Pair bistro

[Chocoholic]

Since the birth of our child last year our foodie lifestyle has taken a hit. Without any parents in town for convenient infant disposal we are at the mercy of friends to babysit while we pop out to a restaurant for some quiet eating that does not involve removing bits of pasta from everyone's various bodily cavities.

Monday is the day, a friend is babysitting and we will be off for some food and wine fueled relaxation. This friend raved about Pair bistro. It sounds intriguing, we are definitely into the kind of food they offer. However the days of reckless experminentation are behind us. We cannot afford to have a bad experience since our emotional and culinary well-being depends heavily on these all to infrequent escapades. We were going to go to Diva since we love the place, never had bad food there and the desserts are to die for.

Soooo....any opinions on Pair? Any other new places we can try? We are well versed in the Vancouver restaurant scene yet tend to stick to old favorites these days. Good food is the main thing we are after, quiet and relaxed/romantic atmosphere is also important.

[map]

Being in the same situation with having no room for error or disappointment for the very odd night without the kids, my advice would be to stick to what you know and enjoy. Pair is still trying to find its consistent feet, there is opportunity for error on the other hand Diva has had a recent changing of the guard.

Your choice but please report in after.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

We tried Pair a couple of months ago and I reported on it here. Everyone at the table had steaks except me - I had the shortribs and they were served in a small bowl and were next to impossible to eat. I also had the mussels but they didn't offer any bread with them - what's the point of mussels if you can't sop up the sauce. I can't recall the other apps at the table but no one raved about their meals. Service was indifferent with looooong pauses between courses. It was a weeknight and we didn't get seated until 8 pm so the long pauses weren't a bonus.

A colleague had dinner there the other night and didn't think the food rated a return visit. She lives in the neighbourhood and says that she will return for the reasonably priced martinis. The wine list is an excellent sampling, reasonable priced BC list. If your nights out are few and far between these days I wouldn't squander the moment at Pair. I would go to Cru.

[Mooshmouse]

We have a 3-year-old son and sympathize wholeheartedly with your situation. Life is one giant logistical exercise at the best of times, especiallly when it comes to scheduling downtime alone with your spouse/partner. Clearly, every bite of every meal out counts more than double what it used to in your previous life!

I'm with Foodie in Vancouver's suggestion on Cru. It's consistently good, and I've never yet been disappointed with a dining experience there. There's also Bistro Pastis on West 4th Avenue as well the Pear Tree in Burnaby which is definitely worth the drive. Of course, it goes without saying that West is another excellent choice... we're heading there ourselves for dinner this weekend.

Savour every morsel and let us know what you choose!

[Chocoholic]

Thanks for the sympathy and suggestions!

We went to Cru for our last escape. We live in the Granville and Broadway area so Cru and West are in very convenient walking distance. (So is Memphis Blues, ever seen a 1 year old dig into a pulled pork sandwich?)

I am still inclined to go to Diva, we have been eating there since the days of Michael Noble and we have some fond memories of the place.

Here is a suggestion for fellow parents:

Our son is a lively little fellow but once he is asleep for the evening he will mercifully stay asleep for quite some time. So sometimes we put him in the stroller and go out for a late meal, parking the stroller with snoring child in a convenient corner of the restaurant. So far this has worked out well but somehow it is not the same as being out without him since the fear of our culinary bliss being interrupted by a pissed off 1 year old is always in the back of our minds. Also, the place has to be roomy enough to be able to accomodate a stroller.

[Chocoholic]

Well we went to Diva last night and it was a success as always. The service was impeccable and the food everything we expected. The Thomas Haas signature chocolate bar with a glass of Grandfather port was the perfect way of finishing off the dinner. We even got one to go for the babysitter, chocolate that is, not the port!

Pair will stay on the list of places to try one day, maybe we'll grab an early table and bring our son (he gets regular restaurant training) or one of us will go on a "eat out with friend while spouse stays home with kid" nights.

[Mooshmouse]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to see if anyone has any recent reviews of Pair Bistro now that they've had enough time to iron out any "just opened" kinks.

I'm heading out for dinner with a girlfriend on Thursday evening and was considering a couple of new restaurants on my dining radar, Pair being one of them.

Comments anyone?

[Andrew Morrison]

I'd like to hear more about Chi and Adesso...but Pair sounds yummy. Never been.

[Mooshmouse]

Was at Pair Bistro last Thursday evening for dinner with a girlfriend and posted about my dining experience on the "Truth be told" thread.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Sure, West it's not, but definitely a comfortable neighbourhood restaurant. Food was good and service was friendly and attentive. I'll certainly go back!