DINER: Taking A Sneak Peek At Trevor Bird’s Farm To Table “Fable” Concept In Kitsilano

by Andrew Morrison | Researching for a newspaper story yesterday, I took a look inside Top Chef contender Trevor Bird’s restaurant, Fable, which is nearing completion this week at 1944 West 4th Ave (formerly Refuel). I’ll have lots to say about it in next week’s Westender, so suffice it here to say that the 62 seat Fable will see a farm-to-table concept that will play on Canadian nostalgia, a whole lot of preserving/canning, and a design that has adapted well to what Refuel left behind. Soft opening is scheduled for next week.

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DINER: New Q4 Ristorante Taking Shape Inside Broadway’s Old DB Bistro & Lumiere

by Andrew Morrison | I took a little walk-through of the old DB Bistro/Lumiere space at 2551 West Broadway yesterday with its new tenant, Patrick Corsi (we announced that he and partner Alex Tsakumis had picked up the space last month). A couple of things to note. First, the DB Bistro side: Corsi and Tsakumis are making it a revamped version of Kitsilano’s popular Q4 – which is to say rustic Italian with approachable price points – and hope to launch it at the end of the first week of May. The original restaurant on West 4th will permanently close toward the end of this month after some 17 years of operation. While they haven’t ruled out retaining the space for something else, I’m not holding out hope. Original Q4 fans can rest easy: though the menu will get an update from chef Bradford Ellis (who wouldn’t want to play with these amazing kitchens!), it didn’t sound to me like the food concept was going to be fundamentally altered.

They’ve already redone the floors in the dining room, torn out DB’s iconic leather paneling, painted the walls and done lots besides, but the bones remain largely the same (eg. the patio, pillars, two big banquettes, private room, kitchen, bar). I’ve seen renderings of the aesthetic (mixed in with the gallery below), but we’ll have to wait until more has been done to get a better idea as to the overall look. Lunch and dinner will be served 7 days a week, and Saturday/Sunday brunches are a go.

As for the Lumiere side of the operation, I can’t reveal who is taking over just yet (we’ve been asked not to because it’s not yet set in stone). We will say, however, that if it all works out as per the current plan, it won’t be the wine bar that Tsakumis and Corsi were originally planning. They will instead be partnering up with another restaurateur who will be doing a London-style cocktail lounge with food being served from Q4′s kitchen (the impressive Lumiere kitchen will pull double duty as a commissary for a retail line of Q4 food products and for private functions). One thing of particular note is that there will be a broad, diner-level window between the two spaces, so one will presumably be oft-tempted to look a how the grass is growing on the other side.

Have a gander at what I saw yesterday in the shots below. It certainly was a little odd seeing the carcasses of DB Bistro and Lumiere laid so prostrate and bare, and it was definitely sad to hear that the original Q4 (aka Quattro on Fourth) is a goner, but such – I suppose – is the nature of storied addresses and restaurant reincarnations. We’ll have more soon.

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DINER: Pape & Iranzad Pick Up Ex-West Chef David Gunawan For New “Wildebeest”

by Andrew Morrison | Early last month we revealed that restaurateurs James Iranzad (Cartel, Abigail’s Party) and Josh Pape (The Diamond) had secured 120 West Hastings with plans for a new joint arriving in 2012. There was no name or chef at that point (they’d only just signed the lease), so the news was “info-light”. In this week’s copy of the Westender, I have written a piece on the place, revealing a whole bunch of details, including a glance askance at the first menu and cocktail list drafts (mmm, bacon bitters). The paper doesn’t come out until Wednesday, so until then, here are the Cliff notes… Read more

DINER: Josh Pape And James Iranzad To Open 115 Seat Restaurant On Hastings

by Andrew Morrison | Good news, gluttony fans. Local restaurateurs James Iranzad (Abigail’s Party, Cartel) and Josh Pape (former Bartender of the Year, co-owner of The Diamond) have picked up the voluminous, 2,400 sqft space at 120 Hastings across from the Woodwards complex with plans for turning it into a new restaurant and bar by February 2012. They’ve only just signed the lease on the newly renovated (read: empty) location, but trades have nevertheless made their assessments and the keys are in hand. The board is set. The pieces are moving. I can’t wait for this one. Read more

DINER: Chef Dale Mackay Of “Ensemble” To Open Big New Pub Downtown This Winter

by Andrew Morrison | I’ve had to sit on this news through its rumour stage – that Dale Mackay, owner/chef of Ensemble and recent Top Chef Canada victor, was opening a second restaurant this December just a block or so from his Thurlow St. address – but Mackay confirmed to me this morning that it is definitely in the works for December. I can’t say exactly where just yet, nor can I tell you the name (it’s still being registered), but the concept sounds like a BBQ and beer-heavy pub that will serve the kind of fare that you’d normally associate with the milieu (nachos, burgers, bangers, pot pies, etc) only elevated to a level where just about everything is made in house from scratch and by hand. It’ll be sports heavy, too, with some fifteen 45″ flat screen TVs. Helming the kitchen will be chef de cuisine Bradley Hendrickson (now at Ensemble), with former DB Bistro sous chefs Alex Amos (recently Mission Hill) and Greg Reid (recently Quail’s Gate) in support. There will be a 40 foot bar of reclaimed wood to tend, and another 80 seats in an expansive dining room (with mezzanine). Running the show will be current Ensemble barman Christopher Cho, with operations back-up from the lovely and talented Ali Maher, formerly the maitre’d at DB Bistro. More soon.

