[shawnly1000]

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2014 (http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/restaurants/)

What are some places on people's list.


Link to the list of restaurants before they're released on the 6th http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/includes/cms/login/?ID=1&noredirect=1+

Username/password: amexdov

[Gnomes]

Bistro 101 and the Keg are the 2 places that never disappoint my expectations. They have good standards even in DoV. However, bistro 101 looks fully booked up

[shenmecar]

Dine Out Vancouver is where my Costco Amex yearly rebate goes to. Just in time too.

[westopher]

If you want to go out and get a decent meal cheap, DOV is good for that, but please, don't go to a restaurant you have been dying to try and be surprised that it isn't all you hoped for. EVERY restaurants quality drops and its not an accurate representation of what they can do. Everyone who works it wants to blow their brains out by the end, so expect a few less smiles. Lots of people who don't have the manners to be out in public are at restaurants at this time, and trust me, the shit some of the servers have to put up with is crazy. I always hear people go to somewhere like hawksworth or l'abbatior and say "oh I don't know why people like this place so much" or "the food wasn't even that good." When you are eating somewhere charging less than half of what they usually charge, the food won't be the same, I promise that. That said, enjoy a decent cheap meal and smile at your server, they will greatly appreciate it and return the smile with way better service than the table of people that can't say please or thank you will get.

[bcrdukes]

DoV is a plague.

[Hondaracer]

me and GF looked through a whole bunch of menus of places we wanted to try, nothing very interesting at all, think we'll just go with regular menu at our leisure as Westopher says

[pastarocket]

Any reviews of the DOV menu at Pier 73? -brother said that they have a $20 menu of seafood items.

[Marshall Placid]

If you want to go out and get a decent meal cheap, DOV is good for that, but please, don't go to a restaurant you have been dying to try and be surprised that it isn't all you hoped for. EVERY restaurants quality drops and its not an accurate representation of what they can do. Everyone who works it wants to blow their brains out by the end, so expect a few less smiles. Lots of people who don't have the manners to be out in public are at restaurants at this time, and trust me, the shit some of the servers have to put up with is crazy. I always hear people go to somewhere like hawksworth or l'abbatior and say "oh I don't know why people like this place so much" or "the food wasn't even that good." When you are eating somewhere charging less than half of what they usually charge, the food won't be the same, I promise that. That said, enjoy a decent cheap meal and smile at your server, they will greatly appreciate it and return the smile with way better service than the table of people that can't say please or thank you will get.

Agreed.

Take it from someone who is in the industry (westopher).

[westopher]

I'm not a jaded industry prick either. I quite like my job, and thoroughly appreciate cooking good food for cool people, some of the behaviour that comes with the dine out crowd though is really embarrassing.

[tiger_handheld]

If you want to go out and get a decent meal cheap, DOV is good for that, but please, don't go to a restaurant you have been dying to try and be surprised that it isn't all you hoped for. EVERY restaurants quality drops and its not an accurate representation of what they can do. Everyone who works it wants to blow their brains out by the end, so expect a few less smiles. Lots of people who don't have the manners to be out in public are at restaurants at this time, and trust me, the shit some of the servers have to put up with is crazy. I always hear people go to somewhere like hawksworth or l'abbatior and say "oh I don't know why people like this place so much" or "the food wasn't even that good." When you are eating somewhere charging less than half of what they usually charge, the food won't be the same, I promise that. That said, enjoy a decent cheap meal and smile at your server, they will greatly appreciate it and return the smile with way better service than the table of people that can't say please or thank you will get.


Why is that?

Isn't the whole point of participating in dov to provide a "tasting menu" of what the place offers, and by offers, I don't mean just food - I mean, the atmosphere, the wait staff, etc. For most people, dov is the first impression because it's affordable. I'm sure from a business perspective, it's advertising- come in, try a sample of food, we hope you like it/us enough to comeback and pay regular price. So, why not make an impression by putting the same effort into the $40 dish as the $140 dish? If the place does not want to "cheapen" it's brand by offering a $40 menu, maybe they should take a lesson from Tiffany & Co. and never put their brand on sale. I'm sure, I along with a lot of other people will have more respect for a quality restaurant that will offer top notch service 100% of the time even if the price is $140 24/7/365.

