Its not every week that I get to update our readers about four new interesting restaurants under construction, but such was the one just passed.
The first that Id like to talk about is the new project from Alex Tsakumis and Patrick Corsi of the Mediterranean-themed Q4 Ristorante on 4th and Q4 al Centro on Richards.
Its actually two-in-one, a wine bar and a restaurant. The wine bar will be where chef Rob Feenies career skyrocketed a decade ago at 2551 W. Broadway. Im referring, of course, to Lumiere, a restaurant that, for several years, was arguably the finest in Vancouver. Its success begat the more casual, much larger Feenies next door, which will soon house the next Q4.
When Feenie fell out quite publicly (it was ugly) with partners Manjy and David Sidoo back in 2007, in came superstar international chef Daniel Boulud, who turned Feenies into DB Bistro and left Lumiere much the same as before. Sunlit uplands, right? Wrong. After a good first few months, Vancouver diners abandoned them both (as if the restaurants were cursed). For want of customers, they barely lasted two years, closing exactly one year to the day before Corsi confirmed to me last week that he and Tsakumis had taken them over.
Spooky? Not particularly. But why did it take so long for a new tenant to come along? I asked a few restaurateurs this in confidence and the answers ran the gamut. Its not a good location. Its too expensive. Dealing with strata and residential neighbours would be a headache, et cetera. No surprises there. The most interesting response? Bad voodoo.
While Ive never known restaurateurs to be a superstitious lot, all the soap operas that took place at this address were clearly still fresh in the minds of many of them. I wouldnt take either place over if I had free rent for a year, said one, and thats despite the fact that according to Corsi the famed million-dollar kitchens are still intact. Im not suggesting that he and Tsakumis hire an exorcist to clean the places out. Im merely pointing out that some salt over the shoulder might do the trick. Opening: six weeks.
Moving on to the western edge of Gastown, we find that Harry Kambolis of C and Raincity Grill is opening the third location of Nu, his Greek take-out, day-only chainlet. The 16-seat location is the old butcher/sandwich shop (So.cial, MacLeans) at the rear of 332 Water (facing out to Cordova). This Nu is going to be a little different than the ones on Robson and West Broadway, and five times better looking (lots of wood, chalkboards, old architectural bones). The focus will remain on souvlakis, though Kambolis will be serving them open-faced for a change. Hes also looking to make a splash with his line of flavoured pitas (the long hope is to have them on supermarket shelves, too), and possibly score a liquor licence for weekend dinner services. Opening: one week.
Meanwhile, in Chinatown, former Rodneys Oyster House hand Shawn Chesney is getting set to open Oyster Express at the southwest corner of Keefer and Gore (296 Keefer). The shucker will be omnipresent, busting bivalves from a five-foot-wide oyster bed in a small room that has been completely wrapped in raw wood a la Aurora Bistro, circa 2003. (It will also boast two Hobbit-ish circular windows). We can expect anywhere from four to 10 types of fresh oysters in the offing at any given time, plus an addendum menu of salad, cornbread, and so on. There will only be espresso, tea, smoothies and juices for liquids to begin with, but Chesney is aiming to get a liquor licence once hes up and running. Thats my only doubt about the place, really, as oysters and smoothies arent as natural bedfellows as, say... oysters and Prosecco. Heres hoping he can start pouring quick! Opening: one week.
And last, an update on Vicino at 68 East Cordova. I made mention of the coming DTES eatery in the Fresh Sheet a moon or two ago, and construction is now well underway. Owner Bill McCaig (who owns the popular Nicli Antica Pizzeria next door) and his team have taken the 2,000 sq.ft. empty space which has never been a restaurant before and created the skeleton of a kitchen, the shape of a delicatessen counter, and marked out both where the pasta drying cabinet will go and where theyll be making their own gelato. This will be a mostly take-out, counter-service operation with only 16 seats all communal at the front of the space (the rest being taken up by retail and back of house.) In addition to the many fresh pastas and house-made sauces on offer, well see a panini press put through the works, lots of meat and cheese, plus plenty of antipasti items. McCaig has hired on Calgarys Craig Picek (ex-Capo, Il Sogno) to be the chef. Opening: eight weeks.
