There are two times in the course of a relationship when people are looking for date ideas and shared activities: at the very beginning (before you're sleeping together) and after the hot, let's-just-stay-in-bed novelty has worn off. Whether you're looking for first date ideas or "date night" ideas, check out my list of Top 5 Cheap Dates in Vancouver: these dates will provide fun and excitement for you and your partner without breaking the budget!
Top 5 Cheap Dates in Vancouver
1. Find Nightlife Bargains
Is there a way to get dressed up and go out at night for cheap dates that don't feel cheap? Yes! Check out these top four ideas for indulging in Vancouver's great nightlife while staying on budget.
Have drinks or dessert at one of the Top Vancouver Restaurants with a View. For example, at Cloud 9, you can enjoy gorgeous, 360-degree city views in a great ambiance for the price of one drink per person. Go later in the evening and they'll often let you nurse your drink for as long as you like.
Grab bargain tickets--often in the $20-per-person range--to a play or performance at Tickets Tonight.
Find cheap live music--often for under $5 a person--at Vancouver bars & restaurants via LiveVan.com.
See a Vancouver Burlesque show--entrance tickets are often under $10 per person.
Continue reading Top 5 Cheap Dates in Vancouver....
Image Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver
Dine Out Vancouver--the annual restaurant festival where over 200 participating restaurants offer special three-course meals of $18, $28, or $38--is back for 2012 bigger and better than ever. To celebrate Dine Out's 10th anniversary, Tourism Vancouver, the organization behind Dine Out, has created an extravaganza of foodie events (in addition to the Dine Out restaurant menus) that includes the highly-anticipated Street Food City (Vancouver food carts get in on the Dine Out action) and Dine Academy on Granville Island.
On January 9, I got to try the 2012 Dine Out Menus from two of Metro Vancouver's hottest restaurants: Beachside Forno in West Vancouver and Chinois in Yaletown.
Beachside Forno has a fabulous, landmark location on the oceanfront in Ambleside, and if you haven't been, Dine Out 2012 is the time to go: Their $18 Dine Out Menu puts higher-priced restaurants to shame. Starter choices include a rich, aromatic Caramelized Onion and Chicken Soup and a spicy Wild Greens and Baby Herb salad, both of which I enjoyed, but its the entrees that make this a stand-out. All three of Beachside Forno's Dine Out entrees are winners, from the perfect, not-too-heavy House-made Parmesan Gnocchi to the savory, dark Braised Peace Country Lamb Orecchiettei (pictured) to the Salt Spring Mussels, infused with flavour from the house-made chorizo sausage and tomato puttanesca broth.
Honestly, over my years writing about Vancouver, I've tried my share of $18 Dine Out menus; Beachside Forno's $18 menu surpassed any I've had before, in both quality and value. You'll really feel like you're enjoying a $28 or $38 meal rather than a (relative) $18 bargain!
Next up was Chinois, the new, hip, contemporary Chinese restaurant that opened in Yaletown in November 2011. Chinois has a $28 Dine Out Menu, with huge portions that make sampling your dinner companion's choices practically mandatory.
I loved many of the dishes at Chinois. For a starter, try the Deep Fried Crab Claw, which is huge, meaty, and comes with a tangy/spicy coleslaw I adored. For mains, my favourites are the Black Pepper Steak--so tender, so beautifully cooked, with layers of flavour--and the creamy and (gently) spicy Jumbo Prawns. And if you love cocktails but don't want the alcohol, try the original Chinois "mocktails" created by Chambar alum Wendy McGuinness.
You can make reservations online for any Dine Out Vancouver 2012 restaurants here.
Dine Out Vancouver 2012 runs from January 20 - February 5, 2012. For more $18 Dine Out restaurants, check out Dine Out's Best $18 Menus
It's always a little slow in Vancouver at the beginning of January--everyone's still recovering from the holidays! Makes this a good weekend to catch up with some theatre: check out Waiting for Godot at the Cultch.
