Jethro's Fine Grub

It was a snowy Thursday afternoon in January and I suspected Jethro’s Fine Grub, which frequently has lineups to get in, would be empty. To my surprise, the diner was chock-a-block full with a diverse crowd. Greeted by charismatic owner/server, Emily Jane Stuart, with partner D’arcy Allen hard at work in the kitchen, my friend and I managed to secure the only available table.

Almost on the verge of celebrating its first birthday, Jethro’s opened for business on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. precisely. What was the concept behind the restaurant? According to Stuart “it was a guy (D’arcy Allen), his gal (Emily Jane Stuart) and some real big pancakes”.

They thought that Dunbar could use a “jammin’ little breakfast joint and some strong coffee”.

Judging by the full houses their vision was bang on.

Jethro’s may be small, with only 24 seats, however what it lacks in size it makes up for with its funky environment. Classic gray wainscoting, white walls, sconce lighting, and a menu that is loaded with good old comfort food, with a strong nod to southern cuisine, makes you feel like you have stepped into a friend’s home. The first thing I spotted at another table was the “real big pancakes” filling the plate’s circumference. The guy and the gal have realized their dream, and pancakes are one of their most requested menu items.

Browsing through the menu, how could I resist ordering the Hippie in Thailand wrap? Filled with black beans, rice, apple-fennel slaw, lettuce, cucumber and green curry sauce, the wrap was incredibly flavourful, and so large that I brought half of it home in a compostable take away container, which also impressed me. Other creatively named menu items that caught my eye included Alligator Nuggets (battered and flash fried alligator on basmati rice), Hog Tied (fluffy buttermilk pancakes with a full side of bacon), Red Headed Step-Child (tuna on house made Caioti bread under melted sharp cheese), and Catfish Po-Boy (battered, fried or Cajun rubbed and grilled with lemon tartar, lettuce and tomato on a hoagie bun).

Stuart and Allen have childhood connections to the Dunbar neighbourhood, and through the 70’s and 80’s they recall terrorizing the laneways on their 3 speeds. Although Jethro’s would be equally at home in Kitsilano or Commercial Drive, they feel there is no other neighbourhood like Dunbar.

What makes Jethro’s unique?

Not only do Stuart and Allen feel that their staff are the best in the biz, but they will also cuddle your babies while you eat. Not many restaurants offer that service. Do they live in Dunbar? Hard to know. They claim to live at Jethro’s which means this hard working couple is paying the price of being successful restaurateurs.

Be brave and do not fear line-ups. If you do end up in one, it is worth the wait, and maybe you will be lucky and breeze right in as we did! Once inside you will be greeted by warm service and southern cooking that feels comfortably at home on Dunbar Street.

Jethro's Fine Grub, 3420 Dunbar Street, Vancouver Telephone 604-569-3441