Of the string of see-and-be-seen restaurants on Alberni Street, Black + Blue is a standout. The creation of the ever-inventive and cuisine-conscious Glowbal group, Black + Blue is a contemporary take on that old American classic, the Chicago steak house. The three-story restaurant evokes a glamorous version of the dark, mirrored, romantic style of the 1940s and 1950s, with subdued lighting, banquettes and crisp linens on the tables. This is a place where they know how to make a great martini and where waiters deftly assemble Caesar salads or flaming desserts right at your table. The steaks are sublime, aged in-house and featuring only the finest and most precious cuts. If you’re in the mood for meat, Black + Blue can’t be beat.

Over the years I have enjoyed many fine meals at long-established CinCin, and I never tire of the superb quality of the food, the service, and the overall ambience. On the second floor of a building on hectic, happening Robson Street, CinCin somehow manages to be both romantically subdued and wonderfully lively, probably because all the diners are enjoying the food, the wine and the wonderfully genial atmosphere. The dining room, with its quietly rosy walls, Italian tile floor, and rustic beamed ceiling is the closest you’ll come in Vancouver to an elegant ristorante in Rome or Florence. If you want a romantic dinner for two, book a table on the terrace overlooking Robson Street. Chef Andrew Richardson shops daily for the finest local produce, seafood and meats that are used in the sophisticated, multi-regional Italian menu that makes use of a wood oven and truly understands pasta in all its incarnations. Your best bet here is the tasting menu, expertly paired with CinCin’s wonderful selection of Italian and Northwest vintages.

British-born David Hawksworth became one of Vancouver’s culinary stars when he was chef at West. When he left West, it was to start his own restaurant at the newly restored Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Winner of the 2012 and 2013 Vancouver Magazine awards for Best Restaurant and Best Chef, Hawksworth Restaurant became a foodie landmark from the day it opened in 2011. Hawksworth is a perennially inventive European-trained chef, and the contemporary Canadian menu he creates at his new locale draws from a range of Canada’s diverse culinary techniques and traditions and blends them with locally and country-wide sourced ingredients. The result is a surprising mixture of tastes and textures, everything from perfectly done Eggs Benedict and Crispy Duck Salad at weekend brunch, to seared yellowfin tuna with sweet-sour broccoli, and tandoori grilled sturgeon with crispy chickpeas as dinner entrees. The dining room is elegant but casual, and the service is great. The Cocktail Bar is a perfect spot to start your culinary adventure.