Dinner at Pair Bistro

Last night we were treated to dinner at Pair Bistro, a small restaurant located in Vancouver's Point Grey area. Only a very few restaurants in town have wine lists that offer only BC wines, and this is one of them.

We enjoyed the Tantalus Riesling 2006 with our starter course. We all thought there was a tangy citrus essence to it. It was light, but with enough depth that it paired well with the roasted garlic and the onion soup.

For our main course I ordered salmon, which was done perfectly. Our wine with dinner was the Township 7 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. While I would probably not normally have a full-bodied red with salmon, this wine wasn't overbearing with my meal. Last year, we were able to visit the Township 7 Vineyards (see Fauxkanagan Tour).

I really commend restaurants like Pair Bistro for having the courage to only serve BC wines. My only concern is that the restaurant markup on wine can be overwhelming. Although I realize this is just the way things are, it may discourage people from ordering wine, who may instead opt for something less expensive to accompany their meals.

While the price of wine in BC has risen over the past few years due to the small lots of many wineries, there are some on Pair Bistro's list that won't break your budget.