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West Broadway Icons “Lumiere” And “DB Bistro Moderne” To Close On March 13th

We’re sorry to break the news that the owners of Lumiere and DB Bistro have given their staff two weeks notice and that the two restaurants will be closing on March 13th.

I recently wrote somewhere – either here or in a paper or magazine – that there would be plenty of restaurant casualties in 2011, but I assumed – wrongly as it turns out – that Daniel Boulud’s two Canadian outposts would weather the storm. Why? Because protecting and projecting the viability of a growing global brand is smart, and closing after just two years…well, it just looks ugly.

I’m not usually in the business of speculating, but I wonder if Boulud’s management fees didn’t prove to be too big a pill for the local finance –  The Sidoos – to swallow. It would be especially hard if it was all of the two restaurants’ profits. It’s not a secret that neither restaurant was all that busy, so if all the cream – if ever there was any – was going to an absentee charmer in New York, what’s the point, right? Perhaps the Sidoo’s just said “fuck this” and decided to play their restaurant game elsewhere. I know I would, especially if it had become clear that the Boulud brand wasn’t taking in Vancouver as well as…say…Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s at Market in the Shangri-La. So if David and Manjy Sidoo announce plans for a new restaurant in a better location once the dust of this debacle settles, I won’t be surprised.

As far as causation is concerned, I’ll treat this as further evidence that Vancouverites aren’t dining the way they did five years ago, let alone two years ago (when these two failed restaurants opened). What we used to consider fine dining isn’t effectively dead, but it certainly appears to be endangered. Lumiere isn’t the first restaurant of the elevated plane to shutter this winter, and I doubt it will be the last.

In any event, the big mystery now is the staff. Both restaurants had seriously good crews, from FOH to BOH. Where will chefs Dale Mackay and Nathan Guggenheimer end up? What about pastry goddess Celeste Mah and front man Chris Gonzalez? I suppose all that info will come in time…

Scout shots from happier times after the jump…

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There are 21 comments

  1. Lumiere and bistro lumiere-lite might have failed as business entities but they succeeded in attracting acclaimed recognition from connoisseurs world-wide; particularly in the early years and played a critical role in elevating fine dining standards in Vancouver to this day. The fact that clients no longer needed to beat a path there for fine food and service but rather began to discover comparable options in their own neighbourhoods sadly sowed the seeds of their meagre harvest. Still; a debt of gratitude is owed, an industry honorarium of sorts, might I suggest a tribute at this years Vancouver Magazine Award.

  2. It’s too bad that the restaurant industry is suffering and we are losing some Vancouver institutions along the way. During these lean times I find that I’m less willing to experiment and am going to places that I am sure provide solid value. It doesn’t always mean spending less when I do go out, but it does mean going out less. I don’t think I’m alone in this boat. I personally think that in order to survive after being dealt the triple blow combo of HST, new liquor laws, and an economic downturn, restaurants will have to over-deliver to keep customers in their seats. While times are tough, these are also the circumstances that provide great opportunities for new restaurants to really shine. I would rather see everyone prosper, but that is not a reality right now. It will be interesting to see who comes out of this time ahead and who is left by the wayside.

  3. I had all but forgotten about these two restaurants to be honest. They had little in the way of any PR in recent years and being that far out of the downtown core PR is required. Lumiere had a great and loyal following when it was run by chef Rob Feenie and when the Sidoos took over and kicked him out for an absentee chef I suspect there were many that felt it was a sell out and un-authentic after that. You have to remember Rob’s personality was a big part of why people went there, and it did feel kind of like a bloodless coup by the owners. Jean-Georges is the hot new ticket these days and it has the dense population of the downtown crowd to support it. You have to hand it to Rob Feenie, for all his lack of finical sense he had the uncanny the ability to cook great food and generate a lot buzz and PR in the day.

  4. Best of luck to the staff of db and Lumiere, although with talent like that I will not be too concerned! Thank you for all the wonderful times with Chef Stephane Istel, Dale Mackay & Nathan Guggenheimer. The food was always outstanding! Can’t wait to see what comes next!…

  5. The food at DB Bistro is inconsistent and over the past year average at best. The service has always been decidedly subpar, with the rare exception. The standouts are the bar and the decor. The pretentiousness of Lumiere always felt out of step with the current dining scene in Vancouver (Hawksworth looks poised to fill the gap soon to be left by its closure), but to a person everyone I know that dined at Lumiere complained about the AGGRESSIVE upselling. A very big turnoff.

    I don’t mourn their closure; rather I mourn the fact that the association of these restaurants with a much-lauded celebrity chef evidently meant little in the way of service staff training and instilling the need to use better quality ingredients. A buoyant marketplace covers a multitude of sins, but like the shoreline at low tide tougher economic times expose all the fetid stuff below the surface.

