Vancouver B.C.... one chance!

[Eat_Nopal]

I am going to be in Vancouver for 4 hours or so, in a couple of weeks... I can have ONE meal.... what is the single most traditional/representative/defining meal that real says Vancouver... and what are the best places to enjoy it?

[Beach Chick]

I would go to Vij's and then have a latte at Caffe Artigiano..

[Eat_Nopal]

I lost the battle and my non-Chowish colleagues ended up voting for a local chain... Cactus Club. I tried my best to play to its strenghts and had the Kula greens which featured local Salmon, peppers, feta, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries & miso-apple dressing. It was edible... but bland & unexciting.

First, I asked how the Salmon was cooked... she said fully cooked & that she was glad I asked... I had her do it Rare and it was still almost throughly cooked.

Second, it was massively underseasoned... the fish lacked character.. no tasty charring or anything like that. The baby salad greens were fine, but it was extremely stingy with feta & cranberries... and for some reason they included some mediocre romaine & shredded carrots which give it a hint of fast food saladness.

I also had a side of Yam fries which were quite well done... creamy sauce on the side was a bit on the annoying side.

Next... time I really look forward to trying some of the suggested places.

[fmed]

Ack! The Cactus Club. Damn.

Perhaps Rob Feenie could save it...
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/new...

Next time then.

[Eat_Nopal]

Speaking of Feenie... one of my Vancouver based contacts (who pushed Cactus Club) said Luminiere is THE best restaurant in Vancouver... what do you think of it?

Also... i was most impressed by YVR... I can't remember the last airport that was as stylish & art oriented... I loved all the Native Canadian themes. With that said is there any restaurant in Vancouver that pays homage to the indigenous culinary traditions? That is a big, big gap in American Cuisine... and I am hoping Canada does better.

[fmed]

>>Speaking of Feenie... one of my Vancouver based contacts (who pushed Cactus Club) said Luminiere is THE best restaurant in Vancouver... what do you think of it?

I'm not of that opinion. (At the risk of opening a pandora's box of gustatory subjectivism)...if it were a horse race...I think David Hawksworth may be the current front runner. Feenie made a name for himself a number of years back at Feenie's and gained notoriety when he beat Iron Chef Morimoto. I think he had long been eclipsed by a number of chefs since then.

*My* pick for best restaurants right now-- it would be a tie between West and Parkside. Or perhaps Rare (Brian Fowke) should be in that list too. That scene here is so strong that it would be impossible to pick just one.

The only thing I would order at the Cactus Club are their sliders.

>> is there any restaurant in Vancouver that pays homage to the indigenous culinary traditions? That is a big, big gap in American Cuisine... and I am hoping Canada does better.

Canada has a big gap too. Liliget Feast House use to serve First Nations cuisine. It was run by a Gitskan First Nations woman named Dolly Watts. It ran fairly successfully for over a decade, but It closed last year.

[twinkienic]

I think we tend to hold restaurants to pretty high expectations when tasting menus cost $$$. Right now, there are probably better options to have an all-out dinner. That said, I have enjoyed the Lumiere Tasting Bar where you can get the favourites as appetizer-sized portions for relatively reasonable prices. My must-haves are the butternut squash ravioli and the sablefish. Yum!

[fmed]

>> Right now, there are probably better options to have an all-out dinner.

I totally agree. There is a real vibrancy in the range that includes Boneta, Aurora, et al. and they are pretty accessible within a reasonable budget.

On a related note -- Feenie opened the Tasting Bar to make his food more accessible....Parkside has been doing the same wth Buca and Pied-a-Terre.

I think Vancouver scenes really excels at this range.

[twinkienic]

If Japanese is in consideration, Ajisai is a little spot at 41st and W Boulevard that is (sort of) on the way and is quite tasty and fresh. I know they're open for lunch on the weekend and am pretty sure they're also open for weekdays... can anyone confirm this?

[Eat_Nopal]

Thank you so much fmed & everyone that has contributed on this thread... its sounding like Chinese is a must. With that said... what Chinese region is the strongest... what is an obscure hidden treasure? What are the best places to try that by neighborhood or area?

