Savvy Gastown restaurateur Sean Heather is very close to opening his latest venture, Judas Goat Taberna, a Spanish-inspired tasting bar in Blood Alley just a stone’s throw from his popular, award-winning Salt Tasting Room.

Tongue-in-cheekly named after the trained goat that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse (Blood Alley was once home to several abattoirs, hence the name), Judas Goat is scheduled to open in the last week of January and will comfortably seat 24 with a 6 seat outdoor patio to be added in the summertime.

Food: The menu is being quarterbacked by Irish Heather chef, Lee Humphries, and is a mix of small-medium bite plates designed to be paired with a drink.

Here are a few mouth-watering samples off the brand-new menu (still a work in progress):

• salt cod brandade $3

• scallop, lime and vanilla ceviche with black pepper crackers $3

• olive oil slow-cooked monk fish with cous cous salad $6

• red wine stewed mushrooms on toast with melted smoked lardo $6

• churros with condensed milk chocolate sauce $3

• caramel and sumac creme brule $3

Beer: 2 pony kegs of local brews for 8 ounce size pours and 4-5 rotating bottles of mostly European favourites (ie. Alhambra)

Wine: 8 red, 4 white, all value based and chosen to pair with the food. There will also be a small selection of Port and Sherry. No spirits or cocktails will be offered.^ Mr. Heather has hired the very talented local artist, Robert Chaplin, to create the Judas Goat mural.

Hours of Operation:
5 pm – 1 am Sunday – Thursday
5 pm – 2 am Friday – Saturday

*There are plans to open for lunch in the summer.

Judas Goat Taberna
27 Blood Alley (2 doors down from Salt)
Tel: pending
click here to view the blog

Congratulations and good luck with the imminent opening. We look forward to paying a visit very soon! ~ PK

The brand new Robert Lee YMCA facility scheduled to open on May 3rd, 2010 at 955 Burrard Street, across from the Scotiabank Theatre, is looking for a Food Service Operator for their new cafe space inside the building. ~ PK

Click here for more details.

Two new modern Asian-inspired additions are on their way to Chinatown in the next couple of months and both of them look very promising. Building upon an under-served trend set in motion back in 2001 by early neighborhood pioneer, Wild Rice, the soon to be open Bao Bei and The Keefer Bar are both also embracing some of their Far Eastern roots with a well tempered Western sensibility that expresses itself in the modern decor, quality bar programs and European influenced kitchens.

Chambar alumni and accomplished bar veteran Tannis Ling is getting set to open her 50 seat Chinese brasserie “Bao Bei” (‘precious’ in Chinese) by the end of December 2009.

She describes the food primary restaurant as an “intimate, unpretentious room serving simple, traditional and quality dishes.”

Ling will be overseeing the bar program and talented chef, Joel Watanabe, (formerly of La Brasserie, Bin 942, and Araxi) heads up the team in the kitchen, which will offer an array of  “Shanghai-nese” style dishes. Former Chambar colleague and previous GM of Market at Shangri-La, Paul Grunberg, has also joined the opening management team.

Bao Bei
163 Keefer Street | Vancouver
604-688-0876
info@bao-bei.ca
www.bao-bei.ca

——————————————————–

The Keefer Bar will anchor the ground floor of a luxury “boutique residence” in Chinatown (135 Keefer Street) containing 4 enormous custom designed, fully furnished and serviced rental lofts. The bar will be overseen by the talented and innovative Danielle Tatarin (formerly db Bistro). The kitchen plans to serve an eclectic mix of modern Asian cuisine, think top-quality dim sum with a European twist.

The liquor primary space will have approximately 60 seats with a 14 seat patio and is slated to open on Chinese New Year (February 14th, 2010) with a possible soft opening in mid January. ~ PK

The Keefer Bar
135 Keefer Street | Vancouver
1-888-688-1983
www.thekeefer.com

~ PK

Paul Grunberg (former GM of Chambar and Market at Shangri-La) has left his post with Jean-Georges to help out his former Chambar colleague, Tannis Ling, to successfully open Bao Bei in Chinatown.

From the official press release:

Talented manager in Vancouver leaves popular Jean- Georges restaurant to take on independent project in the revitalized area of Chinatown.

Paul Grunberg of Market by *Jean-Georges* in the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, begins working at Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie as a consulting opening manager this December. His role will be to run the front of house and ensure a smooth opening phase, in what is usually the most challenging time for restaurants. Grunberg’s resume boasts some of the top names in Vancouver and he is well respected amongst his peers, as well as his patrons.

