CityFood Magazine - New Restaurants: Edge, Nook, and Crankies

Local restaurant names are going geometric. The Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe is waiting in the wings for its July debut; Chef Edward Tucson recently revealed his “the Edge” restaurant on Vancouver Island; and there is even more edginess to come.

The latest to join the emerging restaurant row in the Granville Entertainment District will be called The Edge Social Grille & Lounge -- a name that quite frankly sounds like an mosaic of so many other eating places around town.

So too does the professed focus. In an Esperanto of restaurant concepts “[the Edge on Granville]... confidently references eastern gastronomy, finds inspiration from minimalist architecture and acknowledges French romanticism in its design.“ Uh... okay. “The point at which something great is likely to begin” is the restaurant’s slogan. Let’s hope that's so.

Working towards a mid-June opening The Edge (SG&L) will be located at 1100 Granville Street (@ Helmcken. It’s the project of Amir Virani, a hotelier with properties across North America, although this particular restaurant is intended to be a stand alone, not a chain. GM is James Drummond and Asst GM is Dave Sarich. Chefs are Glen Zoteck and Travis Rea.

The photo above was taken a couple of weeks ago when construction was still heavily underway, however a good hint of what to come is provided via the unfinished website where menus have been posted. The distinguishing hook would appear to be a selection of international stir-fry dishes entitled “Woks From Around the World”. And it looks like they may intend to take on DB Bistro Moderne’s signature burger with “THE Burger” -- a combo of organic chuck steak, applewood-smoked cheddar and pancetta. As well, there are nods to regionalism and sustainable ingredients with an emphasis on innovative cocktails. We’re looking forward to test driving the fresh fish tacos. You’d think that a simple item like that would be difficult to mess up, yet so many places in this town have. We’ll be looking for one with the edge.

When the doors open, the phone number will be: 604-681-EDGE (3343).

On another new restaurant with a spatially descriptive name, we’re getting good feedback about Nook, the casual and cosy, yet elegant West End dining spot recently opened by Nicole Welsh and Mike Jeffs (of Tapastree). Apparently, the place attracted line ups in its first week.

Just in time for Vancouver’s current love affair with classic Mediterranean cooking, Nook is all about Italian -- mostly from the country’s southern-western regions with an emphasis on Naples and the Amalfi Coast. The menu features Neapolitan pizza, classic pastas, meatballs (yay!), and an antipasto bar. Look for artist Phil Martin (he was featured in our Food & Art issue) pouring the wine and slicing the salumi.

Find one of Nook's 30 seats at 781 Denman, in the space formerly occupied by the short-lived Schnitzelz. Open everyday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

We stumbled upon the new Vancouver Café about a month ago (it’s located right next door to Villa del Lupo Restaurant at 883 block Hamilton Street), and were impressed with the café’s spaciousness, pretty robin’s egg blue walls, pours of 49 Parallel Coffees plus other organic brands, bright ceramic cups, and most of all, the daily selection of fresh housemade pastries. But then, owners Naz and Gedik Suleyman have a Turkish heritage, and if anyone knows how to make a good baklava and a sturdy espresso those folks do. What may even be more impressive is how the Suleymans managed to obtain the license to such a generic name for their establishment. (Something that might work against them as far as search engines go.) Beyond the excellent coffees and pastries, go to experience the homemade soups, panini sandwiches, free wifi, stacks of Dwell magazines, purchasable art displays, and bouquets of fresh flowers. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, from 7 a.m. on weekends. 604-568-4446.

The Glowbal Group's fantastic new Coast restaurant on Alberni Street is progressing smoothly with an opening date now forecast for July 9th. Aspiring trophy wives start pumping those air-lift bras -- there will be a PARTY.

News out of Lumiere continues to be stormy with executive pastry chef Bruno Feldeisen being the latest employee to evacuate a restaurant that has seen more of its share of staff turnover in the past year. Rumours rumble that owner David Sidoo is not seeing eye-to-eye these days with his partner, Chef Daniel Boulud. Which doesn’t surprise us. Boulud may be a celebrity chef and a bit of a showman, but he is also is a cool-headed, successful business man who understands the industry.

P.S. If you were looking for directions of menus for the new Wally's Burgers in Cates Park, we've added it here.