I'm no foodie, but interested to hear your thoughts from the other side of the grass.

[miss_crayon]

DoV is a plague.

Yep.
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[westopher]

I'll give you my point of view, and while not necessarily always the case, I can tell you it is very often the case. February is dead, dead as fuck in restaurants. The people that they need to fill the seats with are not their normal clientele. You do what you can to survive. There are SO MANY restaurants in vancouver, and lots of them can barely scrape through the january february lull. The people that commonly come out for dine out are the people that go out to eat once or twice a year, and believe it or not, those are a lot of people. You wont see them again til next year in the restaurant. You get their money, throw it into the bill account thats overdrawn and hope that enough of them keep you afloat. After dine out, the regulars bank accounts have replenished after christmas/vacations and the customers you see once a month or more are back filling your seats, and you don't worry til next january. There is no physical possible way that most independent restaurants can offer the same food quality for half the prices, because margins are so slim, you'd never make it out alive.

I understand the purpose of a marketing budget, but it can't outweigh the profits. Also, the volume, as well as the low cost mean there is no way the restaurant will be adequately staffed, therefore, no way the quality of service will be there. Dine outs motto should be "asses in the seats, some food on the plates" I've ran kitchens in dineout and I'm still expected to meet my labour costs, yet I'm supposed to sell 1.5x the food at .75 the price. I don't hit labour? I take the heat. My only options are put out a weaker product or run a kitchen that loses money. Owners don't take to kindly to a kitchen losing money. Also, I have to hit food cost. Either portions get small, or food gets lower quality. People rip places to shreds over leaving full, yet most people that come out won't notice the difference between good food and ok food. Unfortunately, the good customer that wants to try something new and appreciates good food suffers so we can fill the seats with just anyone with a wallet. Its not every restaurant with this mindset, but lots of independent restaurants it has to be.

That being said, the restaurant I'm at doesn't do dine out, and we will hopefully still be full every night as we have been but getting a great clientele and tons of regulars.

[Culverin]

Question for the pros:
1. Reservations.
2. Seats are almost full.
3. Some places no longer have an a la carte, but only offer the set menu.

In theory, these things should mean...
- Predictable numbers, less wastage
- Economies of scale for pushing out similar dishes (more overlap?)
- More slow cooked, braised meals to help push things out easier.

I'm curious if in reality, how much those factors really help?
How many restaurants remove the a la carte?

[bcrdukes]

I've seen a lot of damage coming from wannabe know it all food bloggers to Yelp / Urbanspoon Master Level 9000s blasting great restaurants. Does it do the restaurant/chefs/owners any good? You decide.

The crowds eat up that shit like it's a free lunch and then they tell their buddies. And like westopher said, these are the people who eat out maybe once a year and post on their Facebook "I'm a Foodie!" No. Fuck you. STFU.

DoV can be dangerous for some restaurants.

[Xu.Vi]

Question for the pros:
1. Reservations.
2. Seats are almost full.
3. Some places no longer have an a la carte, but only offer the set menu.

In theory, these things should mean...
- Predictable numbers, less wastage
- Economies of scale for pushing out similar dishes (more overlap?)
- More slow cooked, braised meals to help push things out easier.

I'm curious if in reality, how much those factors really help?
How many restaurants remove the a la carte?


You've nailed it pretty much from MY own personal experience, though I've noticed from two years of DoV that seafood selection sell surprisingly better than the "braised" selection. Probably because "braised" lol.

Will agree with westopher that DoV is great for an affordable date in reputable restaurants. Expect to be in for something good, but nothing "omgbestmeal2014300%finediningWOWsogood" good.

