CinCin
Gold medal winner for Best Italian in "Westender" magazine's 2009 Best of the City Awards, CinCin is considered one of Vancouver's top restaurants. Located in a spacious, second-floor dining room on Robson Street, CinCin's rustic country décor and open kitchen design provide a cozy and romantic setting in which to enjoy world-class Italian cuisine. The rotating seasonal menu includes appetizers like shaved pear and gorgonzola salad, octopus with canellini beans and roasted garlic, and black angus beef carpaccio with mustard aioli. Guests continue on to a main course of braised milk fed veal shank with saffron risotto, Canadian prime rib-eye, or Nova Scotia lobster ravioli. Pizzas are also available with gourmet ingredients like smoked wild salmon, goat cheese and wild mushrooms.
CinCin
1154 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1B2, Canada
604-688-7338
cincin.net
Il Terrazzo
Voted Victoria's Best Italian Restaurant each of the past 15 years, Il Terrazo successfully fulfills most expectations for what a modern Italian restaurant ought to be. The lively atmosphere, comfy interior and romantic courtyard set the mood for Northern Italian cuisine. Fresh produce and locally caught seafood come together marvelously in dishes like seared ahi tuna with sesame and pickled seaweed, fire roasted wild salmon with almond crust and black peppercorns, and traditional cioppino stew with prawns, scallops and mussels. Il Terazzo also serves a number of hearty non-seafood dishes like Dijon-crusted rack of Australian lamb and veal osso bucco served over risotto primavera.
Il Terrazzo
555 Johnson Street
Victoria, British Columbia V8W 1M2, Canada
250-361-0028
ilterrazzo.com
Italian Kitchen
This trendy downtown eatery boasts a 60-foot marble bar, vibrant young crowd and stellar Italian cuisine representing all of Italy's major culinary regions. Chef Ryan Gauthier's rich, hearty entrees and sizable appetizers are meant for sharing, giving the whole place a festive, familial atmosphere. Dishes like papardelle with lamb sausage, ravioli stuffed with Dungeness crab and mascarpone cheese, and smoked sablefish with Italian bean ragout reflect Gauthier's penchant for fresh and simple recipes. Pizzas topped with roasted squash, burrata cheese, double smoked bacon and pistachios are also popular. Italian Kitchen's extensive wine list includes vintage Italians and a host of North American wines.
Italian Kitchen
1037 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1A1, Canada
604-687-2858
theitaliankitchen.ca
