Give Me Somthing Good To Eat
I am what you would generally call a foodie. I love food and I enjoy cooking, a task that has a calming effect on me, which in my life is very rare. I consider myself an amateur gourmet and am not beyond hosting wine & cheese events, caviar tastings and I am currently in the midst of planning a gourmet cooking instruction/foodware party with my husband in conjunction with his employer, a gourmet food suplier (more on that in another post). I delight in experiencing new foods, and I love that I live in a city that supports my addiction to all things food.
So as January approached I was very much looking forward to Dine Out Vancouver, a two week restaurant event that happens annually in Vancouver, BC. A selection of restaurants provide three course fixed price menus for $15, $25 or $35. Generally Dine Out has been a chance for people to try a selection of restaurants they wouldn't normally frequent, thereby increasing the business that goes through the restaurants during the rest of the year. From what I understand of the conception of this event, the idea was not intended to increase profits over the two weeks of the event, but to increase profits from increased traffic throughout the rest of the year. In past years the quality of the menus has definately reflected this. Most menus in the past have featured items that are features of their menus or fresh sheets at the time, and each meal no matter the pricing level was a good deal for the money (quality and innovation vs quantity). This year, the menus just don't seem to provide as much of a deal.
I am particularly disappointed with the $35 menus this year. This level of menu pricing reflects the cream of the crop of the participating restaurants. Some of the best known restaurants, haunts of the rich and famous, are participating in this event. However, what they are offering does not reflect the culinary standards that have made them the top restaurants in Vancouver. A large selection of the menus featured a soup and a Caesar salad as two of their three appetizer choices. That is not only not innovative, but also reflects a huge profit margin on their part. A quick two week buck during a time of year that has traditionally been pretty slow.
As disappointed as I was this year with those menus, there was one bright spot in the form of the Parkside Restaurant on Haro Street. Not only is the Parkside's menu innovative, but the restaurant is known for using only high quality ingredients and it's informal yet elegant atmosphere. Everything I have heard or read about this restaurant screams FABULOUS! I have reservations with my husband in the next couple of weeks, to celebrate our having been together for 10 years (do all married people still celebrate their dating anniversaries?). I promise to post a bite-by-bite review afterwards.
Despite my disappointment this year (there are still a great selection of places to try and the $15 menus are by far the best deals) I still love this event and will look forward to it every year as one of a few food events that define Vancouver as a mecca for foodies like me. Look for my thoughts on Eat Vancouver, the Food & Wine Festival and A Bite of Vancouver, later in the year.
So as January approached I was very much looking forward to Dine Out Vancouver, a two week restaurant event that happens annually in Vancouver, BC. A selection of restaurants provide three course fixed price menus for $15, $25 or $35. Generally Dine Out has been a chance for people to try a selection of restaurants they wouldn't normally frequent, thereby increasing the business that goes through the restaurants during the rest of the year. From what I understand of the conception of this event, the idea was not intended to increase profits over the two weeks of the event, but to increase profits from increased traffic throughout the rest of the year. In past years the quality of the menus has definately reflected this. Most menus in the past have featured items that are features of their menus or fresh sheets at the time, and each meal no matter the pricing level was a good deal for the money (quality and innovation vs quantity). This year, the menus just don't seem to provide as much of a deal.
I am particularly disappointed with the $35 menus this year. This level of menu pricing reflects the cream of the crop of the participating restaurants. Some of the best known restaurants, haunts of the rich and famous, are participating in this event. However, what they are offering does not reflect the culinary standards that have made them the top restaurants in Vancouver. A large selection of the menus featured a soup and a Caesar salad as two of their three appetizer choices. That is not only not innovative, but also reflects a huge profit margin on their part. A quick two week buck during a time of year that has traditionally been pretty slow.
As disappointed as I was this year with those menus, there was one bright spot in the form of the Parkside Restaurant on Haro Street. Not only is the Parkside's menu innovative, but the restaurant is known for using only high quality ingredients and it's informal yet elegant atmosphere. Everything I have heard or read about this restaurant screams FABULOUS! I have reservations with my husband in the next couple of weeks, to celebrate our having been together for 10 years (do all married people still celebrate their dating anniversaries?). I promise to post a bite-by-bite review afterwards.
Despite my disappointment this year (there are still a great selection of places to try and the $15 menus are by far the best deals) I still love this event and will look forward to it every year as one of a few food events that define Vancouver as a mecca for foodies like me. Look for my thoughts on Eat Vancouver, the Food & Wine Festival and A Bite of Vancouver, later in the year.
posted by La Generalissimo at 8:58 PM
2 Comments:
One of my favorite restuarants in Vancouver couldn't even have a $15 menu - their dishes are about $5. Its called Hawkers and its on Main, at King Ed. YUM.
As a fellow food eater and lover, I would love it if my area hosted an event like this! But unfortunately being a small town, the best they can offer aside from Pizza Delight or Boston Pizza would be The Austrian Inn and The Bavaria. If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods for whatever reason, you have to eat at both restaurants!
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