Dine Out Vancouver - The Topic (2002-2007)

nwyles · January 13, 2006

I am going to have a team meeting this weekend to discuss my plans on how we appraoch this.

We have nine front end staff. I am going to "draft" one of them to be a food runner one of the nights, one of them to do the door and one to do the bar. I usually have the restaurant broken up into five sections but for DOV, we will use six. Next night, switch etc. I will map it out so that it is a fair division of shifts and sections.

When you are that busy, there are no bad sections.

It takes lots of careful planning on table turns, start times and menus to pull this off. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

I have checked all of the numbers from last year and have decided to only offer the DOV menu. 86 % of the people who came last year had the DOV, 7 % insisted on using their Entertainment card, therefore not eligible to have the DOV, and the remaining 7 % had the regular menu for whatever reason.

This year, there is an Entertainment blackout during DOV so do not even try. ( I know, why would you try when you are getting such a deal......................some people insist on trying to get the Uber discount. No such luck ! )

It just makes sense to only have the one menu. I hope that it streamlines the operation and allows us to flawless in our execution.

Edited January 13, 2006 by nwyles (log)

sushi boy · January 14, 2006

[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.
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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!
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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.
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I think I'll have to go with the lightweight version. I trust it comes with a cardiologist referral.

Dumpling Girl · January 14, 2006

When there are set meals with choices, I just force my dining companion(s) to order whatever I'm not, so that I can steal food off their plate. Oh, doesn't everyone do this? :blush: (It doesn't always work...)

kontemporary · January 15, 2006

When there are set meals with choices, I just force my dining companion(s) to order whatever I'm not, so that I can steal food off their plate. Oh, doesn't everyone do this? (It doesn't always work...)
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I'm sure everyone does this a-la-carte or not :biggrin:

I think it's why tapas-style dining became such a huge trend.. people were sharing entrees alongside appies

Macha · January 15, 2006

What a lovely response Neil!

I must be blind, I didn't come across your $35 menu, Thank you for all the info :biggrin:

I'm glad to see everyone is going to more than 1 restaurant. As to all the distress over Lumiere being sold out, I think Irish girl is right about saving all the stress about going there while Dine out is going on, I would rather take my time enjoying the meal than feel hurried out the door because the staff under the gun!

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 !!
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:biggrin:

ozver · January 15, 2006

As far as lumiere is concerned for dine out, they are offering any course from their tasting bar for first course and second course and then a duo of desserts. The courses from the tasting bar are usually $14, so $28 for two, and then desserts. This means that you will probably get the same experience in the tasting bar all year round for the same price, with out the crazyness that is dine out.

kontemporary · January 15, 2006

As far as lumiere is concerned for dine out, they are offering any course from their tasting bar for first course and second course and then a duo of desserts. The courses from the tasting bar are usually $14, so $28 for two, and then desserts. This means that you will probably get the same experience in the tasting bar all year round for the same price, with out the crazyness that is dine out.
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but it's a 'duo' of desserts with selections from the lumiere menu, as opposed to just normal selections from the tasting bar. i guess thats where the clincher is - and who knows, maybe some sort of amuse or palette cleanser will be thrown in for the DOV'ers

nwyles · January 16, 2006

As far as lumiere is concerned for dine out, they are offering any course from their tasting bar for first course and second course and then a duo of desserts. The courses from the tasting bar are usually $14, so $28 for two, and then desserts. This means that you will probably get the same experience in the tasting bar all year round for the same price, with out the crazyness that is dine out.
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but it's a 'duo' of desserts with selections from the lumiere menu, as opposed to just normal selections from the tasting bar. i guess thats where the clincher is - and who knows, maybe some sort of amuse or palette cleanser will be thrown in for the DOV'ers
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At $.50 off of the normal price, I highly doubt it.

Rob and his team have been very generous to me over the years, so I do not mean any disrespect, but an amuse or palate cleanser would just make your experience longer, which if they booked out within a couple of hours of taking reservations, means they want you to go sooner.

Avoid the goat rodeo and enjoy the tasting bar at Lumiere for one of the other 300 and 50 odd days of the year and splurge and blow the 50 cents. It is an experience that is to be savoured and not rushed.

makanmakan · January 16, 2006

we had our first DOV meal last night at C. it was his first time and my second time there. i absolutely love the space and the service there. they are offering a $35 and a $45 menu, with special coctails, non alcoholics, and add ons, as well as a few a la carte appetisers.

we started with a cocktail each, i had the raspberry champagne and he had the wall coctail. they were enjoyed with a half dozen oysters (effingham, i think), which was on the a la carte offering. they were served with 2 accompaniments. a green apple with black pepper and juniper oil, and a shallots with red wine and cream. both were so good.

