Vancouver and Victoria

[goatcheese]

Folks:

I will be vacationing in Vancouver and Victoria the first part of September and staying at the Hotel Listel. I am looking for the names of several upscale restaurants that can be recommended that have quality food, good wine list and excellent service (not tourist traps). Price is not a factor (its vacation) and location is no trouble (taxis). French and seafood are our first choice but any cuisine is appreciated. Basically, we are looking for the “Best that Vancouver and Victoria has to Offer”.....goatcheese

[jamiemaw]

Goatcheese.

There are a number of threads on this section of the site that will provide assistance with your requaest.

But perhaps we could also direct you to www.vanmag.com (or simply Google Vancouver Magazine), where the results of the 15th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards are compiled. In the lower left hand corner of the home page you'll see an icon that will take you in. The results are drawn from the year-long efforts of 30 food media and industry folk. It's a pretty reliable resource. Most of the restaurants are within an easy walk or cab ride of your hotel (which incidentally does a credible brunch and has excellent live jazz later in the week).

Take a peek, make some choices, and post them to help you achieve a useful balance.

Cheers,

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver Magazine

[shelora]

Hello there,

Victoria has wonderful, so called "upscale" restaurants for you to try. Here are a few stellar recommendations from the downtown core. It will wet your appetitie. They all have excellent wine lists and knowledgable professional staff. You cannot go wrong. Unfortunately, alot of them are closed Sunday and Mondays. All are extremely popular with us locals, so do phone for reservations. Our chefs pride themselves on sourcing for the best in organic and locally grown ingredients. You are coming to the right place for some great food.

Let me know if you get bored with the upscale though because we have some great "downscale" restaurants as well.

Temple - small plates, big on flavour, had the island waterbuffalo osso buco last night - too die for. Closed Sunday

Brassierie L'ecole - French brasserie influences, excellent chef and French wine and beer list. closed Sunday and Monday

Cafe Brio - Award winning neighbourhood restaurant and chef. Dinner only. It's all fantastic. Excellent staff, wine list and room. Greg Hayes and Sylvia Marcolini are consumate hosts.

Zambri's - open for casual lunch and dinner. Chef Peter Zambri changes his menu daily. Italian influences, house made sausage and salumi not too be missed. Small but excellent Italian wine list by sommelier Frances Sidhu. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Fire and Ice at the new Marriott - Chef Jeff Keenliside, formerly of Cafe brio. Double thick cut brined pork chop topped with an island blue cheese, is not to be missed. Always open - great patio for sun.

These are my top picks from the downtown area. If you want to explore the outer regions, I've got some more for you. Just let me know. There could also be some wine dinners going on during the time you are here - usually held at listed restaurants - always a great way to try some great

B.C. wines, or there are always wine tastings going on at some of the wine stores downtown, another great way to spend an hour, before a dinner reservation.

Contact me closer to your dates and I'll let you know what is going on.

[Andy Lynes]

I was deeply impressed by my recent meal at West in Vancouver. The flavours were brilliant and true, so much so that I can vividly recall the deep earthy notes of the shitake mushroom broth that accompanied a dish of marinated sablefish as I type. And that was just one highlight of many. The wine list is formidable, but sommelier Chris Van Nus and his seemingly bottemless well of knowledge is more than equal to the task of steering you through it. I'll write up my meal in full elsewhere on this board in the near future, but I'd have no hesitation in recommending it to you.

One minor caveat: if its a warm night, you may want to sit away from the open window at the front of the restaurant as the restaurant is on a fairly busy road.

[chuchelo]

I ate at Cafe Brio a few weeks ago and echo the strong recommendation. The food, service, setting -- all superb! The quality, the freshness, the execution -- simply marvelous. If you have only one meal to eat in Victoria, IMHO, this is it!!

[jenifresh]

I highly recommend Lumiere, sit at the tasting bar - it's a wonderful place. And next door is Feenies, owned by Rob Feenie, chef at Lumiere. It's modern and more casual than Lumiere.

Marc Bittman wrote about food in Vancouver in The New York Times sometime around September 2003. I took it with and hit all the spots that he recommended.

Barbra Jo's Books to Cooks in Yaletown is a great stop for a local cookbook from The Granville Island Market, or Lumiere.

My favorite spot, however, was Irish Heather in Gastown. Great mussels and beer, not to be missed. It's a gastropub. And then behind it is Shebeen Whiskey House. Here you can make friends with locals and drink comfortably.

[robyn]

C for seafood. Liked it a lot. Robyn

[jcsaucey]

I would second C as my first choise in Vancouver. Modern, sexy food. great sommolier.

In Victoria go to Zambris. Organic Italian heaven, great inexpensive wines.

[jenifresh]

With so many great spots in Vancouver, how could I choose a favorite? I forgot to mention that Vij's was WOW. And neat to look at. Mark Bittman called it one of the best Indian restaurants in the world.

www.vij's.ca

[Hest88]

Let me know if you get bored with the upscale though because we have some great "downscale" restaurants as well.

Shelora, I'd love your opinions of less upscale Victoria and surrounding restaurants as well. We're going to be up at Sooke Harbour House in October, and between eating there and probably Brio once, we're definitely going to need some downscale ideas! Last time when we were up there we were on the other side (Malahat) so stopped merrily at some of the towns in the area and just popped into places when in Victoria. (I wonder if that downtown sushi place we went to last time is still there?) I get the impression, though, that the area around Sooke is less populated than the area north of Malahat.

[robyn]

I would second C as my first choise in Vancouver. Modern, sexy food. great sommolier.

In Victoria go to Zambris. Organic Italian heaven, great inexpensive wines.

We had a bottle of Burrowing Owl wine at C. Can't remember exactly what it was - but it was terrific. There are a lot of little boutique wines that never get out of BC - and I recommend that visitors try them if possible. Robyn

[chuchelo]

I'd love your opinions of less upscale Victoria and surrounding restaurants as well. We're going to be up at Sooke Harbour House in October, and between eating there and probably Brio once, we're definitely going to need some downscale ideas!

I look forward to hearing about your stay at Sooke Harbour House. We stayed in Victoria and ate dinner at Sooke Harbour House one Saturday evening and were distinctly underwhelmed. Cafe Brio was far the stronger restaurant in my experience.

Edited August 11, 2004 by chuchelo (log)

[Suzanne F]

Let me know if you get bored with the upscale though because we have some great "downscale" restaurants as well.

Shelora, I'd love your opinions of less upscale Victoria and surrounding restaurants as well. We're going to be up at Sooke Harbour House in October, and between eating there and probably Brio once, we're definitely going to need some downscale ideas!

We just got back from a week in Vancouver including a day-trip to Victoria. I can't speak for the whole menu at Swan's Hotel in Victoria (Store St. and Pandora Ave.), but the hummus was just the way I like it (garlicky and chunky) and the Buckerfields Brewer beers and ales were excellent. It made a lovely stop to rest after walking almost all the way around the Inner Harbor.