Vancouver, BC, is really becoming a magnet for all things chic: first the movies and stars, now the chefs who serve them. Not that I’m not completely smitten with the homegrown talent. Vancouver has long been an exciting food town, but suddenly the big guns are arriving from New York.
First, it was Daniel Boulud, scooping up the pieces at Lumiere and adding his DB Bistro Moderne. And now, Jean-Georges Vongerichton’s Market, a multi-tiered dining project in the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver, opens Jan. 24, 2009.
It’s a move that even has the guys in whites twittering.
Vongerichten’s food empire spans the globe with restaurants in London, Paris, Shanghai and his eponymous Michelin three-star, Jean Georges, in New York. In Vancouver, Market by Jean-Georges promises to be all things to the new luxury hotel and residence complex, serving lunch and dinner in three distinct areas covering most of the building’s third floor. There will be a casual bistro and covered terrace, a contemporary dining room with private noshing areas, plus a 29-seat bar.
You might not see J-G himself (on his blog, Vongerichten admits he leaves New York only about one week a month), but the superstar will be visiting Vancouver to put his team in place.
Look for the savvy Alsatian chef’s signature fresh and uncluttered cuisine, focused on light stocks, vegetable and fruit essences, a natural fit with British Columbia’s bounty. Vongerichten says he’s keen to work with local produce, especially fish. His Asian-inspired palate and European roots mirror Vancouver itself, so it promises to be a tasty fit.
Vancouver’s own award-winning chef David Hawksworth, who will open Hawksworth in the newly renovated Hotel Georgia next year, told me he’s keen to see the competitive bar raised even higher in his hometown.
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