Going to the Source - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 47

For distinctively Canadian cuisine, try Rain-
city Grill (1193 Denman St.; & 604/685-7337;
www.raincitygrill.com), a long, low, intimate room
overlooking English Bay in the West End. Raincity's
farm-to-table cuisine focuses on seafood, game,
poultry, organic vegetables, and wines exclu-
sively from British Columbia and the Pacific
Northwest. Meticulous preparations transform
those ingredients into some spectacular dishes,
such as rare albacore tuna loin with green pea
risotto and honey-roasted carrots, or seared
duck breast with braised black lentils and root
vegetables. If classic French bistro cuisine is
more your fancy, you may want to head to the
West Side and the intimate, low-key Pied-A-
Terre (3369 Cambie St., & 604/873-3131; www.
pied-a-terre-bistro.ca), where chef Andrey Dur-
bach's old-school menu features timeless favor-
ites like Alsatian onion pie, a hearty salade frisee, Dijon mustard rabbit, a fine hanger
steak, and tarte tatin.
Perhaps the finest regional restaurant in town is West (2881 Granville St.;
& 604/738-8938; www.westrestaurant.com), a warm, streamlined space with leather-
paneled walls and rice-paper lampshades. The menu changes several times a month,
but first courses might include cured coho salmon with grilled fennel coleslaw or a
ravioli of quail. For a main course you might find grilled lobster with citrus-glazed
squash and caramelized sweet corn puree; honey-and-clove-braised pork cheeks; or
lamb with a ballotine of leeks, onion rings, and mint polenta. If you can, reserve one
of the two “chef tables” adjacent to the kitchen—it will be an experience you won't
forget.
( Vancouver International.

Chef Hidekazu Tojo.

L $$$ Wedgewood Hotel, 845 Hornby St. ( & 800/663-0666 or 604/689-7777; www.

wedgewoodhotel.com). $$ Granville Island Hotel, 1253 Johnston St. ( & 800/663-
1840 or 604/683-7373; www.granvilleislandhotel.com).