If youve gone out for dinner in the last week at the overwhelming majority of Vancouvers mentionable restaurants, you can more than likely testify to how hard its been to get a table. Thats because were in the midst of (DOV), the silly season wherein fully 225 establishments across the Lower Mainland are plating special, three-course menus priced at $18, $28 or $38 per person.
The Tourism Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»initiative now in its 10th year was originally designed to help restaurants put bums in seats during what was traditionally the slowest period of the dining calendar (right when were suffering from the combined effects of seasonal malaise and the weight of post-Christmas credit card bills). Its since become so successful that the number of participating eateries has mushroomed to 225 (up from 57 in 2003), with many of these seating their rooms to capacity twice during the course of an evening. It will be that way through to February 5, when the promotion ends and the winter doldrums return.
My problem is that I seldom, if ever, make reservations, on account of my dueling inabilities to plan ahead and to exhibit patience with 19-year-old, gum-chewing hostesses. I wasnt one of the 54,595 people who used the Open Table reservation system during last years DOV, and Im already too late to count myself among their number this year (most of the prime reservations having been scooped up weeks ago). And so Ive had to think about work-arounds, lest I keep being sent away, embarrassed, from denying door to denying door.
Here are five that should hold you in good stead...
This remains the best way to score a table during DOV. The bulk of reservations are made for 6 pm and after, but most restaurants start their dinner services between 5 and 5:30. To wit, I showed up at Boneta with a party of four on January 20 (DOVs first night) right when they opened, and was able to leisurely enjoy three superb courses for just $38 (an exquisite beef tartar, a stocky cauliflower and mushroom risotto, and a silky smooth milk chocolate pot de creme). By the time we left an hour and a half later, the restaurant was jammed solid. Alternatively, one can show up late before the kitchen closes (usually between 10 and 11).
As youre well aware, Twitter has insinuated itself into just about every facet of modern life. DOV is no exception, so to glean valuable, up-to-the second intel, keep tabs on the #DineOut hashtag. Not only can you use it to find out which menus are duds and which ones are worthwhile, you can also discover in real time which restaurants have space and which ones dont. And then theres all the foodie gossip, which informs as much as it entertains.
A group of about a dozen casual eastside establishments have joined forces to promote the first annual , a dining festival that runs concurrently with (but unrelated to) DOV. The concept is identical, but $1 from every Feast Van prix fixe dinner sold is going towards the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Inner City Back Pack Food Program, an initiative that aims to supply food to under-privileged DTES and Strathcona children during the weekends when school food programs arent running. Among the participants are Les Faux Bourgeois, The Waldorf Hotel, Cafeteria, and Au Petit Chavignol (where I feasted on sublime four-cheese-and-bacon macaroni the other night), so these arent exactly Plan B establishments. You can get all the details and peruse all the menus at FeastVan.com.
Given the choice between a table or a bar stool, Ill almost invariably opt for the latter because (a) I never lose sight of the person serving me; (b) I enjoy the schadenfreude of listening to waitstaff bitching to bartenders while they wait for their drinks to get made; and (c) I never suffer the feeling that Im being rushed. And since most restaurants dont take reservations at the bar, finding space isnt all that tricky during DOV, even in prime time, when the turnover of customers is especially rapid fire. The move, I hope, will pay dividends after I put this column to bed tonight, as Im aiming to be at in Kits by 8pm, where a friend and I will hopefully scarf on leek soup, hearty lamb stew, and Nanaimo Bar brulees.
Despite DOVs seeming ubiquity, not every restaurant is participating. In fact, there are some truly fantastic ones that arent. There are too many to list, but Chinatowns works as an example. As one the citys most popular restaurants at the moment, they dont really need the help that DOV provides. This was amply evidenced last night when I walked in with my family just a few minutes after they unlocked their doors for service (5:30pm). The place was already half full, but that didnt stop us from filling our bellies with flank steak fried rice, plump dumplings, and mantou buns. Note that there was a line-up of the like-minded out the door and not a seat to be had (except, natch, at the bar) by the time we left, which suggests that rules #1, #2, and #4 all apply to #5.
