VC08 - Restaurants — 32 Winning Rooms

Every year Vancouver magazine celebrates culinary excellence from across the city and province with its Restaurant Awards issue in May. Nineteen freelance food and wine critics vote in over 30 categories; the results are revealed at a gala ceremony attended by over 700 industry professionals. In a year that saw an unprecedented number of rooms open, competition was fierce. Here are the 2008 gold winners in each category, including the judges’ pithy comments:

Restaurant of the Year

West
2881 Granville St., Vancouver
604-738-8938
Perennial winner West continues to delight our judges — “nodding to trends but never being dictated by them,” said one. The smooth transition from chef David Hawksworth to Warren Geraghty demonstrated what a fine job Hawksworth had done training his kitchen staff. Guided by the steady vision of Jack Evrensel, there’s little doubt that Vancouver’s favourite room will make the transition between accomplished chefs with ease.

Chef of the Year

Pino Posteraro
Cioppino’s/Enoteca
1133 Hamilton St., Vancouver
604-688-7466
Wine expert David Scholefield marvels at Pino’s incredible palate: “He has an innate ability to pair food and wine. I’ve seen him taste a bottle he’s never seen before and then head straight for the kitchen. Before you know it, he’ll emerge with an astonishing dish that highlights elements of the wine that most chefs would never discover. It’s absolutely remarkable, yet I’ve seen Pino do it dozens of times.”

Best New Fine Dining

Fuel
1944 W. Fourth Ave., Vancouver
604-288-7905
Fuel came out on top for “the most exciting, yet mature and reserved cooking to debut in Vancouver in a long time.” There’s nothing,” said a judge “like settling in at the bar for the kitchen party at Fuel, and watching chef Robert Belcham deftly guide soundly sourced ingredients into seasonal menus, all matched with inventive wines paired by the charming Tom Doughty.”

Best New Informal

Boneta
1 W. Cordova St., Vancouver
604-684-1844
Boneta wins for young chef Jeremie Bastien’s whimsical menu (a dish of seared Qualicum Bay scallops with avocado quenelles, espelette, and citrus vinaigrette was a favourite with our judges) that captures the spontaneity of the room; the three handsome owner/operators turn out spectacular cocktails and impressively selected wines — and the level of service sets a new standard.

Best Bar / Lounge and Best Hotel Dining

Bacchus Piano Lounge at the Wedgewood Hotel
845 Hornby St., Vancouver
604-608-5319
Rich woods, plush velvet, tinkling piano keys — Bacchus has the perfect mix of convivial service and classic good looks, not to mention the excellent wine list. The hotel was recently invited to join the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association.

Best Service

West
2881 Granville St., Vancouver
604-738-8938
We love rooms where staff understand the charmed line between pleasant and pushy. West gets highest praise: “So smoothly executed,” one judge remarked, “you don’t even know how they did it until you realize you’re not walking out of the restaurant — you’re floating.”

Best GVRD Destination

The Pear Tree
4120 E. Hastings St., Burnaby
604-299-2772
Roam widely and the world, or at least Metro Vancouver, becomes your oyster. The most beautiful pearl is Burnaby’s modern, elegant Pear Tree, where Scott Jaeger (2007’s Chef of the Year) works magic with local, seasonal ingredients.

Best Regional

Aurora Bistro
2420 Main St., Vancouver
604-873-9944
Aurora Bistro’s Jeff Van Geest wins for his unswerving commitment to local ingredients transmuted through cutting-edge technique. “He’s a chef’s chef — one of the best of a particularly elite breed,” enthused one judge.

Best Small Plates

Bin 941/Bin 942
• 941 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-683-1246
• 1521 W. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-734-9421
“The food looks great, tastes better, and flies out of the kitchen as late as 2 a.m. — we only wish the place wasn’t so damn popular.”

Best Formal Italian

Cioppino’s/Enoteca
1133 Hamilton St., Vancouver
604-688-7466
At Cioppino’s, “entrées like dryaged rib eye with sautéed spinach and chickpea frites are outstanding and Pino’s roasted Fraser Valley duck with leg confit in savoury orange sauce is easily the best I have ever tasted.”