[Xu.Vi]

I'll give you my point of view, and while not necessarily always the case, I can tell you it is very often the case. February is dead, dead as fuck in restaurants. The people that they need to fill the seats with are not their normal clientele. You do what you can to survive. There are SO MANY restaurants in vancouver, and lots of them can barely scrape through the january february lull. The people that commonly come out for dine out are the people that go out to eat once or twice a year, and believe it or not, those are a lot of people. You wont see them again til next year in the restaurant. You get their money, throw it into the bill account thats overdrawn and hope that enough of them keep you afloat. After dine out, the regulars bank accounts have replenished after christmas/vacations and the customers you see once a month or more are back filling your seats, and you don't worry til next january. There is no physical possible way that most independent restaurants can offer the same food quality for half the prices, because margins are so slim, you'd never make it out alive.



Agreed. The last restaurant I worked in closes during DoV for vacation because the chef knows its not worth participating in a restaurant that seats only 52 and pulls in most $$ from their wine selection.

[SkinnyPupp]

For me personally, I don't go to a lot of expensive restaurants all the time. But I used to go to DOV and go to places I normally wouldn't. If I have a good experience, I ALWAYS go back during 'normal' times paying full price. A few times, I have found a new 'favourite' that is my go-to when I want to spend a bit of money on a nice dinner.

Other places gave the shit service and shit food Westopher talked about. This was their time to show me why I should come back, and many other restaurants are smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity. Others can bitch and moan, give shitty service, prepare shitty food, and I'll never go back, DOV or not.

Like you said, Vancouver is highly competitive, and Feb is a slow month. So if anything, they should be jumping all over the opportunity to get some people in who would otherwise never go, even as a loss leader.

Sorry but that just seems like kind of a shitty snobby attitude to have, and restaurants that think like that deserve all the failure they get while others succeed with good non-discriminatory customer service.

I will say that I sympathise with people who have to work during this time, it must be tough. But for customers to complain about this? Calling it a "plague" and bitching about people posting photos on Facebook? What a pleasure you must be to be around if you have that kind of attitude.

[westopher]

I'm not saying the food or service is going to be "shit." Its just not necessarily going to be up to standard for a normally high standard restaurant. It has nothing to do with discriminatory customer service, its a simple inability to provide the same quality.

[radioman]

This thread went sideways quickly.

Can we get people opinions about DoV out of it as a whole and just talk about what the OP wanted? Good places to check out and have fun.

I already have a few reservations booked.

[HonestTea]

Which ones have people booked?
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[bcrdukes]

Can we get people opinions about DoV out of it as a whole and just talk about what the OP wanted? Good places to check out and have fun.

Hope this helps.

Dine Out Vancouver 2014: how to choose the best restaurants | Georgia Straight, Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly (http://www.straight.com/food/560721/dine-out-vancouver-2014-how-choose-best-restaurants)

[Mr.HappySilp]

Didn't book any coz I am forever alone -_-

[xmisstrinh]

So... people are usually broke after the holiday seasons after spending tons of money on gifts, dinners, end-of-year catch-ups and get togethers, NYE celebrations... no surprise restaurants are empty.

Well, boyfriend is a January baby so I gotta take him out for his birthday. We decided on West. We managed to get a reservation and we're pretty excited!

[Tapioca]

I will say that I sympathise with people who have to work during this time, it must be tough. But for customers to complain about this? Calling it a "plague" and bitching about people posting photos on Facebook? What a pleasure you must be to be around if you have that kind of attitude.

People don't want the hordes who wear sneakers and hoodies and the ne'er do wells invading their restaurants.

I do agree with the sentiment expressed by some that people who claim to be foodies on social media and don't know how to make a proper meal at home are annoying.
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[SkinnyPupp]

People don't want the hordes who wear sneakers and hoodies and the ne'er do wells invading their restaurants.

I do agree with the sentiment expressed by some that people who claim to be foodies on social media and don't know how to make a proper meal at home are annoying.
Posted via RS Mobile
Who gives a fuck what other people wear?

