Botanist's Día de los Muertos Dinner Returns Nov. 1

Who's cooking, and what's on the plate

The kitchen lineup is the draw. Botanist's own event page names executive chef Amanda Healey and executive pastry chef Chad Yamagata, reunited with chef Hector Laguna (a former Botanist executive chef, per Scout), plus chef Maria Ponce of Chupito. That's four chefs agreeing on one menu, which is more than most couples manage when picking a restaurant. The menu showcases locally foraged and fished ingredients, with sablefish and wagyu named, and the cocktail pairing comes from Tadia Rosen of Chupito and the Botanist Bar team, with the booking page adding Mexico City's Form + Matter.

Día de los Muertos is a day for remembering people who have died, so this is marigolds and candlelight rather than plastic skeletons. If there's a grandparent whose cooking you still talk about, a long dinner built around remembering is a good place to tell your date about them.

Price, times and the pairing question

The OpenTable booking page lists the dinner at $189 per person, prepaid, with seatings from 6pm, and Botanist's page runs the evening from 6pm to 10pm at 1038 Canada Place. One detail doesn't line up: Scout describes the cocktail pairings as included, while Botanist's page and the booking page both list a cocktail pairing or a wine pairing as an $89 add-on. We'd budget by the booking page, since it's the one that takes payment. For two people, that's $378 before tax and tip, or $556 with a pairing each.

Is it worth it for a date?

For an anniversary or a we-should-do-something-special night, yes. A Halloween costume is a lot of glue gun for one photo; this only asks you to show up hungry and maybe iron a shirt. It's a one-night menu with more personality than a standard tasting, and choosing the pairing before you arrive spares anyone doing math at the table.

If it were us, we'd book the 6pm seating, take one pairing each, and finish with a slow walk along the Coal Harbour waterfront outside. Want a second act? Scout reports the Chupito and Form + Matter teams take over the Fairmont's Lobby Lounge and RawBar on Monday, November 2, for drinks, music and entertainment. And if November 1 doesn't work, the same booking page lists Botanist's regular tasting menu at $180 per person. Let Halloween keep the fog machine; November 1 gets the better table.