We were heading off to see Singing in the Rain at Theatre Under the Stars at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park so we thought a restaurant in the West End would work well for us. I had previously dined at the Haro Street location when It was Parkside , but had not been there recently.
Adesso Bistro is new and we were interested to try it out. Parking is a bit of a problem in that area so we used the valet parking service. We decided that as the evening was so pleasant, dining outside on their enclosed patio would be great.
For two people we figured four of their appetizer portions would work just fine so each of us selected two from the menu.
The first up was the Arancini with risotto, prosciutto and mozarella, pepperonata - a selection of my dining companion. They were delightfully crisp on the outside.
The second choice was Vitello tonnato - chilled poached veal with creamy tuna sauce. The sauce was so tasty that we both wished we were cats, so to speak.
My two choices followed:
The Carpaccio of bison with beet vinaigrette, parmesan cheese and crispy thin sliced garlic was beautifully presented and satisfying.
I have enjoyed two dinner meals at Market by Jean-Georges and on both occasions have been impressed by both the quality of the food, and the impeccable service. I also had the opportunity to sample the black truffle fontina cheese pizza and the rice cracker-crusted seared tuna on Michelle Ng's recent Downtown Foodie tour: (Guest Reviewer Amanda takes the Vancouver Foodie Tour).
Society Dining Lounge
1257 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
Ph: (604) 629-8800 or Reserve Online
We have previously enjoyed several meals at Coast Restaurant, the previous Glowbal Group restaurant at this location on Hamilton Street but since Coast has been re-incarnated on Alberni Street, and the eatery at this location was reborn as Society, we have not had the opportunity to visit either the new Coast or Society.
The Edge Social Grille and Lounge
1100 Granville Street,
Vancouver. BC
Ph: (604) 681-3433
The Edge Social Grille and Lounge was one of the restaurants we visited on the recent Foodie Tour hosted by Michelle Ng: Foodie Tours rediscovers Granville Street 2010. I so much enjoyed the flatbread samples at The Edge provided for the tour, that I vowed I would return for a meal at the Grille as soon as I had an opportunity to do so.
La Quercia,
3689 West 4 Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Ph: (604) 676-1007 or Reserve online
Continuing my exploration of supping locales close to the theatres at UBC and Jericho Arts Centre (where we were going to see The Misanthrope), we booked at La Quercia, on West 4th Avenue, near Alma.
This is a small intimate Italian restaurant and obviously a neighbourhood gem because there was not an empty table by the time we left. Their wine list features Italian wines exclusively. I had a glass of the Riff 2008 Pino Grigio.
Our server explained the fresh sheet items that were additional to the regular menu. The specials were also written on a large chalk board on the wall.
Sanafir Restaurant and Lounge
1026 Granville Street,
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604- 678-1049 or Reserve Online
Sanafir has been on my "to visit" list for ages but somehow the right opportunity did not come up. Finally, after a West Coast Swing class at UrbanBeat that ended at 8:30 pm, three of us walked a block over and across Granville Street, to Sanafir for a late supper.
I had read on their website that "sanafir" is the Arabic word for "meeting place". A quick perusal of their menu told us that to experience the "meeting" of flavours from North Africa, Asia and the Middle East, we should order from the Tapas Trios selections. The menu created by Sean Riley (Director of Food Operations) and new Executive Chef Michael Robbins features tapas trios of Calamari, Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Halibut and Seafood.
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen
1188 Mainland Street,
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604-689-8318 or Reserve online
Last summer we dropped into Goldfish Pacific Kitchen for an early dinner in their courtyard patio. Our waiter introduced us to their experimental Chef's table dinner concept and we were intrigued enough at the time to try it out.
The idea was that rather than ordering from the regular menu, we would chat with the chef to inform him of any food allergies or violent antipathies to any foods, and then he would prepare a special surprise menu from whatever was freshly available. Chef Ryan Mah was cooking that evening and he prepared a memorable 5 course tasting menu which looked as beautiful as it tasted and garnered Goldfish Pacific Kitchen a rave review from me.
Federico's Supper Club
1728 Commercial Drive,
Vancouver
Ph: 604-251-3473 or Reserve Online
I have been on the hunt for places to "dine and dance" in Vancouver but this seems to be a rare entity these days. Federico's Supper Club is one of those few places that has a dance floor, albeit not large.
The evening when a group of us decided to check out this restaurant turned out to be the second special event night that featured Executive Chef Romy Prasad giving a cooking demonstration of a 5 course, wine-paired "Taste of Italy" menu.
On inquiry, we learned that startinging promptly at 6 pm, Chef Prasad would show us how to cook each course, then the dish would be served together with a 3 oz pouring of a matched wine. Joe Borean, the maitre d' and sommelier would describe the characteristics of the wine. The cooking demonstration and dining was scheduled to be completed by around 9 pm and would be followed by music for dancing, featuring Federico. All very cool!
Five Sails at the Pan Pacific Hotel
Tapastree Restaurant
Adesso Bistro
The first up was the Arancini with risotto, prosciutto and mozarella, pepperonata - a selection of my dining companion. They were delightfully crisp on the outside. 
Market by Jean-Georges
Society Dining Lounge
The Edge Social Grille and Lounge
La Quercia,
Our server explained the fresh sheet items that were additional to the regular menu. The specials were also written on a large chalk board on the wall.
Sanafir Restaurant and Lounge
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen
Federico's Supper Club
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