Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and there are so many places to choose from if you’re going the dining out route! Bring your significant other or bring your best friend, either way these are great deals and dining experiences! Am I missing a great one? Email me to add to the list: dee [at] gastrofork.ca.
Cooking Class: An Early Valentine in a French Bistro
February 13, 2019. $85/person
Learn at Well Seasoned with a demo and then re-create this meal at home the next day; or, just enjoy this demonstration class as a lovely night out.
Menu:
Salade de Chèvre Chaud (warm goat cheese crostinis on greens)
Aumoniere de Saumon & Sauce Beurre Blanc (Salmon Phyllo Purse with white wine and butter sauce)
Fondant au Chocolat (chocolate lava cake served with vanilla ice cream)
Tuiles aux Amandes (crispy thin almond treat to finish).
This class will be a fun alternative to the dining experience you would have in a restaurant, and you can expect a satisfying meal. Call to book the class now: 604-530-1518. (All students receive 10% off their in-store purchases on class night.) https://wellseasoned.ca/
Crowbar
Serving only 14 dinners-for-two and designed to be shared, the decadent menu stars 32 oz organic dry-aged ribeye steak cooked to order, marinated in garum, aged in roast beef fat and sprinkled with parmigiano rind. The impressive dish will be served alongside freshly baked bread, Chef Justin Ell’s feature pasta and two sides, all capped off by a sinfully decadent dessert. Crowbareastvan.com
Burdock & Co.
On Thursday, February 14, the restaurant will host two seatings — one at 5:30/6pm, and the other at 8/8:30pm — each featuring a parade of dishes designed to excite taste buds and encourage lingering conversation. Tickets to Burdock & Co’s Valentine’s Day dinner cost $80 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Guests are encouraged to book early as there is space for only 34 diners. Tickets can be purchased online through Resy.com.
Tableau Bar Bistro
Michelin-star trained chef de cuisine, Catherine Stewart’s three-course Valentine’s Day set menu will showcase her wealth of French bistro techniques from her previous years spent cooking in France. Tableau Bar Bistro’s entrée options include Salade D’Endives (winter truffle Salad) or Tarte Au Champignon (mushroom tart) followed by a plat principaux of Morue & Homard (ling cod & lobster) or Carré D’Agenau (rack of lamb), and Macaron Aux Framboises Pour 2 (raspberry & vanilla macaron) for dessert. $90 per person with custom wine pairings available for an additional $50. *Set Valentine’s Day menu will be served exclusively that evening with regular cocktail and wine list available. Regular dinner menu not in effect. For reservations, please call (604) 639-8692 or book online at OpenTable.ca.
Homer Street Cafe & Bar
Homer Street Cafe & Bar is set to offer a four-course Valentine’s Day menu created by executive chef Jonathan Chovancek and chef de cuisine Tristen Katcher. Guests can look forward to starting with a Fried Chicken Heart amuse bouche followed by a choice between the Albacore Tuna Crudo or Whipped Chicken Liver, main course options include Smoked Duck Breast or Steak Oscar for Two and Whipped Chocolate Ganache Tarte or Baked Brie for two to finish off the evening. $70 per person with featured wine pairings available for an additional $35. Regular dinner menu also in effect. For reservations, please call (604) 428-4299 or book online at OpenTable.ca.
Verre
Coal Harbour’s newest waterfront restaurant, Verre’s first Valentine’s Day five-course set menu, created by chef / owner Liam Breen, offers classical French flavours with a Mediterranean touch including an amuse bouche Truffled Duck Rillette followed by an entrée of Seared Scallop and Pork Cheek, pâtes Duck Ravioli, plat principaux choice of Black Cod or Tournedoa Rossini and Chocolate & Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée for dessert. $75 per person with wine pairings available for an additional $85 per couple. For reservations, call (604) 428-4843 or email hello@verreyvr.com.
