Dine Out Vancouver - The Topic (2002-2007)

[SushiCat]

Anybody have anything to say about Monk McQueen's ? I have never been there in all my Vancouver years, and don't know if it is good or not, nobody here writes about it ... their dine-out menu has some interesting sounding items.

Feel free to PM me if you don't want public comments.

thx - I'm the Dine-out girl this year, juggling a number of reservations - have to trim them down a bit!

[teamboom]

I made a few of my reservations through opentable.com, thanks to the link from this post. As long as I get that confirmation email, my reservation is set in stone, right?

Sometimes technology makes me nervous; was my reservation really made with the hostess? What will happen if I get there for my reservation and find out it's not there anymore?

Food makes me nervous...

[Andrew Morrison]

It works. Don't worry. Have fun.

[*Deborah*]

Does anyone know if West is running DOV any later than Feb 2?

[Ling]

Just wanted to add that West and Blue Water's DOV menus are up on the site now.

[Dining Diva]

Does anyone know if West is running DOV any later than Feb 2?

←

when i made my reservation at west last week i'm pretty sure he said they're only doing the dine out until feb 2nd... also heard that as of today their earliest reservations available are for 10pm....

[eatvancouver]

anybody been to bisto pastis for dine out? i've heard great things about the place in general, but nothing about what it tends to do for dine out.

thanks!

[wildebeest]

anybody been to bisto pastis for dine out?  i've heard great things about the place in general, but nothing about what it tends to do for dine out.

thanks!

←

Never done the DOV there but have had fantastic meals year round.

[transfattyacid]

anybody been to bisto pastis for dine out?  i've heard great things about the place in general, but nothing about what it tends to do for dine out.

thanks!

←

Yeah, i had DOV there for the last two years running. and very nice it was too.

French onion soup, salmon tartare, coq au vin, creme caramel. have been eaten and enjoyed.

I think that Bistro Pastis do DOV how it should be done, they serve simple dishes but all very well executed with care. and very tasty.

[kayswv]

I have been using email for reservations for our time in Vancouver and have successfully made reservations at C and Raincity. Since we were in England I believed this was the best way for us to go. We are really looking forward to our third year at this.

My question is re Star Anise. I sent them two separate email requests for reservations on 26 Jan and have not received any reply from them nor has my email request bounced. Since we were in England since mid Dec. this was more effective then phone calls. Has anyone booked with them? Any idea why no response? We are at the point of saying forget it.

Have reservations at the Hampton Inn on Robson again and enjoy our time in Vancouver every time we come. Have enjoyed almost every place we have eaten in the three years and really enjoyed meeting Neil at lunch last year ( also enjoyed the gingerbread pudding).

Kay

[Macha]

Today marks the official start of bookings for Dine Out 2006.  The Tourism Vancouver website seems to be fairly slow in loading today - guess it is having load issues or something.  But the menus are up and available if you can get through to the site:

Tourism Vancouver

Seems like a slightly different mix of restaurants than in year's past (most notably the Top Table group of restaurants is absent), and several are making their bookings available through Open Table to be booked directly as well.

Cheers!

←

I have been quite absent for while but with the flurry of Dine Out, time had to be made!

I am quite sure that the Top Table group is participating this year as their menus are posted on the Tourism Vancouver site. Am I 100% correct, I hope so. With Neil stating that he has an additional $35 menu makes me wonder! Neil??

[nwyles]

My dearest Macha,

I am offering two levels of Dine Out menu - $25.00 and $35.00

I did that last year as well. It presents a couple more options for the diner as well as a chance for me to see a couple of dollars more if they so wish. We see about a 70 % / 30 % split on the two price ranges.

I am also offering a few additions if people want to order prawns or mushrooms on the side etc. This is the perfect solution for those people who can not order alcohol, and yet do not want to be percieved as cheap. I know this has been tossed around recently

Order more food !!

[Zucchini Mama]

Inspired by requests for nonalcoholic pairings upthread, I have started a thread in the eGullet General Topics forum for anyone who wants to contribute some ideas.

Zuke

[kurtisk]

Well, we're down to the last couple spots open (9:45 on a Sunday night anyone?) and it's sure been hectic. We had some media come in a couple nights ago for a Dine Out preview, nice to get a peek at some of the dishes we'll be doing, the night seemed to go well.

Jeff went to Granville Island the other day for a Chef's DOV photo shoot, he'll be the tallest one in the group photo, this is strategic on our part to increase exposure, he's really only 5'6".

Last night Jeff and I went to the Dine Out media launch at the Terminal City Club. A hob-knobbin' affair with VQA wineries and some food stations, Tourism Vancouver people, media and restauranteurs. Pretty shoulder-to-shoulder in there, nice to seem some familiar faces. There will be some more awful pics of Jeff & I coming up in local publications, you've all been warned.

Just thought I'd let you know what things are like on our side of things as we get closer (and closer).

k

[chocomoo]

As of tonight, I have reservations at the following:

- Chambar

- Gotham

- Parkside

- Raincity Grill (what do you think about this? Maybe you can PM me as I don't really want to start a new thread on this - while it's a good opportunity to try Raincity, none of the items on the menu really appeal to me)

And soon, Hamilton Street Grill!

[wildebeest]

I have been using email for reservations for our time in Vancouver and have successfully made reservations at C and Raincity. Since we were in England I believed this was the best way for us to go. We are really looking forward to our third year at this.

My question is re Star Anise. I sent them two separate email requests for reservations on 26 Jan and have not received any reply from them nor has my email request bounced. Since we were in England since mid Dec. this was more effective then phone calls. Has anyone booked with them? Any idea why no response? We are at the point of saying forget it.

