Dinner on Christmas Day?

[tickleb]

My very first thread!

A wonderful and generous friend of mine just won a big wad of cash at the casino on the weekend and has offered to take self and husband out for Christmas dinner. Since she's paying, the task of organizing has been left to me. What I'm wondering is, are there any restaurants open on Christmas Day besides the hotel dining rooms? If any one has been out for Christmas dinner in recent years, do they have any recommendations? I went to the Wedgewood once, and I seem to remember that it was very nice, but that was 15-20 years ago.

Of course I could just call around all the restaurants and ask, but I thought I'd tap the eGullet wealth of knowledge first.

[ckwok]

My very first thread!

A wonderful and generous friend of mine just won a big wad of cash at the casino on the weekend and has offered to take self and husband out for Christmas dinner. Since she's paying, the task of organizing has been left to me. What I'm wondering is, are there any restaurants open on Christmas Day besides the hotel dining rooms? If any one has been out for Christmas dinner in recent years, do they have any recommendations?  I went to the Wedgewood once, and I seem to remember that it was very nice, but that was 15-20 years ago.

Of course I could just call around all the restaurants and ask, but I thought I'd tap the eGullet wealth of knowledge first. 

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Most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas day. If you are into that kind of cuisine, you could pre order a banquet menu ( ie 10 course ) meal if you want something fancy.

Chester

[tickleb]

Thanks Chester, I'll think about that but we'll probably want something more traditional. Also, I should have mentioned that we're preferably looking for somewhere Downtown/Westside Vancouver.

[nwyles]

We have had great luck ordering our dinner from the Pan Pacific and bringing it home. I know that is not what you are looking for but try them. One of the regular restaurants in the hotel might be open.

Honestly , I would jump at the chance to have Xmas dinner at the Wedgewood. New Chef , great room , really does it up right. We are going to pop in there on Xmas Eve for some champagne. So looking forward to it.

Neil

[tickleb]

Thanks for your suggestions, Neil.

We're actually going the the lounge at the Pan Pacific this weekend for martinis(my friend loves their Frappetinis) so we can check out the dining room then. I looked at the menu on-line and it sounds pretty good. I checked out the menu at the Wedgewood as well, but for some reason it doesn't appeal to me as much. I've also heard (possibly from this forum?) that it can get a little noisy in there, as it's next to the piano bar. I don't know if that was before the changes though.

Becki

[jamiemaw]

Thanks for your suggestions, Neil.

We're actually going the the lounge at the Pan Pacific this weekend for martinis(my friend loves their Frappetinis) so we can check out the dining room then. I looked at the menu on-line and it sounds pretty good. I checked out the menu at the Wedgewood as well, but for some reason it doesn't appeal to me as much. I've also heard (possibly from this forum?) that it can get a little noisy in there, as it's next to the piano bar. I don't know if that was before the changes though.

Becki

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All of the major downtown hotels--The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Four Seasons, Metropolitan, Wedgewood etc.--do a more than credible job with Christmas Dinner.

After that it's up to you for for festive ambience and budget, although it sounds as if the latter is no object. So I only have one piece of advice: Book Now as they tend to fill the seats quickly.

An elegant solution to holiday stree--but what to do about Boxing Day sandwiches?

Take Neil's advice and order a pre-cooked turkey from the Pan. Just don't forget to quartermaster some good crusty bread and lots of mayonnaise and cranbeeries.

J.

Edited December 13, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[Mooshmouse]

Take Neil's advice and order a pre-cooked turkey from the Pan. Just don't forget to quartermaster some good crusty bread and lots of mayonnaise and cranbeeries.

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Now Jamie. Was this a Freudian slip?!

[Daddy-A]

We have had great luck ordering our dinner from the Pan Pacific and bringing it home. I know that is not what you are looking for but try them. One of the regular restaurants in the hotel might be open.

Honestly , I would jump at the chance to have Xmas dinner at the Wedgewood. New Chef , great room , really does it up right. We are going to pop in there on Xmas Eve for some champagne. So looking forward to it.

Not going for a repeat of your Thanksgiving dinner Neil??

Champagne at the Wedgewood? Now that's damned civilized ... just gotta figure out where to ditch the kids!

A.