“When we worked together at Chambar, we always had a mutual respect for each other’s work ethic and approach towards service. I feel extremely lucky that he has agreed to work with me and I’m confident that his talent and energy will put us in a very advantageous position,“ says owner, Tannis Ling.

Ling describes the concept of Bao Bei (‘precious’ in Chinese) as an intimate, unpretentious room serving simple, traditional and quality dishes. Ling herself, comes from a decade long bartending career and will be supervising the bar program. Talented chef, Joel Watanabe, formally of La Brasserie, Bin 942, and Araxi heads up the team in the kitchen.

“Tannis has assembled an amazing team of people and I look forward to being a part of it and helping it reach it’s full potential,” says Grunberg.

Incidentally: The Dragon (Ling) and Monkey (Grunberg) pairing in Chinese astrology is very lucky and denotes success.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Contact:
163 Keefer Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1X3
T. 604 688 0876
F. 604 682 2882
E. info@bao-bei.ca

www.bao-bei.ca

Chambar alumni and accomplished bar veteran Tannis Ling is getting set to open her Chinese brasserie “Bao Bei” (‘precious’ in Chinese) by the end of December 2009 with a total of 50 seats (10 at the bar).

She describes the food primary restaurant as an “intimate, unpretentious room serving simple, traditional and quality dishes.”

Ling will be overseeing the bar program and talented chef, Joel Watanabe, (formerly of La Brasserie, Bin 942, and Araxi) heads up the team in the kitchen, which will offer an array of  “Shanghai-nese” style dishes. Former Chambar colleague and previous GM of Market at Shangri-La, Paul Grunberg, has also joined the opening management team.

Bao Bei
163 Keefer Street | Vancouver
604-688-0876
info@bao-bei.ca
www.bao-bei.ca

The Keefer Bar will anchor the ground floor of a luxury “boutique residence” in Chinatown (135 Keefer Street) containing 4 enormous custom designed, fully furnished and serviced lofts for rent. The bar will be overseen by the talented Danielle Tatarin (formerly db Bistro) and plans to serve an eclectic mix of modern Asian cuisine, think dim sum with a European twist.

The liquor primary space will have approximately 60 seats with a 14 seat patio and is slated to open on Chinese New Year (February 14th, 2010) with a possible soft opening in mid January. ~ PK

The Keefer Bar
135 Keefer Street | Vancouver
1-888-688-1983
www.thekeefer.com

The imminent arrival of Pourhouse in Gastown has many people excited, myself included. Coming together beautifully in the old Flux Bistro location (162 Water Street – map) in the historic Leckie Building, the Pourhouse will have 130 dining seats in total with 25 prime spots at what will certainly be a very popular drinking bar where skilled and passionate barman Jay Jones and his team will pay tribute to the “Golden Era” of North American cocktails. There will also be an 8 seat chef’s table beside the kitchen where the talented and experienced Chris Irving will be offering a intimate and custom dining experience.

The 3000 square foot heritage space of old growth timber and brick is being invigorated with many recycled materials and some new modern touches. Like the recent revamp of the Irish Heather and the newly opened Diamond just down the street, both a major part of Gastown’s ongoing revitalization, the beauty is in the details.^ Corner of the bar. Old fashioned joints, the way they were done 100 years ago. (Image courtesy of Jay Jones)^ 150-year-old French Brass Chandeliers, originally lined for gas, now rebuilt for electric power.^ The hallway walls are finished with era-inspired textures.^ White marble wrapped Fir pillars, and in-layed tile.

With the assistance of West Vancouver-based FX40 design they have searched the city’s many antique shops for unique and inspiring furniture – and what they couldn’t find, they custom built themselves. Every piece in Pourhouse has a story. ^ “The Aviation Couch”, a soft-violet hued Belgian Louis XV style 1940s sofa.^ “The Martini Couch”, a 100-year-old Cerignola Olive-green coloured French leather sofa.

FUN FACT:  Pourhouse has a live music license – in addition to food primary and liquor primary licenses. Awesome!

Some more info from the press release:

Concept/Inspiration
Pourhouse is built around the Bar. Our primary influence is the “Golden Era” of North American Cocktails (1860s-1920s), years during which the art of Bartending was at its peak, and many classics were born – Manhattan, Sazerac, and most important to us, the Old Fashioned. The aesthetic, the food and our concept as a whole are built around this Bartending age and Old Fashioned soul. We are embracing something that hasn’t been done in Vancouver before – our own history.

