Grand (Re)Opening Of The Iconic “Waldorf Hotel” This Saturday

The Waldorf Hotel is located at 1489 East Hastings and will open at the end of October, 2010 | www.waldorfhotel.com

News from Scout supporter The Waldorf Hotel

Vancouver, BC | We are pleased to announce the relaunch of the Waldorf Hotel. To celebrate, we’re throwing a free multi-room Halloween party on Saturday, Oct 30th. The event will showcase the entire complex including our newly renovated hotel rooms and lobby, two dining areas, a freshly restored 1950s tiki bar and both nightclub and banquet spaces (the Cabaret and the Leeteg Room). The night is being produced in collaboration with some of Vancouver’s most interesting artists and musicians. Read the full program listing after the jump… Read more

Waldorf Hotel To Hold Job Fair This Saturday On East Hastings

The Waldorf Hotel is located at 1489 East Hastings | Opening October 2010 | www.waldorfhotel.com

News from Scout supporter The Waldorf Hotel

Vancouver, BC | The Waldorf Hotel, designed in 1947 by architects Mercer & Mercer, was remarkable from the beginning for its modernist style. In 1955, capitalizing on an emerging interest in Polynesian culture, the complex was transformed into one of North America’s most renowned “tiki” themed bars and hotels. A post-war phenomenon, tiki culture was rooted partially in the nostalgic tropical memories of returned soldiers but also in the erotic fantasies of a middle class fascinated by the exotic and forbidden. The original architects reworked existing interiors, creating a space dedicated to artifice and escapism.

In 2010, Musician Thomas Anselmi (Slow, Copyright, Mirror) and restaurateur Ernesto Gomez (Nuba) took over operations of the Waldorf and are working with architect Scott Cohen (designer of Gastropod, Les Faux Bourgeois) to reimagine the property. Collectively this team has a vision to develop the Waldorf into a creative hub in the heart of East Vancouver where contemporary art, music, food and culture convene under one roof. The programming for the space will be both artistically expansive and thematically inclusive. Read more

Photos: Kris Krug Inside The Upcoming Waldorf Hotel Redux

These gorgeous, vignette shots of The Waldorf Hotel come courtesy of my friend Kris Krug of Static Photography. If you haven’t heard jack shit about this killer re-imagining of this ancient east side joint, here’s the skinny. Press play and enjoy…

Pre-Prohibition Inhibitions To Go Burlesque At The Keefer Bar

The Keefer Bar is located at 135 Keefer St in Vancouver, BC | 604-688-1961 | www.thekeeferbar.com

News from Scout supporter The Keefer Bar

Vancouver, BC | On September 23rd and 30th, The Keefer Bar will host Sweet Sip Thursdays with the fabulous Vancouver based burlesque troupe Sweet Soul Burlesque. The nights will feature a list of classic cocktails from the pre-Prohibition Era to compliment the “old school” burlesque performances at 10pm, 11pm and 12am. Read more

Waldorf Hotel To Go Boutique With Refit & New Restaurants…

This is so rad that I have goosebumps and its like 29 degrees here in the vineyard’s shade…

The 63-year old Waldorf Hotel at 1489 East Hastings, originally designed by Mercer & Mercer in a (then) modern style, has been picked up by restaurateur Ernesto Gomez (Nuba, etc), architect Scott Cohen (Gastropod, etc) and musician Thomas Anselmi (Copyright, etc). They are now in the midst of renovating the iconic but much neglected 30 room hotel with a complete concept/branding overhaul and “boutique” status being the ultimate goal. We were given the exclusive details a couple of days ago.

Here’s the choice pull quote from the creative brief:

In 1955, capitalizing on an emerging interest in Tiki Culture, the complex was transformed into a “tiki” themed hotel. Original architects Mercer and Mercer restyled the existing decor, replacing the minimalist features of their original design with an exotic motif influenced by tribal cultures of the Polynesian islands. The newly renovated Waldorf quickly became known for providing a unique dining and entertaining experience that included authentic Polynesian cuisine, art, music and dancing. Catering to an affluent clientele of executives, citizens, visitors and guests, the hotel was an immediate success. This prosperity continued up until the 70s when, as the neighborhood found itself in decline and it’s clientele began to shift down market. Several attempts to revive the hotel in the subsequent years have not been successful at restoring its iconic status [...] The group see potential to re-enter the market as a boutique hotel, targeting a different clientele. A dominant trend in the hospitality industry over the past ten years, boutique hotels have emerged as a popular option for smaller sized properties looking to appeal to customers who wish to have a unique experience when visiting a hotel. In the local economy there are high-end hotels that have a “boutique” strategy but none that cater to a mid-range customer. In many other markets this positioning has proved very successful, examples include: The Drake in Toronto, The Ace in Seattle, The Jupiter in Portland. The Waldorf aims to offer the same type of cultural experience for a midrange price creating a totally unique positioning for itself in the local economy.

In addition to their aesthetic and creative assets in Cohen and Anselmi, the partners have brought in chef Ned Bell of Kelowna’s Cabana to lead the food and beverage side of the operation. If you’re notfamiliar with the guy, he was once upon a time a sous chef to Rob Feenie and a Food Network star in his own right. I’ve known him for a few years now and he’s got serious game. His new playground will see a 120 seat “value-oriented” cafe showcasing hotel classics and Pan-American street food at Nuba prices (ie. cheap), a 60 seat dining room for Basque and Southern French fare at bistro prices, and a 100 seat patio (arriving next summer) serving Mexican seafood from an outdoor grill. On the Liquor Primary side, they’re keeping the 97 seat Tiki bar as close to the original as possible with exotic drinks and DJs spinning vinyl on an all-analogue stereo system featuring vintage Lansings Hartsfield speakers.

