Beyond the Rhetoric

When it comes to good food, one of the best cities in the world is Vancouver. We’ve got a great deal of variety and we’ve got a lot of food to fit a wide range of budgets. However, some of those higher end restaurants can feel a little out of reach at times and that’s why it’s great to have the annual Dine Out Vancouver festival. It starts today and runs until February 3.

I Eat, You Profit

It’s a win-win for everyone involved. This post-holiday season tends to be a slower time for restaurants, so they’re looking for ways to fill up their dining rooms. Vancouver diners, at the same time, are always looking for the best deals on good food. With Dine Out Vancouver, now in its 11th year, diners are offered a three-course meal at a fixed price. There used to be just a single fixed price, but that has now expanded into three tiers, topping out at $38 per person, not including drinks, add-ons, and so forth.

Last year, I went to such Vancouver restaurants as Chambar on Beatty Street and L’Abattoir in Gastown. Most years, I find myself making about four or five reservations during Dine Out Vancouver, as it gives me a good opportunity to try out many of the new (and old) restaurants that I’ve been meaning to visit. I’m a little more modest this year, though, trimming it down to just two dinner reservations for now.

My 2013 Reservations

Remember how Aaron Koo said he was a chef before he made the switch to being a financial advisor? You may or may not know that he was previously employed at Fraiche Restaurant in West Vancouver, which is the first of the two restaurants I’ll be visiting as part of Dine Out Vancouver 2013. They have a $38 dinner menu and I hear they have a pretty great view of the city.

The other reservation is with Le Parisien in the West End, which has a $28 prix fixe menu for Dine Out. I’ve been told that they offer a similar kind of “affordable French cuisine” as a place like Les Faux Bourgeois, but it is in a more expensive downtown setting. I’m looking forward to having the duck confit there. I love duck confit.

Bon Appetit

Are you taking advantage of Dine Out Vancouver this year? Where are you going? For those of you not in Vancouver, do you have a similar kind of promotional food festival in your town? I’d love to hear about it!

Tags: dine out, dine out vancouver, eating out, vancouver restaurants

Filed under Food and Drink.