And just because someone posts a picture of their meal on facebook doesn't mean they are "claiming" to be anything.

[miss_crayon]

I will say that I sympathise with people who have to work during this time, it must be tough. But for customers to complain about this? Calling it a "plague" and bitching about people posting photos on Facebook? What a pleasure you must be to be around if you have that kind of attitude.

I get it, DOV is attractive with their price points and gives people who might be on a budget/wanting to try a particular place but never got around to it etc. I also understand what you're saying but for me, my beef with DOV is when people who maybe goes out to eat once or twice a year, complain or act all high and mighty when their $38 (or whatever the most expensive set is nowadays) isn't served on a gold plate and complain how service was "TERRIBLE," when it probably wasn't even that bad at a well known establishment. They start becoming overnight food critics and giving restaurants a bad name when that might not be the case. I don't call myself a food blogger or critic, but coming from a lifestyle where I'm eating out at least 3 times a week I don't think DOV really highlights the true light that restaurant might have VS when it's just a normal dining experience outside of their promo (DOV) time.

I don't participate in DOV unless friends want to get together and make a night out of it, but not something I need to go crazy over with reservation like when I was 18. Of course, there is a chance the resto really does suck and even DOV can't save them. To each their own for this.

PS. I have nothing against people who choose to eat out once or twice a year either. Just stating my peeve with those who complain when they have nothing to compare that experience to/just complaining to complain.

PPS. Actually, one DOV resto I would visit is the Keg as for $38 is a steal considering I always end up ordering an appie and dessert (BILLY MINERS PIE!!) along with my prime rib which is already over the deal price.

[SkinnyPupp]

people who maybe goes out to eat once or twice a year, complain or act all high and mighty when their $38 (or whatever the most expensive set is nowadays) isn't served on a gold plate and complain how service was "TERRIBLE,"

I dunno it sounds like you guys are coming up with scenarios in your heads that don't exist... or you just socialize with annoying people who would be annoying pieces of shit whether DOV exists or not :fuckthatshit:

Like I said, I have had good experiences at DOV and bad ones. When I have good ones, I almost always go back, and have become a 'regular' at at least one

[miss_crayon]

^i did have one person in mind when I was thinking about their posts on FB previous DOV years now that you mention it. But I do know a few peeps that don't go out often and or only rely on restos in the entertainment book to fulfill their dining experiences (mainly the fast food ones
...not so much the restaurants actually)

But with everything said, wishing everyone a happy dov if they do decide to go!

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[SoNaRWaVe]

so....are we here talking what a shitty deal/experience DoV is or are we here suggesting which restaurants we should try out?

i would rather like the latter...

[tiger_handheld]

so....are we here talking what a shitty deal/experience DoV is or are we here suggesting which restaurants we should try out?

i would rather like the latter...

if you really want to "try out" a restaurant go outside of dov because you will get a "tru-er" experience than you will at dov. That seems to be the consensus, and the resident restauranteur makes a valid point to that effect.

[ShadowBun]

Regardless of the decreased quality of service, what are some places to go to?

[melloman]

To me, I don't think the food quality should have any change. Portion sizes being smaller, I can definitely understand as the price point reflects that, but having the quality of food drop is bad for business.

The main thing I don't like about DoV is that the service drops to shit. I understand that the restaurant is trying to bring in as many people as possible, and you want to make a profit so you cut shifts and have less people working.. But god-damn, don't cut yourself so short that you can't handle your restaurant.. :facepalm:

From last year;
-Gyu-Kaku wasn't a bad place to be, except that our reservation was delayed by about 30 minutes which was quite annoying.
-Joe Fortes was delicious as always with good service. (Same quality of food and same service as "full-price" times)
-Hamilton Street Grill had awesome service, but the menu was quite closed off and the choices weren't that great. (IMO)

[Mr.HappySilp]

To me, I don't think the food quality should have any change. Portion sizes being smaller, I can definitely understand as the price point reflects that, but having the quality of food drop is bad for business.

