I seem to remember that the spinach and artichoke dip contained juicy morsels of water chestnut back then.
You used the brightly coloured corn chips that accompanied the dip to fish them out. The texture was great, fresh and novel. Then you washed it down with a bright orange, slushy Bellini atop of which stood a solitary plastic animal figurine.
If the night went well, you could collect the whole set and pen them in a makeshift zoo on the table using straws and napkins; Prosecco-soaked pink monkeys and peach-scented red giraffes lived in harmony at last.
On Sundays the poached eggs on grilled focaccia were a brunch favourite, but sometimes a four-cheese burger (the goat’s cheese really elevated that dish) with curly fries was the way to go.
I consumed much of this fare on a glassed-in patio that faced south, looking out at the rapidly advancing development that would eventually become Park Royal Village. Milestones was there first, though, make no mistake. And all of those dishes I described above were new and exciting when Milestones first put them out. They represented the new wave of casual dining, something that North Vancouver seemed to have a knack for.
My experience eating in this city in the late ’90s and early noughts cannot be divorced from Milestones any more than it can from Delilah’s, Star Anise, Section 3, or Rain City Grill. None of these places are around today, save Milestones.
Looking around the dining landscape now, the influence of Milestones can be detected, but it is perhaps not as clear as it once was. I liken it to the digital music revolution. Remember Napster? That changed everything and we wouldn’t be where we are now without that site. But others built on it, fine-tuned the paradigm and now Soundcloud, iTunes, Pandora and Spotify dominate.
Similarly, irrespective of who actually “started it,” for every Milestones, there is also a Browns, Cactus Club, or Joey’s competing for finite belly space.
Some say the casual dining chain culture in this city is slowly sapping the life out of the independent businesses. Ubiquity of locations means they have an unmatched ability to shape dining tastes and take ownership of emerging trends.
Mass buying power means they can set lower prices than independent restaurants and have a much easier time “comping” a meal at the first sign of diner dissatisfaction, an approach the little guys have a hard time replicating. This buying power also means they get first dibs on a lot of specialty products that come through our market on a limited basis. I am not an independent restaurateur, so I cannot attest to how many of these concerns are real.
But what I can say is that even the casual dining chain players must constantly fight to stay competitive and need to be on a program of frequent reinvention to hold the fickle attention of Vancouver’s selection-spoiled diners.
A recent preview dinner at the newly renovated Milestones Park Royal bore this out. The event was as much about showing the updated, modernized space as it was about celebrating a wholly revamped menu, intended to keep the cross-Canada operation relevant, fun and talk-worthy. An invitation-only crowd (of which I was privileged to be part, courtesy of our paper’s publisher, Peter Kvarnstrom) descended on the place one recent weeknight and enjoyed a seven-course overview of the menu’s new signature dishes.
Each course was presented by national corporate culinary director and executive chef Jeff Dell, who came from the operation’s head office in Toronto to join us in West Vancouver for the night. Dell has that sort of infectious, brash charm and uninhibitedly loud style of oration that commands a room. Indeed, as the evening wore on and guests had enjoyed the first few wine pairings with their dishes, spontaneous cheers, whistles and applause emerged from the crowd. I was reminded of the early days of Emeril Lagasse, whose unpretentious and earnest enthusiasm mobilized hordes of vociferous followers, caterwauling and catcalling at every protein described by the chef.
The meal was largely a departure from the Milestones of old. The restaurant’s menu still included burgers, wings, and the famous slushy Bellini, but on offer this night was much more involved fare, including Gemelli Pasta with Wild Field Mushrooms and Baby Arugula in Truffle Parmesan Cream (my favourite dish of the evening, the potent truffle flavour lingering on my palate through several more courses), Wild Norwegian Cod glazed with Red Miso in Coconut Lemon Broth, and Sirloin topped with Crab and Shrimp in Lobster Butter Sauce. Other dishes presented in the meal included Roasted Beet Salad with Goat’s Cheese, and Prime Rib Sliders with Buttermilk Onion Strings.
As a general observation, I’d say the new Milestones menu shines brightest when it keeps closer to the restaurant’s original culinary concept: fun, unfussy, well-prepared food that doesn’t put on airs or aim to displace the city’s next Michelin-starred room. To that end, Warm Mini Ricotta Donuts served with Limoncello curd, rum salted caramel and coffee-liqueur spiked hazelnut chocolate dipping sauces were a resounding hit at the table, while Coconut Marinated Calamari Strips with mango chili dipping sauce felt like they were perhaps trying a bit too hard to be different.
I found myself at Park Royal Village the Sunday after my preview dinner and was struck by how packed the Milestones patio was. I wish them well in their newest iteration and hope that their fare earns new legions of fans in the early days of mapping their own culinary journey.
Milestones West Vancouver is located at Park Royal Village. milestonesrestaurants.com 604-925-9825
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 [email protected].