Havana Vancouver
Celebrate Valentine’s Day on The Drive at Havana Vancouver where true love can be found over great food and lots of laughter. Enjoy chef Andrew Hounslow’s Cuban-meets-Pacific Northwest four-course dinner menu for two before heading into the Havana Theatre for a special improv show. Two seatings are available at 6:30pm & 8pm. Tickets are $55 per person and includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine each, shared set menu for two and two theatre seats. Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/a-night-of-love-laughter-valentines-day-at-havana/ Seatings: 6:30pm Dinner & 8pm Show and 8pm Dinner & 9:30pm Show
Yew
Blow your date away with a luxurious five-course tasting menu, personally suggested wine pairings by Veuve Clicquot, and an option to pre-order a beautiful bouquet to your table. Executive Chef Edgar Kano’s Valentine’s Day menu includes lavish dishes such as roasted sablefish with Dungeness crab and dill emulsion, and a duo of duck with beet relish, black currant and gastrique jus. Our in-house pastry team has also been busy handcrafting elegant Chocolate Love Locks that make gift-giving a breeze. Reservations are highly recommended. $99 per person. They also have a Vegan menu! $99 per person, for more information and to make reservations, check out their website here: https://www.yewseafood.com/menus/valentines-day-dinner/
Rocky Mountain Flatbread
Sweet dreams are made of pizza and chocolate on Valentine’s Day at Rocky Mountain Flatbread! Chef Oliver Zulauf has created a delicious 3-course Valentine’s Day dinner menu with handmade raw chocolate pairings from Koko Monk Chocolates. Everyone – including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free diners – will have tons of choices on this nut free menu which is offered at $30 per person (plus tax and gratuity):
Starters:
Begin with the golden song of a Brunette Bangle (a curry and coconut infused chocolate) and choice of traditional salad (fig & goat cheese, basil & blackberry, or fresh herb salad), melt in your mouth BC mushroom caps, or house made soup.
Mains:
Pucker up your lips for your First Kiss (a to die for sour cherry and raspberry infused chocolate) and enjoy any hand-crafted Traditional Flatbread pizza or featured organic pasta made with seasonal veggies and local meats.
Desserts:
Wind down your evening with dessert – your choice of the signature Rocky Mountain Flatbread warm double chocolate brownie, apple cinnamon crumble (vegan) or baked cheesecake with gluten free toasted coconut crust.
Valentine’s Day with Kids:
Rocky’s Valentine’s Day Kids Menu comes paired with chocolate too! This three-course menu is offered for $13.50 per child (plus tax and gratuity).
Starter: Drink or Veggie Monster Bowl paired with a Hershey’s Kiss
Mains: Mozza Pizza or Pasta paired with a Hershey’s Kiss
Desserts: Warm Double Chocolate Brownie with House Made Ice Cream or One Scoop of Vanilla or Chocolate Ice Cream
Reservations Recommended! Call Rocky Mountain Flatbread Main Street at 604-566-9779 or email info@rockymountainflatbread.ca., Call Rocky Mountain Flatbread Kitsilano at 604-730-0321 or email info@rockymountainflatbread.ca.
Pepino’s Spaghetti House
Valentine’s Day holds a special place in the hearts of culinary fans, and on the big day, diners can enjoy fresh house-made beet and ricotta stuffed ravioli as well as a limited-edition dessert feature. Located at 631 Commercial Drive, Pepino’s is open for dinner seven days a week from 5pm until late. For reservations, visit Pepinos.ca or call 604.254.5633.
Hawksworth
This Valentine’s Day, indulge in an evening of romance at Hawksworth Restaurant and enjoy the intimate surrounds of Vancouver’s leading fine-dining restaurant. Chef de Cuisine, Quinton Bennett, and his team present a seven-course dining experience with optional wine pairings, showcasing bright luxurious flavour combinations and the best in contemporary Canadian cuisine. Priced at $160 per guest and $245 with wine pairings, Hawksworth Restaurant is one of the city’s hottest spots for elevated dining this Valentine’s Day. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact info@hawksworthrestaurant.com or call 604.673.7000 today, space is limited. Check out the menu and reserve here: https://hawksworthrestaurant.com/menus/dinner/valentines/
Bel Cafe
For two days only, Head Pastry Chef, Wayne Kozinko, will be offering a lavish Valentine’s Day milk chocolate, almond, and cherry creation on February 13th and 14th at both of our Bel Café locations. The chocolate-enrobed treat is assembled with an almond praline financier cake, cherry confiture, Valrhona Bahibé cremeux, Bahibé almond shell, and freeze-dried cherries. https://belcafe.com/
ARC @ Fairmont Waterfront
No partner for a Valentine love fest? No problem. Lonely hearts can dine at the communal Chef’s Bench for Chef Anthony Marzo’s six course interactive menu with wine or beer pairings in ARC at Fairmont Waterfront. Beginning with The Devil Made Me Do It appetizer and a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne, some of the other courses include Cupid Rhymes with Stupid entrée, Love Stinks cheese fondue with Hoyne dark matter beer, and a Break a Heart dessert that includes a hammer, the evening promises to push the boundaries of your social circle and your taste buds. Available for one night – February 14 and limited to 12 people, tickets are $154 per person at https://www.arcdining.com/event/lonely-hearts-club.