Have reservations at the Hampton Inn on Robson again and enjoy our time in Vancouver every time we come. Have enjoyed almost every place we have eaten in the three years and really enjoyed meeting Neil at lunch last year ( also enjoyed the gingerbread pudding).

Kay

←

Never hurts to give Star Anise a call....what did we ever do before e-mail? Neil? Your gingerbread pudding is always a staple for me when dining at The Hammy and good luck with DOV this year.

[sushi boy]

My dearest Macha,

I am offering two levels of Dine Out menu - $25.00 and $35.00

I did that last year as well. It presents a couple more options for the diner as well as a chance for me to see a couple of dollars more if they so wish. We see about a 70 % / 30 % split on the two price ranges.

I am also offering a few additions if people want to order prawns or mushrooms on the side etc. This is the perfect solution for those people who can not order alcohol, and yet do not want to be percieved as cheap. I know this has been tossed around recently

Order more food !!

←

I'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

[nwyles]

My dearest Macha,

I am offering two levels of Dine Out menu - $25.00 and $35.00

I did that last year as well. It presents a couple more options for the diner as well as a chance for me to see a couple of dollars more if they so wish. We see about a 70 % / 30 % split on the two price ranges.

I am also offering a few additions if people want to order prawns or mushrooms on the side etc. This is the perfect solution for those people who can not order alcohol, and yet do not want to be percieved as cheap. I know this has been tossed around recently

Order more food !!

←

I'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

←

Perhaps some sort of arrangement can be worked out. Do you have your egullet decoder ring yet ?

[eatvancouver]

I'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

←

That's quite a dilemma. But it's one of those good ones, where even if you lose, you still kinda win.

Edited January 13, 2006 by eatvancouver (log)

[nwyles]

Sorry guys, I just check the egullet rules:

No deals shall be given to anyone with less than 100 posts.

As a 1000 post person, I am not supposed to even respond to anyone with less than 20 posts.

Get typing !

Edited January 13, 2006 by nwyles (log)

[chocomoo]

[i'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

←

Oh no! I have 168 posts AND I joined eGullet one day before you, Neil, can a deal be struck? Pretty please? I'll bring you some yummy Japanese snacks!

[Daddy-A]

[i'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

←

Oh no! I have 168 posts AND I joined eGullet one day before you, Neil, can a deal be struck? Pretty please? I'll bring you some yummy Japanese snacks!

←

You can always spot a rookie eh Neil?

The answer of course is ordering the $35 menu AND an extra order of Hanger Steak. Have the salmon (from the $35 menu) as a fish course, the hanger as your main, and the GBP for dessert.

The "lightweight" way around this would be to order the $25 menu. Have the GBP as your dessert with a glass of Township 7 Late Harvest. The Dessert Duo would of course be eaten afterwards, with coffee ... or a cheese plate and port.

See the benefit of hanging around us veterans??

A.

[nwyles]

[i'm kind of sad. I just checked the HSG menu. I'm going to have to choose either the hangar steak on the the $25 menu or the gingerbread pudding on the $35 menu. I can't have both.

←

Oh no! I have 168 posts AND I joined eGullet one day before you, Neil, can a deal be struck? Pretty please? I'll bring you some yummy Japanese snacks!

←

You can always spot a rookie eh Neil?

The answer of course is ordering the $35 menu AND an extra order of Hanger Steak. Have the salmon (from the $35 menu) as a fish course, the hanger as your main, and the GBP for dessert.

The "lightweight" way around this would be to order the $25 menu. Have the GBP as your dessert with a glass of Township 7 Late Harvest. The Dessert Duo would of course be eaten afterwards, with coffee ... or a cheese plate and port.

See the benefit of hanging around us veterans??

A.

←

They could learn a thing or two from Ling :

For my first dinner of the night I had...............

And for my second dinner I had...................

And my first dessert, I had.. ( you get the picture )

Small changes can be made if they are arranged through me before you get here

( you could also make the request on the open table reso that you are making - hint hint ! ). A waiter who appraoches the hot and crazy kitchen and says " Hey, there is a guy out there who would like to sub the Gingerbread on their $25.00 meal, can we do that ?" will get the searing hot frying pan upside the head.

[peppyre]

I would just love for someone to do that! I know "evil"....Just to see the look on Neil's face...then storming into the dining room with a smoking hot pan, and that phsychotic "Dine Out" smile on his face....

Ah yes, another season of madness.

I'd like to know if any of the restaurants have made any drastic changes in staffing levels, etc., especially after everything was posted here last year?

Edited January 13, 2006 by peppyre (log)

[BCinBC]

The answer of course is ordering the $35 menu AND an extra order of Hanger Steak.  Have the salmon (from the $35 menu) as a fish course, the hanger as your main, and the GBP for dessert. 

The "lightweight" way around this would be to order the $25 menu.  Have the GBP as your dessert with a glass of Township 7 Late Harvest.  The Dessert Duo would of course be eaten afterwards, with coffee ... or a cheese plate and port.

See the benefit of hanging around us veterans??

A.

←

The top way is definitely the heavyweight way of doing it (or the Ling way, if you prefer). That is a lot of food, probably enough to feed 2 (normal) people. The hanger comes with a lot of mashed potatoes, or at least it does in its regular non-DOV form, and remember that the GBP is the size of a small child (again in non-DOV form). I can hear the "pings" of the pant buttons flying across the room already.

Personally I would go the 2nd route, order the $25 plus an order of GBP to share with your dining partner as a final, more civilized, belt buster.