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Hot Dining: Viva Italia

A delicious pasta dish from Cafe Chianti

Café Chianti on Barrington Street serves up a hearty menu of Northern Italian fare with fresh seafood, lamb and duck dishes. Their extensive wine cellar includes varietals from Chile, Spain, Argentina, South Australia and, of course, Italy.

Da Maurizio on Lower Water Street, three-time winner of the CAA Four Diamond Award, is known for its impeccable service, wine list and northern Italian menu. Indulge in antipasti such as Scampi Alla Marchese or Muscoli Alla San Remo. And don’t forget the desserts like tiramisu, sorbetti, and trio di brulee.

Vancouver and Whistler 2013 Where to Dine Winners

By Tim Pawsey

Where’s annual salute to the brightest and best serves as a fitting culinary snapshot of Vancouver, a worthy reminder from well-travelled voting visitors as to just how blessed this city is by such diversity. Our vibrant multicultural culinary scene is fuelled increasingly by local year-round ingredients and flourishing artisan producers. Congratulations to all our winners and finalists! (more…)

Vancouver and Whistler 2013 Where to Dine Awards

By Tim Pawsey

Readers’ Choice: Whistler

Take the scenic Sea to Sky Highway to discover Whistler, a year-round resort that still sports plenty of post–Winter Games vibes, not to mention an abundance of great tastes, from fine dining to funky pubs to cool après-ski hang-outs.

Bronx Burger with beer-battered onion rings, at Earls. Photo courtesy Earls

FORMAL
Araxi
4222 Village Square, Whistler.
604-932-4540.
FINALISTS
Bearfoot Bistro; Rimrock Cafe.

INFORMAL
Earls
220-4295 Blackcomb Way, Whistler.
604-935-3222.
FINALISTS
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar; 21 Steps Kitchen & Bar.

FAMILY FARE
The Old Spaghetti Factory
4154 Village Green at Crystal Lodge, Whistler. 604-938-1081.
FINALISTS
Earls; Milestones Grill & Bar.

APRÈS-SKI
Garibaldi Lift Company
4165 Springs Lane, Whistler.
604-905-2220.
FINALISTS
Longhorn Saloon & Grill; Dusty’s Bar & BBQ.

To see our Vancouver winners, please click here.

To vote for your favourite Vancouver and Whistler restaurants in our 2014 Where to Dine Awards, click here. You could win a fabulous prize package from Rocky Mountaineer and Nita Lake Lodge!

Hot Dining Halifax: Sweet Eats

The Middle Spoon Desserterie & Bar

Halifax’s first desserterie and bar, Middle Spoon on Barrington Street, is the perfect place for those with a sweet tooth. Indulge in fresh desserts like Chocolate Lava Cake, Peanut Butter Pie, New York cheesecake or a create-your-own sundae. The cocktail menu is just as decadent with choices including the Ruthless Ruby, Obsession and Pretty in Pink.

Fans of cheesecake will love Broadway Cheesecake Co. on South Park Street. But these aren’t your traditional flavours. Try tastes like apple caramel, Baklava, cherry crumble, chocolate banana rum and Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Or you can sample the pies or cupcakes. The menu also serves a selection of savoury sandwiches.

Hot Dining Halifax: Pizza Perfecto

Pizza at Piatto. Photo: Paula Bugden

The taste of Napoli makes its way to Halifax at Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca on Morris Street, the only VPN-certified pizza in the Maritimes. Try a slice of Neopolitan-style pizza, all made with fresh ingredients including San Marzano tomatoes grown in the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius, and baked in a wood-burning oven. Pair it with an Italian wine.

Tomavino’s on South Street offers a relaxed, romantic atmosphere and great pizza, too. Pick up a six-inch pizza or a half nine-inch pizza with Caesar salad for lunch. For dinner indulge in the pizza vongole with baby clams, artichoke hearts, fresh roasted garlic, Parmesan and Alfredo sauce. Vegetable lovers can savour the pizza primavera with tomato sauce and three veggies.

For night owls, visit Freeman’s Little New York on Quinpool Road. Open seven days a week until 5 a.m., Freeman’s menu offers New York-style pizza with choices including Manhattan, BBQ chicken, Philly Cheesesteak and Greek.

Editor’s Choice:
Jennie Dobbs, owner of Morris East on Morris Street, takes some of the best local artisanal products and transforms them into creative dishes for every palate. Lunch and dinner menus include organic salads, unique appetizers and sandwiches and thin-crust pizzas baked in the wood-burning oven. The menu for Saturday and Sunday brunch offers wood-fired eggs, house-made bagels, and vanilla pear soufflé pancakes.

