Hello

I will be in Vancouver over a weekend with a couple of my great friends, we are trying to make it a really nice trip, so I am looking for suggestions for Vancouver dining. I really like Russian cuisine, so I was wondering if anyone has experienced Rasputin Restaurant... Also, I was wondering what is a hip and elegant place for sushi in Vancouver that FTers would recommend? Quality and atmosphere are imperative. Any other suggestions? Thank you kindly!!!

Haven't been to Rasputin but the Russian and Ukrainian restaurant on Main between 15th and 16th. Food and service is very basic Slavic fare and service is good. If you like just as hearty but a little bit spicier, there's a Hungarian restaurant (Budapest) just on the other side of 16th.

As for Japanese food, Tojo is said to be good but not unless you're willing to drop $$$ (not bad for an American but expensive for Canadians). There are many other more down-to-earth sushi places but not too elegant (not that I thought Tojos is elegant) if you want "white linen/gloved" level of service.

Hi,

You might want to have a look at www.mybc.com (http://www.mybc.com) as it lists plenty of restaurants and there is a tourism information office at the airport.

Don't know the reason for your vist or who you are going with but there is a great book called "romantic things to do in Vancouver'"

I would recommend The Dundarave Beach House for Brunch, its in West Vancouver and has great views of the bay

As for the evening

There is a native american restaurant at the botton of davies street.

Cadareos is great in coal harbour for canadian food

There are some great restaurants on Robson street and it would be difficult to go wrong in either Yaletown or China Town.

Alternativly you might want to go snowboarding at Grouse Mountain for $80 a day all inclusive and eat at the grouse nest restaurant at the Ski Lodge

Enjoy your stay http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by johnconway26 (edited 01-12-2003).]

[This message has been edited by johnconway26 (edited 01-12-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by asnovici:
Also, I was wondering what is a hip and elegant place for sushi in Vancouver that FTers would recommend? </font>

Tojo's for sushi best I've had (including tsukijii)

http://www.tojos.com/


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FWIW, Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (May 2007) listed Salt Tasting Room as a top restaurant in Vancouver.

For $15, diners choose from three items from a constantly changing list of cured meats and artisanal cheeses. kind of reminds me of Salumi in Seattle.

Salt Tasting Room
Blood Alley
Vancouver
phone: 604-633-1912

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Try Bin 942 on Davie near Burrard. Lively atmosphere, young crowd, good food and excellent wine list.

Not quite russian (though the Russians tried eh?)...

GREAT FOOD, neat atmosphere... a real unique experience IMHO...

http://www.afghanhorsemen.com/

>If you like just as hearty but a little bit spicier,
>there's a Hungarian restaurant (Budapest) just
>on the other side of 16th.

I live a couple of blocks from the Budapest Restaurant and love the food there. So does my waistline :)

Budapest Restaurant
3250 Main Street, Vancouver
604-877-1949
http://tinyurl.com/23ovzu

It's quite small, so it's worth phoning ahead.

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

>I would recommend The Dundarave Beach House
>for Brunch, its in West Vancouver and has great views of the bay

Yes, great place. However, if you want to look it up it's actually called "The Beach House at Dundarave Pier"

http://www.atthebeachhouse.com/

>There is a native american restaurant at the botton of davies street.

http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/ecd/bc/lfh_e.html

>Cadareos is great in coal harbour for canadian food

It's spelled "Cardero's" - Here's the link:
http://www.vancouverdine.com/carderos/home.html

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

For sushi, I quite like Kakiemon. Downtown, beside Fairmont Waterfront. IMO, an alternative to Tojo's and a bit more classier.

>If you like just as hearty but a little bit spicier,
>there's a Hungarian restaurant (Budapest) just
>on the other side of 16th.

I live a couple of blocks from the Budapest Restaurant and love the food there. So does my waistline :)



That place went on the market a few years back since I recommended it. Are there new owners and is it as good as before?

Liliget's (the native american place) is closed. Not sure exactly when, but it has been closed since at the least the beginning of January.

Another place I like is Clove - they have one on Commercial between 4th and 5th and a second (newer) on Denman between Robson and West Georgia. It is "Asian fusion", with Pad Thai, Ahi Tuna, some curries, gyoza as appies, etc... Food is very good since they generally modify the "base" recipe. Pad Thai is much more than noodles with a few veggies and or shrimp. As long as you don't mind food with a bit of kick, check it out. The gyozas were truly amazing. Consider reservations since neither place is that big.

For sushi, I quite like Kakiemon. Downtown, beside Fairmont Waterfront. IMO, an alternative to Tojo's and a bit more classier.

I went back to Tojo's last nght 4 years after my first visit, and I have to say that it was phenomenal. Pricy, but delicious. The new restaurant space is much nicer than the old one, with some private rooms and bing banquettes and such, plus a sushi bar that can probably seat 15 very comfortably.

I sat at the sushi bar and had the omakase (the only option at the bar) and ended up doing 10 rounds of food. I was stuffed, and my wallet a bit lighter, but I think it may be the best sushi option in North America - definitely better than some of the big names in NYC, based on their ability to execute on creative and delicious flavor pairings, as well as getting the atmosphere and the "basics" 100% right, every time. Morimoto is a close second, but I think that the creativity on Tojo's part is a (large) step above Morimoto's.

More on my dining experience, including a course-by-coure recount here (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2007/11/best-sushi-in-north-america.html).

some notes of previous Vancouver dining:

Joe Forte's is a very loud and busy restaurant that serves some very good seafood. There was a long wait for a table so we headed to the oyster bar to sit down and dine there. Our caretaker/raw bar man was Oyster Todd (it said so on the check and his name badge). Oyster Todd was a cocky young guy who felt he knew everything about oysters and steered you to his favorites that were in season at the time. There were some varieties that I had not had before and Oyster Todd was not opposed to providing a free sample to sway me to his tastes. He did not disappoint, selections were great. Mrs Sweet Willie and I both had fresh fish that were done just the way we requested and tasted delicious. Although Joe Forte's may seem like a touristy trap restaurant, it proved a very rewarding dining experience on this evening
Joe Forte's
777 Thurlow Street
Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604.669.1940

Phnom Penh Restaurant, 244 E. Georgia St, serves some DELICIOUS meals. Definite musts are the lemon-pepper fried squid and the seafood hot pot. The squid is tender w/a hint of black pepper that you dip into a lemon sauce. At first bite your thinking "oh fried calamar, nothing special" but then the flavors take over and you realize that this is a very special squid dish. The seafood hot pot is a wonderful hot/sour soup stocked w/seafood and a myriad of tastes, just incredible.

edited to add: I had read about this place:

Lucy Mae Brown was suggested by Conde Nast Magazine as being a "hot" table. "the city's most decadent dining destination, pairing a French restaurant with the Opium Den, a late-night lower-level lounge. ....sampling chef Audrey Durbach's modern French-Mediterranean menu: duck pot-au-feu, sockeye salmon with carrot essence, and local sole with lemon and fresh artichokes." take that for what it is worth.