(including the kitchen) with a seating capacity of 100. Cormier designed it himself, and though the resulting look is a little too Spartan on the personality front for my tastes, there’s no deficit in gravitas. Long, thin and sporting the air of an early Yaletown warehouse conversion with old brick walls and ceilings so high that clouds may gather, it manages to achieve a certain charm that borders on homeyness (if it were mine I’d toss most of the furniture out save for a corner table of eight, and then throw in a bed and a clawfoot tub before moving in). Its three distinct zones smack of an homage to Chambar, the popular and super-hip Belgian-Moroccan restaurant on Beatty. They may be separated by many several city blocks, but they share some striking similarities. Upfront by the door it’s casual and lounge-ish, and the middle is waisted by a cool, 15-seat bar that projects confidence (it’s the prime piece of real estate in the room). The rear funnels out to a larger dining area that drips sex appeal, and, like Chambar, there is a peekaboo kitchen. There’s also hardwood throughout and smooth music dialled in. My first pass saw me digging tender little tournedos of beef striploin capped by golden buttermilk onion rings and sexed up with Madeira (its accompanying tian of goat cheese, green bean and potato was the most agreeable addendum I’d eaten in weeks). Also of note was a sweet peach and sake braised cube of tacky, melt-ready pork belly. Plated alongside a slightly overdone and very slight slice of pork loin flavoured with vanilla (some imagination at play there), it was a lovely (if miniature) spread and ambitiously priced at $20 (they’ve since knocked it down to $18). A pork crackling garnish added some fine visual and textural touches, but it was otherwise sad without seasoning (dusted with bland). The service is tight from front door to cheque, and the feel is refreshingly genuine. How well they’ll do so semidetached from the madding crowds cruising the Yaletown slow lanes of Hamilton and Mainland is a different story, but with Brix Restaurant still going strong after eight years right next door, there’s plenty of reason to hope. Who knows, perhaps Plan B may soon want to choose a less self-deprecating name for itself.
Me and Julio Me and Julio | 2095 Commercial Dr. | East Vancouver | 604-696-9997 | meandjulio.ca his Mexican-themed restaurant struck a quick nerve on the east side, staying absurdly busy since opening this past October. Its success hasn’t come as a surprise, though, a fact evidenced by the ease with which the owners seem to be handling the nightly swarms. Me and Julio is the work of sibling duo Jaison and Lila Gaylie (also formerly of the Bin 942), the very same pair that launched Davie’s wildly popular, similarly themed, and award-winning Lolita’s South of the Border Cantina. They’ve now brought Lolita’s executive chef Shelome Bouvette into the ownership fold as a partner, and together they’ve succeeded in conjuring up for their new location some of the tiki soul that has long intoxicated Lolita’s diners at first sight. And what’s not to like? The original, with its big flavours, loud music, tattoos, and painted middle finger lifted to tradition, might not square well with some culinary literalists who cry “sacrilege!� at all the fun they’ve Me & Julio's battered prawn been having with Mexican cuisine, but they tacos brightened with chili de don’t get the point. Like Lolita’s the elder, Me arbol and pickled cabbage and and Julio is all about the good time. They crank a fun-in-the-sun mix of reggae and ska paired with a silver tequila cockthat, if you’re in the mood for it, can spirit you tail, the pineapple mint fizz. away to a place where the bamboo-thatched kitchen window and bar here start to make sense. (With decor that tries to capture the feel of a booze-soaked beach saloon, it has all the makings of a mini-holiday.) The dishes, laudable for their inventiveness, presentation and price point, are not secondary attractions to the scene. “Must-haves� include slow-roasted and pulled beef brisket taquitos – little rockets that would knock any palate off-balance; and smoked chicken empanadas fattened up with poblano and white Cheddar and kicked with citrus. As at Lolita’s, tacos are a specialty and hold centre stage on the menu. There are six versions in all. The achiote-spiced pulled chicken with salsa verde was a little weak on substance, but the battered prawn type with spiced mayo, jicama and pile of pickled cabbage lit me up. Set on four perfect corn tortillas and plated with rice, black beans and mesclun greens, they convincingly fill the belly. The drinks are of a calibre that could compete in a Best in Show contest, with a focus on bright, tropical flavours and over-the-top presentations sporting little umbrellas. I can only assume a simple gin and tonic order would be a welcome respite for the bartenders. In all, a fine find on a section of the Drive that could use a kick in the pants.
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EAT MAGAZINE JAN | FEBRUARY 2008
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters | 2152 W. 4th | Kitsilano | 604-420-4901 | 49thparallelcoffeeroasters.com hen Vince and Sammy Piccolo sold their growing and critically acclaimed Italianstyle Caffe Artigiano cafÊ empire (five locations) to Earls Restaurant executive Willie Mounzer in October 2006, Vancouver’s caffeinated class let out a collective gasp. I suspect not a few fans worried the cafÊs would be dumbed down some, but that happily hasn’t been the case. The Piccolos haven’t disappeared from the landscape, either. Far from it. Instead, they’ve turned inward to concentrate on their burgeoning coffee roasting company, 49th Parallel, and have now opened a retail outlet and cafÊ on Kitsilano’s W. 4th strip. It’s a thing of swell-smelling beauty, too, with impossibly high ceilings, comfortable
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Tracey Kusiewicz
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters