Located on 1141 Hamilton Street, Capones menu features a unique selection of mouth-watering tapas, signature entrees & delectable desserts. Capones offers the best local live jazz & blues musicians on the west coast, performing 7 nights a week. With an array of award winning signature martinis & a delicately hand selected wine collection. Capones is also home to one of Vancouver’s largest exclusive private function rooms; The “VAULT”. This room can accommodate 50 guests for sit-down dinner events & 85 guests for stand-up cocktail receptions. This spacious private room is ideal for a variety of events. For information, or reservation, call 604-684-7900, or visit www.caponesrestaurant.net. Read our interview with Daniela Vecchione and Tammy Gamel, their marketing manager and general manager.

Q. How was the business in 2008?

A. We had a good year, our regular customers kept enjoying our music, food and the great atmosphere Capones has to offer. We also had a really busy Christmas season full of corporate & private parties held in our beautiful private room The Vault. In addition we launched a new great dinner menu.

Q. What was your most frequently ordered dish in 2008?

A. During 2008 our must popular dish was our delicious Capones Pizza.

Q. Are you planning to take part in the “Dine Out Vancouver 2009” event? If yes, please give us a scoop of your special menu for the event?

A. Yes… We have a great 3 course dinner menu for $28^th, offering an incredible combination of the West Coast take on a traditional Mediterranean cuisine.

Q. Any special plan for 2009?

A. For this coming year basically we are looking forward to reinforce and appreciate the presence of our regular customers and increase the traffic of our first diners, we are also looking forward to the tourist season having incredible promotions for the Vancouver’s visitors, as well as you will have excellent seasonal promotions, special events and delicious fresh sheets menus throughout the year. All the time focusing in presenting new and great local musicians!

Q. What is your recommendation?! From your menu, of course!

A. We really recommend every item on the menu! But you can certainly not miss the Eggplant Rollotini from our mouth-watering tapas or our Roasted Free Range Chicken Breast one of our most popular signature entrees… Also don’t forget to try one of our award winning Martinis…!

Read our interview with Mr. Peter Raptis, the owner of The Refinery Market.Style.Eatery, located on 1115 Granville Street, directly above SIP.

Q. How was the business in 2008?

A. Great, we Opened in November and had a fantastic start!

Q. What was your most frequently ordered dish in 2008?

A. Chef’s own Goat Cheese Cheese Cake with sour Cherries!

Q. Are you planning to take part in the "Dine Out Vancouver 2009" event? 

A. Yes we are in DOV 2009 and a featuring a unique charcuterie based menu that also includes our amazing cheescake!

Q. Any special plan for 2009?

A. This should be a big year as we hope to build a customer base and educate Granville street on our unique concept.

Q. What is your recommendation?!

A. The menu changes every week so its hard to pick a favorite meat or cheese but defiantly try the truffle oil humus, and the Goat Cheese Cheese cake.

This is our interview with Peter Raptis, the owner of SIP resto-lounge, located on 1117 Granville Street. For reservations, call 604-687-7474.

Q. How did you do in 2008?

A. A good year that saw a shift in business with more and more people wanting quality food later in the evening. Somehow with more and more restaurants opening, we are still getting busier! Must be doing something right!

Q. Name your most frequently ordered dish in 2008?

A. Cajun Seared Ahi Tuna with Hypnotiq salsa.

Q. Any plan to take part in the "Dine Out Vancouver 2009"?

A. Yes, we are in DOV 2009, and have a great menu featuring once again our AAA tenderloin for only $28.

Q. Any special plan for 2009?

A. The Granville street redevelopment plan is underway and by the end of spring we should have one of the best streets in the city to showcase our restaurants with new trees lights sidewalks and fingers crossed Patios!

Q. What is your recommendation?

A. Gotta love the Pear Brandy Pan Seared Perogies, Souther Comfort Spicy Chicken and Belgium Beer Battered Fries but also This spring we will be featuring a Maple Glazed Pacific wild Salmon!

The Hart House Restaurant is offering a range of festivities during December. Dickens Buffet Lunch features baked three cheese macaroni, baked ham with maple syrup glaze and a seafood platter, for $35 per person. Christmas Dinner includes sweet onion soup and roasted turkey with brioche stuffing and dessert, $55 per person. There are two seatings for New Year’s Eve Dinner. The first will include a three-course menu including lobster bisque and roasted lamb for $55. The second will offer a five-course menu, including beef tartar, butter braised lobster, an artisan cheese plate and banana upside down cake for $75. The restaurant is located at 6664 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby.

For more information, visit their website.

Tonight, December 17, the Latino eatery will contribute all of its profit to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Cobre, which is located in Gastown, is hopeful to raise between $1,000 to $3,000. Other restaurants in the neighbourhood have also accepted to support the Food Bank. These restaurants include Two Chefs And A Table, Revel Room and The Lamplighter. From now until December 20, Boneta will provide envelopes to diners, asking them to make a donation to the Food Bank. They will then match all donations. Salty Tongue Café, the Irish Heather Gastro Pub, and Shebeen Whiskey House, will also be donating a part of their revenue to the Food Bank for every pint of Guinness sold until the end of December.

For more information, visit www.restaurantsdonate.com.

Taste the cultural and ethnical diversity of the Greater Vancouver!

“Flavours of Vancouver” is a tasty compilation of recipes, provided by the Vancouver’s CBC Radio listeners. There are some yummy family specialties, as well as some of Vancouver’s top chefs’ secrets. Each of the recipes is accompanied by a tale about its origins. A book as diverse as the Greater Vancouver’s residents, it is certainly a delicious read.

Click here to buy it from Amazon.ca

CBC Radio’s proceeds from “Flavours of Vancouver” go to Save the Children Canada, to help children around the world.

I stumbled upon this video of Thai House Restaurant in Vancouver.

It has locations in Kitsilano, Downtown, North Vancouver, and Richmond. God, it seems so delicious!