[nwyles]

Take Neil's advice and order a pre-cooked turkey from the Pan. Just don't forget to quartermaster some good crusty bread and lots of mayonnaise and cranbeeries.

That is the total beauty of it. They supply the bread , mayo and cranberries ! Someone in marketing is thinking. I have always found the dessert to be a little lacking but I always have a few orders of gingerbread pudding on hand to deal with that .

I posted somewhere else about this. I think U.S. Thanksgiving thread.

Tha Pan tells you what time to pick it up ( within your requested time window ). It is hot and ready to go. Evertyhing comes in a great big box which I set outside the back door to toss all of the packaging in afterwards. It comes with warming instructions( as if I needed that - I eat it in the car on the way home ! ) No muss, no fuss, great dinner, minimum stress and no mise en place. No turkey in the bathtub thawing etc. I love it. The day becomes about spending time with family and friends and not about peeling carrots and spuds.

[nwyles]

We have had great luck ordering our dinner from the Pan Pacific and bringing it home. I know that is not what you are looking for but try them. One of the regular restaurants in the hotel might be open.

Honestly , I would jump at the chance to have Xmas dinner at the Wedgewood. New Chef , great room , really does it up right. We are going to pop in there on Xmas Eve for some champagne. So looking forward to it.

Not going for a repeat of your Thanksgiving dinner Neil??

Champagne at the Wedgewood? Now that's damned civilized ... just gotta figure out where to ditch the kids!

A.

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Thanksgiving dinner was from a high end food shop on the Granville rise. I was sick for two days. Must have been my reheating technique. Don't get me started dammit.

[tickleb]

Take Neil's advice and order a pre-cooked turkey from the Pan. Just don't forget to quartermaster some good crusty bread and lots of mayonnaise and cranbeeries.

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Now Jamie. Was this a Freudian slip?!

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Mmmm cranbeeries, a new Christmas beverage sensation.

I'm checking out the websites for the downtown hotels one by one, some of them haven't posted their Christmas menus, which is a little frustrating. The pick-up thing is just not going to work for us, for various reasons which I won't bore you all with.

Boxing Day sandwiches won't be a problem either, we're visiting friends in Chilliwack for their traditional seafood feast / fondue extravaganza, I'm sure they'll some extra turkey lying around.

Becki

[Foodie in Vancouver]

Diva looked like they had a wonderful menu for Christmas Dinner.

My sister and I alternate Christmas dinner and for a number of years have been ordering it from the Sutton Place. No one else in our family knows we do this and we are too chicken to tell them the truth- they assume we have been slaving in the kitchen all day.

I hesitate to tell you about it though - this year we called on November 30th to find that we were number 35 of a maxiumum of 40 dinners. Yikes - that was a close call.

I would still prefer to go out - that is my fantasty Christmas but we have some real traditionalists in our family so it might be a while until I get to live out THAT particular fantasy. In the meantime, driving downtown and getting room service to load Christmas dinner and all the trimmings into the car is damn close to pretty good.

[tickleb]

Diva looked like they had a wonderful menu for Christmas Dinner.

My sister and I alternate Christmas dinner and for a number of years have been ordering it from the Sutton Place. No one else in our family knows we do this and we are too chicken to tell them the truth- they assume we have been slaving in the kitchen all day. 

I hesitate to tell you about it though - this year we called on November 30th to find that we were number 35 of a maxiumum of 40 dinners. Yikes - that was a close call.

I would still prefer to go out - that is my fantasty Christmas but we have some real traditionalists in our family so it might be a while until I get to live out THAT particular fantasy. In the meantime, driving downtown and getting room service to load Christmas dinner and all the trimmings into the car is damn close to pretty good.

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Foodie,

I think it's so cool that you pick up your Christmas dinner instead of slaving over it. Too funny that the family doesn't know. We don't have a car, so pick-up's a bit of a problem. Plus, I do agree that it's more fun to go out, there's the service aspect, no dishes to wash and the chance to raid the restaurant's wine cellar. Diva does have a nice menu (with a cheese course!), but there's no turkey, and hubby insists on turkey for Christmas day. Such a traditionalist. I'm thinking of Chartwell at the Four Seasons, they have a nice menu, with turkey for him, fish for me, and veal for my friend. I've never been there though, has anyone had dinner there recently?

Edited December 15, 2004 by tickleb (log)