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Dine Out: Best for $38

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Canada's largest annual dining celebration launches its 13th year with a staggering 263 restaurants on board. Produced by Tourism Vancouver and presented by American Express, for two weeks between January 17 and February 2 you can dive into excellent value set menus at across the city - but where to even start?
Forget sifting through hundreds of menus Amy Watkins has already done that to bring you her pick of Dine Out's various value offerings. May we present, in no particular order, the best of the $38 group.

cincin.jpg
[Photo via CinCin]
Hey big spender! If you usually balk at the bill in fine dining restaurants, Dine Out's $38 menus are your chance to go upmarket at a marked-down price.

· Dine Out Vancouver [Official Site]


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Bacchus Lounge

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Echoing last year’s Dine Out offerings, Bacchus is sticking to what it knows best with chicken liver parfait and crispy confit of Fraser Valley duck, all served up with a side of plush velvet and tinkling ivories.

C Restaurant

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Tap into some tasting menu favourites such as roasted sunchoke veloute and go for the seafood options of rainbow trout or weathervane scallops and wild Chinook salmon. Service is top-notch even during Dine Out.

Chambar

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The moules frites are a no-brainer choice from Chef Nico Schuermans’ Dine Out menu and the olive oil poached scallops of the Saint Jacques et chorizo are a glorious taste of what classic Vancouver casual fine dining is all about.
Rotisserie cooked pork loin, rigatoni with chorizo and a mascarpone mousse smothered tiramisu are the fleshy bones of this lustfully gluttonous Dine Out menu.

Coast Restaurant

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Seafood, such as salmon two ways and a sushi tile, served up in a place so dark you can barely see your food. A winter chopped salad and beef option are a nod towards keeping the hordes happy but you’re here for the fish, right?

PIER7 restaurant + bar

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The North Shore’s best-kept secret has moved up a price bracket for this year’s Dine Out but the menu choices of New England clam chowder, braised pork cheek and grilled rockfish still represent a great value way to check out Pier 7.

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

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Already a go-to for good-value deals, Joe Fortes’ Dine Out menu shows off its fresher-than-fresh seafood chops with shrimp ceviche, prawn and scallop ravioli and BC Steelhead on the list of options.

La Pentola Della Quercia

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Chef Lucais Syme’s Northern Italian menu comes in two guises - a $28 lunch or $38 dinner option. Both feature a la carte favourites such as the parmesan souffle and mushroom risotto and meatier dishes like the braised beef short ribs or house-smoked salmon.

L'Abattoir

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Stab your fork anywhere on L'Abattoir's Dine Out menu and you’re onto a winner but the pork pate is a perennial favourite. Add one of Shaun Layton’s superb cocktails to the mix and you’ve got a Dine Out classic.

MARKET by Jean-Georges

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A prime example of Dine Out putting ‘special occasion’ restaurants in the everyday price category, MARKET’s $38 menu includes a three-course meal of seared shrimp, soy lacquered pork cheek and buttermilk panna cotta for not much more than a standard entree.

Miku Restaurant

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Both Miku and Minami are taking part in Dine Out with the main draw being the chef’s selection of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. Newest to the party, Miku’s menu also includes the fan-favourite ebi fritter to get things started.

Minami Restaurant

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Both Miku and Minami are taking part in Dine Out with the main draw being the chef’s selection of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. Newest to the party, Miku’s menu also includes the fan-favourite ebi fritter to get things started.

Wildebeest

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Book early - Wildebeest has been topping wishlists for a while now and the Dine Out deal will see diners clamouring to get a taste of the hangar steak and line-caught lingcod. An awesome beet salad and wheatberry risotto can introduce reluctant vegetarians to Wildebeest.

YEW seafood + bar

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Home to a refreshingly bright and wide-open dining room, YEW’s Dine Out menu might not be as extensive as some but with solid choices of roasted trout or heritage chicken breast, Chef Ned Bell has taken the guesswork out of the experience.

Zen Japanese Restaurant

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Downtowners! Use Dine Out as a way to explore the North Shore and check out West Vancouver’s Zen for an Ocean Wise edible art experience. The prawns three ways appie is your chance to try their signature rice-pearl coated Pop Up Prawns and ebi ‘D’ homemade dumplings.

Pourhouse

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Already sold-out for the weekends, you’ll need to be quick if you want to catch Dine Out at the Pourhouse - steelhead trout with mussels, ramp and celeriac puree is what’s reeling everybody in.
A seven-course feast for two at PiDGiN includes some of Chef Makoto Ono's signature dishes such as sake-steamed clams, smoked almonds and chicken wing - plus a decadent black sesame meringue, kalamansi curd, coconut and lime white chocolate for dessert.

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar

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Anyone hoping to harness the power of Dine Out to improve their lovelife should head to Brix and get a table in the romantic covered courtyard. Order a 24-hour brined pork chop and a chocolate mud cake and you’re good to go.

ORU Cuisine

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Lobster alert! ORU’s seafood is sublime and the Cape Breton whole broiled lobster with paprika lime butter and warm brussel sprout salad makes the Dine Out $38 menu an extra special deal.

West Restaurant + Bar

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Chef Quang Dang’s artfully executed fusion cuisine is best represented by an appie of golden beet and orange soup with bacon panko and tarragon creme fraiche, which sets the tone for a stand-out meal that includes Pacific Provider wild pink salmon and braised veal breast.

