Milestones (more info, 1109 Hamilton Street, 604-684-9111) is a trendy chain restaurant which offers a selection of westcoast and American cuisine. The downtown Vancouver Yaletown location has been recently renovated in a post-modern/minimalist style with exposed wooden ceiling beams, halogen spot lighting, comfortable cushion booth seating, a brand new sound system and wide screen televisions. Price for entrees lies in the $15 to 20 range, and the restaurant also has an extensive drink menu. Service is generally excellent: the staff are personable and attentive. I ordered the Portobello Mushroom Chicken which was an inventive dish (pictured below, $16.95) that featured chopped portobello mushrooms with chicken cooked in olive oil served over a capellini pasta.

Another visit to the Hamilton Street Grill in Yaletown (1009 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, phone 604-331-1511) and I enjoyed their daily pasta special which was a macaroni with prosciutto, leeks, shallots, and lots of cheese (pictured below, $14). More photos: view Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Black Tuna Japanese Tapas Bistro (web site, #202 – 1184 Denman Street, downtown Vancouver, phone: 604-408-7557) is quite a find for exceptional food quality, an upscale atmosphere with aesthetically pleasing decor and a great view of the English bay beach from the window. It’s an intimate dining room located on the second floor of the commercial building on Denman Street, very close to the Davie intersection. We tried the Chef’s Special Dinner Box ($29.95) which in my opinion was really worth it (some of the items are pictured below). And to accompany the food I really liked the restaurant’s choice of laid-back jazz background music.

[update Oct 14 2008: Black Tuna has closed and there is another Japanese restaurant there now.]