This year’s Dine Around line up (Feb 17-March 6), much like every year, has a number of lame efforts and an over-abundance of soup, mixed greens, stuffed pasta and stews. That said, there are always some hidden gems in the mountain of average dining, where true value (relative to food cost and/or that restaurants regular pricing) and creativity shine. Life being as unfair as it is, this value combination tends to favour larger restaurants and hotels, where kitchens have greater flexibility with their profit margins than smaller operators. Below are a few picks from this year’s selection that represent a notable value, from restaurants I can generally recommend. That said, all the menus on the list represent a certain degree of value, so if a menu looks interesting to you, or you’d always wanted to try a restaurant that felt too expensive, now is the time to experiment.
- Canoe Brew Pub $20
- Blue Crab $30
- Café Brio $30
- Fireside grill $20
- Fire and Water Chophouse $30
- Heron Rock $30
- SIPS $20
- The Marina $30
- Vista 18 $30
I'll be checking out a few of these and maybe a couple of the more. If you have any interesting experiences over the next couple weeks, dining on Dine Around menus, please comment on your experiences.
UPDATE: We checked out Paprika's Dine Around menu on Saturday night (19th) - the chicken liver mousses, sausages, ling cod and pork belly were all winners and we really liked the the $16, 3-courses wine pairings - great value for an elegant evening.
UPDATE: Pizzeria PrimaStrada last night (22nd) for their $20 Dine Around menu. Lots of choices considering the length of their regular menu. I enjoyed the tuna and eggplant salad and the feature pizza with Choux Choux sausage. I thought the tiramisu was fairly ordinary and could have used a more pronounced boozy flavour, but it was tasty nonetheless. While the menu is inexpensive, we did still end up leaving with a fairly hefty tab once booze, tax and service were added on. I wish I could get away with margins like that on wine and beer.