I like
the sandbar on granville island. great food and great views and reasonably priced (entrees are $30-40).
gotham on richards is the best steakhouse in the city, not great for casual dining, but if you go you'll probably see ben stiller who allegedly eats there every night. runs about the same as the sandbar in cost.
aqua riva is great too. and you might run into gordon campbell! who wouldn't rather meet him than ben stiller? if you like sushi you have to check out top gun sushi on the new westminster quay. they have the most insane all you can eat menu. if you're a serious fan of sushi, you should check out
tojo's on west broadway. hidekazu tojo, the chef, virtually invented north american japanese cuisine. expensive though, as it's a five star.