Notch8’s Chocolate Cave @ Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
t’s a dream come true for anyone who lives for chocolate – the annual Chocolate Cave at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is back. With floor-to-ceiling chocolate walls and a dessert buffet with over 20 different chocolate desserts created by the pastry shop, the private dining room in Notch8 is one sweet place to be. Open February 14 through 17, the Chocolate Cave is $65 per person and includes a glass of sparkling wine. For reservations or more information, call 604-662-1900 or email hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.
The Roof @ Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
Tea Lovers can enjoy the view, along with the Valentine’s pop up, in The Roof at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver February 14 to 17 for $65 per person. The menu includes scones of sweet butter and preserved cherry lemon with passion fruit curd and clotted cream, savouries like salmon rillette with lemon mascarpone, Wagyu beef carpaccio on rosemary bread, sourdough cheese toastie, Emperor ham, and honey roasted beets with fromage fraise. Sweets, made with love from the pastry shop, include chocolate dipped strawberry, pink coconut lamingtons, red velvet cloud cake with cinnamon cream, Eton mess tartlet with poppy seed meringue, and milk chocolate salted caramel cupcakes. Gluten-free options are available with advance notice. Reservations are for 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm and can be made by calling 604-662-1900 or emailing hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.
Jetside @ Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Amorous Oysters. Legend has it that the infamous lover, Casanova, consumed 50 oysters every morning and they’re available to eat to your heart’s delight at the Oyster & Champagne Bar at Jetside in Fairmont Vancouver Airport. On February 14 from 4 – 7 pm, fresh shucked oysters on the half shell are $2 each and complemented with the sommelier’s selection of champagne and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle.
Notch8 @ Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
Flirty A’Fares. A special five-course Valentine’s menu is offered on February 14 at Notch8 at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and starts with Northern Divine Caviar, Pacific shellfish, cured salmon and sablefish, Sake kasu and Champagne foam. The second course, a smoked duck tartlet with brandy flambéed red currants and hazelnut crusted savory tart, is followed by poached lobster tail with king crab mascarpone ravioli, wild pink scallops and saffron Pernod butter sauce. The entrée is dry aged beef striploin with chanterelle mushrooms, white asparagus and marrow jus, with a trip (or two) to the Chocolate Cave for dessert. Priced at $125 per person, reservations can be made by calling 604-662-1900 or emailing hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.
Globe@YVR @ Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Love makes the world go round at Globe@YVR at Fairmont Vancouver Airport with a three-course dinner for $79 per person on February 14. The signature warm honey bread with bee pollen butter is served with choice of amuse of either wild mushroom consommé with foie gras rissole or Ahi tuna tartare with avocado purée and crispy blood orange. Entrée selections include beef Wellington with black truffle jus or Haida Gwaii sablefish with sun choke foam and braised burdock. Dessert is shared sweets from the hotel’s pastry shop with chocolate pearls, and strawberry panna cotta with bergamot orange and pomegranate. Live music starts at 4 pm and guests receive two hours of complimentary self-parking when dining in either the bar or restaurant. For romantics (or procrastinators), a month-long Aphrodisiac fresh sheet is offered in Globe@YVR for lunch and dinner and features items like oysters, figs, chocolate and avocadoes that are rich in antioxidants and nutrients said to increase libido. For reservations call 604-248-3281 or email vancouverairport@fairmont.com.
