Yaletown...

[sookeharborkid]

I have worked a few years ago in Yaletown situated in the False creek area and was wondering if it was now busy , restaurents , bars , stores..life

[Explorer]

Are you kidding? It's full of restaurants and still growing. Off the top of my head, here's a yeah neah from me:

Cioppino: yeah

Opus Hotel's Bistro: neah

Glowbal: neah

Circolo: to be seen; food ok

Blue Water Cafe: overrated

Cioppino is my favorite, although be prepared for the bill.

There's a new upscale bistro type in the new Opus hotel where they are trying hard to impress; but every dish that came failed miserably.

[Johnathon]

Yaletown has definitely become a location for the food and drink lover. I must concur with some of Explorer's critiques and can only add my own feelings.

Cioppino's: Fabulous Italian food but I get a little tired of the $45 entree "specials" whenever some fungi sniffing pig in Alba kicks up a truffle for Pino

Opus Hotel: So much potential, so little realization. The kitchen has some wonderful food combinations which are very intriguing but rarely executed well

Blue Water: Overated? I have never heard it rated really. But, I can attest that a long night of sushi (west coast style), fresh oysters and some very well done martinis make for a fine evening, at least for me.

Glowbal: I enjoyed the two dining experiences I have had there recently. Design wise, great looking room and the kitchen is full of young people having fun. Cobination of these two leads to some pretty good plates.

Circolo: Great to witness the Thursday night cougar prowl with a decent Italian wine list

All in all, it is a fun area but it is still growing and learning about itself and where such an identity for the area will find itself or whether or not it is a succesful area, only time will tell.

The best thing in Yaletown has got to be Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks. Fantastic bookstore for foodies.

[maggiethecat]

Explore: I have nothing to contribute here except a warm welcome to eGullet. Keep us posted.

[Legitimate Beef]

Yaletown has become a fairly trendy district, with several good restaurants. Among the notable restaurants on Yaletown are Cioppino's, Blue Water Cafe, La Terrazza, Glowbal, Elixir at the Opus Hotel, Amacord, and Villa Del Lupo(these are off the top of my head so I'm almost certain I've missed many). I enjoyed meals at Cioppino's, Blue Water, and La Terrazza, and while I used to like Villa Del Lupo a lot, the last time I went I found the execution to be lacking. They also have some interesting looking shops along Hamilton street, although I've never been inside any of them.

I do, however, believe that Yaletown is somewhat lacking in terms of nightlife. Most of the lounges that I frequent(Lucy Mae Brown's opium den, Crime Lab, Wild Rice, Balthazar, Jupiter), as well as what I believe to be the better clubs(Plaza club, the Roxy, Atlantis, and Legends) tend to be in other parts of downtown or elsewhere in Vancouver. Yaletown does have a nice jazz lounge in Capone's.

Then again Vancouver seems to be lacking in nightlife in general

[Explorer]

Re: Blue Water being overrated; I was referring to the Zzzzz... guide and what I had heard from some locals vs. my experience. I think some Vancouverites confuse great ambiance with great food.

The cooking bookstore is Yaletown is a good one.

I noticed Circolo has a great and extensive by-the-glass selection of California Chardonnays with the usual suspects.

[Coop]

To me Yaletown is a very cool destination, however the restaurants I have tried there seem unexciting. Here is what I think about the spots I tried:

Provence Marinaside: Not as good as 10th ave location. Good appetizers.

Yaletown Brewery: Fun pub, consistent restaurant, good brew.

Brix: Nice room, poor to worse food. Thier rissotto is worst in city.

Elixer: Just awful, lunch there was disappointment of 2002.

Barbra Jo's: Limtied selection, great atmosphere.

Urban Fare: Same Save On crap in yuppie wraper.

BTW. Has anyone noticed that the same baby boomer (Jack Polle, Bruce Allen, Arthur Griffith, Martini swilling Gordon Campbell and various others) phonies that told us the NBA was something our city needed are now telling us we need the Olympics in 2010. Just another insult for our city.

[Lesley C]

I went to Villa Del Lupo years ago and loved it. Sorry to hear it has gone down hill. Has anyone else been disappointed there lately?

[Explorer]

Re: Villa del Luppo-

Agree with Lesley. We have been there twice in the last couple of years, and way back- I was even at their opening night. I saw it go up, and now down. The last time was not to be repeated; almost as if they have become "blaze" by their success. Both times were Valentine nights since we liked it so much the first time (2000). Second time was last year, 2002. It's too far back to be specific; but I recall the food was uninspiring- artic char, tortellini. But I recall the service is what we complained about the most. It's too bad as it was one of the few romantic places in Vancouver.

[Shellback]

I was a little disappointed with Provence Marinaside - the room had little ambiance and the service slow, but the food was quite tasty.

Heard mixed reviews about Glowbal. According to one local hotel concierge, they serve an awesome brunch - but went there, had the omlette of the day and found nothing exceptional. Nice room though...

My current favourite Yaletown eatery is Grace's "Simply Thai". The flavours are so distinct and some dishes very unique. You must try the exquisite Cho Muang - fushia coloured dumplings hand sculped into the shape of lotus flowers and filled with minced curried chicken, onion and special Thai spices. I heard that in Thailand, Cho Muang are served only to the royal family.

["T"]

I have always enjoyed Villa del Lupo but it has been a few months since my last visit so things may have changed. As far as Provence I agree with Coop the w. 10th location seems to be better.