Le Gavroche
A few years shy of celebrating their 40th anniversary, Le Gavroche has remained a staple on the French cuisine scene in Vancouver for a reason. It could be their stellar wine cellar, full of Italy, America, Australia and France’s finest vintage merlot and bountiful Bordeaux. Lamb, duck, venison and veal (animal-rights activists beware) are plated in the traditional fashion with plenty of jus adorning your dish. The restaurant has ample seating and the fireplace adds a warming accent on those rainy seaside days. - E.J




Lumiere Tasting Bar
Chef Rob Feenie's luminescent (sorry) Lumiere is a combination of refined elegance and intense passion. Both the food and the service at Lumiere are, without hyperbole, extraordinary. The lighting is dim, creating an ambiance of restrained elegance, while the menu will make you O.D. on savory flavors. The clientele is firmly of the double-breasted and expense account caliber (so don’t even think about wearing your stained Motley Crue t-shirt here). Executive chef/proprietor Feenie's classically innovative cuisine enhances the mood provided by the décor. Afterall, it's hard not to engage in romance when noshing on aphrodisiacal fare like Pan seared foie gras & grilled scallop layered with BBQ duck broth, or Pan Seared with English pea ravioli and sage brown butter sauce. Preparation and presentation are pure French, while ingredients are resolutely local, which makes for interesting surprises: fresh local ginger with the veal, or raspberries in the foie gras. –R.L.




Moustache Café
Uptight foodies terrified of change were concerned that the Moustache Café might lose something once it moved to this new location. Simply taking one step inside this new establishment should immediately squash their doubts and make them feel more than a little stupid. The new Moustache sports a gorgeously dark and stark look and feel, outfitted with white leather chairs and simple dining tables. Chef and owner Geoff Lundholm runs the floor and the kitchen in tandem gracefully, managing to deliver plates to the tables with precise timing. The seasoned chef even has plans to expand the menu with tapas and shared plates for the bar and front area of the restaurant with a more formal menu for the back room. With its new look and a menu, Moustache has lots of new ideas, but it carries on the tradition of dining both well and graciously. –C.A.




NU Restaurant + Lounge
Harry Kambolis's third restaurant(seriously, does this guy feel like he’s wasted a week if he hasn’t opened a new one?), discretely located under the Granville Street Bridge, is a seamless composition featuring an inventive seasonal menu that will please conservative and adventurous eaters alike. Chef Robert Belcham's eclectic French-influenced menu is fairly compact, offering both lunch and dinner. Nu's strength rests in its mains, particularly the straightforward and satisfying Caramelized Lamb Cheeks with sides of minted radishes and mashed potatoes. Adventurous diners should take a chance on Belcham's crispy Braised Pork Belly sided with sweet potato, pears, walnuts and cider vinegar. And if all that dining wears you out, there's the addictive patio and atmospheric side bar for catching up with friends, sipping chi-chi cocktails, and lingering contentedly. And as we all know, lingering is only fun with good conversation buzzing and fresh alcohol in hand. -R.B.




Rare Restaurant
According to a press release, Rare Restaurant "is about searching for sustainable and wild stocks, local and regional ingredients and turning it into a rare gem." Heady stuff, but apropos as Rare spotlights quintessential BC flavours with ingredients chosen for their sustainability and, well, rarity. With only 55 seats in a simply decorated room, the owners have kept things minimal yet comfortable. The room is furnished sparsely, but still manages to keep a warm and welcoming feel. With Quang Dang (West Restaurant), one of the city's youngest internal-rhyme-chefs (he’s 26) behind the fare, expect a fresh and ever-changing menu divided into three sections (Table d’Hote, Seasonal and Tasting). The service is leisurely (that means slow for you ‘hooked oh phonics’ kids), but the laidback vibe is infectious. Hurry in for a taste while you can. It’s an unpredictable world, after all, and nothing lasts forever. - L.H.




Salt Tasting Room
The Salt Tasting Room has no kitchen. Let’s get that out of the way right now. Don’t expect to hear the comforting sounds of a kitchen staff bitching at each other out as they struggle to keep up with orders. That shit ain’t happening here. Despite that odd choice, the restaurant succeeds admirably. The Salt Tasting Room combines the best aspects of a charcuterie, wine bar, and chill spot into one enigmatic meeting space. As a charcuterie, Salt Tasting Room offers all the extras you'd expect, that being a good artisanal cheese selection, thin sheets of cured meats and an array of condiments. You simply create your own tasting plate by choosing three items from the daily blackboard. For $15, your little meal - chosen from a rotating roundup of specialty meats and artisan cheeses - is adorned with condiments. This runs the gourmet gamut, from Piccadilly relish to Guinness grainy mustard. The only real setback is greed. It can be hard not to pile your plate so high that have to go into a post-meal coma to recover. You’ve been warned.