The Old Spaghetti Factory (New West)

You know what?  You don’t have to wait for Dine Out to get a good deal on a set menu.  The Old Spaghetti Factory has been offering up set meals with appy (minestrone soup or green salad), sourdough bread, coffee or tea, entrée, and dessert (spumoni ice cream) for years. 

Olive Garden (Langley) – Breadsticks!

Are you one of those people who watch Glee but pretend not to?  Yeah, me neither.  However, I have accidentally caught a glimpse of an episode where they were talking about a place called “BreadstiX” which apparently is a send-up on Olive Garden. 

Q4 Restaurant – Dine Out Vancouver 2013

So how long has it been since we last visited Q4?  Well, the last time we were here, it was still known as Quattro on Fourth… speaking of which, it was still located on 4th at the time.  Rebranded a few years ago, Q4 is now located about 5 blocks south from the original location but it’s still serving up tasty Italian fare.

The Old Spaghetti Factory (New West) – Date Night

Many moons ago, The Old Spaghetti Factory was the place to go to take your highschool sweetheart on a date.  Of course, at the time, there wasn’t as many options to choose from that were affordable for teenagers as there are now.  The prices at the Spaghetti Factory were (and still are) quite reasonable and includes appy, entrée, and dessert.

Roman Ristorante – Traditional Baked Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

We’ve been getting flyers in the mail for Roman Ristorante (located on Kingsway) for a long time but we’ve never been able to try them out.  The first time we tried coming here, they wound up being closed but we made sure we kept it in mind to try eventually.  The restaurant is pretty small – at most 7 tables and, when we stopped by for take-out one night, a bit chilly.

Portobello Ristorante

Portobello Ristorante is a cozy Italian restaurant run by owner and chef Joe “Pino” Milano located on West Broadway directly across from Joey Broadway.  We dropped by for dinner one night with some friends and enjoyed some of the offerings from their Special 3 Course Dinner Menu.

Neighbour’s Restaurant & Pizza House

Years ago, when I used to work on East 41st Ave, the staff would occassionally eat at Neighbour’s Restaurant on Victoria and 49th… I think we even had a branch xmas party there one year and I recall that the food tasted pretty good.  The restaurant is very much like the name implies – friendly, cozy and comforting food.

The Truffle House & Cafe – Weekend Brunch

The Truffle House & Cafe is a popular little boutique restaurant/coffee shop located in Dundarave in West Vancouver that serves a combination of French, Italian, and West Coast specialties.  There aren’t that many seats so it can get pretty busy… especially during brunch.

Amorosa Pasta House

If you’re in the mood for a ton of yummy carbs in Burnaby but don’t want to line up at Anton’s, you should try Amorosa Pasta House located on the corner of Edmonds and 6th. 

L’Artista Ristorante Italiano

L’Artista Ristorante Italiano is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in North Burnaby and looks deceptively small from the outside.  Once you enter, you can see tables that stretch deep into the back with a red brick archway that separates the front tables from a small semi-private dining area in the back.  The interior is kind of old school Italian with white and green linen table cloths and the waitresses are very friendly and outgoing.

Kinemi’s Kitchen

Kinemi’s Kitchen is located in the Crescent of Champlain  Heights.  There is a serious lack of restaurants in the immediate area with the closest take-out usually either at Champlain Mall, Kingsway, or the Metrotown area.  Unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants either don’t stay very long or move to other locations.

Previously, this particular location was the site of a number of different pizza restaurants.  While walking past the area last week, I noticed that a new restaurant had just opened up.  As a matter of fact, their grand opening isn’t until tomorrow.