Diva at the Met

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Diva at the Met offers a pretty thrifty group menu already but the Dine Out option is good for a duo with fresh but flavourful dishes such as ricotta gnudi and lamb belly & loin with butter soaked carrots making an appearance.

Bacchus Lounge

Echoing last year’s Dine Out offerings, Bacchus is sticking to what it knows best with chicken liver parfait and crispy confit of Fraser Valley duck, all served up with a side of plush velvet and tinkling ivories.

C Restaurant

Tap into some tasting menu favourites such as roasted sunchoke veloute and go for the seafood options of rainbow trout or weathervane scallops and wild Chinook salmon. Service is top-notch even during Dine Out.

Chambar

The moules frites are a no-brainer choice from Chef Nico Schuermans’ Dine Out menu and the olive oil poached scallops of the Saint Jacques et chorizo are a glorious taste of what classic Vancouver casual fine dining is all about.

CinCin

Rotisserie cooked pork loin, rigatoni with chorizo and a mascarpone mousse smothered tiramisu are the fleshy bones of this lustfully gluttonous Dine Out menu.

Coast Restaurant

Seafood, such as salmon two ways and a sushi tile, served up in a place so dark you can barely see your food. A winter chopped salad and beef option are a nod towards keeping the hordes happy but you’re here for the fish, right?

PIER7 restaurant + bar

The North Shore’s best-kept secret has moved up a price bracket for this year’s Dine Out but the menu choices of New England clam chowder, braised pork cheek and grilled rockfish still represent a great value way to check out Pier 7.

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

Already a go-to for good-value deals, Joe Fortes’ Dine Out menu shows off its fresher-than-fresh seafood chops with shrimp ceviche, prawn and scallop ravioli and BC Steelhead on the list of options.

La Pentola Della Quercia

Chef Lucais Syme’s Northern Italian menu comes in two guises - a $28 lunch or $38 dinner option. Both feature a la carte favourites such as the parmesan souffle and mushroom risotto and meatier dishes like the braised beef short ribs or house-smoked salmon.

L'Abattoir

Stab your fork anywhere on L'Abattoir's Dine Out menu and you’re onto a winner but the pork pate is a perennial favourite. Add one of Shaun Layton’s superb cocktails to the mix and you’ve got a Dine Out classic.

MARKET by Jean-Georges

A prime example of Dine Out putting ‘special occasion’ restaurants in the everyday price category, MARKET’s $38 menu includes a three-course meal of seared shrimp, soy lacquered pork cheek and buttermilk panna cotta for not much more than a standard entree.

Miku Restaurant

Both Miku and Minami are taking part in Dine Out with the main draw being the chef’s selection of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. Newest to the party, Miku’s menu also includes the fan-favourite ebi fritter to get things started.

Minami Restaurant

Both Miku and Minami are taking part in Dine Out with the main draw being the chef’s selection of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. Newest to the party, Miku’s menu also includes the fan-favourite ebi fritter to get things started.

Wildebeest

Book early - Wildebeest has been topping wishlists for a while now and the Dine Out deal will see diners clamouring to get a taste of the hangar steak and line-caught lingcod. An awesome beet salad and wheatberry risotto can introduce reluctant vegetarians to Wildebeest.

YEW seafood + bar

Home to a refreshingly bright and wide-open dining room, YEW’s Dine Out menu might not be as extensive as some but with solid choices of roasted trout or heritage chicken breast, Chef Ned Bell has taken the guesswork out of the experience.

Zen Japanese Restaurant

Downtowners! Use Dine Out as a way to explore the North Shore and check out West Vancouver’s Zen for an Ocean Wise edible art experience. The prawns three ways appie is your chance to try their signature rice-pearl coated Pop Up Prawns and ebi ‘D’ homemade dumplings.

Pourhouse

Already sold-out for the weekends, you’ll need to be quick if you want to catch Dine Out at the Pourhouse - steelhead trout with mussels, ramp and celeriac puree is what’s reeling everybody in.

Pidgin

A seven-course feast for two at PiDGiN includes some of Chef Makoto Ono's signature dishes such as sake-steamed clams, smoked almonds and chicken wing - plus a decadent black sesame meringue, kalamansi curd, coconut and lime white chocolate for dessert.

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar

Anyone hoping to harness the power of Dine Out to improve their lovelife should head to Brix and get a table in the romantic covered courtyard. Order a 24-hour brined pork chop and a chocolate mud cake and you’re good to go.

ORU Cuisine

Lobster alert! ORU’s seafood is sublime and the Cape Breton whole broiled lobster with paprika lime butter and warm brussel sprout salad makes the Dine Out $38 menu an extra special deal.

West Restaurant + Bar

Chef Quang Dang’s artfully executed fusion cuisine is best represented by an appie of golden beet and orange soup with bacon panko and tarragon creme fraiche, which sets the tone for a stand-out meal that includes Pacific Provider wild pink salmon and braised veal breast.

Diva at the Met

Diva at the Met offers a pretty thrifty group menu already but the Dine Out option is good for a duo with fresh but flavourful dishes such as ricotta gnudi and lamb belly & loin with butter soaked carrots making an appearance.