our first course of the prix fixe was the soup for him (Porcini Mushroom and Yukon Gold Potato Soup smoked sablefish, creme fraiche, fennel pollen) and i had the prawn and scallop with leek ravioli (which was a $8 supplement, but well worth it). what can i say, both were delicious. we also did the wine pairing which was all cedar creek wines, and for this course, it was the pinot blanc.

for our mains, he had the sirloin and i had the risotto. we were both surprised by the sirloin. it was the only downer in the meal. we were expecting a grilled piece of beef, but instead, it was 3 pieces of thick sliced beef, roasted. although it was done medium rare, it was borderline a little dry. still tasted good and the gnocchi that accompanied it was amazing. my risotto was so good. big chunks of trumpet mushrooms, a little pile of shrimp on top and the broth was creamy and so savoury. his was paired with the cab/merlot and mine was paired with the cab franc.

desserts....there were two choices, so we opted to order one of each! Milk Chocolate and Cinnamon Mousse Cake white chocolate ice cream, dried cherry, and a Ginger and Brown Butter Financier caramel, pears, figs. we also decided to have the ice cream add on for the ginger and brown butter financier. paired with the late harvest optima. both desserts were polished off without much talking.....how's that for how good they were?!!!

just wanted to note a couple of things. first off, the wines were bang on. i'm glad that the DOV is doing a VQA thing this year. it's a great way to spotlight on local wines. secondly, we both noticed, all through our evening, just how high the level of service they have. it's amazing to watch all the staff breeze in and out with dishes to tables at the same time, and cleared off at the perfect moment. not once did we have to wait a second too long for anything. well done, leonard and team, you guys have a well oiled machine! and i should not forget to thank jenny, our server, for a great evening!

if you don't have a table at C yet, and if they still have space, run for it!!!

happy DOV, folks :biggrin:

Edited January 16, 2006 by makanmakan (log)

Daddy-A · January 16, 2006

we had our first DOV meal last night at C.

I'm curious how you can have a DOV meal when DOV doesn't begin until January 20th? :huh:

[hots]

I want to repeat the request made in this previous post [CLICK] that DOV reviews be made in separate threads, with the name of the Restaurant as the title, and "DOV 2006 Experience" as the descritption. Trust me, it makes searching for such things somuch easier lateron.

A.

[/host]

Andrew Morrison · January 16, 2006

I'm curious how you can have a DOV meal when DOV doesn't begin until January 20th? huh.gif

Many DOV participants are starting early and running later this year in order to buttress the madness with more madness.

Heard great things about Raincity Grill's DOV so far, for example.

Has it been asked yet which restaurants aren't doing Dine Out? I know about Bishop's and the Bins, but are there other notables abstaining?

chrisstearns · January 16, 2006

At $.50 off of the normal price, I highly doubt it.
Avoid the goat rodeo and enjoy the tasting bar at Lumiere for one of the other 300 and 50 odd days of the year and splurge and blow the 50 cents. It is an experience that is to be savoured and not rushed.
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Neil is correct about the lack of palate cleanser, but I think he underestimates the mass appeal of the Goat Rodeo.

As for the question of table times, the tasting Bar is doing three seatings per night during Dine Out, and allowing for 1 1/2 hours per table. That is a little shorter than the average visit on normal nights (about two hours in my experience), but still plenty of time to enjoy a three-course meal. We've done our best to strike a balance between fulfilling all the demand (which numbered several thousand calls), and making all the guests who actually got a reso to feel comfortable.

That said, guests who don't give up their table in time will be hoss-tied and saddle bronc-ed by our rodeo clown.

*Deborah* · January 16, 2006

That said, guests who don't give up their table in time will be hoss-tied and saddle bronc-ed by our rodeo clown.
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Oh, Chris, you're going to get a bunch more calls now... :wink:

makanmakan · January 16, 2006

we had our first DOV meal last night at C.
I'm curious how you can have a DOV meal when DOV doesn't begin until January 20th?
[hots]
I want to repeat the request made in this previous post [CLICK] that DOV reviews be made in separate threads, with the name of the Restaurant as the title, and "DOV 2006 Experience" as the descritption. Trust me, it makes searching for such things somuch easier lateron.
A.
[/host]
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C has extended their dine out dates.

as for the review, oops, my bad. :unsure:

makanmakan · January 16, 2006

That said, guests who don't give up their table in time will be hoss-tied and saddle bronc-ed by our rodeo clown.
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after reading the story on waiterblog about the practical joke done to a staff member, i wouldn't doubt this! :laugh:

fud · January 17, 2006

I can hear the "pings" of the pant buttons flying across the room already.

Oh you are forgetting the secret to having your cake and eating it too...pants with elastics (I dub them 'fat' pants). Medical scrubs are excellent substitutes. Then you can have it all!

