Andrey Durbach is offering set menus and à la carte options for New Year’s Eve at his Vancouver restaurants.

News from Scout supporters Pied-a-Terre, La Buca, and L’Altro Buca

Vancouver, BC | On December 31st, L’Altro Buca, Pied-à-Terre and La Buca will be opening their doors for those looking to ring in the New Year with classic comfort food in one of three of Andrey Durbach’s award winning dining rooms.

Durbach has crafted a selection of decadent tasting menus for guests wishing to ring in the New Year at downtown favourite L’Altro Buca. Those looking for an early bite before hitting the town can enjoy four courses for $48.00 beginning at 5:00PM, while guests who plan to celebrate the clock striking midnight in the restaurant can enjoy a six or seven course meal for $78.00 from 8:30PM onwards. On both menus, diners will be tempted with dishes such as seared scallops served with roasted pork belly, raisins, capers, cauliflower, almonds and salsa verde; confit duck leg with Castellucio lentils and cured duck breast finished with a Sicilian orange jus; handmade pappardelle pasta finished with truffle and mushrooms; and classic sweets such as pannacotta, zeppolini and sorbetti. Full menus are available at: www.altrobuca.ca.

Neighbourhood gems Pied-à-Terre and La Buca will be catering to intimate celebrations for those seeking an evening with good friends, good food, and special wines. Both rooms will be featuring their classics-inspired à la carte menus alongside a few festive additions, and those looking to uncork something exceptional will have a variety rare, boutique bottles to choose from. Full menus are available at: www.pied-a-terre-bistro.ca or www.labuca.ca

Those feeling fully recovered the evening of January 1st will be pleased to know that L’Altro Buca, Pied-à-Terre and La Buca will be open for regular dinner service at 5:00pm.

Guests are encouraged to book their table in advance by phoning the restaurant directly. For reservations at L’Altro Buca please call 604.683.6912. For reservations at Pied-à-Terre please call 604.873.3131. For reservations at La Buca please call 604.730.6988.

ABOUT LA BUCA, L’ALTRO BUCA & PIED-À-TERRE

Chef Andrey Durbach and business partner Chris Stewart opened their first venue together five years ago. Today, they own and operate three very distinct neighbourhood restaurants in Vancouver: La Buca, Pied-à-Terre and L’Altro Buca. Guided by the belief that every community deserves a perfect little place to dine, their restaurants offer inviting atmospheres paired with quality fresh ingredients and exceptional service.

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In addition to providing daily editorial, Scout is dedicated to supporting and promoting cool, interesting, and independent British Columbian businesses through the publication of their press releases and event info. To learn how to get your news up on our front page, check out our supporter details page here.

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Last month Scout broke the news that restaurateurs Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach (interview) would be closing Parkside in the West End and that a new La Buca would soon rise in its place. The revamp and rebrand is now nearly finished, and they will open tomorrow as L’Altro Buca. From the press release…

You can take a look at the menu here.

PS. If La Buca translates as “The Hole”, then that makes L’Altro Buca “The Other Hole”. Make of that what you will, but I’m sure many of the gaybourhood’s denizens will be having a bit of a giggle tonight. Just sayin’…

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Parkside, one of my favourite restaurants in the city, is going to close at the beginning of March for a minor refit and then reopen as another La Buca at the end of the month. It will have the same menu as the original La Buca on MacDonald (see menu here, some food shots from their Scout page below).

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When I first heard the idea I was a little disappointed, but only in a selfish way. I’ve had some memorable meals there over the years (I’ve reviewed it very favourably at least twice), and count it as one of the most romantic restaurants in town. The patio is gorgeous, and the food and drink have always been had at extraordinarily fair price points. But the more I think about it, the more I get it, and the more I get it, the more I like it.

We’re in the midst of a mirage at the moment, and behaving as if the Depression is only going to tickle us in the gentlest of ways. Some restaurateurs I know are being proactive by nimbly maneuvering and up-armouring their businesses with smart marketing, streamlining, and lowering their costs across the board, but many seem to be pretending and hoping. A few are in such depths of denial that they are actually banking on the Olympics of all things. It’s part of their master plan, as if the Games are some far off lucrative Grail that will set things right and afford them the license to sit on their hands and do nothing as the clouds gather. But there’s a reason why Market opened with such affordable prices, and why Deacon’s Corner does at least two full turns every day. The writing is on the wall.

In four years from now (that’s the standard prediction now), as we begin to pick up the pieces from the coming shit storm and start to move our restaurant scene’s ball forward again, I fear many who are only paying the threat lip service will have already shuttered. In my read of the landscape (such as it is), most restaurants that are priced high have about four or five months, maybe less, to alter their message in such a way as to make them at least appear somewhat accessible. After that, I think some of them may find themselves in a spot of genuine bother, with fewer people splurging on nights out. One of my colleagues in the food writing profession recently quipped that there are only so many special occasions these days. Add to this sad fact one that is even sadder, that expense account dining is now clinically dead, and what you get is a recipe for high end doom.

Of course I hope both she and I are wrong.