[fmed]

>> what Chinese region is the strongest

Cantonese has been very strong here for a very long time, however I personally find Shanghai and Northern style Chinese a more exciting scene right now.

>> what is an obscure hidden treasure?

Hole-in-the-walls that I like are:

Legendary Noodles (on Main St...the other locations are not as good)
Peaceful Noodles on Broadway near Cambie
Congee Noodle House on Broadway at Main (where they have some crazy congee - ostrich, etc. And an exotic late night menu)
The Place (Shanghai) on Granville

For a higher-end experience I like
Kirin
Sun Sui Wah

In Richmond (there are so many good Chinese regional restaurants that I hesitate to name only a few):
Shanghai Wind
Chen's Shanghai Kitchen

Have a look at my map here:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=106644694114812676880.0004447ee7c4fba0117ee

>> What are the best places to try that by neighborhood or area?

Do you mean the Airport or Granville Island?

Another map that might be of interest:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF...

[Eat_Nopal]

Congee is something I haven't had a chance to sample much of... Also Northern Chinese in general sounds interesting (I grew up near L.A.'s Cantonese heavy Chinatown).

My meeting will be on West 7th Ave. near Burrard St.... something near their or generally on the way from the Airport would be most appreciated.

[fmed]

>> My meeting will be on West 7th Ave. near Burrard St.... something near their or generally on the way from the Airport would be most appreciated.

Not Northern... Golden Szechuan is on Broadway near Burrard - I haven't been there yet, though I hear that at least some of the food there is authentic and good. However, I don't really think Sichuan represents what is really going on with Chinese food here in Vancouver. That said, it took "Bronze" in Vancouver Magazine's Best Casual Chinese category.

http://www.vanmag.com/restaurants/07may/Restaurantawards19.shtml

http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&q=golden+szechuan&near=Vancouver,+BC&fb=1&cid=0,0,6756816964097291095&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Vij's/Rangoli (Indian/Indian Fusion and was mentioned earlier in the thread) is close to your meeting and will represent Vancouver better. They won best Indian in the Van Mag awards
http://www.vanmag.com/restaurants/07may/Restaurantawards21.shtml
http://www.vijsrangoli.ca/ .

Also,
Granville Island is close by. You really should try to slot in a trip to Granville Island for a good snapshot of the city food scene. If you are into cookbooks, Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks is worth the trip to the Island.

http://www.bookstocooks.com/

[fmed]

Hmm...Scratch that - Golden Szechuan may have closed down recently. (edit: In November...too bad) So...nothing close by that has proven itself (there is a new place at Braodway and Granville called Lin's run by a well known sichuan chef...I have never gone, and I haven't seen any reviews yet.) So if you would like to sample regional Chinese, I recommend The Place (Shanghai) restaurant on Granville St on the way from the airport.

[Eat_Nopal]

It seems not alot of Chow worthy in my direction... if I am out of the Airport by 10AM and need to be at my meeting destination at 1PM... are there other areas that could work given traffic (maybe I am overestimating traffic... but having lived in a L.A. where at rush hour it would take me 20 minutes just to go the 2.5 miles to the freeway entrance... I always assume the worst)

[fmed]

At 10am, it should take you about 45 mins to get from the airport to Burrard and 7th. So you have about 2 hrs to eat. I would say Granville Island is your safest bet for a quick bite and coffee. Then perhaps Rangoli after your meeting. (Or the other way around - Rangoli is open at 11am). That's a pretty Vancouver experience.

You can reserve some deep chowhounding for another trip.

[Eat_Nopal]

I think Rangoli it is!

[Father Kitchen]

Nobody mentioned Seasons in the Park in Queen Elizabeth Park.

[Eat_Nopal]

Tell me more.

[Father Kitchen]

Good food, including great fish, made from fresh ingredients and presented with flair in a setting that includes stunning hilltop views of the city from a park setting, a good wine list, and great service. See www.vancouverdine.com/seasons/home.

[fmed]

Come to think of it Peaceful Restaurant (Mandarin noodles) is actually not that far away....
http://picasaweb.google.com/gustibus....

