One Hundred Days at the OPUS Hotel
350 Davie Street,
Vancouver
Phone: 604-642-0557 or Reserve Online
It was the last evening before my visitors were leaving - a 7 am flight ! So an early supper was called for. I had the One Hundred Days restaurant on my "to visit" list since I first read about the concept. Basically the restaurant at the OPUS Hotel is undergoing a redesign and remodeling under different management. The idea was that over 100 days, local graffiti artist Vince Dumoulin would paint murals while the chefs would serve up equally creative dishes. But since it was a couple of months ago that I read about I figured the 100 days must be up and thought I had missed out. Not so.
A quick search on line however indicated that One Hundred Days was still going - and indeed when we got there, our server Fraser told us that they were actually up to 106 days. They would be remaining open until Dine Out Vancouver was over and then the push for the new restaurant would be on.
P.F.Chang's China Bistro
61 Fortune Drive,
Irvine, CA
Ph: (949) 453-1211
For our last dine-out with kids at family friendly restaurants in South Orange County before I head back to Vancouver, we decided on P.F. Chang's China Bistro at the Irvine Spectrum Mall.
As usual we got there early, around 5 PM but already there was a 35 minute wait for inside tables. Fortunately it was a warm afternoon and early evening so we opted for a patio table . Three space heaters also added warmth.
"Happy Hour" extends from 3 PM to 6 PM with a special menu of reduced price drinks and dishes. I had a 7 oz glass of Riesling S.A.Prum for $5.00 and the others shared a large Gekkeikan Sake for $4.00.
BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse in Laguna Hills
24032 El Toro Rd.,
Laguna Hills, CA
Ph: 749 -848-3747
When you are heading out for an early supper with an infant and a pre-schooler, the key feature you look for is not eclectic contemporary cuisine but a family-friendly environment and a children's menu. Fortunately there seems to be no shortage of such style eateries in the several neighbouring communities of Orange County where my family lives.
One such chain is BJ's, that presently has about 95 restaurants scattered throughout the West, South and Mid-Western states. They began with a pizzeria in Santa Ana in 1978, began handcrafting beers in Brea in 1996 and are about to open several new restaurants to add to the present list.
When I first moved into the Yaletown area four years ago, La Terrazza was literally a two minute walk from my rented apartment and I enjoyed several meals there. But I had not been back for more than a year, since I moved to my new home a few blocks further away. Each time I drove up Cambie on my way to dance class, I would make a mental note that it was time to check out La Terrazza again - but my mental notes seemed to get misfiled!
Then one rainy Vancouver night I had tickets for a performance at GM Place and it occurred to me that this would be the perfect time for a pre-show dinner at La Terrazza. From there it would be a quick walk to The Garage.
Enigma Restaurant
4397 W. 10th Avenue
Vancouver.
Ph: (604) 222-6881
Being South African by birth, I was naturally intrigued when Enigma was suggested as a before-theatre dinner spot. The proprietors are from South Africa and my dinner companion suggested that the menu featured several dishes of African origin. We were on our way to see Ivanov at the Jericho Arts Centre so the location of Enigma at 10th and Trimble, just up the hill from the Centre, was perfect.
As well as "foodie" I am very much a "wordie" so naturally I wondered about the name. Enigma is an unusual name for a restaurant. But the Buchmans explain - "how could such delicious food possibly be so affordable?" Hmmm.... That's setting my expectations high.
As I noted in my Chicago Diary 2009, this visit to Chicago is brief, essentially only four nights, so we wasted no time before setting out to sample some great food. The first restaurant my friends chose for me to check out was a Japanese cuisine and sushi restaurant, Takashi, in Bucktown on Chicago's North side. The restaurant takes its name from chef Takashi Yagihashi.
The Smoking Dog Bistro 1889 West 1st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604-732-8811
The Bard-on-the-Beach 2009 season has officially begun and we were off to Vanier Park to see Othello. Surfing around for restaurants close by I thought that this Bistro at 1st and Cypress would be a pleasant walk away from the Bard location. Although Kitsilano's neighbourhood Smoking Dog French bistro has been here "forever" as I learned while my dining companion regaled me with its history, this was my first time trying it out.
Our reservation was for 5:30 - early for dinner in Vancouver, as we approached the restaurant, I noticed that many of the outside tables along 1st Street were already occupied. A good sign. We were shown to the patio on the Cypress side of the Bistro and were able to get a table that was shaded from direct sunlight. Amazingly the air was still balmy. I remember the Bard opening of Twelfth Night on the same date in June last year - it was freezing cold and even with a thick jacket and a blanket I was chilled to the bone. But I thought that maybe tonight we would not even need a jacket.
Within minutes of being seated, we were chatting to our friendly waiter, whose accent declared his origin to be in France; and I was sipping a glass of a delicious white wine blend perfect for a warm spring evening.
Kentizen
2029 88 W. Pender St.,
Vancouver
Ph: 778-863-8281
We were planning to see Antigone Unbound later at the Leaky Heaven Circus Studio above the Russion Hall, so finding ourselves in the general vicinity of Chinatown we decided to wander around and find somewhere for a casual supper. I remembered that there was a place inside the Tinseltown complex that I had wanted to check out so we took the escalator to the second floor and wandered into Kentizen. It was still early, around 5:30 and so we took a window table and studied the menu. As we were debating the merits of Japanese food versus Chinese food, the manager suggested we check out the buffet.
One look at the sushi portion of the buffet and I was sold. So we each took an attractive oblong transparent blue glass plate and helped ourselves to some of the sushi, edemame and other items.
One Hundred Days at the OPUS Hotel
P.F.Chang's China Bistro
La Terrazza
Enigma Restaurant
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