The First Look Inside Gastown’s Upcoming Beer-Themed “Bitter”
August 4, 2011
Operations manager Mike Mitchell and owner Sean Heather inside the construction site at 18 West Hastings
by Andrew Morrison | I was given a tour of the upcoming “Bitter” beer-themed restaurant the other day. The building that houses it on Hastings had been wrapped up in scaffolding for as long as I can remember, but it’s all been dismantled now and construction has begun in earnest. Scout broke the news of its coming back in January:
Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn, partners at Salt Tasting Room and Judas Goat, are joining forces for a third time to open a new joint called Bitter. “It’s an extension of Salt, really” says Heather, “only its a beer format instead of wine”. Beers will be had in all guises and sizes, from tiny tasters to pitchers, while the food will see fresh pretzels, weisswurst, smoked sausage, house sauerkraut, currywurst, whole smoked ham hocks, pickled onions, scotch eggs, pork pies, and more. Bitter will land on the main floor of the oddly-shaped (flat-iron-ish) building at 18 West Hastings opposite Pigeon Park, and will sport some 140 seats, two entrances (one from the street and one from the back alley), a patio in Center A’s parking lot, a 20ft diameter circular bar and finishing kitchen around which diners will sit and be served, and my favourite thing of all..a neon sign flashing the word “BITTER”.
Much of the construction is being done off-site, so right now they’re in prep stage, making everything ready for plug and play installation which will probably go down in September. When it launches toward the end of October, we can expect some 50 beers available in an atmosphere reminiscent of Vancouver’s pre-Prohibition era when the ales, lagers and bitters flowed liberally from a multitude of local breweries.
A circular bar will dominate the strangely shaped space. It will be backed by what Heather calls a “tower of beer,” meaning a working, Wonka-esque display of kegs, pressure valves and lines. Surrounding it will be wooden bench banquettes (think church pews) and walls of glass looking out onto the street and through to the white picket fence-enclosed patio (shaded by a pair of leafy trees).
True to the heritage of the building, there are mosaic floors that are in the process of being patched and restored, cool girder beams across the ancient wood-slatted ceilings and lots and lots of gnarly red brick. The back of the space, which funnels to a point like the prow of a ship (sailing toward the Pender gate to Chinatown), will see an 18 seat semi-private room with a flatscreen TV for Canucks games and, typical in Heather ventures, an alleyway entrance for take-out fare. Take a look inside below, and please forgive the shaky camera work as I just got off crutches…
ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS
Smoke Break #866: Scientists Believe Magic Mushrooms Key To Our Evolution From Apes
August 4, 2011
Oh, wait…they don’t? Clearly they haven’t watched this…(via TDW)
TAKE ANOTHER SMOKE BREAK
Seen In Vancouver #306: Reflections Duel Outside Catalog Gallery Opening On Powell
July 26, 2011
Opening night of the Justin Wright & Dan Climan dual show at Gastown’s Catalog Gallery (56 Powell Street).
Cool Thing We Want #288: Myne Sienna Summer Dress At Chinatown’s Charlie & Lee
July 22, 2011
Sienna Dress by Myne | Charlie & Lee | 223 Union St. | Chinatown | $259
I’m lusting after this laid back and flirty summer dress by LA-based Myne at Chinatown’s little Charlie & Lee shop. Accessorise with a strong mint julep and you’re pretty much good to go.
EVERY COOL THING WE WANT
Smoke Break #861: A Stunning Portrait Of India Revealed In A French Romp On Wheels
July 7, 2011
Videographer Guilhem Machenaud cruises through Bangalore, Jaipur, New Delhi and Agra with a few French riders and returns with some jaw-droppingly beautiful footage set to a wonderfully hypnotic soundtrack. Press play to improve your day…
Post-Riot Therapy: 101 Greatest Things About Life In Vancouver
June 25, 2011
by Andrew Morrison | Ever since the post-game riot nearly two weeks ago and penning my admittedly angry, totally knee jerk reaction to it (amplified in fury 10-fold by my hockey team losing the Stanley Cup), I’ve wanted to be reminded of all the things that make Vancouver worth getting into such a tizzy over in the first place.
It’s not like I forgot, but it feels good to write them down.
I’m over the loss of Game 7 (total lie), but anger nevertheless lingers at the jackasses who posed for photos on burning cop cars, beat down innocents and otherwise abused the name and reputation of this city.
Still, it’s time to move on.
It was in that spirit that my wife and I sat down with a bottle of wine after the kids went to sleep the other night and began trading our favourite things to do, see, eat, drink and be a part of in Vancouver.
We left out most of the glossy brochure fluff – the healthy walks along the seawall, the abundance of yoga studios, the vibrant multi-culturalism and so on (all great things, sure) – and narrowed down what started as a massive list to just 101 things that we could agree on.