[Eat_Nopal]

Pictures look good... what was the flat bread looking thing? Some kind of Manchurian or Mongolian dish?

[fmed]

It's their Peaceful Beef Roll (Northern/Mandarin - sometimes called Beef Pancake Wrap...or similar)...more pics on their website. They describe it in their menu as "Peaceful Beef Rolls : Five-spiced beef rolled in a crispy green onion flat-bread & sweet hoisin sauce"

(I had lunch there today!)

http://www.peacefulrestaurant.com/

The Noodles were Dan Dan Mian (the northern sesame-broth based interpretation of the classic Sichaun street food noodle).

Their noodles are hand-stretched while you wait.

[twinkienic]

It's hard to sum up a whole city in any one restaurant. Hmm... what says Vancouver?
regional Chinese
fresh sushi/sashimi
Japanese izakaya
small plates/tapas

I agree with the other responders: it would really help to have some more details (time of day, weekend vs weekday, mode of getting in/out of town)

[Eat_Nopal]

Hi thanks for all.... its a Monday.. I land at 9:30 AM.... depart at 6:30 PM... and will most likely have lunch time to try something. I am not necessarily wanting the best Vancouver has to offer... think of it this way... its the World's fair and every major city in the planet is bringing something unique to the party... what does Vancouver bring... and which eateries do it best?

[fmed]

Hi Eat_Nopal,

West is open for lunch starting at 11:30, though I thinking you should reserve that for another trip.

Vancouver "World's Fair" would be Chinese for me. Vancouver has some of the best Chinese you can find outside Asia. The real action is in Richmond, however. For Vancouver restaurants - Sun Sui Wah, Imperial, and Kirin are perennial favorite recommendations - and combines some sight seeing with food (since you have to cab it downtown - or close to downtown). For more authentic fare - The Place (Shanghai Chinese) in Marpole is commonly recommended by my (very particular) Chinese friends.

PS I've always enjoyed your erudite posts about authentic Mexican cuisine. That's one cuisine I wish we had more of here in town.

[twinkienic]

This is a bit more sightseeing than food-driven, so not sure if this is what you're looking for... but if it's a nice day, then maybe have lunch at Go Fish! That's right by the water, so you get the Vancouver waterfront view. From there, you could wander through Granville Island for a bit and get some tasty local products to nibble on (Oyama meats, for example).

[Sam Salmon]

Go Fish is closed Mondays.

[fmed]

Good rec on Granville Island and Go Fish, twinkienic. That's very Vancouver. (Perhaps sample and pick up some artisinal sake at Osake, also on the Island. Vij's/Rangoli is close by too....another Vancouver food landmark.Vij's is only open for dinner, but Rangoli (Vij's 'takeout') is open from 11am.

[fmed]

Tough one. Depends on the time of day too.

Dominant Ethnic - Chinese (regional)
I am tempted to recommend going to Richmond for Chinese (Sea Harbour, Northern Dynasty, Chen's) or to Marpole (The Place). These suggestions are all about food and less about ambiance - and they are close to the airport. This category represents Vancouver well.

Top End
West (Superstar chef David Hawksworth is no longer there, the but the food should still be good).

Up and Coming
Boneta, Aurora, Chambar, perhaps? Many in this category.

Tojo's has become a tourist attraction now. The food is good but way overpriced.

Four hours is too tight for a real Vancouver experience....perhaps a cab ride downtown to Japadog (Japanese-style Hotdog stand). That says "Vancouver" too.

[Sam Salmon]

Well it depends doesn't it-if it's a layover at the airport in the morning or midday then all the good places will be closed and you may not even have enough time to leave the airport between clearing Customs & Immigration and checking in for your onward flight.

A cab from the airport to West Restaurant will be about $25, it's on Granville St but not downtown so you'll save a bit of time that way.http://www.westrestaurant.com/westrestaurant/

Tojo's as mentioned has slipped badly of late, grossly overcharging customers and offering awful service as well, no longer making even the Top 20 on Dinehere.ca

http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp...

[Major_9000]

If I had 4 hours in Vancouver and if budget isn't an issue, I would go to Tojo's for Omakase.