dining ' Renshaw rates best eats for 1990 OMPOSING BEST- OF lists requires the composer to do so dressed ina flak jacket and a thin veil of objectivity. Last year, Table 1 .opping named what its staff considered the con- sistently best restaurants of the 1980s. It was no easy task. There i are a lot of good restaurants on the North Shore, and there are also a lot of emotional chefs and restau- rant owners out there. So this year, with Table Hopping naming the best restaurants sampled in 1990, readers might think the task to be less difficult. Well, I'm here to tell you it just ain‘t so. ’ Choosing the best of anything is extremely subjective. And one person’s best-of is another per- son’s bottom-of-the-barrel. The restaurants chosen are selected, with one exception, from those that were sampied by Table Hopping during 1990. BEST FISH AND CHIPS: Pet- ticoat Lane Fish and Chip Cafe, 1863 Marine Drive, West Van- couver, 926-4158. Great fish, great chips anda good selection of Great British beers and ales — all one can ask of a fish and chip restaurant. BEST DOWNTOWN EXPERI- ENCE: Cafe Django, 1184 Den- man Street, Vancouver, 689-1184. Cafe Veneto, in the Yaletown Galleria, 225-1080 Mainland Street, Vancauver, 662-8990, Both restaurants benefit from transplanted North Shore talent. The former, headed by Jetirey Gourley of the dearly departed Nutshell restaurant in Deep Cove, features live jazz served with an eclectic menu that focuses on seafood and Pacific Rim panache. The fatter, headed by owner/ chef Bruce Milligan, formerly of Windows restaurant at the long- departeu International Plaza Hotel in North Vancouver, features ex- cellent northern italian cuisine. Both are worth leaving the North Shore to savor. MOST ENERGETIC RESTAU- RANT ATMOSPHERE: The Cac- TIMOTHY RENSHAV table hopping tus Club Cafe, 1598 Pemberton Avenue, North Vancouver, 986- 5776. The North Shore is blessed with several good restaurants that serve deluxe fast food for the young and restless and their old and ran- corous parents. Red Robin and Earl’s are both great places for iast and energetically-served meals, but the Cactus Club is a North Shore original whose popularity and culinary zest continue to spread across the Lower Mainland. The first Cactus sprouted in North Vancouver in 1988; there are now four Cactus Clubs thriving in the Lower Mainland area. The secret to the sestaurant’s success: astute, far-sighted management that keeps the res- taurant, its food and staff inspired and keeps its clientele uppermost in the minds of all Cactus Club personnel. They even publish a lively newsletter directed at statf and patrons. BEST SEAFOOD: The Salmon House on the Hill, 2229 Folkestone Way, West Vancouver, 926-3212. Itis also a winner in the best harbor view category, but that honor is courtesy of incomparable location. The restaurant's food is courtesy of a good-quality kitchen, and, again, progressive management. Salmon and other seatoad are prepared with finesse and delivered with flair. MOST OUTLANDISH DECOR: The North Shore Beach Club, 1301 Lonsdale Avenue, 983-2582. A parade of restaurants has narcched through this North Van- couver location leaving fragments of their diverse characters inside and out. But the Beach Club ar- tived, commissioned the Mad Ar- Wednesday. January 2, 1991 - North Shore News - 45 NEWS photo Mike Wakefield THESE LUCKY students from the Van Leena Schoo! of Dance were chosen to perform with the Cincinnati Ballet in the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, playing Jan. 3-6 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The girls, aged eight to 12, will appear as children and the ginger dancers. Left to right: Amy Wright, Jodi Konorti, Hilary Maxwell, Lisa Caruk, Amy Vorath, Lisa May, Katherine Horsman, Jovanna Huguet and fill Carpenter. tist to create its decor and opened with a striking exterior and interior decked out in bathing beauties and bright colors. BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT: The Beach Side Cafe, 1362 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, 925-1945. Not to be confused with the aforementioned Beach Club, the Beach Side and its new chef have created a first-class, mid-size res- taurant that serves carefully crafted and inspired food. An honorable mention for 1990 goes to Pat's Restaurant, 445-13th Street West Vancouver, 926-8922. Pat’s manages to combine long- standing neighborly character (having been at the same location for 14 years) and interesting food that is artistically presented. Other North Shore restaurants that fall into the same category, but that were not officially sampl- DINING CRITIC Tim Renshaw ruminates on the year’s run of best restaurants. ed in 1990, inciude Cafe Roma, Chesa, La Cucina, La Toque Blan- che, and Corsi Trattoria. BEST GREEK RESTAURANT: Anatoli Souvlaki, 102-5 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, 985- 9853. Anatoli continues to expand and continues to pack in patrons who enjoy the gregarious informality of a good Greek taverna. BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT: The Golden Pearl, 128-333 Brooksbank Avenue, North Van- couver, 986-3733. New and filled with the exciting aromas and tlavors of exotic Chinese cuisine. BEST FRENCH RESTAU- RANT, Chez Michel, second floor, 1373 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, 926-4913. Chez Michel is a perennial North Shore favorite for both its French tood and its French dining experience, Headed by Michel and Philippe, the brothers Segur, Chez Michel features selections of grand French cuisine and in- telligently selected French wine. C'est formidable. r Rwotoni . SouvAakt BEST NEW AGE FOOD: Capers Restaurant, 2496 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, 925-3316. While changes in Capers’ kitch- en have dimmed some of the ini- tial brilliance of the hearty and healthy food served at the restau- - rant appendage to the popular West Vancouver good foods store, Capers still packs a substantial health food wallop. Its selection of vegetarian dishes is the best on the North Shore. BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Salute, 1747 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, 922-6282. While this Italian food restaurant was actually sampled in late 1989, it was not mentioned in last year’s best-of list, which dealt with the best North Shore restaurants of the 1980s. Salute serves elegant nor- thern Italian food produced by the former manager of Corsi Trattoria. © BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT: Loops at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel, 123 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver, 986-6111. Its harbor view and selection of foods from around the Pacific Rim combine to make Loops a good choice for residents with visiting relatives to entertain and a good choice for residents with no visiting relatives to entertain. The downstairs Waterfront Bistra is an excellent after-dinner danc- Lions Dr. Paul M. Verlaan, ssc. o<. Doctor of Chiropractic ing parlor for those who feel the urge to dance to the modern disco beat. BEST NEIGHBORHOOD RES- TAURANT: Torchy’s 1050 West Queens, North Vancouver, 987- 7444, Opened in 1987 by the nephew and niece of the original Torchy Pechet, Torchy’'s is small and filled with the kind of home kitchen at- mosphere that is difficult to simu- late. Its Mediterranean-style ribs are excellent. Made to Measure. 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