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The First Look Inside Gastown’s Upcoming Beer-Themed “Bitter”

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…

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DINER: “Edible Canada” Launches With New Store And Sweet Bistro On Granville Island

Granville Island just got a hell of a lot better with the new Edible Canada complex that opened its doors yesterday. In addition to the new retail store, the bistro really is something to behold. There are some 86 seats inside with another 102 on the expansive patio. We dig the take-out window, lengthy bar and open kitchen, as well as the demonstration kitchen in the glassed-in private room (complete with roll down garage door). Owner Eric Pateman has curated a seriously impressive assortment of local ingredients and home-grown booze for the menu (take a bow, mister). As per usual with this brand, if its made in BC and of a high quality, Eric is very probably pimping it. Take a look and have a proper drool…

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“NOVO” Set To Bring Neapolitan Pizza To Kitsilano This August

by Andrew Morrison | It seemed like not that long ago I was a serial complainer about the lack of high quality, authentic pizza in Vancouver. Thanks to recent injections by the likes of Nook, Campagnolo and Nicli Antica Pizzeria, the bar has been raised, and I’ll be the last to complain whenever news comes that yet another option is one way.

NOVO Pizzeria & Wine Bar is coming to 2118 Burrard Street, just off West 6th next to Fifth Avenue Cinemas (formerly the Indendio West location). The 88 seater will boast over 2,000 sqft of indoor space with another 34 seats on a south facing patio. As you can see from the photos below, there’s still plenty of work to be done, but we can expect to see it sometime around the start of August.

NOVO will be the first ever restaurant from a pair of long-time East Vancouverites named Carmine Paradiso (best Italian name ever) and Roger Visona. Their dream is to serve up real deal Neapolitan pizza made in a wood-burning oven, just like in their ancestral homeland.

Scott Fitch (ex-Figmint, Feenie’s, Hilton Vancouver) will be in charge of the front of house. He detailed this information in an email this morning:

Staying true to their Italian roots, Carmine and Roger traveled to Los Angeles to train at the North American branch of the Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) – an association established by the Italian government to preserve the techniques, tradition and art of Neapolitan pizza making. From there, the two friends spent another six months developing their menu for NOVO – and incorporating the preparation techniques learned at VPN.

The dough for each of NOVO’s Neapolitan pizzas will be made from “00” stone-ground
Caputo – the number one choice of pizzaiolis (pizza makers) in Naples – and then aged 72 hours, a technique that gives the dough an array of complex flavors. Add some fresh, quality ingredients and buon appetito… you have the perfect comfort food.

Along with an expansive wine bar, classic Italian cocktails and rustic pizzas that will be fired up in a 900-degree wood-burning oven – which naturally imparts flavour into every pie – NOVO features a full menu that includes antipasti, salads, panini and a variety of home-style pasta dishes reminiscent of their childhoods (think chicken ravioli soup, gnocchi, Bolognese and fettuccini carbonara).

Sounds pretty sweet. For decor, they’re shooting for an old-world feel with modern, elegant touches, “the kind of place one might come across while strolling a side street in Naples or Rome.” We wish them luck. Break a leg.

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DINER: “Chewie’s Steam & Oyster Bar” To Open Up From Kits Beach By Summer’s End

by Andrew Morrison | Restaurant trade watchers and bivalve addicts might remember that long-time Rodney’s Oyster House fixture Richard Chew (aka “Chewie”) left the Yaletown icon after five years of shucking toil this past January.

He did so – together with Shine vets Jamie and Mel Haddad – to pick up the original Adesso Bistro space at 2201 Yew Street just up from Kits Beach (vacated last Fall by “Karv”). Chewie gave me a shout over the weekend and spilled the beans:

“Finally, our permits in order for the new space [...] We start our renovations shortly and look to be open by the end of the summer. We are opening a Cajun/Creole-inspired oyster and steam bar.”

If an ex-Rodney’s guy named “Chewie” opening a proper oyster joint next to the beach doesn’t sound quite cool enough, chef Owen Lightly (ex-Araxi) of Butter On The Endive is on board doing the food concept and menu design. Owen is a pretty awesome fellow and a great cook. This is his first big gig as an independent consultant, so I don’t expect he’ll deliver anything short of awesome.

The end result (this September, fingers crossed) will be a 2,300 square footer called Chewie’s Steam & Oyster Bar. Expect 60 seats inside and another 36 on the streetside patio. They’ve just received their development permit. Demolition permits are in the mail.

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DINER: “The Only” Gets Its Sign Back And Will Soon Rise Again At 20 West Hastings

Via the Sun tonight we learn that The Only – the ancient, iconic, infamous restaurant at 20 West Hastings – is being resurrected by The Portland Hotel Society, who plan on bringing back the original menu and expanding into next door…

The Only was a Hastings Street fixture from 1917 to 2009, when it closed amid allegations of drug trafficking by its last operators.

The non-profit PHS (Portland Hotel Society) leased The Only name from the original owners, Tyke and Peter Thodos, who took the name back when the last operators had their business licence revoked.

Pattison Sign Group has restored The Only’s classic neon sign, a sea horse leaping above whitecapped waves, and the PHS has leased the restaurant’s former premises at 20 West Hastings.

“Basically we want to get The Only open and do it as part of a job training thing for [Downtown Eastside] residents,” explains Mark Townsend of the PHS. “It’s more like a training thing/social enterprise.”

The Only’s old menu will be resurrected, and the restaurant expanded into an old storefront next door. The PHS also hopes to reopen a 6,000-sq.-ft second-floor space that used to house the Logger’s Social Club.

The building needs a lot of work before it can reopen. Asbestos in the walls and ceilings on the second floor must be removed, and the electrical and plumbing are in dire need of repair.

I imagine it’ll take quite a while for the job to get done (the “soon” in the headline being hopeful rather than accurate), but I’m stoked just the same.

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