The Dine Out Vancouver Festival, Tourism Vancouver’s annual, city-wide promotion designed to keep the local restaurant scene thriving during a conventionally quiet time of year, is back for its 12th installment.
On now, the festival calls upon our city’s restaurants to develop set menus that are made available to diners at a cost of $18, $28, or $38 per person, depending on the specific offerings and conventional prices of the venue. In my experience, Dine Out Vancouver is a great way to try out a number of restaurants that have been on your wish list, without breaking the bank.
Over the years, participating restaurants have learned that the festival has the power to showcase their offerings to new audiences, making it a sound business opportunity. Accordingly, you’ll find that Dine Out Vancouver menus tend to offer excellent value for the money, and more often than not present the very best of what a restaurant’s culinary team can do; restaurants do their best to make a strong first impression on new diners.
This year’s event boasts a record 263 participating restaurants, 16 of which are located on the North Shore, spanning from Horseshoe Bay (The Boathouse, The Olive and Anchor, and Troll’s are all on board) to Deep Cove (Arm’s Reach Bistro). It is nice to see some noted higher-end establishments like Fish Works, The Observatory at Grouse Mountain, Salmon House on the Hill and Zen Japanese Restaurant participating, affording diners a chance to sample their cuisine with value priced taster menus. The Lobby and Pier 7, both part of the Pinnacle at the Pier Hotel’s dining offerings, are participating with seafood-focused menus that celebrate their waterfront location, while casual venues including Hurricane Grill, The Sandwich Shop, The Village Taphouse and The Cheshire Cheese have all come to the table with satisfying and approachable $18 menus.
I’d highly recommend calling Dine Out Vancouver participating restaurants in advance for reservations as the festival tends to fill venues nightly. Bravo Cucina, offering an elegant Italian set menu priced at just $28, is already reporting that it is sold out for weekend reservations, but is still accepting weeknight bookings.
For a full list of Dine Out Vancouver participants, visit the dedicated Tourism Vancouver website at dineoutvancouver.com. Dine Out Vancouver 2014 runs until Feb. 2.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected]. His weekly restaurant review column, called The Dish, is published in the Wednesday issue of the North Shore News and can also be found here online.
