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Vancouver Dining:
A Delicious Selection of Vancouver Restaurants
The Boathouse Restaurant
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| The Boathouse Restaurant |
THE SCENE
The quote above the bar at The Boathouse: "I think I'll get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini" attributed to A. Woolcolt sums up the ambience of this West Coast restaurant. Vancouver can be a cold, wet place, but when you enter the Boathouse you feel warm, dry, and relaxed. The Gulf Island Sandstone fireplace adds to this feeling of warmth and sheer contentment. Spectacular views, warm, friendly service, and the best seafood in town all add up to a memorable dining experience. To the local denizens The Boathouse is very "Vancouver."
DON'T-MISS DISHES
- Chilled Seafood Tower — oysters, mussels, jumbo prawns, smoked salmon stacked three layers high on the rocks
- Steak and Live Lobster — 8 ounce sirloin, 1.5 lb Atlantic lobster, drawn butter
- West Coast Hot Pot — shrimp, mussels, clams, wild salmon, halibut, rice noodles, spicy lemongrass broth
- Garlic Chili Chicken Drumettes
- Three Mustard Wild Coho Salmon
BRAGGING RIGHTS
The Boathouse Restaurant at English Bay boasts one of the best dining views in Vancouver if not the world. The deck, when the weather is warm, and the breezes are balmy, is the place to be in the city.
The Boathouse has four seafood festivals every year: Lobster Fest in winter; Shrimp Fest in spring; Wild Salmon Fest in summer; and Crab Fest in autumn. As well as having a well-stocked bar and extensive wine list, The Boathouse has commissioned winemaster Howard Soon of Sandill wines to develop The Boathouse's very own, private label BC VQA wines — Tyee wines.
Address: 1795 Beach Avenue, Vancouver, BC
(Other locations in Richmond, New Westminster, White Rock, Horseshoe Bay, and Port Moody)
Telephone: 604.669.2225
Appetizers: $7.99 – $10.99
Entrées: $17.99 – $39.99
Credit Cards: MC, VISA, AE
Bravo Bistro
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| Bravo Bistro |
THE SCENE
What could be more perfect? A warm evening, yachts riding at anchor so close it seems they could float right onto the patio, and a stunning Vancouver mountain vista. All this and good cuisine. Welcome to BravoBistro, newly incarnated on the Coal Harbour seawall at the foot of Denman. The dining room makes the most of this setting, with glass on three sides, and is smartly trimmed with a hint of "bistro" from some discreet paneling, a banquette and a small bar for quick bites. Not to mention the requisite bistro art. The top-heated patio will be one of the summer's most sought after, but the inside (thanks to giant sliding doors) is just as rewarding.
DON'T-MISS DISHES
- Roast pheasant breast — Goat cheese, beet and potato strata with molten goat cheese beet sauce and pan jus
- Bravo’s barley braised brisket of bison with BC wild seasonal mushroom and barley risotto
- Roast free-range poussin with pommes confits, baby vegetables and a light beurre blanc
- Moules and frites — mussels swimming in a heady seafood broth, with just a hint of ginger and coconut, served with just crunchy french fries and proper mayonnaise
- Baked apple and walnut chocolate pastilla made with Valrhona and served with caramel sauce and cinnamon ice cream
BRAGGING RIGHTS
Very West Coast, the menu sports plenty of good seafood, prepared with an intelligent touch that doesn't mask the subtlety of the ingredients. Wines are well-chosen with some serious hitters, although the list could benefit from more by-the-glass offerings to go with the tempting lineup of small plates and lunch fare. Beyond the room, with its well chosen music, good glass and measured service, there's another, more intangible ingredient at work here that stems from the owner's certainty of knowing precisely what he wants and how to create it. Not flamboyant or too clever for itself, BravoBistro has a truly comfortable feeling beyond the plate that can only come from good planning and depth of experience.
Address: 100-550 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC (On the Seawall, Coal Harbour)
Telephone: 604.688.3714
Web: Bravo Bistro
Appetizers: $9 – $18
Entrées: $21 – $36
Credit Cards: MC, VISA, AE
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