For those who don’t wish to cook at all over the holidays – and especially not on big-game days like Christmas and New Year’s Eve – here are the places where you can dine out in style and comfort, with nary a dish to wash.
Before Christmas
On Saturday, Dec. 23 and Sunday, Dec. 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-11 p.m., Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar will offer holiday brunch and dinner menus. The set brunch menu is $55 per person and includes West Coast oysters, locally sourced charcuterie, classic eggs Benedict, and a carving station. Dinner service features à la carte options, as well as a holiday prix fixe menu for $68 per person that includes spiced pumpkin soup, slow-roasted turkey, brioche stuffing, Yukon gold potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, and a bûche de Noël for dessert. boulevardvancouver.ca
On Dec. 23 and 24, Cibo Trattoria will host a “Feast of Seven Fishes” dinner. The seven-course menu (same both nights) features local, fresh seafood, including cornmeal-crusted oysters, Pacific salmon crudo, chili- and herb-crusted scallop, brown butter B.C. spot prawns, grilled tuna tagliatelle, pan-roasted sablefish, and orange and white chocolate semifreddo for dessert. Tickets $88 per person; optional wine pairings available for an additional $75 per person.
On Dec. 24, Yew Seafood and Bar will offer dinner at 5-10 p.m. The three-course menu is $105 per person. Menu options include watercress soup with Northern Divine caviar; trio of beets with goat cheese and spiced pecans; Dungeness crab meat with honey and daikon; roasted duck breast with date puree; braised beef cheek with crispy scallops, apple and fennel salad, and cabbage; lobster vol au vent with crispy sweetbreads; vanilla choux; and chocolate mousse with orange confit. yewseafood.com
Christmas Day
On Monday, Dec. 25, Boulevard will offer grand buffet brunch and dinner menus, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-9:30 p.m. Brunch and dinner are each $88 per adult and $49 for kids 12 and under (free for kids under three). Both menus feature house-baked pastries, quinoa salad, heirloom beet salad with fior di latte, green salad, fresh fruit with Greek yogurt, charcuterie, cheeses, oysters, shrimp, smoked trout, albacore tuna tataki, clam chowder with sablefish, paella, classic eggs benny, a carving station with prime rib, porchetta, and roasted turkey, various sides, and desserts.
Yew will offer a brunch buffet 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. that includes assorted pastries, soup, and salad bar; oysters, fresh seafood and cured fish; charcuterie and cheeses; a roasted turkey station with chestnut stuffing, whipped potatoes, candied yams, brussels sprouts with pancetta, pumpkin coleslaw, and roasted carrots and parsnips; Serrano ham Benedict, cinnamon French toast, Liège waffles, ling cod, eggs any style, bacon and sausage; a sundae station; and assorted desserts, breads, cookies, muffins and other baked goods. $96 per person, $48 per child. yewseafood.com
Yew will also offer dinner, 5-10 p.m., for $112 per person. The three-course menu includes options such as green lentil soup with tiger prawn and truffle crème fraîche; mushroom crostini; lobster and Iberico ham with butternut squash; roasted turkey with crushed potatoes, bacon brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, honey-glazed pumpkin, and chestnut stuffing; pan-seared sablefish with salsify, parsnip and kale; veal tenderloin with carrots, mushrooms, baby onions and truffle cream; and dessert. yewseafood.com
New Year’s Eve
L’Abattoir is offering its “Bubbles at Brunch” service on Dec. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Restaurant director Lisa Haley will be featuring noteworthy bubbles at special prices (some up to 50-per-cent off) to complement the à la carte menu. Reservations recommended. labattoir.ca
Farmer’s Apprentice will host two dinner options: a five-course menu for $80 per person ($138 with wine pairings) during an early 6 p.m. seating or a seven-course menu for $110 per person ($182 with wine pairings) during the later 8 p.m. seating.Both include taxes and gratuity. Menu includes sturgeon caviar with beef tartare and oysters, celeriac agnolotti, seasonal fish, beef with pommes purée (late seating only), eggnog ice cream, and more. farmersapprentice.ca
Grapes and Soda is offering seatings at 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for its four-course dinner. Menu includes a snacks course of oysters, geoduck fritters, and beef tartare; charcuterie and cheese plate; a composition of small plates, including seasonal fish crudo and beef ragout agnolotti; and dessert. $75 per person, including tax and gratuity. grapesandsoda.ca
Homer St. Café and Bar is offering a three-course menu for $60 (optional wine pairings available at additional cost), any time between 5:30 p.m. and midnight. Menu options include smoked duck with truffle; trout tartare with fresh avocado, tomato vinaigrette, and trout roe; rotisserie lamb rack with red pepper, green olive, and romanesco; ling cod with lobster, buttered leeks, and tomato and potato pave; chocolate pudding; and potted lemon curd. Call 604-428-4299 to reserve. homerstreetcafebar.com
