By Elianna Lev, www.eliannalev.com

It’s hard for me to think back to the last time I went out for dinner and a theatre. Dinner and a movie. Sure. Dinner and drinks. All the time. But dinner and a theatre? A very rare occasion. It just seems so civilized and mature.  Which I am not.

It just so happens that Dine Out falls within the same month as Push Festival, a three week theatrical event that features some groundbreaking performances from around the world.   I was given a few dinner/show options to choose from. After careful consideration, I settled on the Irish Heather for a three course meal, followed by a show called Bonanza.

It was my first time eating (and drinking) at the new location of the Irish Heather. I walked into the wrong side of the restaurant, which was packed beyond belief. When I told them I was there for the Dine Out dinner, they escorted me to the other side of the joint, which was a lot less busy due to the fact that it consisted of just one really long table. It’s meant to inspire a boisterous dining experience, but if you want to be left alone, it’s not hard to have your own space.

The meal was hearty and to the point. I choose to have a sweet onion tart, which was a beautiful mix of textures and tastes. It was a nice savory, chewy pastry topped with smoked meat and fondue.  Our main was a house-made chicken pot pie with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes. Mine was overcooked while my guest’s was undercooked, but that didn’t stop us from eating the whole thing. Finally, for dessert, we had vanilla panna cotta with grapefruit and cookie crumble, an odd yet ambitious pairing of textures and flavours. Again, we finished the whole thing.
After dinner we walked a few short blocks to the SFU theater to catch the show. I had no idea what to expect and was thoroughly impressed. It was actually a documentary presented in a theatre with several different TVs. It follows seven residents of a tiny Colorado town called Bonanza and the trials and tribulations they deal with living in such isolation. I left the show feeling civilized, mature and satisfied by my entire evening. It certainly beat the usual dinner and drinks agenda.

Elianna Lev is a writer, broadcaster and media consultant. Though originally from Toronto, she quickly morphed into a Westcoaster after her first visit to Vancouver, eight years ago. (The mountains had her at hello.) She plans to make it her homebase,  forever.