Best Italian Upscale 2015

Best Italian Upscale winners of Vancouver Magazine’s 26th Annual Restaurant Awards

• Gold: Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca
• Silver: La Quercia
• Bronze: CinCin
• Honourable Mentions: Cibo Trattoria, La Pentola

 Think of it as an immovable feast: Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca will not budge from its Gold podium in this category. Chef Pino Posteraro redefined fine Italian dining in Vancouver when he opened this room in 1999, and his attention to every detail has ensured its status has never flagged. “Pino and his well-trained crew consistently deliver a top culinary adventure,” says a devoted judge, while another adds, “His food is ethereal. There is no other chef in Vancouver who puts as much labour into his dishes—he never cuts corners, never compromises, never disappoints.” La Quercia (Silver) continues to draw raves for the inspired cooking of Adam Pegg, our judges drawing special attention (as they did last year) to the $50 tasting menu—“plenty for two or even three”—and the exceptional wine list “with lots of unfamiliar names and regions.” CinCin (Bronze)—now, remarkably, in its 25th year—seems only to have grown more praiseworthy in some judges’ estimation. “In the last year, chef Andrew Richardson has restored its former crack performance,” says one. “Some of this is dedication to quality of ingredients: the burrata from Puglia, when it’s available, is so fresh you might as well be in Italy.” Honourable Mentions: Cibo Trattoria, La Pentola