Thank you to Corner Stone Bistro for preserving the integrity of pulled pork and recognizing that it ought not to be encumbered by the insidious, pervasive reek of artificial smoke product.
The shameless violation of slow-cooked meats by simulated smokiness, a culinary misfire presumably meant to impart the idea of what barbecued foods taste and smell like, has become an offense of epidemic magnitude and the source of no little irritation for this reviewer. Please, if you are not going to invest the time to cook your ingredients over a carefully curated assortment of smoke-producing woods to achieve a natural flavour profile, don’t patronize my palate by squeezing a glob of concentrated hickory essence into my dish and hoping I’ll feel transported to the Deep South. Just ... enough, OK?
Corner Stone offers a pulled pork sandwich at lunchtime that nicely symbolizes the venue’s approach to cooking: simple, authentic, and lovingly rendered without cutting corners. The fact that the sandwich didn’t taste like it had been used to douse a campfire was a welcome surprise and will ensure that I return for lunch again, despite my historic preference for Corner Stone as a dinner destination.
I was glad to see the Pemberton Heights mainstay reopen after a nearly two-month hiatus following a major water leak. Two months is an awfully long time for a small business to be closed involuntarily and I know a number of people, me included, wondered as the weeks wore on if the place was going to make it.
Happily, Corner Stone not only weathered the storm but appears to have emerged stronger for it. On my recent lunchtime visit with my wife DJ I was pleased to witness a steady stream of regulars walk through the door and proclaim their relief to find the venue open and then quickly turn their attention to the interior redesign, which is significant and well-executed.
Corner Stone is another example of a hybrid food service venue/specialty retailer, a North Shore signature combination that continues to work for many businesses, including Buddha-Full, End of the Line General Store, Bluhouse Market & Café, Caffe Al Mercato, Cilantro and Jalapeno, Ethical Kitchen, InGrain Pastificio, Bowen Island Pizza Co., Puccini’s Deli, and several others.
Here, preserves, oils and vinegars, pickles, refrigerated goods and candies are neatly contained in a small retail area directly in front of the cash register, separated from the seating area by a low dividing wall and cool, rustic suspended window panes. The dining area is now very contemporary, with slate tiling, dark wood and leather seating, high-gloss wooden tables, bright artwork by local artists and a discreet, tasteful display of retail drinkware and cookery books.
Tucked into the corner is an aged piano.
In addition to pulled pork, the bistro’s display cases were home to a variety of ready-to-heat breakfast sandwiches (none of which included a veggie option, which I found odd), baked goods, salads, and enormous, house-made meal bowls (which feature on “Bowl Me Over Tuesdays,” a regular early dining engagement that features hearty dishes like Kung Pao, Butter Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, Thai Curry and other rib-sticking fare, well-priced for the portion at $13).
My conversation with the barista informed me that Corner Stone will begin casual, family share-plate service on Thursday nights (beginning tomorrow), creating an all-are-welcome local pub environment with tapas style snacks and libation from North Shore beers to cocktails. On Wednesdays, the bistro offers a pizza menu for early dine-in or takeout, brunch is offered on weekends, and full dinner service, with a weekly rotating menu, is offered on Friday and Saturday evenings.
As I gleefully tucked into my Pulled Pork Panino, DJ enjoyed a straightforward breakfast sandwich, made to order to accommodate her no-meat request, and we shared a well-portioned cold orzo salad made with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and feta tossed in an olive-oil heavy vinaigrette and dried herbs. With two lush and creamy cappuccinos we enjoyed a dense and weighty Healthy Choice Muffin, tasty and enjoyable despite its righteous moniker.
Our lunch, which in addition to the items described above included a second coffee to quell my caffeine thirst, was $31. Corner Stone Bistro is located at 1096 West 22nd St. in North Vancouver. cornerstone-bistro.com 604-990-3602
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Jan. 25 is Robbie Burns Day (Rabbie Burns, to those versed in his brogue). Purists will insist on haggis for supper on this day commemorating the life, words and legacy of Scotland’s greatest poet.
For them, The British Butcher (West and North Vancouver) is the best bet to find the traditional bladder-bound mixture of offal and oats, which is so much better than it sounds, please trust me on this. You can score a hearty specimen for about $20.
If a wee dram is your preferred mode of acknowledgment, there is no better selection than the gawk-worthy whisky wall at Edgemont Fine Wines, Spirits and Ales, home to both rare and best-in-show single malts that will get your “heart’s bluid rising hot” in no time.
