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— By Gillie Easdon
CHAPTER FIVE p
Lo ca l
Ristorante
In
It
L3 a iola
RESTAURANT CULTURE
3189 Quadra St. Next to the Italian Bakery Call for reservations: 388-4517 www.lapiola.ca
Cucina Tradizionale Gastronomia Locale
The Best of Italy and Vancouver Island
Restaurants that grow Culinary Talent In Victoria’s's genealogy of restaurants, very few places serve as the training ground for entrepreneurial chefs. Time after time, the names behind new Victoria restaurants have moved around a familiar, circular map of kitchens. In this final chapter contributor Gillie Easdon gives the nod to a few last venues and then shares her last thoughts on her long journey through Victoria’s restaurant past. The Movie Buff Solution Lasqueti Island dwellers Howie Siegal and Allen di Fiori were hardcore movie buffs. They spent a lot of time in Victoria lapping up offerings from the silver screen but were frustrated that there was nowhere to go for a cheesecake and cappuccino after a nine o’clock show. Enter Pagliacci’s in 1979. Pag’s had taken over what was once The Red Swing. (This memorable establishment was known for the lady on the red swing who hung from the ceiling amid latticework, reams of crushed velvet and scores of plastic flowers.) Pagliacci’s soon became a hub of late-night groove and grub. There was live jazz and blues and a lap was as good as a seat. The food focus was and remains “dependable, good ingredients, real butter and large portions,” describes manager, Sorcha McEwan. Murphy’s Law From the raucous drink-slinging nest of Ravens between 1980 and ’82 (now the Harbour Towers), where bottles of wine were served in teapots, to the Murphempire, which has included Cecconi’s, Il Terrazzo, Pescatores, 5th Street, Hugo’s and Bon Rouge, Victoria’s Mike Murphy is big and bold all over town. Between 1988 and 2000, Cecconi’s sizzled. It had one of the first wood-burning ovens in town and was a hotbed of jazz talent, counting Diana Krall three years in a row among its hit list of guest musicians. In 1993, Murphy bought Pescatore’s from Harry de Zwager. Massive renovations ensued, and his only regret was the removal of the “huge abalone globes,” which seemed “a little much” at the time. In 1999, he opened 5th Street, and he was part owner of Hugo’s from 1999-2004, then known as “Strath West,” which used to house Capitol Steakhouse (then Sanuk, now closed). With more than just pride, Murphy reminisces: “Some very qualified people came over to show us how to do it and they left with their tails between their legs.” On competition in the city, Murphy maintains, “We’re on the same side. We’re like Vegas. If they have a nice time in three restaurants, they will come back.” Bivalve Bistro Ferris’ Grill has been serving locals and would-be locals (tourists who ask where we go) on Yates near Wharf for 17 years. Not one for advertising, Tom Ferris relies and has succeeded primarily on word of mouth “They don’t get here by accident,” he says. The restaurant was originally named Ferris’ Oyster and Burger Bar when it opened in 1991, but Ferris confides that he “was too afraid to just put ‘oyster’ in the name, so I put burger in there as well.” Ferris left Lake Louise to open Twist in (then became Bravo and is now Topo’s Ristorante Italiano). Next he opened Café Giovannini’s, which sold coffee wholesale long before Starbucks infested this fair city. Once Ferris’ was established and thriving, Tom Ferris opened Zombies Pizza (Now The Joint) in 1993 in the heyday of Harpo’s (insert sigh). The only places serving oysters in town in 1991 were Doubles and the Executive House. Why did Ferris go for oysters? Is he particularly fond of oysters? Ferris smirks and relays it was a business decision and that one “could get good at it very quickly.” The first menu was a single page (sans oyster burger until later). The present volume presents a range of selections to satisfy diverse palates with the ever-popular chicken penne soup, Cajun prawns and pan-fried oysters. In 2006, Ferris opened the upstairs and named it Ferris’ Oyster Bar and renamed the main restaurant Ferris’ Grill. He had found over the years that the word “bar” warded off potential customers, especially those with children.
MOTHER’S DAY, MAY 10 14
EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2009
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