Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante (map, website, menu, 970 Smithe Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-408-0808) offers Italian pizzas and pastas in a sophisticated and airy modern atmosphere. The candle-lit dining room with double-height ceiling and balcony is a popular spot for a gourmet pizza before or after a movie. It’s located right next to the Scotiabank Movie Theatre in downtown Vancouver (near Burrard and Smithe).
Formerly a pizza place called Lombardo’s (which still has a location on Commercial Drive near 1st ave), Pacifico continues Lombardo’s practice of serving pizzas with inventive and complementary ingredients. We tried the “Salmone” ($25 for large, pictured below), made with smoked salmon, capers, and red onion. A delightfully chewy crust was brushed with extra virgin olive oil, and topped with lots of cheese.
We also tried their desserts. The Mud Pie ($6.00, pictured below) was fairly run-of-the-mill (still frozen solid) but the restaurant’s house specialty Tiramisu ($7.00, also pictured below) was heavenly.
Some higher-end restaurants have picked up a trend of serving “deconstructed” Tiramisu – a mix of mascarpone cheese, custard, coffee, and some liquor in a cocktail glass, with maybe a few biscuits hidden at the bottom. This mode of presentation may be satisfying in a different way from a slice of cake on a plate – consuming the cocktail glass version is sans fuss and trendy too.
Irashai Grill, an Asian fusion restaurant in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, serves their Tiramisu in a sleek porcelain tray, dusted with a dangerously thick layer of powdered chocolate. Both Irashai’s and Pacifico’s realizations of Tiramisu are worthy of a sweet discovery!
Large smoked salmon pizza ($25) from Pacifico Pizzeria Restorante, a great pizza restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.
Mud Pie dessert ($6.00) from Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.
Tiramisu dessert ($7.00) from Pacifico Pizza Restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.
Izakaya is a Japanese word for a drinking place that also serves food. Wikipedia has a bunch of details; here is a brief excerpt:
The name “izakaya” is a compound word consisting of “i ” (to remain) and “sakaya” (sake shop), showing that izakaya originate from sake shops which allowed customers to remain on the premises to drink.
Vancouver is one of the lucky food cities around the world where you can find a Japanese Izakaya restaurant outside of Japan. Kingyo, located in downtown Vancouver’s West End, is an upscale and trendy Izakaya that provides a modern, intimate, and tantalyzing taste of contemporary Japanese food and drink.
Rated as one of Canada and Vancouver’s best new restaurants of 2007 by enRoute Magazine (the inflight magazine of Air Canada), Kingyo consistently gets glowing reviews by visitors for its friendly staff, creative and innovative menu, and great service (check out some of the reviews at Dinehere.ca).
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by the staff and shown to a table quite quickly. Nice hot towels were served to us and our drink orders taken. There was a daily special sheet folded into the menu and the difficult thing was deciding on what to try. We asked the server and he recommended a few dishes. Knowing it was izakaya (tapas), we weren’t expecting huge portions, but trying out several sharing plates. We started with the ahi tuna sashimi (melts in your mouth), then had the calamari (loved how it was made) followed with the Ebi Mayo and the Black Cod.
Below are some pictures of the food that I enjoyed with my friend. Everything was really tasty and I’ll definitely go back again for more.
Simpatico Ristorante (map, 2222 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 604-733-6824) is one of Vancouver’s oldest Greek restaurants, a long standing place for tasty and authentic Greek food since 1969.
Butterknife-tender roast lamb and crusty whole-wheat pizza are the specialties in this traditional Greco-Roman family restaurant.
Located in the heart of the trendy Kitsilano neighborhood, Simpatico is nestled amongst many interesting independent shops ranging from clothing and fashion to hobbies and pets. Simpatico is about 5 blocks up the hill from the popular Kits Beach (English Bay), which the Vancouver Parks Board describes as:
Kitsilano Beach: a happening place geared for the younger set (teens to thirties) with a lovely outlook spanning from open bay, to North Shore mountains to Stanley Park
At Simpatico Restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly server who guided us to a table with a blue checkered tablecloth by the window. The main dining room is bright and airy with several skylights, and a large number of healthy plants all around the room. The couple next to us were speaking Greek and there was a large well-dressed family group at another table who were having a great time.
My friend and I both ordered the same thing: the Lamb Souvlakia (pictured below) which came with Greek salad, rice, potatoes, and a skewer of premium lamb garnished with fresh herbs. The dish was a reasonable $13.99 and was quite a generous portion.
I’ll definitely be back to try their pizza, which the server said is one of their specialties.
Lamb Souvlakia ($13.99) from Simpatico Greek Restaurant in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
A closeup shot of the Lamb Souvlaki from Simpatico Greek Restaurant in Kitsilano, Vancouver.
