Chorney-Booth: Vancouver’s restaurants, Michelin-starred restaurants are just around the corner

Article content

The biggest news in the Canadian restaurant world this fall was the introduction of the Michelin Guide, which includes coveted stars that have become the world’s gold standard for restaurant ratings, both in Toronto and Vancouver. Restaurants that have earned . I can. It has to recover from the last three years of regulation, supply he chain problems and ongoing labor shortages.

Article content

Michelin is new to Canada (road guides started in Europe at the turn of the 20th century and have only really existed in the US for the last 20 years), so the structure of the guide can be a bit confusing. In a nutshell, Michelin (yes, the same company that makes the tires) has a list of recommended restaurants, value-oriented ‘Bib Gourmand’ awards, and 1-star to truly spectacular restaurants. Publishing his 3-star award. One star doesn’t seem like much, but even being recommended by a guide puts the restaurant in a rare class and attracts many new customers. The star chef is an instant celebrity, and restaurant reservations turn into coveted golden tickets to him.

Article content

How a city gets on the Michelin guide list is a complex and opaque process that requires a lot of lobbying and possibly some financial incentives. None are worth it unless there are a fair number of restaurants that are likely to meet Michelin’s very high global standards. Calgary isn’t quite there yet, but places like Eight and River His Cafe are definitely strong contenders. So Vancouver, which just received its guide at the end of October, is the closest Calgarian has for the time being, with eight restaurants each earning his one star (2 or 3 star honors). was not awarded). Worth booking a quick dining getaway to the coast.

Article content

The name of the newly minted starred restaurant may not be immediately familiar. Well-known and often star-studded Vancouver restaurants such as Tojo’s, Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, Hawksworth and Cioppino’s weren’t selected, but he did win for the latter two. The Michelin recommendation and the former are also noteworthy. Instead, Michelin’s anonymous investigators were most impressed with the cozy rooms, complete with eclectic tasting his menus that speak to each chef’s culinary philosophy. The most famous of the bunch is published in Maine, which also made it to number one on this year’s Canada’s 100 Best List. Its menu is driven by the affinity of chef Gus Stevenhofer Brandsson, who forages, ferments and celebrates both fresh and rich flavors. But even before the guides came to town, it was almost impossible to get into anything published.

Article content

Chef Andrea Carlson’s Burdock and Co. is nothing new, but its small, casual-looking dining room often flies under the radar. The pandemic prompted Carlson to switch to his tasting menu-only model to streamline operations. The current menu for $89 includes dishes such as the restaurant’s homemade bread, which includes incredibly buttery plumeria fingers, and a very comforting ginger spike made with locally grown rice, sake butter and It includes scallops set atop crispy radish cakes with smoked mussels in XO sauce. Courses can be paired with a selection of wines, including some hidden BC gems and local sake made from the same rice used in the porridge.

Chef Mike Robbins’ AnnaLena has a similar vibe. Small and ingredient-conscious, the $88 tasting menu is full of creative concoctions like blue cheese soup with poached mussels served with the restaurant’s signature ripped and re-crisped bread. . AnnaLena is delightfully whimsical, and like Burdock and Co. and several other starred restaurants, the food and service are excellent, but much more laid back than you’d expect from a Michelin. Other winners such as St. Lawrence, Kissa Tanto and little Barbara also exceed the fine dining stuffiness expected by Michelin-skeptical diners.

Article content

However, if that still seems like too much, Vancouver’s 12 Bib Gourmand winners all offer more budget-friendly options for two courses and wine or dessert for under $60. Highlights on that list include Phnom Penh, an incredibly popular Chinatown fixture that specializes in absurdly flavorful Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine (I’ve never tried the famous butterbeef marinade. If you haven’t really eaten in Vancouver), the very famous Indian hotspot Vij’s, and the Italian-BBQ mashup Say Mercy. If you prefer a liquid Michelin experience, the Fairmont his Pacific his Rim’s in-house botanist his bar and its head his bartender, former Calgarian Jeff who was also part of his team opening proofs here in Calgary his Savage won the Exceptional award for his cocktail.

Michelin is not perfect and no award program is without controversy, but there is no doubt that this is a very big problem for the food and beverage industry in Western Canada. Now if you go to Vancouver, you can taste it.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on her Twitter (@elizaboothy) or her Instagram (@elizabooth).