Hot Dining: Oysters and More on Commercial Drive

Chef Ilya Ford-Ruckle of Merchant’s Oyster Bar on Commercial Drive. Photo by KK Law

Recently unveiled Merchant’s Oyster Bar (pictured) delivers friendly West Coast fare with an element of flair in a relaxed setting. A varied, extensive menu includes well-thought-out specials on the chalkboard. Go for the numerous varieties of fresh oysters on the half shell, but stay for the butter-poached, sous vide, flat iron steak; rarely found bison tartare; or chorizo-cured scallops. “The Drive” (Commercial Drive) yields myriad other choices as well. Find a huge range of good craft brews at St. Augustine’s Pub; savour a slice of traditional coffee culture at Cafe Calabria; take in a soccer game with the locals at Caffé Roma; grab a burger at funky Timbre Restaurant; or match up inventive tapas with superb Belgian brews at Biercraft Tap and Tapas. No question: Commercial Drive has something for everyone.—Tim Pawsey

Vancouver Where to Dine Awards

Last year’s Where to Dine Awards recognized some of our fair city’s most exceptional eateries. Among the recipients: renowned restaurateur Bud Kanke, upscale Hawksworth Restaurant, budget-friendly Japadog and buzz-worthy Chambar. Find all the finalists and runner-ups from last year’s event here. Pick up our May issue to see the 2013 Where to Dine Awards.

Hot Dining: Elegant Dining with a View at Cafe Pacifica

Ahi tuna tartar at Cafe Pacifica

At Cafe Pacifica, it’s impossible to decide which is more stunning, the ocean view or the artfully presented food. Fortunately, there’s time to admire both as you sample appetizers such as porcini-dusted scallops with truffle-scented celeriac puree, or ahi tuna tartar with sweet soya, yuzu pearls and a blend of sauces (pictured), and entrees such as braised oxtail ragout with egg noodle fettuccini, or seared Lois Lake steelhead served on top of crushed potatoes blended with West Coast Dungeness crab. Consider it a feast for all the senses.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dining: 5 Communal Tables in Vancouver

Meat & Bread photo by KK Law

There’s no need to eat alone in a town in love with communal tables—and, often as not, family-style fare to go along.

Meat & Bread Go for the acclaimed fresh sandwiches prepared à la minute from the carvery. Two locations, one word: porchetta (pictured).
Yew This giant table carved from a single slab of maple is a popular hang-out to sample Four Seasons chef Ned Bell’s stylish seafood.
Two Chefs and a Table This unlikely tucked-away-but-worthy cafe in Railtown often hosts winemaker dinners.
The Irish Heather Check into their long-table evenings and you’ll be eating like a local in no time, drinking Guinness and possibly telling tall tales.
The Refinery Find creative cocktails, artisan cheese and charcuterie, tapas, and tasty share platters in a funky, almost-all-recycled, cozy upstairs setting.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Local Cookbook Highlights Gulf Islands Cuisine

Seasonings: Flavours of the Southern Gulf Islands, by Andrea and David Spalding

So much more than a mere cookbook, Seasonings: Flavours of the Southern Gulf Islands (Harbour Publishing; $29.95) overflows with quirky info and gorgeous colour photographs, not just of food but also of chefs, farms and spectacular island scenery. Authors Andrea and David Spalding, who live on Pender Island, profile local foodie folks such as guerrilla cheese maker David Rotsztain, “bread lady” Heather Campbell, “potato man” Roger Pettit and master gardener Linda Gilkeson, whose “Sex in the Garden” workshop is always popular. (Don’t get too excited: the topic is pollination.) The Spaldings recount delightful tales about island eccentricities, including the Pizza Garden Project on Pender Island, smoked tofu sandwiches in the high school cafeteria on Salt Spring Island, and the ongoing battle between island gardeners and wild deer, who treat local gardens as all-you-can-eat buffets. (more…)

Hot Dining: Best New Restaurant Vancouver in 2012

Don’t-miss dish: “canned” tuna. Photo by KK Law

It was barely a couple of days before Top Chef Canada finalist Trevor Bird’s revival of a shuttered Kitsilano spot into vibrant farm-focused Fable Kitchen became a Vancouver hotspot. What makes it tick? Short answer: just about everything, from Bird’s concise but varied menu of responsibly sourced ingredients to the well-drilled team in the open kitchen and beyond. Our faves range from “canned” tuna to potato-crusted chicken to a show-stopping cooked-rare tender duck breast to flat-iron steak with black pepper jam—plus sidekick Curtis Luk’s superb desserts. Best place to take in the action? The end seat at the open kitchen bar—right where the chef assembles and checks each plate before it goes to the table, calls for service and generally runs the show. And even finds time to chat.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining Halifax: Go Greek

Enjoy greek dishes at Ela Greek Taverna

Treat your taste buds to flavourful cuisine at Athens on Quinpool Road. Chicken souvlaki on a bed of fresh veggies, baked lasagna, bruschetta and calamari are just a few on the list. In the mood for breakfast? Drop by for french toast, or bacon and eggs. The restaurant also just celebrated 30 years.

Craving a specialty dish? Visit Ela Greek Taverna. With locations in Bayers Lake and Dartmouth Crossing, the menu includes stuffed tomato and peppers, vegetarian mousaka, braised lamb and more.

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