By Edward Perry
Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia, boasts a plethora of French restaurants that offer elegant and
romantic settings, Mediterranean fare and fresh seafood from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The cuisine these Canadian restaurants offer will transport you to France---but without the airfare and the jetlag.
Bistro Pastis
Serving classic bistro fare, Bistro Pastis boasts one of the finest wine-by-the-glass selections in Vancouver with over 50 different selections. With an intimate dining room highlighted by a burning fireplace and a maitre d', Bistro Pastis is open Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Its appetizer menu includes sautéed escargot, a quiche of the day and steamed mussels. Dinner entrees include pan-seared Dover sole, sautéed trout filet and steak tartar. Lunch entrees include sautéed calamari, crab cakes and pulled beef and roasted tomato ravioli.
Bistron Pastis
2153 W. 4th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6R 1N7
Canada
604-731-5020
bistropastis.com
Provence Marinaside Seafood Restaurant Bar & Grill
Located in the Yaletown district of downtown Vancouver, Provence Marinaside offers a glimpse of the South of France. Along with fresh local seafood, a raw oyster bar and its trademark Antipasto Showcase, the restaurant has an extensive wine list and offers private rooms. It is open for breakfast Monday through Friday and brunch on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, although the establishment serves dinner every day of the week. The lunch menu features items like seared sablefish, wild mushroom ravioli and cannelloni stuffed with beef. Dinner entrees include fresh local Dungeness crab, wild Pacific salmon and spaghettini with wild Pacific prawns and scallops. Chef's specialties include bouillabaise, a rack of lamb platter and a Pacific seafood platter with crab, prawns, scallops, mussels, clam, fish, sautéed vegetables and rice.
Provence Marinaside Seafood Restaurant Bar and Grill
1177 Marinaside Crescent
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2Y3
Canada
604-681-4144
provencevancouver.com
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill
Specializing in Mediterranean cooking and located in the Yaletown district, Cioppino's is owned by chef Giuseppe "Pino" Posteraro, who was named Vancouver Magazine's 2008 Chef of the Year. With a large dining room, a large patio and an open-show kitchen, Cioppino's utilizes a classic style of Mediterranean cooking that bypasses animal fats and creams and uses low-cholesterol olive oil instead. The restaurant is known for its extremely light pasta dishes and a versatile dinner menu with items such as Basque-style Icy Waters Arctic Char, pan-roasted sablefish filet, and rib eye steak. The restaurant's wine list is currently 62 pages. A wide array of desserts are offered, including the chef's interpretations of tiramisu, lemon cheesecake and warm "soft heart" chocolate cake with ice cream.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill
1133 Hamilton St.
Vancouver, BC VCB 5P6
Canada
604-688-7466
cioppinosyaletown.com
About the Author:
Edward Perry has been a freelance writer since 2006. His articles appear on Trails, eHow, and in "USA Today." Edward holds a Bachelor of Science in psychobiology from University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Business Administration from New York University.
Photo Credits:
vancouver skylight 9 image by Patrick Scheffer from
Fotolia.com
