You see it every year in Vancouver.
The city closes off Robson Street to vehicle traffic between Hornby and Howe, right there in between the Art Gallery and Law Courts.
Funky, creative seating installations are set up for Vancouverites to sprawl out over their lunch breaks and buskers come out of the woodwork, filling the air with their earnest acoustic tunes.
People flock to it and I feel like the pedestrian-only thoroughfare, which usually lasts for a couple of months, is one of the most effective, low-cost and simple ways to promote a sense of community in a city frequently criticized for its insular, cliquish tendencies.
Back in May, I was very happy to see a sign posted at the southwest corner of the Esplanade and Lonsdale intersection announcing the imminent arrival of an “Expanded Outdoor Dining Pilot Project.”
The project, construction of which was completed in the middle of last month, is a partnership between the City of North Vancouver and the row of independent restaurants that occupy that block of Lower Lonsdale heading down to Carrie Cates Court, and seeks to expand outdoor seating capacity while encouraging foot traffic.
This project is excellent on so many levels. I know I’ve said this before, but that one-block strip of independent eateries from Raglans at the north end to Gusto di Quattro at the south, is to me one of the most precious stretches of the entire North Shore. It is a bastion of stand-alone dining, an example of persistent entrepreneurship of the very highest level, with some restaurants operating continuously there for four decades, while other, newer entries, hold their own and help contemporize the whole scene.
In my opinion, supporting independent restaurateurs, that ragtag group of rogue innovators hailing from disparate traditions but united in a commitment to sourcing locally, cooking seasonally and engaging with diners in the name of authentic community and culture, should be the biggest priority of anyone who self-describes as a foodie. Without their restaurants, our dining scene risks falling prey to wholesale corporatization, trading innovation and boundary-pushing for standardization, rote, cynical repetition and cultural appropriation in the name of stakeholder dividends.
It was with these lofty ideals swirling around in my head that I descended with my friend Adam upon Lower Lonsdale’s pilot pedestrian thoroughfare project, our very own Bacchanalian Boardwalk, to hit up a couple of participating patios on a bustling Friday night.
It occurred to me as I offered a passing shout-out to The District Brasserie in my collaboration Westvleteren beer piece a couple of weeks back that I have never actually reviewed the restaurant in these pages. I have mentioned it a number of times, have reviewed its sister property, Little District up on 13th Street and Lonsdale, and have seen the room mentioned in all manner of promotions and special offerings over the years, but I have never given it singular attention, despite frequenting the place regularly.
Owner and chef Paul Mon-Kau is a familiar face on the Lower Lonsdale dining scene and has done much to help augment the golden block of eateries in which his District stands. I was glad, then, to see his room absolutely hopping on the night of my visit.
It was good fortune paired with Adam’s focused hawk eyes that scored us a patio table seconds after one was vacated by another party; these prized seats should not be considered a given. Amidst the buzz of the popular expanded patio, we settled into our evening with pints of Hoegaarden and Black Kettle IPA, fresh, food-friendly beers that paired nicely with crispy, hot and exceptionally enjoyable crab fritters served with chipotle mayo.
The fritters are impossibly light and airy, but jammed to capacity with luscious crab flavour; this dish is a District menu mainstay for good reason.
Another excellent dish, Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts finished with balsamic reduction and toasted walnuts, helped persuade me that this de rigueur, hipster-favoured veggie still has a lot to offer.
A plate of fries with peanut sauce, mayo and chopped green onions, called Patat Oolog War, was a decadent and filling treat, the unlikely combo of ingredients seemingly expanding in my stomach with every sip of cold beer. A final snack of Cheese and Chorizo Puffs proved wholly superfluous and, while tasty enough in their own right, simply couldn’t compete with the holy trifecta of classic heavy hitters described above. Our District visit, which included two pints, two imported Belgian bottles, and four generous appies was $80 before gratuity.
With bellies nearing full but thirsts still raging, Adam and I headed next door to the always fun and friendly, never contrived Raglans for a couple of fruit-forward tropical cocktails. Adam and I share a long history with this surf-themed venue including, several years ago, what was arguably one of the oddest nights out of my adult life, involving a send-off party for a newly recruited MI-5 intelligence officer.
Once again, I was delighted to find a perennial favourite nearly bursting at the seams with dining traffic and we happily took the only two available seats in the house, right in front of the high-octane and often vociferous kitchen staff trio that was handling a relentless stream of chits rolling off their printer.
We ordered a pound of nicely spiced, well-interpreted jerk chicken wings to accompany a round of potent and dangerously delicious Mai Tais. Quickly approaching a point of no return, we decided to call it a night after a final round of Tiki cocktails, this time including mango, mint, lime, orgeat (almond and orange flower syrup) and little paper parasols. Our modest foray into Raglans territory was $50 before gratuity.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at hungryontheshore@gmail.com. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
