Stephane Istel, chef de cuisine at DB Bistro Moderne, with the acclaimed restaurant’s elevated take on the picnic meal — a classy accompaniment to the upcoming Celebration of Light fireworks festival. (Sorry, wine not included.)

Credit: Doug Shanks

ON THE PLATE: Food + fireworks = summertime fun

Throughout my previous career as a waiter, I never looked forward to the annual Celebration of Light fireworks festival. After a few seasons spent suffering the crowds that would invade the restaurant where I worked (which has a great view), I clued in to the fact that our regular customers avoided dining with us on those four nights each year when teams from around the world would pyrotechnically ejaculate their national fervour into the sky above English Bay. Why? Maybe it was because the fairweather diners who went out of their way to make long-in-advance reservations for those nights were generally cheap, pushy, and of the tendency to pitch a tent at their table and camp out, metaphorically speaking. After ordering ice water and the cheapest item on the menu (a bowl of soup, perhaps), they would stick around after their meal so as to catch the fireworks. We would do our best to accommodate the late reservations assigned to the campers’ tables, but there’s only so much you can do in those situations. Hostesses would be reduced to tears, management types would cower, and veteran servers would hunker down and mutter “It’s not my problem”.

When news came this past February that the Celebration of Light had been cancelled due to a lack of funding, I would have done a little dance for my former colleagues in the trade had I not known that Vancouver restaurants can really use the money that the fireworks usually guarantee; the recession was — and still is — hitting many local dining rooms hard. This was not good news. Luckily, though, the required cash was secured a month later, and the four-night event (July 22, 25, 29, and August 1) was back on the menu.

As far as dining on these nights goes, here are some options that you might not have considered, but should. And better still, they’re totally portable.

DB BISTRO MODERNE
2551 West Broadway, 604-739-7115, DBBistro.ca
DB Bistro Moderne, superstar chef Daniel Boulud’s acclaimed successor to Feenie’s, has come up with what may be the foodie’s best fireworks solution, which it calls the “French to Go Beach Box.” For $20 per person, they put together two different picnic combinations. The first includes either gazpacho or salad; sandwiches of either sauccisons sel (salt sausage) and cornichons, jambon buerre (French ham) in crispy baguette, or country duck pâté with Orleans mustard; and your choice of fresh fruit or tart. The second comes with either pâté en croûte or country duck pâté; grilled pesto chicken panini stuffed with mozzarella and arugula, or crab-cake sandwich spread with sauce remoulade, butter lettuce and tomato; and your choice of fresh fruit or tart. (For an extra $5, they’ll throw in some cheese). Once you’ve got your kit together, the little beach in front of the Jericho Sailing Club isn’t too far away.

MODERNE BURGER
2507 West Broadway, 604-739-0005, ModerneBurger.ca
Just a few doors down from DB Bistro is the legendary Moderne Burger. Made fresh several times a day from 100-per-cent beef (no additives, preservatives, or fillers), these are without a doubt some of the best burgers in town. Go basic with lettuce, tomato, onion, and house-made special sauce for $10.95 (with good fries that travel better than most), or load it up with extras like bacon, Swiss, cheddar, or mushrooms for $1.25 each.

JAPADOG
Corner of Smithe & Burrard, corner of Pender & Burrard, 480 Broughton; Japadog.com
What’s not to like about Japadog, the ridiculously popular Japanese-themed hot-dog stands? There are now two cart locations in downtown Vancouver, and one in the Coal Harbour Community Centre. The line-ups at the carts might be insufferable at peak times (and fireworks evening will be peak times, cubed). But anyone who has ever scarfed a Korokke dog (all-beef sausage with mashed potato, cabbage, mayo, and yoshoku sauce; $6) or a Kurobuta Terimayo dog (all-natural Berkshire pork sausage with teriyaki mayo; $6.25) knows the line moves quickly (everyone is desperate) and the payoff is huge.

RAINCITY GRILL
1193 Denman, 604-685-7337, RaincityGrill.com
If none of the above ideas are appealing and you have your heart set on being right where the action is at English Bay, consider the early-bird option at Raincity Grill: a pre-fireworks in-and-out dinner available between 5 and 6 p.m. It’s just $30 for three courses, and, once sated, you’re just a stone’s throw from the beach. Bonus: Should you get hungry again, have your mate/buddy/spouse mind your blanket while you dash back to the restaurant, where you can purchase superb fish and chips from a street-side take-out window until at least 9 p.m.

FRAÎCHE RESTAURANT
2240 Chippendale Rd, West Vancouver, 604-925-7595, FraicheRestaurant.ca
If picnics and crowds aren’t your thing, there’s one fireworks dining option that soars above the rest. West Vancouver’s Fraîche, named one of the Top 10 new restaurants in the country last year by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine, boasts a breathtaking view of Vancouver that includes the full sweep of English Bay and all of Burrard Inlet. The fireworks might look like multi-coloured dwarf matches being intermittently lit over a far-away puddle, but if a measure of quiet is what you want as you watch, look and listen no further.