  6. Greetings from an Alpha City:

    The reason why your restaurants are closing in Vancouver is very simple: Vancouver is a beta city, a second tier burg, exerting almost no influence in global commerce. What keeps restaurants in Alpha cities thriving, is a steady diet of expense account dining, deal making dinners, as well as healthy eating out culture. This cannot happen in Vancouver, because there are almost no large companies in Vancouver, mostly small one man operations, that do not produce significant profits beyond the amounts needed to sustain the principal. The young affluent working population that dines out is just not in Vancouver, but can be found in almost any Alpha City. Just go out ANY night of the week in London, NYC, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Shanghai, and you will understand this crucial difference. Best of Luck!

  7. I have a lot of sympathy for the people who are now out of work, good luck to them.

    As far as Daniel Bouloud and the local owner not so much.

  8. Given that Bottom Line’s profile links to a content farm, can we assume he’s just trolling?

  9. Bottom Line: while Vancouver may not be London, Paris, etc., it most certainly has a thriving “eating out” culture. There are a plethora of urban core restaurants serving the “young affluent working population” and with the bounty of first rate ingredients so readily available an excellent meal can be had for a moderate price.

    I, like many regular restaurant goers I know, had big hopes for what an accomplished chef like Daniel Boulud might bring to the local scene, but inconsistent food, sometimes poor quality ingredients and subpar service were the reason for these restaurants’ demise, not the lack of expense account diners. I’ve eaten at some of the most popular restaurants in NYC, London, Paris, etc., and frankly had okay meals at withering prices with indifferent service that invariably left me scratching my head wondering what all the hype was about.

    If your comment is intended to convey the opinion that in cities where there are an abundance of expense account diners even mediocre restaurants can survive, then it would be tough to disagree with that.

  10. That poll is a tacky, tad-insensitive look. Best of luck to the staff that are losing their jobs. Here’s to a quick recovery.

  11. This is unfortunate, and while I could wax poetic about why these restaurants might be closing, it would be nothing more than speculation.

    One might assume that they are victims of a slowed economy – this is a higher end spend, and maybe people aren’t spending as much as they once were?

  12. Fine dining in Vancouver is neither dead not dying simply because DB and Lumiere are gone. Bishop’s, also in Kisilano, is a long-standing example of getting the recipe right with a positive reception from locals over many years. John Bishop serves excellent local food in a refined setting with great service and people respond. Vancouverites want genuine quality in their restaurant choices and neither DB nor Lumiere delivered in the quietly confident manner which will ensure John Bishop’s continued success.

  13. So sad…. For the owners / partners, for Dale and Nathan, the excellent staff – but first and utmost for David Seedoo who had the guts to invest in a village town like Vancouver. Unfortunately, Vancouver is a small village. It’s not about the location of the restaurants. It’s about how everything “fine” can’t succeed in this “city”! either it’s fine dining, fine wines, fine performing arts – anything to do with “fine”. Just a quick look at Daniel’s super successful establishments in other places, Inc. New York, London….. Where people are lining up for a reservation at $400 per person and adore and respect what they are getting for that!
    I’ve been to Lumier and DB numerous times. For me these are the two best restaurants of it’s kind in Vancouver. And I’m so sad.

  14. Eli. First, maybe you should spell his name correctly SIDOO.

    I find it hilarious when people like yourself, think that we give a rat’s ass what the rest of the world thinks about how we appear to them. You didn’t say that but your tone implies it. DB Bistro wasn’t any better then a half dozen French Bistros in town that have local chefs and charge 25% less for food and 50% less for wine.

    I’m not sure what you think fine wine is but there is a large group of people who enjoy a great bottle or 3 with dinner and lunch and I count myself amongst them. I don’t think living in Vancouver somehow limits that.

    As for the arts, Vancouver has a great deal to be proud of at the grassroots level and have no reason to think that it’s not “fine”. BTW when you say fine art, I think of numbered prints for sale at places like Kimprints.

    I agree with Ms Vaginablaster.

  15. I loved the food at the 2009 dine-out at DB Bistro and went back once in March 2010. Since then the entrees never really appealed. However the desserts were phenomenal.

    I didn’t enjoy the crowded seating arrangement and knowing a camera was watching tables didn’t gel with me either. I like to have a bit of time in between each course, not to have the entree arrive immediately after my appetizer. And what was up with the suits briskly moving through the restaurant – sure was a distraction. Overall, I thought the service detracted from my 2009 experience.

  16. having not yet tried out db bistro and upon hearing the news of its imminent closure, myself and 3 friends recently decided to try it out.

    the best part was our pre-seating cocktail where i observed our barman (using those little personal steel cocktail shakers) crafting a cosmo for a table. he did the usual bartender’s quality check, only instead of a straw he took the little cap off, poured himself a taste, sipped it out of the cap, decided it needed more citrus, re-applied the same cap, and began shaking away again. another capful for another quality check, another sip, and this time being unsure he decided to bring in a co-bartender for a second opinion. she took a sip from the cap and thankfully they both seemed satisfied with the drink’s merit as it was placed on a server’s tray avoiding further contamination.
    i can’t decide which is more troubling for me: the complete disregard for food safety or the difficulty level of making a vodka drink with 4 ingredients.