The main thing I don't like about DoV is that the service drops to shit. I understand that the restaurant is trying to bring in as many people as possible, and you want to make a profit so you cut shifts and have less people working.. But god-damn, don't cut yourself so short that you can't handle your restaurant.. :facepalm:

From last year;
-Gyu-Kaku wasn't a bad place to be, except that our reservation was delayed by about 30 minutes which was quite annoying.
-Joe Fortes was delicious as always with good service. (Same quality of food and same service as "full-price" times)
-Hamilton Street Grill had awesome service, but the menu was quite closed off and the choices weren't that great. (IMO)

Some restaurant can't really cut their portions as it was already not a big portion to begin with....... I don't eat a lot but even with regular portions I don't really get full so if the restaurant decrease the portions I am sure a lot of people would complain.

Been to Joe Fortes and Hamilton Street Grill and their DoV menus is pretty decent. The food is good and at least I don't to wait over an hour for my food to arrive.

That being said DoV is not what it used to be any most restaurant put out a different menu that what they usually serve so you don't really get a chance to experience what you normally experience.

[icemiko]

I went to YEW last year. The food was ok, nothing special and I had horrible service, had to wait 30 min for the guy to bring the credit card machine over and the restaurant wasn't even full too!

[SoNaRWaVe]

if you really want to "try out" a restaurant go outside of dov because you will get a "tru-er" experience than you will at dov. That seems to be the consensus, and the resident restauranteur makes a valid point to that effect.

i would still need suggestions.....hence the latter part of what i said....

[6793026]

i have a date during DOV times and i have ot look speicifically for a restaurant that doesn't have DOV.

[Marshall Placid]

i would still need suggestions.....hence the latter part of what i said....

Outside of DoV dates, Yew n Market n Five Sails are usually good though.
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[Verdasco]

anyone tried out cactus club before? looks promising...

[shenmecar]

TIP: Some restaurants have $100 GC for $80 at Costco. Saw Glowbal and Boathouse the other day. There's probably more.

[m3thods]

^Haven't seen recently, but those are the only DOV restaurants that have said GCs at Costco. The Glowbal one is good since you can go to any of their menus to check. Done that a few times over the years, but nothing piqued my interest this year.

The other restaurant GC that's there is Hy's. Glowbal and Hy's are always there. Boathouse only seems to be there during the holidays, so if you like the place you should stock up while supplies last.

[Hondaracer]

The Hys ones are pretty awesome, essentially free $40, two people have an excellent dinner and ya save $40 when ya buy $200 worth
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[stuff99]

DOV or not, Miku and West has always been good. I agree with all of Skinny Pupp's points in this thread.

[radioman]

Went to Italian Kitchen tonight. Took lots of pictures and posted them on facebook. I wrote a review on yelp because I thought it wasn't very good either.

Appetizers were great and when I walked in all I could smell garlic bread so I had to order some. Lobster ravioli was the better of the mains. Service was good and atmosphere was good. Will go again.

[SkinnyPupp]

Went to Italian Kitchen tonight. Took lots of pictures and posted them on facebook. I wrote a review on yelp because I thought it wasn't very good either.

Such a poser :derp:

You are literally the plague

[Durrann]

anyones been to or going to forage?

[zetazeta]

Going to Seasons in the Park again this year. Mom's favourite place.

[pastarocket]

Pier 73 near the Delta Hotel, Airport south terminal has a decent DOV menu for $28 per person.

Appetizers: NotSoBoston Crowder (Seriously, that's the name) OR Seafood platter (calamari, sturgeon crabcakes, and albacore tuna on top of some Japanese noodles).

Main Course: Seafood stew (shrimp, mussels, pacific fish, in fennel and tomato broth), or Flat Iron steak, or Pork Loin.

Dessert: Tart flight (peanut butter cup,lemon meringue tart, and cheesecake).

