As per the happy norm, it was once again a busy year for Vancouvers restaurant scene, with new restaurants of note opening every other week. Here are my personal picks for the very best of the 2011 crop. Long may they run.
No restaurant came even remotely close to beating this stylishly informal newcomer. From its beautifully rendered, West Coast-inspired dishes and airtight beverage program to its refreshingly expert service and stunning surrounds, it arrived alone in a class by itself and in a location that topped them all (the newly renovated Rosewood Hotel Georgia). Whether you land at its doors wrapped in jeans or a trapped inside a tux, the song of excellence remains the same. And boy do they ever know how to sing it. David Hawksworth et al, take a well-deserved bow.
When the original woody, character-heavy Boneta shut its 1 West Cordova doors to begin its move around the corner to its new location of seemingly cold concrete, glass and steel, I held my breath, not a little worried for the charms of one of my favourite establishments. Thanks to the transplanted staff (merry as ever) and the continued inventive prowess of chef Jason Leizert, the new Boneta is better than the original, with few rivals that I can think of in the sequel department (save, perhaps, for The Empire Strikes Back).
This new option-heavy steakhouse is the most mature of The Glowbal Groups many offerings. Its soaring, well-appointed space suffers none of the insubstantial glam of the companys other joints, nor any of the yawning that recently did in Mortons and both locations of Pinkys (three steakhouses that recently folded). The milieus overdue-for-redux, Mad Men-esque aesthetics have been subtly (finally) nudged into the 21st century here, and it looks fantastic. More importantly, theyre plating superbly prepared steaks, including those cut from PEIs fabulous potato-eating beasties.
If I visited one restaurant more than any other in 2011, it was the resurrection of West Hastings 50-year-old Save On Meats. The blue-collar, everyman fare and the clean but especially casual environment are much improved from the original, and the service kinks evident at the start are well ironed out (my only complaint in my review back in July). Faves remain the club sandwich, the burger, and the chocolate chocolate awful awful (a dessert so gross they named it twice). If my kids were writing this, it would have easily taken the No. 1 spot.
It was a good year for Dale Mackay. After surviving the closure of Daniel Bouluds ultra fancy Lumiere back in March, the young, super keen cook won the top prize on the Food Networks Top Chef Canada show a few months after he opened his first-ever restaurant, the critically acclaimed and Canadian cuisine-focused Ensemble. The location is said to be cursed (it was an accessory to the ends of Saveur, Piccolo Mondo, and Corner Suite), but Ill wager that the best food the address has ever enjoyed will finally exorcise that.
I thought Voya in the Loden Hotel to be a very promising fine dining restaurant when it opened in late 2008, but just a year later it lay prostrate and empty (moral: never time your fine dining restaurant opening with the onset of a brutal financial downturn). Its replacement the French-accented Tableau now packs them in for superlative French bistro fare, and still with talented Marc-Andre Choquette at the kitchen helm. The service glides with confidence, and so it should. In addition to the glories on the plate, its definitely one of the prettiest rooms to open in recent memory. Bonus: it now sports a cute little patio out front.
The boys from award-winning La Quercia opened this daytime-only Italian offshoot across the street to an immediate and devout crowd almost a year ago to the day. Its tiny and not a little cramped during rush times, and the lack of seating might frustrate the impatient and the particularly claustrophobic. Happily, though, table turnover is quick, and the food is every bit as authentic and delicious as it is at La Quercia, which means its well worth a little suffering. The menu changes daily, but you cant go wrong with any of the daily pastas, piccattas or soups. If the Bolognese or Arrabiata are on offer, pounce.
Chef/tycoon-in-the-making Eric Pateman expanded his Edible Canada retail and culinary tourism headquarters on Granville Island last spring to include this beautiful wood, glass and concrete full-service restaurant. Showcasing local wines, beers and ingredients from artisan producers and suppliers without being the least bit preachy, we can all be proud to take out-of-towners here (to bask glibly in our own awesomeness). Its also home to a killer patio that sprawls out into the bustling mayhem of Granville Island Markets flank. Aim for the steelhead and the duck fat french fries that beg to be dipped in bacon aioli.
The third effort from sommelier Tom Doughty and chef Robert Belcham (see also Campagnolo on Main and Refuel on 4th) is way out on East Hastings, and well worth the trip if you can score a seat. The always busy, casual restaurant focuses on the cuisine of the Eternal City, bowling flawless spaghetti carbonara and superb pizzas in addition to many affordable wines poured by the glass. Grab the high chairs overlooking the kitchen, where you can keep one eye on chef de cuisine Ted Anderson and his crew working their magic and the other on the flat screen TV showing the Canucks game.
Hats off to Bill McCaig, owner of Vancouvers first authentic Neapolitan pizzeria, for starting a trend that has since given us a half dozen others. Nicli Antica (so named after his Italian mother) serves up the best pizza weve ever seen in this city, all prepared a la minute in a voluminous wood-burning Acunto oven imported from Naples. One bite from any of the 10 pies on offer will be enough to sway you off the thick and gooey mangiacake ham and pineapple frisbees that youve had to endure for way too long.
