Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill

Vancouver’s Restaurant of the Year Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Seen right: Chef/Owner Pino Posteraro
Photography by Bruce Law.

What more can be said about Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill that hasn’t been said already? Except that it’s all true. Pino Posteraro’s award winning room is Vancouver’s reigning heavyweight champion of fine dining. Winner for Best Formal Italian at Vancouver magazine’s annual Restaurant Awards an unprecedented 7 years in a row, Pino has been recognized as Chef of the Year, a gold medalist at the Canadian Culinary Championships and his cookbook A Lifetime of Excellence in the Kitchen has become a runaway bestseller. He’s been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, has cooked privately for such luminaries as Bill Clinton and Jennifer Aniston and has Zagat proclaiming ‘this is as good as Italian gets’. This past year, Cioppino’s capped its 10th anniversary in grand fashion, capturing Vancouver magazine’s coveted Restaurant of the Year award.

Pino’s approach to Italian cuisine is in a class by itself. Perhaps the best at imbuing traditional technique with his own sensibilities, Pino is a master at extracting every ounce of flavour from fresh seasonal ingredients. Dishes like garganelli alla Norcina with wild boar sausage and preserved summer truffles and spit roasted duck with leg confit in savoury citrus sauce belie a remarkably keen eye and deft hand. Pino is also a fastidious micromanager who eats, sleeps and breathes his restaurant. When he’s not in the kitchen preparing breathtaking tasting menus created a la minute, you’ll find him strolling through the dining room pressing the flesh with his delighted guests. Just recently, Pino was inducted into the Italian Cultural Center’s Hall of Fame for his tireless efforts.

This vibrant Yaletown destination, with its dramatic open kitchen, sumptuous private rooms, deep wine cellar and intuitive service, sets the standard for Vancouver restaurants. Charmingly captained by his brother Celestino, restaurant chef Cristiano Posteraro and sommelier Massimo Piscopo, Cioppino’s is frequently home to corporate power players, Vancouver Canucks (Roberto Luongo is a particularly fond of Pino’s Atlantic lobster linguine), canoodling couples and chefs seeking inspiration. No trip to Vancouver is complete without a visit to this world-class dining room. “I am only interested in the perfect experience,” insists Pino. “We’re not just running a restaurant – we’re sharing our culture with people. Great food should represent its roots. I firmly believe it is our authenticity that makes us successful.”

Menu Highlights

APPETIZERS

Prosciutto di Parma and marinated Calabrese olives

Grilled tender Pacific octopus with Tuscan beans

Baby lettuce and mixed herb salad, pear, Stilton, honey and lemon dressing

Caprese of Roma tomatoes and Italian “mozzarella di bufala”

Qualicum Beach diver scallops with barley risotto and Romesco

ENTRÉES

Pappardelle with 4-hour-braised veal cheeks and porcini mushrooms

Garganelli with Dungeness crab

Linguine with half lobster, light tomato-cream-lobster sauce

Cioppino of medley of fish and seafood, spicy bouillabaisse broth

Veal “ossobuco” alla Milanese with saffron risotto

Pork tenderloin simply marinated with maple syrup, citrus and herbs

Roasted rack of lamb, mint and 10 year old Sherry vinegar gastrique

Duck…Duck… Spit-roasted breast, its leg confit, savoury orange sauce

DESSERT

Warm “soft heart” chocolate cake with vanilla custard and ice cream

Classic lemon tart with Italian meringue

Banana, chocolate and caramel, wrapped with Phyllo pastry, served with banana ice cream

In-housemade sherbert with biscotti

Maple Syrup crème brûle

Best of the Cellar

Cioppino’s has more than 2200 wines currently on the wine list and a large selection of ports, madeiras cognacs and malt whiskies for your after-dining pleasure, including Cioppino’s own private label special cuvée “Donna Paola” red wine.

The best of the best from every country

Pictured above: Qualicum beach diver scallops with barley risotto and Romesco.

CIOPPINO'S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL
1133 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC
604-688-7466

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