Yup, it’s back. The 14th annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival returns next week for 17 days of eating, drinking, exploring and learning. Hundreds of restaurants, dozens of unique events, a thousand different personalities, and more than 100,000 visitors makes this Canada’s largest annual food and drink festival.
It’s a lot to sift through, but, as you’re contemplating which restaurant deals to pounce on (from among the countless $20, $30 and $40 menus), also consider the special events, which run the gamut from guided tours and tastings to pop-up dinners, street food collectives, and brunch crawls. What makes these events stand out, however, are the people behind them.
We’re pretty smug about our local talent – and rightfully so – but one of the great things about Dine Out is its ability to foster new partnerships. Take Lauren Mote and Jonathan Chovancek of Bittered Sling. Mote runs the bar at Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar, and is presenting a series of cocktail seminars on everything from cognac to mezcal and tequila. In addition, Mote and Chovancek are partnering with executive chef Ned Bell of Yew at The Four Seasons (where Mote also now consults on the cocktail program) for a pop-up Robbie Burns dinner.
“It’s wonderful to work with a group of people [Tourism Vancouver, which organizes Dine Out] who’ve perfected the process and put in all of the legwork needed,” says Mote. “It’s grown so far beyond just the restaurant deals; it’s a proper festival now. And, it’s an awesome way for us to tap a new audience.”
Mote and Chovancek did their first Dine Out event last year (another Robbie Burns dinner), which sold out and won people’s choice for best Dine Out event of the year. This year’s dinner has also sold out, although tickets to the cocktail masterclasses are still available.
“I think a lot of people were giving tickets to the dinner as Christmas presents,” laughs Mote, “judging on how many sold leading up to the holidays.”
Partnerships like these, however, aren’t confined to local industry folk.
Ricardo Valverde, executive chef at Ancora, is looking forward to hosting chefs Ignacio and Alfonso Cadena, the father-and-son duo who run the famed La Leche in Puerto Vallarta. The dinner will be a mix of Peruvian and Mexican flavours, with wines paired to each course by Ancora’s famed sommelier Andrea Vescovi.
“You bring in someone from somewhere else, you’re always going to learn from them,” enthuses Valverde, “there’s always something new. It’s also a friendly competition, in a way; we all try to give our best, so the winner in the end is really the guest. When I spoke with [Ignacio], he said he’s bringing ingredients that have been around since before the Spanish conquered Mexico. It’s exciting to see what they’re going to be doing. And, I know he and his son are excited to come here.”
Valverde is enthusiastic not only about the dinner, but about the prix-fixe menu Ancora will be offering throughout the festival. “I think some restaurants feel like they’re losing money, it doesn’t portray the restaurant the way they want, so they don’t want to participate. But, I feel there are a lot of people who have money, but don’t always want or know where to spend it on food, and this is a way of getting them into the restaurant. [At Ancora], we’re going all out, showing off our best dishes; we want people to see what we’re all about.”
Pekka Tavela, executive chef at Wildebeest, agrees. “It’s a great way for a lot of people to experience restaurants they wouldn’t normally try out. We get a lot of repeats; people coming back once they’ve gotten a taste of what we’re about.”
Tavela is also partnering with an out-of-town chef for a special dinner event. Dan Burns of Luksus in New York City will be flying out for a multi-course collaborative dinner, paired with beer and cider. “Burns is very well-known and respected,” explains Tavela. “It’s something different for people to experience. At Luksus, the menu changes every few days, so a little more frequently than [at Wildebeest], but it’s also naturalist, modernist-leaning cuisine, executed with contemporary French technique, so similar to ours. We’ll each be doing four dishes. And, the price point is great.”
That price point clocks in at $160 for the six-course dinner, beverage pairings, tax and gratuities. Considering the lavish nature of many of these dinners, it’s definitely a good deal.
Notwithstanding all the special dinners, the restaurant deals are still a major part of the festival. “Dine Out is a great opportunity to get out and try so many new restaurants,” says Quang Dang, executive chef at West. “It would be challenging to get out and try all these new restaurants if you’re paying full price.”
This is especially true at a restaurant like West, where one can easily blow past the $200-mark for a dinner for two. “It’s great. We have repeat customers who make it an annual tradition to come to the restaurant during Dine Out, as well as those who come back throughout the year,” explains Dang. “Dine Out gets people in the door, but once they’re here, it’s our job to make them want to come back.”
Dang will also be hosting a special dinner with chef Mark Best of Marque in Sydney, Australia. “Best is a globally-renowned chef, one of the old guard of amazing Australian chefs,” says Dang. “Rhonda [Vianni], my pastry chef, worked for him in Australia, and when he was in town last, he came here and thought we would be a good fit to cook together. It’s great for the cooks to see something new in the kitchen, as well as for the customers.”
Whether you decide to stick to the restaurant deals, or indulge in some of the one-off events, one thing’s for sure, dining out during Dine Out is as much about the people as it is about the food.
For a full listing of all events and participating restaurants, visit DineOutVancouver.com.
• Anya Levykh is a freelance food and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. She has a regular segment every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and is a judge for the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
