The menu offers a sage but good selection of seafood, meat and pasta for mains. Daring duos can opt for the share-for-two dishes, such as buttery venison with truffle potato gratin or tender lobster with comforting paella. The lounge area has turned into a hot new place to go for an after-work drink. Wines are divided into clever categories, such as “pink and pretty” and “blood of Bacchus.” If you promise to drink two glasses, the servers will open any bottle on the list. Some call that generous, although I call it an intelligent incentive to drink. The cocktail list ranges from classics to the modern and innovative.

There’s a lot offered here and a lot to live up to, but if the past is any indicator, Chef Gonzales and the team at the Four Seasons can handle it. In doing so, many expect that they will raise the culinary bar in Vancouver to a new level.