Some of my faves for Valentine's Day...

Trying to decide on a favourite restaurant is like trying to decide on a favourite dress...truly depends on the occasion, right? However, many of my friends have been asking me where to take their special someone for tonight, so here are a few places that have delighted me in recent months. I'd highly recommend them for dinner...and not just tonight either, I believe that everyday should be Valentine's Day.
Cioppinos <-- My review
Decandent, but if it's a special occasion, splurge. Get the zucchini blossoms!

The gigantic veal chop.

Campagnolo <-- My review
Truly amazing pastas and risottos, you can't go wrong.

Garganelli Ragu...tastes as though it has been stewing for hours.

Au Petit Chavignol <-- My Review
Cozy little place with yummy salumi and macaroni and cheese

And this was part of Dine Out Vancouver!

Octopus Garden <-- My Review
Eclectic and distintive Japanese fare in a small room, cozy and traditional

One of the prettiest presentation you will find.

L'artista <-- My Review
Wholesome Italian fare in Burnaby...none of the pretentiousness and all the deliciousness.

A simple rustic seafood linguine, just the way you'd expect it to be.

Miku -<-- My Review
Aburi sushi, and Wagyu beef sushi, and if you're going to splurge on it, you should get it aburi-ed

Amazing and unique rolls, but a bit pricey.

Market <-- My Review
Part of Jean-Georges empire, this place is elegant and serves up laarger portions than expected.

The steamed prawn salad is an amazing appetizer!

Last night...

DineOut is coming to an end, guess all things do have to end.
Headed down to Au Petit Chavignol for the first time, ready to try something new and exciting. First thing we noticed was the amazing carver they had...a brightly painted machine capable of effortlessly slicing paper-thin pieces of proscuitto and other meats.

Their wine list is pretty extensive, with a good selection of local and international wines, with a strong German bent. We got a bottle of BC Wine, called Freud's Ego from Therapy Winery...funny how you get something without realizing how much you needed it.

The wine was good, and the bottle was hilarious. I asked if we could bring it home – and it’s now proudly displayed with my other empties. Good thing I asked or else we might have forgotten once she decanted it.
Had a heck of a time trying to decide what to order…so many options. There were an $18 menu with a Soup du Jour or a Prosciutto di Parma starter, and a Four Cheese Mac and Cheese or Cheese and Charcuterie Plate for the main. The $28 had an Arugula Salad or Jamon Serrano to start, followed by a Bacon Gruyere Mac and Cheese or another Cheese and Charcuterie Plate.

After much analyzing (almost 30 mins) we settled on one order of the $18 and one order of the $28. Both orders come with Petite Chocolate Cookies.
The Prosciutto was from the cheaper menu, but was by far the better of the two. Maybe it was because it was aged 24 month instead of the 12 month that the Jamon Serrano was aged? The Serrano was drizzled with an olive oil that was amazing, something called Mas d’en Gil. So although the Jamon wasn’t as good as I expected, the olive oil was outstanding.

The little baguette slices were perfect with the meats, but the rosemary crackers were way too powerful for the delicately flavoured meats. We decided to save it for the Cheese and Charcuterie plate instead.

Next was a piping hot Four Cheese Mac n Cheese…Totally decadent, piping hot when it landed on the table, and just smelled like home. A generous portion for two people to share, it was so sumptuous! If you attempt to eat the whole thing…they’d have to roll you out of there.

The entree from the $28 was a Cheese and Charcuterie Plate that came with a Pate Perigord, which is a pork pate with a heart of foie gras. Also on the plate were two cheese, a Roubine de Noyan from Quebec (very brie like with a soft rind) and a 21 month old Comte de Montagne from France (reminiscent of a Spanish manchego).

Both stood up to the rosemary crackers quite well. The 4 petit cornichons were good as well, but the quince paste we could have done without. It was the only thing left on the plate when we were done.

The Petit Chocolate Cookies arrived in two separate paper bags…still warm and fragrant. I had two and they were the softest cocoa pillows I’ve had in a long time. There was still nine left after another was one eaten…good portions again.

The only downside came when we paid the bill. They brought the portable machine over, tried it twice without any luck. Then  someone said that their credit/debit machine hasn't been working for the past hour or two. We were then told to walk to the credit union down the street to get some cash. Now, if it were two girls, neither of us would have felt safe wandering around the 800-block of East Hastings around 9pm at night. And admittedly, a bank/communication error isn’t their fault but something just didn't feel right.