Vegetarian or Seafood for Anniversary Dinner

[CyndiN]

My family and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are taking a road trip to Vancouver next month. Our wedding anniversary falls during that time and our hosts have offered to babysit so we can have a romantic dinner alone. It's Thursday, August 21st, but it is possible we'll celebrate on a different day depending on our schedule.

They live in Burnaby, but near public transport, plus we'll have a car.

Some place with a nice atomsphere would be great, but it doesn't have to be fancy. A view, a cozy table, or music. Anything from quiet to moderately loud (nothing that sounds like a club). I can not be anywhere near cigarette smoke so not only does the inside have to be nonsmoking, but there can't be a smoking patio or open doors/windows to a public sidewalk. Ditto scented candles or any form or incense (even unlit).

My husband eats meat but not all the time. I don't, but am fine eating with others who do. We both eat seafood. I can't have eggs, dairy, gluten, or a couple other things, so I need a place that knows their ingredients and is able to accomodate.

A vegan restaurant would be wonderful, but someplace with vegan choices (solid main courses, not just salad and rice) is a plus. A seafood restaurant would also be a good choice, especially after reading another post about the local oysters (C Restaurant, though that's probably out of my price range). Ethnic is fine. Local and organic are pluses.

Would like to spend less than $50 or $60 for 2 dinners & trimmings, dessert, and 1 glass of wine.

On a separate note, I'm also open to suggestions for other meals/shopping with our 3 year old and our friends. For those, inexpensive with a good variety of foods I can eat. I love buffets too. Or farmer's markets, etc, especially if near Burnaby. My local friend has similar dietary and air quality restrictions, but there's always a chance I'll find a gem she doesn't already know about.

Thanks!

[gourmet wife]

Vita Bella is an quaint little italian restaurant in North Burnaby. The food is very tasty and not extremely expensive. I've been there a few times now and it's always consistent. No view but small and quaint. Their desserts are okay, nothing to rave about.
http://www.vitabellaristorante.ca/

Next door to Vita Bella is Take Sushi. Their menu isn't huge but they offer really fresh sushi. They also have items like aji, red tuna (so good), hamachi that's not on the menu. Just ask the owner and he'll let you know what's fresh. They're not very expensive either.

There's several restaurants with prix fixe menus that's offered at some of the more popular restaurants in Vancouver.

[CyndiN]

Vita Bella looks nice but there's nothing there I can eat (gluten, dairy, and eggs tend to dominate Italian cooking and it's difficult to assure that any food wouldn't be contaminated). Fresh inexpensive sushi a 10 min drive away is nice to know about though. I can't do prix fixe for the same reason I can't do Italian...

Thanks,
Cyndi

[gourmet wife]

CyndiN, my apologies, I didn't realize your restrictions, I guess I should of read the entire post.

My mom is a vegetarian with a very strict diet (religious reasons) and when ever we go out and there's nothing for her to eat, she just asked the chef to customize a dish for her. It's never been an issue. Perhaps you can call ahead to a restaurant and see what they can offer you. I think the chefs prefer the notice so they can make someone good and not just throw a bunch of stuff together as you mentioned.

The only vegetarian restaurants I'm aware of are the chinese ones. They're not exactly "cozy or romantic" but if you're interested, let me know and I'll get you the names/addresses.

[grayelf]

There is a small vegan resto in Kits that I really like (and I am an omnivore for sure). No view but I find it cozy and relaxing, kinda Zen -- could even be romantic if you got a table on the side of the room. Check out Dharma Kitchen if you have a chance -- the lemon grass tofu is to die for, the salads are huge, fresh, delicious and imaginative. Perhaps not the blowout place you were hoping for -- the prices are really good BTW -- but given your dietary parameters, it seems a good fit.

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Dharma Kitchen
3667W Broadway W, Vancouver, BC V6R2B8, CA

[Sam Salmon]

The vegetarian platter at the Red Sea Café would suit-a lovely little spot in an unlikely location charming hosts and delicious food.
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp...