I frequently receive story pitches, sometimes from restaurateurs, but mostly from public relations people. To be honest, I enjoy them, both for their utility and their entertainment value.
The pitches are often helpful, advising me of a venue opening, a menu launch, a new chef, a seasonal feature, or a major renovation. Sometimes, however, they’re just flat out amusing in their far-reaching attempt to be relevant to a North Shore oriented food column: our restaurant is serving coffee in ceramic mugs made by a guy who went to school with another guy whose mom once lived on Lonsdale Avenue in the 1980s. Shall we book you a table? I’m making fun, but I do appreciate the creativity of the effort; it’s a tough slog to make a restaurant, particularly an established one, stand out in the fiercely competitive dining landscape.
Recently I received a lengthy pitch that cut decisively through the clutter. It was honest, raw, and left me nodding my head in respect for the perseverance of the human spirit that it revealed. It also called me out for ignoring a re-opening/change in ownership announcement. You see, it was just last year that I visited a place called The Narrows Public House, a Jennings Hospitality-owned pub and eatery that took over the space long known as the Maplewood Pub. The meal there was adequate and I felt I had given the business a just review, and soon put it out of my mind. The location of the pub, on Spicer Road down in the industrial Riverside area of North Vancouver just south of Old Dollarton Highway, is a bit of a haul for me and I have other pub options that are more local. When I glimpsed a note that said The Narrows had been rebranded as The Maplewood, I chalked it up to a marketing move and didn’t feel particularly motivated to visit again so soon.
It turns out the rebranding of the space as The Maplewood Taphouse & Eatery is not, in fact, just a marketing move. It is part of a passion project helmed by a North Shore resident entrepreneur who has deep history with local venues with which I am familiar. Jason Baroni once co-owned Fiction 5, for instance, a stylish late-night lounge and eatery, now shuttered, that was located at Lonsdale and East 2nd. It was an early contributor to the redefinition of the Lower Lonsdale dining esthetic and was certainly the progenitor to some of the newer rooms that have successfully made their stake in that part of town. Baroni’s family owns the long-running DJJ’s Wedge pizzeria at the top of Lonsdale, and before that, had a popular spot called Dino’s in central Lonsdale.
Baroni’s story pitch, which included these historical details, quickly took a dark turn as he described a horrific accident in which his car was effectively crushed by a five tonne delivery truck with failed brakes. He spent three weeks in an intensive care unit before resurfacing into the reality of a long road to recovery, which required relearning how to walk and talk due to extensive, deep-seated injuries. Fractures of the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, carotid dissection of the internal carotid artery, diffuse axonal injury, small subarachnoid hemorrhage, left comminuted fracture of the zygomatic bone, extraction, intubation, needle decompression, scans – such was the substance of Baroni’s note, painting a picture of an unlikely candidate for the gruelling hours and unforgiving physical taxation of running an independent restaurant business.
But that’s precisely what Baroni does now, working 16 to 18 hours daily since taking over the historic pub and attempting, slowly and methodically, to rebuild and recapture the equity of the Maplewood name, as well as a sense of normalcy following the life altering accident.
Entering the pub on a rainy Thursday night with all of this context in mind felt a bit surreal, almost like a voyeuristic foray into another man’s reality. This is the place into which Baroni has poured his time, exceedingly hard-won time for which he must surely feel profoundly grateful. All restaurateurs want to make their businesses work, but I feel like this place is now imbued with a particularly ardent commitment to success, an imperative to make a go of a second chance.
My friend Gil and I sat in front of one of the many large TVs that adorn the downstairs portion of the taphouse to half watch some football as we ate. We grabbed a couple of local pints as we read over the menu, a hybrid of contemporary pub standards (think wings, calamari, burgers) and some more ambitious, locally-influenced fare like the Tuna Tataki Burger, made with sesame crusted tuna, sake kasu mayo, avocado, pickled onions and Japanese style coleslaw, a tower of Shrimp Wontons with mango and cilantro salsa, or baked Mac and Cheese made with aged cheddar and spicy chorizo.
We tucked into a plate of Steak Tips to start, enjoying the tangy HP-infused mayo with ends of lean sirloin beef set atop a bed of sautéed onions. An order of salt and pepper chicken wings followed. The wings were very straightforward: plump, juicy and without breading, dusted in a light coating of salt and cracked pepper and served with the requisite side of blue cheese dip.
Though we were tempted by entrees like the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich with sauerkraut and hot mustard, or a version of Bangers and Mash made with chicken and apple sausages, we ultimately appreciated a nod to the family heritage and opted instead for a DJJ’s Wedge pizza, a house-made pie that uses the recipe of its eponymous source. We asked our server to recommend toppings and ended up with a tasty pizza of spicy peppers, feta, fresh tomatoes, black olives, and a blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on DJJ’s signature dense, crispy, bread-like crust.
Gil and I took in the laid back pub environment and shot a few games of pool upstairs while sipping a smooth whiskey after dinner. I imagine the post-Seymour ski crowd will fill this place to capacity in the coming winter months, while the local business set will account for the after work happy hour rush. Kids are permitted in the space until 10 p.m.
Our meal of two appetizers, a pizza and two pints each was $80 before gratuity.
1970 Spicer Road. Maplewoodtaphouse.com. 604-988-6655.