Food
Chris Irving is our multi-talented Chef and co-Proprietor at Pourhouse. I met Chris working with him at West Restaurant many years ago – since then he has spent time in London, under the direction of Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing at Restaurant Petrus. Chris has returned to Vancouver to take on his first Executive Chef position and create Pourhouse. Though fine dining trained, Chris is aimed at making the simple food he loves – steeped in a century old character, hearty and mouth-watering meals with a sense of familiarity and done in a homemade style.

Drinks
Cocktails are indeed the catalyst for our entire concept – though our love for drinking in all its forms is well represented at Pourhouse. The wine list will be international and priced to encourage sharing and discovering. Beers will cover the range of tastes and styles – several selections representing the true ale craftsmanship of BC and the Pacific Northwest. We are serious about coffee – with a custom local roast from East Vancouver –based JJBean, a handmade Synesso Espresso machine and several Baristas on staff. Regarding spirit, our selection of bottles will be focused on quality over quantity, with a particular interest in Whiskey and Whiskey applications to cocktails. Our cocktail list will be short and emblematic, with the true heart of our Bartending shown by creating personalized experiences with custom creations. Maker’s Mark is our house-brand – my personal favourite Bourbon whiskey, due to it’s unique personality, great taste, versatility and incredible brand history. Maker’s Mark is the core at one of our original Pourhouse cocktails – The Gold Fashioned.

The plan is to be open 7 days a week from 11 am until midnight for lunch and dinner and they also have plans to offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The Pourhouse is hoping to open their doors before the end of September.  Good luck, gentlemen ~ PK

Visit the website: www.pourhousevancouver.com
Follow Pourhouse on Twitter: twitter.com/pourhouse_van

“We’ve gone from 300 to 700 seats on Alberni this week!” exclaims Patrick Austin, the Glowbal Group’s director of operations. After this Wednesday’s media/VIP party, and Thursday’s concierge party, the Glowbal Group will open its highly anticipated new Coast Restaurant to the public and add another  downtown location to their culinary collection, with the original Coast location in Yaletown being reborn as another, yet to be named restaurant from the group in the following year.

Fortunately, Urban Diner and yours truly were able to organize a behind the scenes shoot and interview just before the doors are to swing open.  The very gracious Kye Melchert, Beverage Manager of Coast, took us on a guided tour of the brand new restaurant and shared much enthusiastic commentary.

Concept: With its unique and sexy style, the new Coast Restaurant will offer hi-quality seafood (fresh oysters, shellfish and fish) while giving guests an extraordinary room to get comfortable in. Divided into two parts, Coast and O-Lounge has been designed to satisfy all that the downtown diner desires, with a strong emphasis on attracting business from the neighboring hotels.

The restaurant is staffed by both seasoned professionals and an array of attractive newbie go-getters in front and back of the house, who consequently have been training 8 hours a day, for 2 weeks straight with training consultant Darren Brown (F&B Manager of Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas).

Key Players:
Beverage Manager | Kye Melchert
Executive Chef | Josh Wolfe
Maitre D’ | Wayne Carson
Assistant General Manager | Mike Thomson
General Manager | Jan-Erik Wichman

Food: “Seafood, seafood, seafood!” says Chef Josh Wolfe when asked about the concept. Chef Wolfe is offering a monumental raw seafood program, using both local and exotic delicacies.

(Image of Chef Josh Wolfe courtesy of Glowbal Group)

A sample of his smoked fish chowder with sablefish, ling cod, and sockeye salmon was a welcomed treat, and delicious.

In Chef Wolfe’s raw bar, fresh oysters are shucked to order by the champ, Isaac Martin del Campo. On the long hot line, the Forno® oven sits at 500F bubbling up the most incredible homemade pizzas, in addition to a killer fish ‘n chips, superb clams, and mussels. For those who loved the chef’s table at the old Coast, don’t fret – the new Coast has an exclusive 6-8 seat kitchen bar past the hot line. “The focus on constant guest engagement from the kitchen makes food more exciting. Live cooking with interaction,” says Chef Wolfe with a huge smile.

Beverage: Draft beers are finally available at Coast – this will be the first time draft has been offered within their restaurants. The wine program showcases a 200 bottle list, including a whopping 100 wines under $100. This wine list is heavily focused on BC wines. Both Coast and the new O-Lounge share a list of classic cocktails, but most of the contemporaries offered are directly paired to the raw seafood bar located on the opposite side of the centre bar.

Design/Layout: The award winning Box Interior Design, the creative firm behind the Glowbal Group’s Kitsilano restaurant, Trattoria Italian Kitchen, were again chosen to breathe life into the new Coast. Neutral woods meet turquoise paints, shiny pearl accents, glass top tables, and crisp white linen – the theme of this design is no secret – it screams seaside elegance in every facet.

