I just spent a glorious week in Vancouver, British Columbia and have fallen in love all over again with this world-class Canadian city in the Pacific Northwest.
From its friendly people (including but not limited to the honorary "Mayor of Vancouver" Christian Ricci and my favorite Canadian baseball All-Star Benjamin Dlin) to its downtown core's walkability, Vancouver offers something tantalizing for everyone.
For me, it all came down to one main thing: The Food!
When a city has 74 restaurants listed in its Michelin Guide, a foodie like me can go a little crazy - like trying to visit as many elegant eateries as possible in one week.
Here are three establishments that you must not miss during your visit to the largest city in British Columbia:
Elisa Steak
An award-winning steakhouse brought to you by the owners of the locally beloved Vancouver Canucks NHL Hockey team, Elisa offers up its gastronomic wares in a trendy scene located on Hamilton Street in the bustling Yaletown neighborhood.
Our party of five was seated at one of the finest booths in a dining room that's both minimalist and extravagant, right next to the open kitchen so we could watch the chefs in action.
We started with a duo of tartares (veal - $24 CAD and beef - $26 CAD) and the burrata and tomato salad ($28 CAD).
Normally, I am not a huge tartare fan; however, the veal was paired with albacore tonnato, lemon, capers, olive oil, and crostini, providing a perfectly decadent bite.
The beef included caramelized shallot aioli with crunchy onions along with grilled bread and was also delicious.
As the empty appetizer plates were removed, I was licking my lips for the the main course and star of the show: Elisa's STEAK OFFERINGS.
We ordered the 50 ounce bone-in tomahawk ribeye ($225 CAD), which was presented first in a skillet and then sliced for us to devour tableside.
The meat was deliciously fatty and moist and was available with the following steak sauces at $4 CAD each: au poivre, red wine, bearnaise, barbecue, salsa verde and chimichurri.
Surprisingly, I preferred the bavette (Market Price) with its more delicate savory flavor - see picture below.
The meat melted in your mouth, and since I am also a vegetable person, I adored the roasted broccoflower that slightly nestled in the jus, soaking up the divine nectar emanating from the high-end, bone-in steak.
Our additional sides for the table were broccolini, hash browns, mushrooms, risotto and brussels sprouts.
The staff even gave us free dessert after we told them we literally could not eat another thing...UNTIL WE COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED THE DESSERT TOO.
Happily satiated after our two and a half hour meal, we walked the streets of Yaletown to help digest and to enjoy the sights and sounds of Friday's nightlife.
Here is what Michelin has to say about Elisa.
Miku
Located on the beautiful Vancouver Waterfront, steps away from the famous Canada Place Convention Center and Cruise Ship Terminal, Miku offers breathtaking views of the harbor along with world-class sushi.
Miku is well known in Canada for bringing oshi-style sushi to the masses.
The Michelin Guide explains the mystery behind oshi:
Aburi salmon oshi sushi, with wild sockeye salmon, jalapeño and their special sauce, elicits an emotional response—artists have even submitted drawings of this decadent delight.
We knew we would gorge ourselves on this local specialty imported from Japan as our main course, and for starters we each ordered the sashimi platter ($35 CAD) and then the Miku Signature Selection of sushi ($32 CAD).
After this beautiful tasting carousel of fish, we sampled Miku's famous Oshi sushi ($21 CAD), and I could eat about a thousand of these delicacies in one sitting.
Something about the immaculately blowtorched sushi rice and tuna or salmon paired with special sauce makes me feel warm and cozy inside.
To read more about Miku, the link is here for Michelin's full review.
Again feeling full, but slightly less so than the prior night at Elisa, we headed on a short ten minute walk towards Gastown to watch the world-famous Gastown Steam Clock.
The Gastown Steam Clock plays its tune every 15 minutes, and a large crowd usually is assembled to watch one of the world's first and only of its kind.
In the anticipatory minutes before the clock chimes, tourists take selfies or group photos for Instagram, and there is a gasp from the crowd when music and steam combine for a show you will not want to miss.
Hawksworth
Rather than fighting the crowds at another fancy dinner, my friends and I decided to do a hedonistic three-course prix fixe lunch at Hawksworth on my final day in town.
When I say hedonistic, I don't mean the price.
In fact, Hawksworth's decadent $36 CAD three-course lunch is the absolute best deal for fine dining in the city.
The lunch menu when I dined with at Hawksworth last month offered a melon and prosciutto salad as a starter, grilled octopus for the main and an inventive, showstopping ice cream sandwich for dessert.
Located in the swanky Rosewood Georgia Hotel in downtown Vancouver across from the Art Museum, the atmosphere is restrained luxury, and you will love their well-appointed dining room.
Our server Chris was outstanding, and the experience we had will be remembered for a long time to come!
PRO TIP: If you want to eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant, see if they offer a lunch service. While not only easier to secure a booking, the menu is likely to be more affordable and the dining room less crowded, which means you get a more attentive and special culinary experience. Click the link to read Michelin's review of Hawksworth.
If you have plenty of time to do a culinary exploration of Vancouver, here are some additional restaurants I would recommend: Chambar, Botanist and Published on Main.
To read about my similar Michelin-starred adventures last year in Tokyo, Japan, click here.
For more of my Travel and Wanderlust articles, click here to visit that section of this website.