Best Casual Italian

La Buca
4025 MacDonald St., Vancouver
604-730-6988
Andrey Durbach continues from strength to strength. As well as new bijou bistro Pied-à-Terre (see Best Bistro below), he helms the goldwinning La Buca, which one judge praised for showing off Durbach’s cooking “in its simplest, most rustic incarnation — a starch lover’s dream.”

Best Other European

Chambar
562 Beatty St., Vancouver
604-879-7119
Nico and Karri Schuermans continue to delight at Chambar, their boisterous Belgian room; the judges love the moules frites and rich dishes like the braised lamb shank with honey, figs, and cinnamon.

Best Formal French

Le Crocodile
100–909 Burrard St., Vancouver
604-669-4298
Modest Alsatian Michel Jacob of Le Crocodile consistently draws fans to his sunny, yellow-walled room for not just the signature onion tart and tomato-and-gin soup but also glorious prawns with pasta, and sweetbreads with foie gras.

Best Bistro / Brasserie

Pied-à-Terre
3369 Cambie St., Vancouver
604-873-3131
The construction zone that was Cambie Street found an oasis of peace in the opening of Andrey Durbach’s third restaurant, the 34-seat Pied-à-Terre, a kitsch-free room that updates bistro classics at a reasonable price. With the Canada Line nearing completion, a table d’hôte lunch and a glass of sensible white almost feels like an après-midi à Paris.

Best Seafood

Blue Water Cafe
1095 Hamilton St., Vancouver
604-688-8078
Sure, it’s a hot spot for celebs and high rollers, but Blue Water Cafe doesn’t rely only on scenester status to draw a crowd. What really keeps diners coming through the door is Frank Pabst’s expert, understated way with wild and sustainable species, and faultless sushi from Yoshihiro Tabo.

Best Formal Japanese

Tojo’s
1133 W. Broadway, Vancouver
604-872-8050
Tojo’s “sets the standard for innovation that remains true to the Japanese ideals of simplicity and freshness,” said one judge. “The steamed sablefish is buttery and perfectly cooked.”

Best Casual Japanese

Kingyo
871 Denman St., Vancouver
604-608-1677
Kingyo chef Koji Zenimaru delivers the best Japanese pub food in the city, including small plates of seared beef tongue, chicken kaarage with three types of salt, and the screamingly fresh sashimi platter. “Bonus points for the 90-pound server that can drink you under the table and still maintain a full section.”

Best Formal Chinese & Best Dim Sum

Kirin
Various locations
Kirin serves up some of the finest service in the city, consistent in all five of its locations. The dim sum dishes — whether steamed, braised, or deep-fried — are all skillfully executed.

Best Casual Chinese

Chen’s Shanghai
8095 Park Rd., Richmond
604-304-8288
Judges named Chen’s Shanghai the Lower Mainland’s best Shanghainese dim sum — “delicious soup buns burst with clean, brothy goodness; flaky dark sesame pastries and delicate steamed buns with chopped spinach and mushrooms are outstanding dishes.”

Best Indian

Vij’s
1480 W. 11th Ave., Vancouver
604-736-6664
The judges applauded fluid service that hits all the right notes, and “my God, the food: grilled pork tenderloin with baby back ribs in a fennel-seed coconut curry with roasted cashews; duck breast with spicy mango and sautéed yellow and green zucchini — revelatory.”

Best Southeast Asian

Phnom Penh
244 E. Georgia St., Vancouver
604-734-8898
Devotees of Phnom Penh continue to pack the house for lemon pepper squid and deep-fried chicken wings. Green papaya salad is another menu standout: prawns jumbled with julienned carrots, cilantro, and warm strips of beef jerky in a tangy, sweet citrus dressing.

Best of the Americas

Doña Cata
5076 Victoria Dr., Vancouver
604-436-2232
It may have moved to a larger venue last year, but Doña Cata still uses old family recipes. The menu expanded, but the taco plates and numerous salsas are still favourites.

Best Steakhouse / Chops

Gotham Steakhouse
615 Seymour St., Vancouver
604-605-8282
Gotham was voted top spot to cut into a serious slab of Canadian Prime beef; it also has the city’s tastiest filet mignon, broiled to a perfect Chicago (or Pittsburgh) sear.