Passing through the middle of their 26 seat street-side patio through the front door, the giant O shaped bar/raw bar clearly becomes the focal point for the restaurant – it seats 25 around its circumference. Beyond the bar, the “Lido Deck”, stretches back along the length of the hot line – this area is mainly reserved for walk in traffic. The first landing on the left, the “Aqua Room” – seats about 20-25; second floor, the “Crow’s Nest” – a deuce that sits delightfully against the glass pane overlooking the raw bar below is completely solo; the “Observation Deck” covers the majority of the upstairs – including a 16 seat oval banquet table in the centre. The “Captain’s Quarters” is a unique private dining room, seating up to 36 guests, with various table arrangements, and an additional centre partition if dividing the room in two is required.

Downstairs on the main level, O-Lounge is a little different. Gold leaf plated steel tables sit amongst coral and orange lounge furniture. A couple of steps to the left, guests can enjoy the dim lights, upbeat tunes, and signature cocktails in the “standing room only” area, with pink stained glass fixtures and reinforcements – that oddly enough look a lot like octopus – keeping with the theme? Coast guests are unaffected by the O-Lounge banter once those dividing doors close after dark…

Congratulations to Emad and the entire Glowbal team. I look forward to visiting in the next week! ~ LM

All images, except noted by: Rick Green

Coast Restaurant
1054 Alberni Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604.685.5010

Hours of Operation:
weekdays from 11am to midnight
weekends from 4pm to midnight.

View pictures of the exclusive opening party: HERE

Industry veterans Andre McGillvray (Lumiere, Chambar, Le Crocodile, Boneta) and Steve Da Cruz (The Whip, Chill Winston, Boneta, Gastropod)  have teamed up and formed their own company called pistol star restaurants inc. Their first restaurant venture (I assume they will open more, as their company name suggests) together will be called the corner suite bistro de luxe and they have brought on Anthony Sedlak (host of Food Network’s The Main) as their executive chef.

The corner suite bistro de luxe will be located at 850 Thurlow (one block south of Robson) in the former Saveur location and will have 90 seats in the dining room and 40 at the bar for a total of 130 seats.

While I am sad to see Stephane and Nathalie Meyer close their restaurant, which served some of Vancouver’s most underrated French cuisine, I am happy to see the space being revived by some of the city’s top young talent.  The new restaurant is slated to open on July 1st and plans to serve lunch from noon until 5 pm and dinner until 1 am from Monday though Saturday.  The corner suite bistro de luxe will also be open Sunday, but with a closing time of midnight.

In their own words:

“The restaurant will be founded upon a back-to-basics approach with contemporary twists in both the cuisine and restaurant design. Sedlak’s menus will be French at heart done in a modern perspective  and delivered at a bistro price range.

With the corner suite bistro de luxe McGillivray, Da Cruz and Sedlak plan to offer a smart, eclectic, and innovative restaurant with the intention of livening Vancouver’s independent downtown dining scene.”

We look forward to dining with you soon, gentlemen! ~ PK

(Image by: Heather Goldsworthy)

UPDATE: May 2, 2009

One of Vancouver’s most talented and dedicated bartenders, Mr. Jay Jones, has given his notice at Voya  this morning and will be opening a new place of his own design called “Pourhouse” in the old Flux Bistro location (162 Water Street) just southeast of the steamclock in Gastown. The opening is planned for the end of summer.

The Pourhouse will have 135 dining seats with 25 bar seats. The bar program will be “spirit focused” and the overall concept will be “back to basics drinking and eating,” says Jones.   

Jay’s business partner and executive chef  of Pourhouse will be the well-travelled Chris Irving (formerly of The Pointe at the Wickanninish Inn, West, and Gordon Ramsey’s Petrus).

This project is looking to be a great addition to a neighborhood in full transformation.  We are looking forward to the opening, gentlemen.  ~ PK

Update: Now Open as of Friday, June 19th, 2009.

Industry bartending veterans, Mark Brand (Boneta), Josh Pape (former Chambar) and Sophie Taverner (former Boneta, Cascade Room) are working together on a new concept for the upstairs corner of Powell and Carrall Street overlooking the beating heart of Gastown, literally a stone’s throw from the statue of Gassy Jack, Gastown’s original barman. They managed to convince the building’s long-time landlord, who had no desire to rent the space out to anyone, of their concept’s merit, thus gaining them access to one of Vancouver’s most historical corners in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

Mark Brand describes the concept as “a prohibition-era inspired restaurant and bar that will serve $3-$12 Asian-influenced small-plates, think Bánh mì and gyoza, with a serious and accessible bar program with cocktails priced from $7-$10.”

