Dine Out Vancouver 2008 – Raincity Grill

The Art of The Upsell

Raincity Grill has become a fixture in the Vancouver West End, capturing the essence of Vancouver in food, wine and atmosphere. The menu focuses on seafood, game, poultry, and organic vegetables from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington State and Oregon. Raincity Grill was one of the first restaurants in the city to take advantage of local ingredients and produce and in doing so helped define Pacific Northwest cuisine.

They also mastered the art of the upsell when it came to Dine Our Vancouver. Not happy with the $35 limit placed a Dine Out menu, Raincity added a $45 menu of their own. To further extract maximum value from their diners, Raincity matched each course with some very fine (and very small portion) wines from their cellar. The end results: what should have been a $70 dinner for two turned into $135 once the upsell took place. I’m not complaining however. The price is still well worth it. Raincity ranks among my favorite restaurant in the whole city.

Smoked Trout and Spot Prawn Salad

My starter dish was a salad of smoked Langley trout and BC spot prawn, organic greens and sake emulsion. Light, refreshing and airy best describe this opener. Raincity paired with a Riesling from See Ya Later Ranch.

A Trio of Tartar

Albacore tuna, Langley trout, Steve’s salmon with crispy salad. This dish was very similar to the first dish but I liked it more. The oil and sea salt really kicked it up. It went very well with the Riesling.

Bayne Sound Scallops

Bayne sound scallop, stuffed leg of Maple Hills Farms chicken, mushroom and cauliflower cream. This is Raincity’s version of the surf and turf. The scallops were better than the ones from The Observatory. It was paired with a Pinot Gris from Inniskillin.

Steve’s Salmon

For the main course, Sarah ordered Steve’s Salmon with buttered leek, braised parsnip and maple glaze. She said it was the best salmon she has ever tried. it went really well with the Jackson-Tiggs Chardonnay.

Seared Breast of Duck

Seared breast of duck with North Arm Farms organic root vegetables, thyme gnocchi and duck glaze. Without a doubt this was one of the best duck dishes I’ve ever had. The Pinot Noir from Nk’Mip matched it perfectly.

Grilled Parsnip “Red Fife” Pound Cake

This dessert must have been custom made for Sarah. The cake was served with poached apple and honey bavarois. It wasn’t too sweet, which is the way Sarah likes her dessert.

Fireweed Honey Pot Au Crème

This looks like a creme burlee but it’s not. It was made from ice wine caramel and Aggissiz hazelnut biscotti. It was so sweet you can feel the sugar rushing to your head. I had it paired with an Inniskillin Icewine to make the sweet dessert even sweeter. It was an amazing way to finish off an amazing meal.

Raincity Grill needs to be added to your short list of must try Vancouver restaurants. Even with the upsell, you won’t be disappointed.

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