Best Casual Chain

Cactus Club Cafe
Various locations
The arrival of Canada’s Iron Chef, Rob Feenie, can only elevate the award-winning menu at Cactus Club Cafe, which the judges found to be full of food that’s honest and fun.

Best North Shore

La Régalade
103–2232 Marine Dr., West Vancouver
604-921-2228
La Régalade delivers perfect comfort food — braises and stews — for sharing. The roast duck with fruit is rich and bright.

Best Whistler

Araxi
4222 Village Square, Whistler
604-932-4540
Chef James Walt takes his pick of ingredients from the nearby Pemberton Valley and crafts them into lush, textured dishes full of flavour. The wine list features an impressive array of local and imported bottles, and the service is seamless.

Best Victoria

Zambri’s
110–911 Yates St., Victoria
250-360-1171
Zambri’s “consistently turns out the best Italian casual cooking west of Toronto. One need only sample a simple polenta to know that.”

Best of Vancouver Island

Sooke Harbour House
1528 Whiffen Spit, Sooke
250-642-3421
Sooke Harbour House offers tours of its wine cellar before the dinner hour. And chef Edward Tuson, says one judge, “cooks as if channelling from another plane.” Polished service complements creative and thoughtful meals.

Best Resort Dining

The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn
500 Osprey Lane, Tofino
250-725-3100
The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn has exceptional service, wild surroundings viewed through panoramic windows, and an in-depth, creative menu by chef Tim Cuff with nods to sea- and land-based fare.

Best of the Okanagan

Fresco
1560 Water St., Kelowna
250-868-8805
Fresco wins once again for chef Rod Butters’s unfussed, seasonally inspired fare, exemplified by dishes like Salt Spring Island mussels poached in paella broth, and Violet Creek pork loin and masala-rubbed, fried pork cheek with morello cherry relish and beluga lentil ragout.

Best Winery / Vineyard Dining

The Terrace at Mission Hill
1730 Mission Hill Rd., Westbank
250-768-6467
What a year for Mission Hill. Travel and Leisure recently named the Terrace one of the top five winery restaurants in the world — “one of the most glorious dining experiences around.” Chef Matt Batey, under the direction of winery chef Michael Allemeier, creates seasonal dishes that are flavourful and perfectly suited to John Sims’s wines.

Best Last Course

CinCin
1154 Robson St., Vancouver
604-688-7338
“When Thierry Busset of CinCin is in the house you could head straight for dessert: airy, layered mille-feuille, creamy parfait, and that incredible apple tart. The city waits with bated breath for his upcoming pastry shop.” Said another judge: “Busset takes a dish like tiramisu, what could be a ‘throwaway’ dessert, and turns it into something spectacular.”

Bartender of the Year

David Wolowidnyk
West
2881 Granville St., Vancouver
604-738-8938
The curly-haired bar manager of West takes the art of mixology so seriously that when he isn’t triaging the drink orders that incessantly chit-chit-chit from the bar printer, he can be found straining, training, misting, measuring, tasting, and experimenting like a counterside da Vinci. It’s not just that his knowledge of booze is encyclopedic. His palate borders on the extra-sensory; his sixth sense for what his guests are looking for, extraordinary.

Green Award

Jeff Van Geest
Aurora Bistro
2420 Main St., Vancouver
604-873-9944
“Jeff Van Geest has quietly but consistently championed local ingredients since he first opened Aurora’s doors. He was also one of the first chefs in the city to step up and look at his whole operation, and what impact it had on the environment. Beyond the local, seasonal products on Aurora’s menus, you’ll find recycled-wood tables and flooring, energy-efficient lighting, and a complete recycling program, including a compost bin. He sets a wonderful example for other young chefs.”

Best Design of the Year

Boneta
1 W. Cordova St., Vancouver
604-684-1844
“Boneta opens onto an edgy stretch of Cordova Street. It embraces the whiffy but eclectic mix of the Downtown Eastside, eschewing the easy heritage trap of nouveau Gastown. Built for less than $100,000 on a one-year lease, it boasts spectacular art and an East Village–like buzz that let us forgive the Home Depot light fixtures (if not the shabby repo chairs). Eastside arty collage, yes, but hardly down-market.”