re you craving some fine dining but don’t feel like selling a kidney to afford the meal? Or maybe you’d like to try a new restaurant, but are afraid to commit to the high price tag. Well, you’re in luck because a massive prix fixe culinary festival is on the way. Dine Out Vancouver is entering its 6th year, bringing cheap and delicious food to all Vancouverites willing to brave their way through the winter weather. From January 16th to March 2, 180 local eateries will be participating in the event. You really have no excuse to miss out. Chances are you’ll end up at one of the restaurants during that period anyways. The only real problem with the event is the tall task of have to choose which restaurants to attend. 180 eateries is an intimidating number, which is why we have decided to help out Vancouver foodies by picking the best bets that Dine Out has to offer. Any of these restaurants are sure to offer the culinary equivalent of an orgasm. Ok…maybe it won’t quite be that good, but it should be damn close.




Bacchus Restaurant
A restaurant from the Roman god of wine and sex (finally, an honest name), the sybaritic crowd of culinary aficionados indulge nightly in the luxurious environment that is Bacchus Restaurant. Velvet booths, a deep ebony wood bar, mood lighting and a requisite grand piano create a sumptuous and sensual atmosphere, the type of vibe that causes morals to gently slip away. Oenophiles and sommeliers unite in a quest for the perfect vintage to accompany an entrée with international influences, ranging from France, South Africa, Italy and Australia. Sounds like heaven, but with much more sinning. – E.J.




Bardot Waterfront Bar and Grille
The name of this resto-lounge makes me think of three things: animal rights, French new wave, and puns. I wish the title of this place had a Brigitte prefix, but I suppose that would be a little too law-suit-inducing. A waterfront (not just a marketing ploy) chic dome, Bardot serves surprisingly affordable, aesthetically alluring, Mediterranean fare, including a cavalcade of well-prepared meat (take that, Mlle. "I don't act anymore"). At night, BWBandG (wonderful) often welcomes schmoove goatee tunes from a smoke-missing contingent of jazz blowers. - S.T.




Beyond Restaurant + Lounge
This one-time family steakhouse turned hipster-hangout is one of those places where all the cool kids go. Decked out with self-consciously modern cocktail tables and sleek leather furniture, it’s the type of restaurant that makes customers feel cool by association (regardless of their actual coolness-quotient). The menu is limited exclusively to trendy west-coast flavours without a deep-fried mars bar or a plate of liver and onions in sight. And to top it off, all dishes are priced at a reasonable level that won’t require you to take out a second mortgage to have dessert. – P.B.




C Restaurant
Harry Kambolis, the King of the waterfront, continues his bid for best contemporary seafood dining in the land with C Restaurant (good thing that he’s not also into world domination, or he surely would have accomplished that by now as well). On the outset, C looks like your requisite sleek room (that just happens to overlook False Creek and Granville Island), but wait till you get to Chef Robert Clark's astounding menu of seafood dishes, including a miso-flavoured black cod, plump scallops wrapped in octopus-bacon, and tempura sea urchin in a shiso leaf. Portions are hearty and flavours bold and booming. The only real problem is that after a night here, you’ll never be able to eat your bland home cooking again. Kambolis can make even the best amateur chef’s dishes taste like day-old Kraft Dinner. –T.D.