I tend to favor Asian restaurants whenever I'm in Vancouver - the standard of Japanese and Chinese cuisine there is just so high. While the city isn't as known for its Western offerings, I will admit that the Western stuff has improved a lot in the past 15 years. There is definitely some very respectable Western-style food being cooked up there. The most famous place is probably Food Network Canada celeb Rob Feenie's Lumière, which I still haven't been tried (hopefully this will change by the new year).
Another restaurant that is leading the way is West, which won Restaurant of the Year 2005 from Vancouver Magazine. My uncle John was kind enough to take us there for a nice lunch. The restaurant is nicely designed, with lots of open space and a modern look. Racks of wine behind the bar rise to the ceiling, covering the right side of the room. The tables on the other side sit under natural light that floods in through the front window.
It was a weekday lunch, so the place wasn't too full. I loved the brightly-lit relaxed environment, but I imagine it's much different during dinner time. The menu is presented in a sort of grid format, divided into soup, salad, risotto, pasta, fish, meat, and sides. Each item is listed by its main ingredient, with a bit more description under it. It looks pretty cool, but it's a bit strange to navigate. I happened to get two things that were specials, so I apologize for the lack of description/price... 
beef tartare as served
beef tartare all mixed I started with a simple beef tartare - very tasty and well-executed. The beef was chopped fairly roughly, which I like (though not quite as chunky as Tartare). The dressing had a nice tang to it. The fancy-looking fries were actually quite good - very crispy on the outside and very rich and potato-ey on the inside. 
roasted sablefish with lemon gnocchi and cherry tomatoes Hope I'm getting the description right on this - I forgot to write it down. I found the fish to be wonderful. It was extremely tender and flaky, and almost melted in my mouth. The gnocchi were light and pillowy. The tomato sauce, though, was just too sweet. I found myself trying not to get too much on the fish, as the sweetness became overpowering. Still a very good dish though. 
white chocolate raspberry bars, chocolates filled with currant? and dipped in nuts It was lunch and we weren't feeling actual desserts, but West gave us these freebies at the end. Again, I'm blanking a bit on the descriptions. I remember the chocolate/raspberry thing to be very cold, almost like an ice cream treat, and very delicious at that. I don't remember as much about the other one, which probably means it wasn't as great.
I must say though that I was quite impressed with this meal. Throw in the fact that at lunch the apps all range from around C$10-C$16 and mains from C$18-C$21, with one topping out at C$25, it's tough to complain. The value is certainly very good. I would be keen to try dinner here, which is a bit more expensive but probably a bit more fancy too.