So yeah, I think owners Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach (interview) are being prudently pragmatic with this move. I’ve been turned away at the door of La Buca more times than I’ve ever dined there. It’s always stupid busy. And while Parkside, inarguably, is a great restaurant, the West End icon is in the market most under threat (fine dining), and arguably the most competitive. It follows that it is the most vulnerable of Stewart and Durbach’s three rooms (love it though I do), and by making it more accessible and tying it to a brand that has shown itself to be ridiculously successful (bums in seats, cheap prices, awards won, et cetera), they are doing what so few others seem to be doing, and that is taking the deep breath before the plunge.

It took me some time to digest and get my head around, but I see the wisdom in this and take it as good news for diners and sound decision-making by a pair of savvy pros. I love La Buca, and I think the West End will too. It’s a good fit, and certainly a better fit in these piss poor times. And who knows? Once we get through to the other side of this thing, Parkside might reopen in another location. Or maybe we’ll see a micro-chain of La Bucas. With the move, they’re free of their own Sword of Damocles, and much better prepared to weather what is most definitely coming our way.

Of course, today isn’t the end of Parkside. Last call isn’t until the end of the month. They’re doing what looks to be a wickedly good prix fixe for Valentine’s Day (here), and dinner service continues unabated. Those of us who have known and loved it over the years will visit once or twice more to say goodbye, and if you’ve never been before…I don’t know what to say to you.

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As for the second coming of La Buca, the end of March can’t come soon enough. It’s the patio I’m looking forward to the most…

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Andrew Morrison is a west coast boy who studied history and classics at the Universities of Cape Town and Toronto after an adolescence spent riding skateboards and working in restaurants. He is the editor of Scout Magazine, the weekly food and restaurant columnist for the Westender newspaper, a contributor to Vancouver and Western Living magazines, and a proud board member of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He lives and works by the beach in Vancouver.

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Each week, Scout poses 60 questions to a local who has made life in BC that much more interesting. They pick and choose. The minimum response is 20 answers. A Rorschach test, for sure…

Andrey Durbach is the executive chef and co-owner of Parkside, La Buca, and Pied-a-Terre restaurants, and the author of the children’s book Delicious Chicken Soup.

Default drink of choice: Cold beer

Drink you’ll never have again: Instant coffee

Sexiest fashion item for the opposite sex: Choker necklace

Favourite wine varietal: Sangiovese

The person you can imitate: My French Bulldog, Withnail (and yes, I know he’s not a person).

One thing you’d like to change about Vancouver: I’d change the rain into sunshine

Bartender who could sell you anything: Charles Forsberg

The thing that you eat that is bad for you that you will never stop eating: Ice cream

Cheap place for dinner: Phnom Penh

Three things about your neighbourhood that make you want to live there: Cioffi’s; the privacy; the views.

Last place traveled: Montreal

Biggest fear: Rats

Cliche that you use too often: It’s not a cliche, but I do swear a lot

Best sneaker in the world: Lacoste

Best bar stool in the city: Don’t have one

What are you proud of: Maintaining a vibrant and meaningful relationship with my wife while working my entire adult life in the time sucking, soul crushing, pressure cooker of the restaurant industry

The thing that makes you the angriest: People who think that 8:30 is too late for dinner

Saddest thing about Vancouver: The shitty architecture

Talent you wish you possessed: I wish I were mechanically inclined

Musical instrument you long to play: The mixing board

Sport you gave up: Football (the one you play with your feet)

The game you’re best at: Sauce station on Saturday night

Mac or PC: Mac, of course

The scariest situation you’ve ever been in: In the back of a Honda civic doing a 720 across three lanes of traffic on an iced up I-5

Best concert experience ever: Talking Heads, Burning Down the House tour

Describe your tattoos: A half sleeve Ganesha, in full regalia, seated on a lotus flower surrounded by an aura of conch shells, very detailed and brightly coloured.

The dish you’re most proud of: Green pea, mint and ricotta agnolotti with ragu of lamb cheeks

The thing that makes you the most nervous: Irrational people

Town you were born in: Winnipeg

Old television shows you can tolerate re-runs of: Yes, Minister

Quality you admire most in yourself: My capacity for independent thought

Album that first made you love music: Joe’s Garage by Frank Zappa

The career path you considered but never followed: Air traffic control

The one country that you have no interest in ever visiting: China

The thing you’re addicted to: Manchester United Football Club

In my mind, this is what must have happened when Robert met chef Andrey Durbach: I picture Robert sitting at a corner table with a dinner crowd buzzing around him. After eating his meal, Robert somehow gains an audience with the chef. Caught off guard by Robert (and his unbridled enthusiasm), Durbach enters in to a passionate conversation about food and – wham – the next thing he knew, there he was, fixing a big pot of chicken soup for a crowd of people who have come to celebrate the launch of a cookbook for kids at Barbara-Jo’s.

I don’t know how it actually went down, the important thing is – it went down, and it was good.

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Delicious Chicken Soup | Find it at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks

One book. One recipe. A chicken soup recipe from Vancouver Chef Andrey Durbach (Parkside, La Buca, and Pied-à-Terre) paired with artwork and book design by local artist Robert Chaplin. A simple idea executed perfectly. This book is wonderful for both kids and grown-ups. It slows you down, makes you giggle and teaches you how to make a really nice chicken soup. Best 20 bucks you’ll ever spend on a chicken soup book.