There are so many restaurants out there that to dwell on the loss of one feels foolish and indulgent. And yet so many of us are indulgent fools. Here are five long gone eateries with powerful echoes. Which is loudest?

Lumiere | 2551 West Broadway | Closed in 2007 | The wildly creative and successful Rob Feenie era at Lumiere (2001-2007) had a unique magic to it that just couldn’t be fully reconciled with the Iron Chef out of the picture. Home to some of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had.

Lucy Mae Brown | 862 Richards St. | Closed 2008 | This restaurant (complete with downstairs “Opium Den”) exploded on the scene in 2001 not only as a den of total debauchery but also as a springboard of sorts for the careers of several of the city’s young serial restaurateurs. Its heyday gnaws indulgently on our memories.

Boneta | orig. 1 West Cordova St. | Closed 2013 | A casual, colourful, capable opus from Neil Ingram (now at Pidgin) and Mark Brand, the bar of which operated – effectively – as a watering hole/office for Gastown’s then emerging food and beverage scene. And that poutine! Left a hole that has yet to be filled.

Aurora Bistro | 2240 Main St. | Closed 2008 | A G-wording locavore bistro owned by chef Jeff Van Geest. Its Main & Kingsway location made it somewhat daring in 2003, but the bigger leap/legacy was the all-BC wine list managed by (now Georgia Straight wine writer) Kurtis Kolt. Listed in the Lexicon.

Gastropod | 1938 West 4th Ave | Closed 2009 | Just a month before he opened Maenam, chef Angus An was closing his first effort in the same Kits location, a modern French-meets-BC eatery called Gastropod. Co-owned and aesthetically under-written by artist Ken Lum, it was as pretty as it was ahead of its time.

Shortlisted: Fuel, Corner Suite, Ensemble, Raintree, Sea Monstr Sushi, Feenie’s, Lucky Diner, La Ghianda, Fat Dragon. Tell us on Twitter: #RIPeatsYVR.