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Last week, I had a festive lunch with a couple of dear friends at Café Il Nido. The food was scrumptious, the conversation was scintillating and we were all having a jolly good time - until they asked about my next column.

I haven't had the best of luck with new restaurants lately and was dreading the thought of having to write a negative review for Christmas Eve. I'm honestly not a Grinch at heart.

"Why don't you write about this place?" one of my girlfriends suggested.

Indeed, why not? Whenever people discover what I do for a living, they almost always ask about my favourite restaurants. So in the spirit of giving, here's my oft-recited list of Vancouver's tried and true.

BACCHUS RESTAURANT

"What's the most romantic restaurant in Vancouver?" I hear that request all the time. You really can't go wrong at this voluptuous, velvet-draped love den, especially at this time of the year when the fireplace is crackling and the Christmas lights are twinkling. Chef Lee Parsons, who trained under Raymond Blanc at London's esteemed Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, is cooking some of the finest full-bodied French food in the city: 845 Hornby St. (in the Wedgewood Hotel); 604-689-7777

CAFÉ IL NIDO

This hidden gem (tucked below the Manhattan Apartments, behind Starbucks) is perfect for girly get-togethers and intimate tête-à-têtes. The cozy, low-ceilinged room is unpretentious and owner Franco Felice is utterly charming. The simple trattoria cooking won't blow you away, but it's dependable, authentic and decently priced. In warmer weather, the courtyard patio is a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city: 780 Thurlow St.; 604-685-6436

CHOW

I love everything about this restaurant. The room, with its white drywall and polished concrete, is chic and modern. The cocktails are to-die-for delicious. The service is down-to-earth. The food is locally sourced, mostly organic and all very high quality (think heritage-breed Berkshire Pork from Sloping Hill Farm or sunflower-seed-fed ducks from Polderside Farms). Chef Jean-Christophe Poirier lends a Quebec-style heartiness to regional West Coast cuisine and a finesse that's quite astonishing for mid-priced small plates: 3121 Granville St.; 604-608-2469

CIOPPINO'S

MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

This bustling Yaletown warehouse conversion, perfect for splashy special occasions, has big-city ambience, oodles of celebrity clients and one of the best wine lists in the country. The Tuscan grilled meats and light-bodied seafood pastas are outstanding. And contrary to popular belief, the menu offers excellent value. I tested most of the recipes in Pino Posteraro's cookbook last year. His famous veal-cheek pappardelle, slowly roasted in a luscious brown stock, took me almost three days to prepare. In the restaurant, a bowl only costs $25: 1133 Hamilton St.; 604-688-7466

GASTROPOD

When I ate the legendary bacon-and-egg-flavoured ice cream at Heston Blumenthal's world-famous Fat Duck restaurant last summer, I thought it tasted like bacon-flavoured Drano - interesting, but not very appetizing and obviously chemically derived. When I tasted Angus An's bacon-infused ice milk at Gastropod the next month, I thought it tasted like a creamy gelato infused with double-smoked bacon and licked with a dark hit of molasses - interesting, yet natural and unexpectedly delicious. Mr. An is, bar none, the most innovative chef in Vancouver. He dabbles in molecular techniques, but never at the expense of flavour: 1938 West 4th Ave.; 604-730-5579

GO FISH

It's just an outdoor shack at the foot of the Fisherman's Wharf. But this unassuming takeout shop serves the freshest, tastiest tempura-battered fish and chips in the city - in addition to awesome daily soups, simple grilled fish nestled on huge mounds of greens, spicy wild salmon tacos, and plump oyster po' boy sandwiches on soft Portuguese buns. Why can't someone do something like this indoors? 1504 West 1st Ave.; 604-730-5040

RANGOLI

Everyone loves Vij's, but who wants to line up in the hour-long queues? The food at its sister restaurant next door isn't quite so refined, and the décor is a lot less sumptuous: Rangoli is a casual diner with a takeout counter, where you can also buy boil-in-the-bag packaged meals. But the food is prepared with the same blends of freshly roasted spices, house-made yogurts and local fish and meats that make Vij's one of the best modern Indian restaurants in the world; 1488 West 11th Ave., Vancouver. 604-736-5711

Next week, we will look at the best Chinese restaurants and sushi joints in the city, which deserve a list of their own.

Have a great holiday.

*****

Side dish

Still don't have plans for New Year's Eve? Search for deals through OpenTable.com, a reservation site that allows you to peruse menus, search by neighbourhood, name or cuisine, and check up-to-the minute availability. Here are a few other specials worth checking out:

COMPASSIONATE JAZZ

At Bistrot Bistro, jazz duo Rebecca Jenkins and Joel Bakan will serenade diners at two seatings (6 and 9 p.m.). The four-course menu costs $75, but will be free for one hard-working couple who deserve a night out. Customers are encouraged to make their nominations by Dec. 26: 1961 West 4th Ave.; 604-732-0004

NO FRILLS

The Irish Heather will simply be opening its doors. No cover charge, no mandatory meal and no free fizzy drinks. From now until New Year's Eve, 25 cents from every pint of Guinness sold will be donated to the Vancouver Food Bank: 210 Carrall St.;

604-688-9779

NO RESERVATION REQUIRED

Trattoria Italian Kitchen will be offering a special meat and fish platter in addition to its regular value-priced menu, along with complimentary champagne and canapés at midnight: 1850 West 4th Ave.; 604-732-1441

SIX FOR SIXTY

Hamilton Street Grill is featuring a hearty six-course dinner with six wines for $60 a person: 1009 Hamilton St.; 604-331-1511

PARIS LOUNGE

"Be Fabulous" is the theme of the Opus Hotel's glittery soiree, organized by independent party promoter the JetSet Crew ($125). The musical lineup - DJ Leanne, DJ Dickey Doo and percussionist Zuzu - sounds funky. But the five-course menu at Elixir Restaurant ($75) featuring Belvenie double-wood single-malt scotch beef tenderloin sounds even better: 350 Davie St.; 604-642-0557

Alexandra Gill