Early Bird Dinners

Restaurants are favouring early bird diners this year with fabulous dinners at reasonable prices. Here are a few suggestions on where to dine and still be able to dash home in time to ring that New Year's bell. Wild Rice in Gastown has a $40 dim sum tasting menu that is available between six and 10pm and includes a glass of local bubbly, plus they have a vegan tasting menu as well. Cibo Trattoria in the Moda Hotel is offering a sumptuous five-course dinner for $65, with optional wine pairings for $35. Diva at the Metropolitan Hotel has a four-course prix fixe from 5pm to 6:30pm for $70, not including wine. Fraîche in West Vancouver has a four-course dinner at 5pm until 7pm for $75 per person, and that includes a glass of bubbly. And if you're looking for a family-friendly event, Rocky Mountain Flatbread in Kits is doing a super-early Family New Year's Eve celebration with two seatings, one at 3:30pm and another at 6pm, and it's $9.50 per person plus the cost of food off the regular menu.