BCinBC · January 17, 2006

I can hear the "pings" of the pant buttons flying across the room already.
Oh you are forgetting the secret to having your cake and eating it too...pants with elastics (I dub them 'fat' pants). Medical scrubs are excellent substitutes. Then you can have it all!
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Whereas most people dress up somewhat for Xmas and Thanksgiving dinner, my family always wore sweatpants to the table. For the purpose of eating comfort. N was a bit disbelieving until she saw it for the first time.

The idea of scrubs though is a great one. Fud, if you or anyone else (Peppyre?) can scrounge up a freshly cleaned pair, I would be more than willing to put them on, walk into HSG and order the $35 DOV menu with a side order of hanger. If Neil lets me stay, then all the better.

eatvancouver · January 17, 2006

Here's my dilemma (it's not quite as straightforward as the $25 or $35 menu at HSG, which Arne nailed):

I have friends coming from out-of-town and so I booked Bisto Pastis for the 23rd, since that was originally the only night that worked for everyone. I also booked HSG on the 24th as a back-up plan. Now it turns out everyone can make the 24th as well so I have to choose - both, although my preference, isn't doable for everyone.

Now clearly I'd prefer HSG, but looking at the menus it seems Pastis is geared more towards classic french dishes, and HSG is more for the adventurous eater. There are few finnicky eaters among us, so that poses a problem.

Although I'm the type who likes to appease everyone, I'm leaning towards HSG. But, I thought I'd open it up to everyone in case there is an obvious solution, like with Sushiboy's question.

BCinBC · January 17, 2006

Honestly I don't see how HSG's menu could not appease everyone. Yes it is slightly more adventurous, if mussels or fish and chorizo can be called that, but given the other choices (including the other menu at $35) I would think everyone would see something appetizing.

The irony is that in a regular non-DOV setting, I think of HSG as more comfort food and Pastis as more adventurous French (rabbit, frogs legs, organs).

ETA: You could always get a different group of friends together to do Pastis the night before.

Edited January 17, 2006 by BCinBC (log)

eatvancouver · January 17, 2006

Honestly I don't see how HSG's menu could not appease everyone. Yes it is slightly more adventurous, if mussels or fish and chorizo can be called that, but given the other choices (including the other menu at $35) I would think everyone would see something appetizing.
The irony is that in a regular non-DOV setting, I think of HSG as more comfort food and Pastis as more adventurous French (rabbit, frogs legs, organs).
ETA: You could always get a different group of friends together to do Pastis the night before.
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i can't actually seem to find the $35 menu, is it online?

oh and if i can scrounge up enough friends, i'll do both.

BCinBC · January 17, 2006

HERE is a link to the HSG DOV menus. And you know, looking at it again I would just stick with the NY Strip instead of eating the salmon and side hanger. NY Strip is a pretty damn good steak.

kissmekate · January 17, 2006

I was at the Four Seasons this morning for a breakfast meeting and it suddenly occurred to me to ask if Chartwell was in Dineout (yes I know I probably skimmed by their name 100 times on Tourism Vancouver’s site, but for some reason they were under my radar.

I just looked at the menu and it's fabulous! I don't know why it has been so under the radar but as one of the best hotel dining rooms and one of the more expensive restaurants in Dineout it must be one of the best deals out there. I always have amazing service and great food ther. Their chef is excellent and the staff wonderful! I wonder if they are offering complimentary valet parking at Dineout like they do for their regular dinners?

The other great deal I have seen is Savory Coast. They are opening up their entire menu for Dineout so you can choose from any of the starters, mains and desserts. They have some wonderful entrees' (and cheap parking underground with an elevator right up to the restaurant)

No idea what either still has available but they are both still taking reservations.

chocomoo · January 18, 2006

The other great deal I have seen is Savory Coast. They are opening up their entire menu for Dineout so you can choose from any of the starters, mains and desserts. They have some wonderful entrees' (and cheap parking underground with an elevator right up to the restaurant)
No idea what either still has available but they are both still taking reservations.
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What to do, what to do? Everything at Savoury Coast looks so good!! Should I give up my Raincity reservations for Savoury Coast? Anyone?

makanmakan · January 19, 2006

we just added another restaurant to our dine out marathon. don francesco's. has anyone been yet? worth it? i just love the story of the owner and his wife. what can i say, i'm a sucker for romance!

ElizR · January 19, 2006

we just added another restaurant to our dine out marathon. don francesco's. has anyone been yet? worth it? i just love the story of the owner and his wife. what can i say, i'm a sucker for romance!
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We are going this Saturday. I'll post a review by Sunday evening.

We have not been before and chose it primarily for that reason, so have no idea what to expect: heard it's good, though.

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