A quiet restaurant except when we watched the Seahawks and 49ers game during our dinner last Sunday. Free parking as long as you give your licence plate number to the staff.

[SoNaRWaVe]

anyones been to or going to forage?

Went last night. It was freaking amazing. Service was top notch. Everything was explained in what was in our dishes.

Food was excellent. I had the chowder, pork belly and the blueberry financier for dessert. If you go I recommend that. My wife had the bison carpaccio, salmon, and the rye toast for dessert. Bison carpaccio was delicious. It had a creamy buttery texture to it. Salmon wasn't dry at all.
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[Oleophobic]

anyone been to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse? How does it compare to the Keg if you're looking for a nice juicy steak?

edit: never mind not going to either places

[Jgresch]

Not much of a 'foodie' but went to The Sandbar on Friday night for dine out. Food was all really good, service was awesome. Was definitely skeptical reading through this thread, but I was happy with everything :) probably try a couple more places in the next week or two.

[donjalapeno]

I use to serve during DOV and fuck it didn't seem worth it to me at all. It was a bitch for servers too because you had to time everything perfectly both with the kitchen and the tables. If i want to try a restaurant then i just go during normal menu. Whatever floats peoples boat though, i like to have a big fucken plate of food in front of me rather than pigeon portions.

[mikemhg]

anyones been to or going to forage?

Went there last night. IT WAS THE BOMB!!!

[Matlock]

Went to Ebo at Burnaby Casino last night.

I did not care for it. The food was mediocre at best.
The servers were not very attentive.
The restaurant was 1/4 full, but when people without reservations tried to ask for a seat they said they were fully booked.
$28 menu.

I had the baked mussels as an appy. They were ok. The plate came with rocks as decorations. Now, I am not dumb enough to eat a rock on my plate, but I really didn't appreciate having such things on my plate. My friend took ridiculous pictures of me putting the rocks in my mouth. I wonder if they clean those??

For the main I paid a $12 surcharge to upgrade the 6 oz steak to a 10 oz rib eye. It was a bit tough. I get better cuts of beef from my local butcher. I will not eat steak here ever again. It was edible, but as someone who eats steak at many different restaurants, I have to say that I was not impressed.

For dessert I had the cheesecake. Nothing special. There were little doodads of flavor on the side.

My girlfriend had the mushroom soup, sablefish, and chocolate cake.
The sablefish was perfectly cooked. It tasted wonderful, but it was too small of a piece to have fed me.
She and my other 3 friends did however enjoy this restaurant and I suppose that counts for something.

[xmisstrinh]

I went to West on Saturday.
Bf had the tuna appy. veal, with add on foie gras, and pineapple cake.
Tuna was kinda bland, foie gras was amazing, veal was flavorful and tender. pineapple cake was good, they were even nice enough to write happy birthday on his plate :)

I had the beet and orange soup, salmon with some add on scallops, and chocolate banana cake.
the soup was amazing, salmon and scallops were kinda meh, chocolate cake was a little dry, though the banana ice cream on top was amazing.

Service was professional, no complaints.

overall, 7.5/10. I'd go back to try their regular menu, I loved loved loved loved Araxi and CinCin on their regular menus. I think West on a regular day would be give me a 10/10 experience!

[6793026]

^ all that and still 7.5/10.

[Skittlez160]

My friends and I went to Chop Steakhouse in Richmond the other night and it reminded me why I don't go there lol.

The service was absolutely horrible, if you could even call that "service". The food was mediocre, good enough to be considered "decent", but the appetizers were barely warm. Those were shrimp and crab cakes and butternut squash soup.

All around no bueno

[westopher]

The restaurant was 1/4 full, but when people without reservations tried to ask for a seat they said they were fully booked.

Well they weren't lying. Serving a table a 3 course meal has a time limit. You can't seat someone and only give them an hour to eat, and you can't make a reservation wait. Not every seat can be full every minute of a restaurant being open.