Naturally, what follows reflects our own interests, work and personal affections (notice the heavy food component), so it’s doubtful that you’ll hold dear the exact same things. To some, our list might seem bourgeois, blinkered or bullshit, and that’s fine. These are the best things that we get out of our city, and we feel no shame in the way we fashion our good times.
So without further et cetera…
Scout’s 101 Greatest Things About Life In Vancouver
1 | The Nine O’Clock Gun
We might as well start off with a bang! It’s 9 o’clock! So sayeth Stanley Park’s 9′oclock gun:
It’s been hit by lightning, plugged with rocks, short-circuited, silenced by work stoppages and even (briefly) stolen but Vancouver’s famed old Nine O’Clock Gun has—as faithfully as circumstances have allowed—boomed out the time of day from its home in Stanley Park for 107 years now.
What other city in Canada shoots off a canon to tell you with a resounding note of insistence that it’s time to go out and have some fun?
2 | Laneway Housing
For a long time, Vancouver home owners weren’t allowed laneway housing to help pay their mortgages through renters, house aging grandparents or cloister their wayward teens thereby increasing the city’s population density. That changed in the summer of 2009 when City Council approved 70,000 properties for laneway development, thanks in no small part to the lobbying (and awesomeness) of a couple of cool and conscientious little companies that are doing it right. Honour is due.
3 | Tuesday Nights At The VAG
The Vancouver Art Gallery is free (er, by donation) on Tuesday nights. Bring a twoonie and take advantage.
4 | Bike Lanes
Hooray for not getting hit by cars (as much) anymore!
5 | Sunday Soccer at McLean Park
A diverse group of people of every age and background show up at McLean Park in Strathcona every Sunday afternoon to play a legendary – if totally casual – game of footie without nets, refs, corners, throw-ins, rules or clocks. What if it rains or snows? Big deal. Game on. Come and play! (Don’t worry about the old Korean man looking terrified above. That’s just Kip. He’s a power forward, always lurking on the wing) Read more
DINER: Chris Stewart & Andrey Durbach Open Cool Little “Commissary” Food Store
June 25, 2011
Seasoned, acclaimed restaurateurs Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach (interview), owners of La Buca, Pied-a-Terre and Cafeteria, have just opened Commissary, a rather cool-looking little shop selling “prepared foods to take home.”
It’s located at 4027 Macdonald St. – right beside La Buca. They’re selling stocks, terrines, patés, soups, sauces, stuffed pastas and basically any of the ingredients that they employ in the recipes articulated in each of their restaurant kitchens. In addition to these staples, they also table proteins (we picked up some sweet sockeye for dinner) and gastro-esoterics like truffle paste and Callebaut baking chocolate. Cuteness aside, it’s cunningly utilitarian in its functionality for both them and us, serving not just as a space and means to make and sell what they’re already doing for themselves, but also to allow us in on the action with their surplus. Clever.
ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS
“The Found And The Freed” Pop Up Shop Arrives At 206 Carrall
June 22, 2011
Like a cross between a kickass garage sale and a DIY museum exhibit, The Found and The Freed pop-up shop (brand new to Gastown) features beautiful antiques, artifacts and found objects. Check it out!
The Found and the Freed | 206 Carrall St. | Gastown | Until July 16
The Hotly Anticipated “Save On Meats” Opens Today In Gastown
June 22, 2011
Michelle took these shots at the first “friends and family” dinner service at the highly anticipated Save On Meats last night (since forever referred to colloquially as “Save On”).
The venerated, salt-of-the-earth restaurant at 43 West Hastings has taken over a year to resurrect itself under new stewardship, this after 50 years spent serving honest, prepped-in-house diner fare to every stripe of Vancouverite.
Scout broke the news of its coming with Mark Brand at the helm over a year ago and took many shots during the construction phase. Because of the building’s history and our memories of the original Save On, we’ve been especially keen. We’re thrilled to the wait come to an end. Brand – who has the lease for 20 years – assures me it’ll open to the public in 12 hours from now – that’s at noon, Wednesday, June 22nd – come “hell or high water.”
A lot of people had a hand in this project and worked very hard on it (Nico, Guy, Rodney, Jason et al, take a bow). I imagine it will be fixed as an unforgettable experience for all who dedicated their and sweat time to it. From the look of these shots, their hard toil has paid off. The photos reveal their superb job at improving on a Vancouver legend without diminishing its working class spirit and feel. And the prices on the draft menu are pretty sweet, too (nevermind the spelling, it’s just a draft). We’ll leave it at that and the imagery, without captions. The rest is to your imaginations as we fully expect that you’d like to check it out for yourselves.
We’re hardly impartial on this one. Welcome back, Save On. We hope you kill it.
ALL ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS
Awesome Thing We Ate #838: Honest Diner Feast At Hastings’ Imminent Save On Meats
June 21, 2011
Save On Meats | 43 West Hastings | Opening Imminent | More tonight
