Mia Stainsby's Best Restaurants 2006

[barolo]

The Vancouver Sun's Mia Stainsby has made her choices of top restaurants of 2005 - I'm not going to list them all because there's 110 but here's some highlights:

Best overall - Lumiere

Best New 2005 - Nu

Budget - Lolita's South of the Border Cantina

Lounge - George

New for Vegetarians - Chai

New Comfort Food - Diner

New Family - Earls on Hornby

West Coast Cuisine - West

Brunch - C

Service - Bishop's

Pho - Pho Hoang

Ocean View - Beach House

Edited April 27, 2006 by barolo (log)

[merlin]

For us non-Vancouverites, who is Mia Stainsby?

[barolo]

For us non-Vancouverites, who is Mia Stainsby?

←

Sorry, she's the Vancouver Sun restaurant reviewer. I did an edit to insert that point.

Edited April 27, 2006 by barolo (log)

[Andrew Morrison]

Is this an annual thing? I never knew she did a "best" list.

Good picks.

[barolo]

Is this an annual thing? I never knew she did a "best" list.

Good picks.

←

Yes, I'm pretty sure she's done a list for the past couple of years anyway. Like all the papers, they are playing around with the format a bit every year.

[eatrustic]

Attempting to scoop the VanMag awards perhaps?

[kontemporary]

In general I thought it was agreeable - though I was confused about her mark's on Lumière's 3-course prix fixe, as it was removed this month (and a return to the traditional tastings). Does C also do brunch? I was unaware of that.. I also was surprised at Lolita's winning best value, because I always thought of the pricing as generally expensive for mexican cuisine.

[canucklehead]

A pretty good list I think. The big glaring mistake was choosing Pho Hoang as best pho - really, the should rename it Huck Too.

[Ling]

A pretty good list I think.  The big glaring mistake was choosing Pho Hoang as best pho - really, the should rename it Huck Too.

←

I agree!

[lauraf]

Attempting to scoop the VanMag awards perhaps?

←

Not at all - the VanMag Restaurant Awards usually preceded the Van Sun awards by at least a couple weeks - The Sun has had their own annual awards for the last few years IIRC, but they always followed the VanMag awards. This year the VanMag awards are happening on May 2nd - approximately a month later than in previous years because of a managerial decision to switch the release date of the awards and the issue profiling the winners. . . nothing secretive, just a matter of securing the appropriate venue space at the best time for the Awards function. Which I can't attend this year because of my neck. Totally devastated 'cause I put a lot of work into its success. It's kinda my baby, on the event side at least. But don't blame me about who wins Chef of the Year. Or who doesn't.

Dang herniated disks!

[~cayenne~]

The Vancouver Sun's Mia Stainsby has made her choices of top restaurants of 2005 - I'm not going to list them all because there's 110 but here's some highlights:

Best overall - Lumiere

Best New 2005 - Nu

Budget - Lolita's South of the Border Cantina

Lounge - George

New for Vegetarians - Chai

New Comfort Food - Diner

New Family - Earls on Hornby

West Coast Cuisine - West

Brunch - C

Service - Bishop's

Pho - Pho Hoang

Ocean View - Beach House

←

Thanks for letting us know. I was curious as to the rest, I'm guessing I wouldn't be allowed to post the whole list, so here's a place to look. A couple of things puzzling me, she lists Best Spanish as El Patio - didn't someone post here that it was closed down? And it sure wasn't the best when I went, but I digress. And, Best Chinese Fast Food - Richmond Night Market at 8700 McKim Way? (May 19 to Oct 11, 2006)

Edited April 28, 2006 by ~cayenne~ (log)

[mkjr]

Earls and new just do not seem to go together. Am I missing something?

[McTee]

Earls and new just do not seem to go together.  Am I missing something?

←

She is likely referring to the new location, at Hornby and Smithe.

Best new comfort food? How many 'comfort food' restaurants have opened besides Diner?

Sounds to me like Mia created categories to give awards to places she likes.

Given the discussion on the thread about critics, I don't think we will be taking it too seriously.