Au Comptoir is a restaurant in Vancouver you’ll never want to leave

At first glance, Au Comptoir — which means “at the counter” — looks like a traditional French bistro, but pulling up a seat at the bar in the Vancouver restaurant reveals a different story. The down-to-earth menu stays true to its West Coast roots with wild Pacific sockeye salmon, deep-fried duck wings and B.C. bison tartare. The service, too, is friendlier than a typical Parisian bistro, making you want to stay until close

Chef Daniel McGee stuffs half the pheasant breast with a chestnut farce made from ground pheasant meat, chestnuts, chives, brown butter and shallots. Savoy cabbage is sautéed in an emulsion of scratchmade vegetable stock and fresh local butter until...