multi-choice menu that includes superb Parmesan brodo with agnolotti and root vegetables, one of the best margherita pizzas around, a rich buttercup squash risotto and an abundant bollito misto with flavourful, tender veal and crispy duck. Campagnolo's wine pairing option is also more than fair, yielding a trio of good drops, such as Donnafugata Anthilia, Eighth Generation Riesling and Graham's 10-year-old Tawny for $18 extra.
We were also impressed by chef Brian Fowke's menu at Kitsilano Daily Kitchen, ranging from contrasting tastes of heritage Angus short rib and spiny lobster with truffle mash and rutabaga butter, to campari and grape tomato salad with lashings of Bekshire bacon and Walla Walla onion, as well as a lavishly truffle oiled cream of winter cauliflower soup with butter poached king crab belly.
Fowke has a reputation for some of the freshest sourced ingredients anywhere, and this lineup is no exception. Bacchus at the Wedgewood's $38 per person deal (in one of the city's most unabashedly romantic rooms) looks even better when booked with the all inclusive $236 package, which includes one night's double accommodation at the hotel, a no holds-barred dinner for two, breakfast the following morning and valet parking-not to mention some of the best service in the city.
However, not everyone's jumping on the Dine Out bandwagon. Witness FeastVan, a concurrent promo with a cause that sees East Side destinations such as Au Petit Chavignol, Les Faux Bourgeois, Two Chefs and a Table, Campagnolo Roma and The Waldorf offering a variety of attractive prix fixe menus, with $1 from each meal donated to the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Inner City Back Pack Food Program. In addition, R & B Brewing will donate a percentage from the proceeds of every keg of East Side Bitter sold during the same period. For more info, go to feastvan.com.
Still on the budget kick, we're impressed with early tastes at chef Dale MacKay's Ensemble Tap, right by Scotiabank Theatres. Aptly named, there's no shortage of good taps here with a sound selection of craft beers, bottles and beer-friendly eats-starting with one of the best burgers we've tasted in a long time. Located at 990 Smithe St., ph. 604-566-9770.
