Da Gino Ristorante Italia (475 West Georgia St, phone (778) 371-7355) is a welcoming Italian restaurant across the street from the Vancouver Main Library downtown. The pristine white tablecloths, wine glasses, and suit-attired servers gave me the impression that this is a “fine dining restaurant” but looking at the prices I was pleasantly surprised. For lunch, entrees were in the $10 – 14 range, and for dinner I think they aren’t much more. I really enjoyed my clam linguini (which had another, fancier Italian name which I can’t remember). Clams were served in their shells on a bed of perfectly al-dente pasta. Yum!

Browns Restaurant Bar (restaurant web site) 1165 Mainland Street, Vancouver, phone (604) 696-9335, is a casual and fun restaurant in Yaletown, an upscale dining neighborhood in Vancouver. Keep tabs on your favorite sports teams on the flatscreen TV’s while enjoying a California-style burger, or even a fancy entree. I really enjoyed my Pan Seared Halibut (pictured below), which was lightly blackened and served with a delicious “citrus risotto cake”. Its price varies according to market, but was around $22.

The Real Canadian Superstore is one of the most cost-effective places to shop for groceries in Vancouver. Prices are consistently lower than most other grocery stores, and there is a large selection of items. The Superstore at 3185 Grandview Highway is conveniently located close to the Rupert Skytrain station.

Shown below is my dinner, with ingredients bought from Superstore. It’s a quick meal of boiled/fried perogies with onions and a cheese sauce, served with boiled vegetables.