If that wasn’t kickass enough, they’re also creating a state of the art multi-media performance hall licensed for 300 people and playing host to the new location of Barbarella, the popular Main St. salon and barbershop. Throw in multiple projectors playing looped films throughout the building, a recording studio in the basement, and regular gigs of live music, theatre, comedy, and performance art, and you have a hurricane of change coming to East Hastings. The official launch will see a 3 day opening party on the weekend of Halloween.

Like I said, goosebumps…

I’ll be going into much more detail in a upcoming Vancouver magazine article on the current eastward gravitational pull of our restaurant scene, so that’s all for now.

All Anticipated Openings

Chinatown’s Gorgeous “Keefer Bar” Joins The Scout Community

The Keefer Bar is now a proud member supporter of Scout. We will be publishing their news and press releases on our front page and hosting a page for them in our list of recommended places to check out. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support of our little website. Click ahead to read on or jump directly to their Scout page. Read more

Chambar’s Take On A Copycat Restaurant Opened In Shanghai

This is a goodie. From Chambar’s new website comes news that a rather enterprising fellow named Fissal Oubida has decided to open a Chambar Belgian Bistro of his own in Shanghai, China, without consultation. Chambar’s response is a little tongue and cheek, but their more than justified annoyance comes across loud and clear.

We’d like to offer our assistance with your menu, which aside from the mussels is getting repeatedly slagged on shanghai blog sites. Although this blogging phenomenon by self proclaimed food critics and possibly sex deprived individuals (why else would you be posting these comments at 2am) are not always complimentary, there are some great people who are genuinely passionate about food. Anyways, feel free to peruse the menu section of our website as it’s continually changing and an easy way for the conceptually challenged to get new ideas.

Please switch to using sustainable seafood, we know this is not a priority in China, considering they’re still serving shark fin soup – but give the our oceans a break will you.

We would strongly advise against serving half waffles (give people the whole damn thing) and DO NOT top with spray can cream and chocolate out of a tube!!

Ditch the gingham table cloths, Belgium has no alpine chalets & Heidi is not from
this country – although there are some hot blondes.

If you are going to advertise a url (www.cham-bar.com) you may want to register it first. Now that we own it, it points to this news page which exposes your blatant incompetence for being original.

If you are going to blatantly steal our logo, which took owner & designer Karri Schuermans about 100 hours to create old school typography style, please don’t insult her further by adding brush script text below it, and definitely don’t add photoshop glow filters – please, this is graphic blasphemy.

It was nice of you to be a patron of Chambar while you lived in Vancouver. We hope all our guests take home a wonderful experience – but not the name, logo and concept. Granted a Belgian style restaurant is by no means an original concept, it helps to have a Belgian chef as good as Nico Schuermans. Don’t get us wrong, we take no ownership of the cuisine from this small country (with a big beer list) that many can’t locate on a map.

Be sure to take legal letters that arrive in the mail quite seriously, especially the ones stating that the ‘Chambar’ name and logo you’ve used are already registered in China. Take this from someone’s foresight, which has now become your hindsight.

What a goof.

Chambar To Celebrate “National Belgian Day” in Medieval Style

Chambar is located at 562 Beatty St. in Vancouver's Crosstown neighbourhood | 604-879-7119 | www.chambar.com

News from Scout supporter Chambar

Vancouver, BC | Join Chambar restaurant on Wednesday, July 21st to celebrate National Belgian Day with a feast fit for kings. History buffs will recognize this national holiday as a day that marks Leopold I taking the constitutional oath as the first King of Belgium on July 21st, 1831.

For one night only, Chambar will celebrate this momentous occasion medieval style with communal tables loaded with platters of meat, seafood and of course, Belgian beers. Outside on Beatty Street, Chef Nico Schuermans will be roasting a pig on a spit, while inside Chambar staff will serve beers by the glass or the metre. Guests should note that due to the medieval nature of this celebration, eating is going to be a hands-on experience only. Please note that vegetarian options and cutlery will not be available. Costumes and furs are deemed festive, but not essential. Get ready to be a little debaucherous… Read more

Chambar Takes Home Gold At The Van Mag Restaurant Awards

Chambar is located at 562 Beatty St. in Vancouver's Crosstown neighbourhood | 604-879-7119 | www.chambar.com

News from Scout supporter Chambar

Vancouver, BC | Chambar Restaurant was recognized on several fronts at the Vancouver Magazine 21st Annual Restaurant Awards. The Beatty Street sensation was awarded Gold for Best Other European, with Pastry Chef Eleanor Chow receiving an honourable mention for Best Desserts and Wendy McGuinness’ bar program given an honourable mention for Best Bar/Lounge. In addition, Chambar’s Guest Relations guru Eryn Collins was honoured with a Premier Cru award for her outstanding contribution to Vancouver’s hospitality industry over the past 10 years.

“There is an incredible amount of talent and ambition in Vancouver right now,” says Chambar owner Karri Schuermans, “it’s wonderful to have so many members of the Chambar family recognized for their extraordinary efforts and achievements.” Read more

Chambar To Celebrate Craft Beer Week With Special Dinner

The award-winning Chambar is located at 562 Beatty St. in Vancouver | 604-879-7119 | www.chambar.com

News from Scout supporter Chambar

Vancouver, BC | In celebration of Vancouver’s inaugural Craft Beer Week Beatty Street’s Belgian sensation, Chambar Restaurant, will be putting on a five-course meal steeped in beer and paired with authentic Belgian brews including the restaurant’s own Chambar Ale. Being held on Tuesday, May 11th at 7:30pm, the dinner will be led by Chambar Bar Manager Wendy McGuinness and Chef Nico Schuermans. Tickets are priced at $100 (excluding tax and gratuity) per person. The full menu is available below after the jump… Read more

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