Josh Pape further describes the bar’s direction as “a tip of the hat to the classics. We plan to keep it simple and honour the history and tradition with quality ingredients and some style.”

The place will have approximately 80 seats (20 at the bar and lounge area, 60 dining) and is set to open in the first week in May. There is also a plan formulating in the near future for the space to also operate as a bartending school during the day. Definitely looking forward to seeing the completed space in action. See you soon! ~ PK

The good folks behind Les Amis du Fromage are on the verge of opening their 35-40 seat wine and cheese bar in their new ‘East Side Pride’ location at 845 East Hastings. Au Petit Chavignol will officially open at 5 pm Thursday, March 12 just in time to participate in Dining Out for Life. Cheese guru Joe Chaput has more:

The menu will obviously be cheese focused with a few other items including house made terrines, raclette, fondue and macaroni & cheese. You can expect to see items like tartiflette, baked vacherin mont d’or and other cheese specialties. Given time, we plan to collect and put together an excellent list of wines.

Here is a look at their new menus:
Food | Beverage | After Dinner

No reservations! First come, first serve is their policy.

UPDATE: pictures inside

845 East Hastings is home to Au Petit Chavignol and another Les Amis du Fromage store (side by side).  The heritage building is as solid as they come; built in the 1920’s with thick concrete walls and posts throughout.  Over the last year, owners, Alice & Allison Spurrell, and Joe Chaput, along with John Shields of Sculpinfish Design, have completely gutted the building and have spent considerable time, effort, and money modernizing and restoring the space into something they are quite proud to share with the local community.

^ Here is a look at the long granite 10+ seat wine bar. (Note to beer nerds: R&B on tap!)

^ Co-owner, Joe Chaput and his beloved reproduction of the antique Berkel slicer, which operates using a fly-wheel, no electricity.  Possibly one of the finest charcuterie slicing tools in the known universe.  Nice.

^ Comfy booths align the wall and overlook the adjacent bar.

^ The Les Amis du Fromage store next door should be ready in a week or so, depending upon the final inspection by the city. Go East Van!

UPDATE: We have just been informed that there has been a format change to the planned evening.  As Cobre was not able to secure the dancers they promised, they have decided to open up the evening to regular dining and stopped selling tickets.  However, there will still be a live band and they will continue with the Carnavale theme.  Hope to see you there.

Saturday February 21st
7PM to Midnight
Cobre at 52 Powell Street, Gastown
604-669-2326
www.cobrerestaurant.com

]]> http://urbandiner.ca/2009/02/18/sweet-party-cobre-does-carnavale/feed/ 5 http://urbandiner.ca/2009/02/06/evolution-of-the-species/ http://urbandiner.ca/2009/02/06/evolution-of-the-species/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:28:40 +0000 paulkamon http://urbandiner.ca/?p=4493

Citing the downturn in the economy, Parkside owners, Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach have decided to transform their well-regarded room into a La Buca, a continuation of their very affordable and popular Italian concept on 4025 MacDonald Street.

From the press release:

 

Rather than hope that Parkside survives the recession unscathed, Durbach and Stewart are embracing Vancouver’s changing dining landscape and repositioning the room a haven for rustic Italian comfort food at a medium price point…”We’ve identified something that works for us as a methodology,” says Durbach, “why ignore it?”  

 

There are plans to re-visit the Parkside concept in the future, offering the 3 course prix fixe of daily rotating menus, but most likely in a smaller room in another location in the city.

The current Parkside restaurant will be open until the end of February, so all those looking for one last meal there had better hurry as I imagine it is going to be one hot reso. ~PK

UPDATED: March 20/09

The former site of the iconic Tomato Fresh Food Cafe, a prominent casualty of the Cambie RAV line expansion, which also had a short run as a New Orleans Diner called Dadeo, is being renovated and reborn as the second location of Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar.

According to restaurateur Dean Mallel of the Incendio Group of Restaurants, they will be serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and will be keeping many of the same elements of the Drive location with the addition of a few new ones.  The bar/lounge will feature “a big wood bar, distressed antique floors…a fireplace and lots of stone work.”  The dining room will have a “Parisian bordello” look and the restaurant will offer an expanded wine and cocktail program as well as a deep Belgium beer list with a few surprises, including “internationally-sourced exclusives”.  The menu will be value-based and will focus on fresh, seasonal and local.

The new location is scheduled to open on May 1st.  Cambie scores! ~ PK