Tableau Bar Bistro is also offering a three-course menu for $60 (optional wine pairings available at additional cost), available throughout the evening. Menu options include smoked duck with beets and grapefruit; tuna tartare with avocado and blood orange; beef loin forestiere with wild mushrooms, black truffle, and potato pavé; vanilla crème brulée; and eclairs with hazelnut, chocolate, and banana ice cream. tableaubarbistro.com
Wildebeest will offer a decadent four-course dinner for $89 per person, plus tax and gratuity, with seatings starting at 5 p.m. and running until 1 a.m. Optional wine pairings are available for an additional $48 (3 oz. pours) or $64 (5 oz. pours). Menu options include game croquette, crab salad, salt-baked celeriac, handmade ravioli, Wagyu steak and ox tongue, sablefish and razor clams, mushroom lasagna, spatchcock quail, bourbon bread pudding, and chocolate mousse. wildebeest.ca/events
Boulevard will offer both an early and late dinner service. The early seating (5-6:30 p.m.) includes a three-course menu and live jazz from The Jennifer Scott Trio for $108 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The later seating (8-10:30 p.m.) includes a four-course menu with live jazz, funk and R&B from The Adam Thomas Band for $198 per person, plus taxes and gratuity. Dishes for both services include wild B.C. side stripe shrimp bisque, mosaic of wild game and foie gras terrine, Dungeness crab and burrata salad, butter poached lobster tail, Parisian gnocchi, and white chocolate cheesecake. Optional supplements are available for an additional cost, including seared foie gras, shaved white Alba and black Perigord truffles, Japanese A5 premium Wagyu and Northern Divine caviar.
Ancora will offer its regular, à la carte menu, in addition to some featured items, for both an early seating (5-7 p.m.) and late seating (7:30 p.m.-close). Special guest Gabriel Mark Hasselbach will be performing. Please note there is a $35 admission fee per person for the later seating, which includes live music, glass of champagne, and party favours. Call 604-681-1164 to reserve.
Cibo will host two seatings (5-6:30 p.m. and 8-10:30 p.m.), both of which will feature a gin-based aperitivo cocktail and a sex-course set menu. Menu options include roasted tomato soup with mussels and scallops, buratta with prosciutto, foie gras and duck liver pâté, saffron and maple-cured albacore tuna, pumpkin and goat cheese-stuffed ravioli, pan-roasted salmon, beef tenderloin with B.C. spot prawns, roasted organic squash, chocolate mousse, and tiramisu. Tickets $98 per person / $176 per person with optional wine pairings. cibotrattoria.com
Uva Wine and Cocktail Bar is hosting a Wonderland-themed three-course dinner starting at 7:30 p.m. that includes a trio of cocktails, mushroom fritti, braised rabbit cannelloni, and panna cotta, as well as late-night tea sandwiches. There will also be champagne sabering and live jazz from James Danderfer. Tickets $88 per person. uvavancouver.com
La Mezcaleria Gastown is offering a Mexican feast for NYE, either as a four-course set menu ($45) or à la carte. Dishes include arugula, mint and basil salad with pineapple and mango crisps in tamarind dressing; pink swimming scallops steamed in blackened chili-lime broth; sour orange roasted duck stuffed with pork belly; and crème brulée ice cream with roasted pumpkin seed wafers. Multiple seating times available. From 11 p.m. onward, there will be live music from DJ H.O.T. lamezcaleria.ca/reservations-gastown
Maenam is offering a four-course menu with multiple seating times. The four-course menu is $80 per person, served family-style, with optional three- or five-ounce wine pairings also available. Menu options include spot prawn cracker with dice tuna, sidestripe prawn, and caviar; Ma Hor candied prawns and chicken on pineapple with crispy shallots and peanuts; squid ink tapioca with grilled salmon relish; oxtail soup; hamachi salad; Wagyu beef salad; whole sea bream; 48-hour beef rib; lobster and scallop gati; duck duo of confit leg and seared breast; and dessert. maenam.ca
Au Comptoir is offering two seatings for its four-course dinner, starting between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. or between 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. The meal includes a Kir Royale welcome cocktails, plus menu options such as carrot bavarois, terrine of oxtail and foie gras, coquille St. Jacques, creamy porcini and chestnut soup, lightly smoked black cod, maple and orange-glazed duck breast, grilled beef tenderloin with foie gras, and praline semifreddo for dessert. Tickets $95 per person. Call 604-569-2278. aucomptoir.ca
Yew Seafood and Bar is offering both early (5-7 p.m.) and late (9-11 p.m.) seatings for dinner for $95 and $155 per person, respectively. The four-course early seating menu includes options such as potato chiboust with black truffle; house-smoked salmon with blini; white bean and sea scallop soup; lobster ravioli with white truffle sauce; Wagyu beef tenderloin with potato gratin, black truffle and crispy mushroom; roasted sablefish with eggplant risotto; and dessert. The later seating additionally offers a choice of caviar with Dungeness crab and cauliflower cream, or Kusshi oysters with apple gelée and champagne granité. yewseafood.com
New Year’s Day
Boulevard will host a special brunch service, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
