Mia Stainsby
Sun
The Shore Club general manager Megan Buckley ( left) alongside owner David Aisenstat at the bar of the new $ 8- million restaurant on Dunsmuir Street. PHOTO BY RICHARD LAM/ VANCOUVER SUN
Seekers of chic and styled dishes at highbrow restaurants (you know, the deep-fried sage leaves, the slashes and gashes of sauces along with julienned veggies) might be surprised at the spartan presentations at this elegant restaurant.
But a restaurant mogul like David Aisenstat doesn’t make stupid moves — and now he sees a market for the old-school menus and comfortable terrain.
He’s now running six successful Hy’s steakhouses across Canada, nearly 100 Keg restaurants, Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar on Seymour Street, and now, the darling of the empire, The Shore Club, an $8-million beauty.
The food excels in two areas — the meat and the fish. They’re both very simply prepared but absolutely top notch. The fish is given a little touch-up — lemon beurre blanc, Pernod and herb butter, and other light saucing, but otherwise, it’s hands off. Sides have to be ordered separately. (It all adds up to a sizable bill.)
Eight million dollars says this is a confident move, even though Aisenstat is kind of cannibalizing Gotham, and even Hy’s (which caters to an older power crowd).
“We think they’re going to complement one another,” says general manager Megan Buckley. The fact that Gotham’s getting busier and even Hy’s is picking up steam was evidence enough.
Shore Club does a good job seducing a fairly conservative audience and, in particular, the male palate. The sides weren’t terribly impressive but my (typically male?) husband got all blubbery about his steak.
Shore Club has gone heavier on seafood than any of Aisenstat’s other restaurants. The Alaskan black cod (renamed sablefish in hipper restaurants) was beautiful; a stuffed rainbow trout was very flavourful; and Dungeness crabcake, quoting my husband, was the best he’s had. It was a big puck of fresh crab.
The crab bisque, however, would have cooked my tongue had I dove right in and an oyster stew was good but not great. The rib-eye steak ($40) was nicely marbled, juicy and delicious; double-cut lamb chops came buttery (and three to a plate).
For dessert, I tried a delicious brownie with ice cream; an old-fashioned banana cream pie taunted me with a thick layer of whipped cream atop the coconut custard. “Eat me,” it said, but I scraped the cream off as my husband winced in pain.
Prepare to open your wallet wide. The proteins cost $29 to $65 and side dishes are $7 to $11.
The wine list is impressive, with some 300 choices, a good portion of them high-end and global. “We try to find out what our guests are interested in and make an effort to bring in unknowns,” says Buckley.
But Shore Club isn’t just about the food — it captures an old-fashioned glamour. Walk into the mahogany-lined entrance and you feel swell. At the bar, one would have to levitate 35 feet before hitting ceiling, shooting past a mezzanine dining area on the second floor en route. The hostess must hike the equivalent of the Grouse Grind in high heels each evening, squiring diners up the long set of stairs to the dining area. In one case, an older couple looked positively exhausted by the time they reached the peak. (Take the elevator!)
Service comes with a retro glamour with an attentive wait staff in white jackets. Our server on both occasions impressed the heck out of us — when I inquired about him, I discovered he immigrated from a Keg restaurant. He didn’t have to tell me his name was Chris. It was written on his jacket.
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THE SHORE CLUB
Overall: 4
Food: 4
Ambience: 5
Service: 5
Price: $$$
688 Dunsmuir St., 604-899-4400, www.shore
Open for lunch, dinner and cocktails daily
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007