the district

loving the xmas

2011-12-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

I have to say that although I am completely against the complete market dominance of all things "Christmas", I really do enjoy everyone being in such a great mood.

People holding doors open for each other, greeting each other on the street etc., makes me think that although they may have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, they certainly have kept the spirit of the holiday fiercely alive.

So hears wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!

Serving it Right to idiots

2011-10-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Just to clarify for some.. All servers and bartenders are legally required to take and pass a course called Serving it Right in British Columbia.
This teaches them the LAWS regarding the service of a Controlled Substance ( alcohol) .
Did you know that they stay legally responsible for your safety until you are sober?
Do you think they take pleasure in telling you that they believe you've had too much?

You are NOT the sober one. You are NOT the one who is working.
Oh you're mad? Is that why you didn't tip your server? Was their service horrible?
As they were concerned for your safety?
Was your dinner horrible? You're a douche.

Now she tips out on your $600 bill..costing her $25 out of pocket to take your shit.

It's idiots like you that make the expression "The customer is always right" a completely untrue statement.

Quitters

2011-08-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

I was always taught that when you feel it's time to leave a job, you sit down with an employer and give two weeks of written notice.
This allows said employer to find and train your replacement. Conversely, if you are being terminated it gives you time to find yourself a new job.

Calling your boss on their cel phone 4 hours before your shift to tell them you wont be in, is not only unprofessional, it shows a huge amount of disrespect to your co- workers.

People will always remember you from the last encounter they had with you. And I will remember this dishwasher with a glint in my eye.

Red Seal

2011-07-31T22:24:00.001-07:00

basic info

The truth about Foie Gras

2011-07-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABeWlY0KFv8

Anthony Bourdain is the king

I don't even know what to say

2011-07-31T22:20:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3iDdPfUX5g

Langley

2011-07-31T22:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.bbqonthebypass.com/?page_id=4

how to apply for a job

2011-07-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-for-a-Job

and learn to create a PDF file..it's 2011 for f@#k's sakes

some more knowledge

2011-07-31T21:42:00.001-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue

A little internet goes a long way

2011-07-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

how to make hollandaise for muppets

new Team for Langley Bypass Competition

2011-07-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

Good crowds

2011-07-31T21:13:00.001-07:00

Canadian National BBQ Championships

2011-07-31T21:12:00.001-07:00

Just got back from Whistler repping the "slappin butts" BBQ team. Great times

First of all BBQ is about smoking meat - NOT burning it

2011-07-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am still so confused as to why people think grilling meat is BBQ?

You don't BBQ something...something becomes BBQ after it's been smoked for many hours over hard wood.

Chicken!!

2011-06-26T19:23:00.001-07:00

http://instagr.am/p/GeESQ/

a proper cap

2011-06-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

how to make a cappuccino

Whistler BBQ

2011-06-08T10:59:00.001-07:00

So evidently we're gonna be competing in the Canadian National BBQ Championships in Whistler at the end of July..
Down side is that I'm gonna be eating a lot of BBQ between now and then hahahaha.
Any requests?

Cool buildings etc

2011-05-31T23:04:00.001-07:00

Room shots

2011-05-31T22:54:00.001-07:00

Food from Montreal

2011-05-31T22:50:00.001-07:00

Car shopping

2011-05-21T09:02:00.001-07:00

Finally after a month of no car I'm getting one today!

Umi!

2011-05-14T15:02:00.001-07:00

We're going to venture "overseas" tonight and check out the Hapa groups newest baby "Hapa Umi".
Pretty excited to see what they've done with the old Metro- and taste that award winning chowder of theirs!

Excited!!

2011-05-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Can't wait to eat at Pied de Cochon on the 27th. For me, hands down, the best restaurant in Canada. Simple, unassuming, delicious and perfect!

http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/

Are you new here? *edit

2011-05-09T12:30:00.001-07:00

So evidently we just had a lady call and tell us she was going to call the better business bureau to complain because we ran out of the dish she wanted to order?!
*edited to remove my angry ranting*
Please be aware that although we play like the big restuarants, we are in fact , a 90 seat brasserie that makes everything from scratch.
The smoked salmon, in particular, has to cure for 2-3 days before being smoked for 12-14 hours.
So unfortunately when the 20 people before you have eaten the last of it - POOF - it's all gone.
While we really, honestly, do appreciate your passion in wanting to enjoy our delicious food - we ask that you be fair in trying to dictate or demand what we have for you to eat. We will always do our best to make sure you leave well fed and not wanting for more!

BIEBS!

2011-05-07T12:38:00.001-07:00

The countdown is on

2011-05-07T11:35:00.001-07:00

Just over 24 hours until we re-do our dish area. Nothing you will ever see, mind you, but my staff will love me for it!

Fresh tile all around!

Who really likes tiling?

2011-05-06T09:11:00.001-07:00

Colin and I are about to pick up 1100 sq feet of floor tiles. Sunday night straight through until it's finished. Bleagh
Any experienced tilers want to volunteer??

Bixi in Van

2011-05-05T23:45:00.001-07:00

Doing some research for our upcoming trip we've discovered BIXI.. Google it. So cool- we need that here!

brunch

2011-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

north shore news review

Political upheaval

2011-05-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

So on this day of days, remember that no foreign military is coming to execute you in your house without trial or jury.
No one in this country will assault you or worse for expressing yourself. So go VOTE!

Netflix..

2011-04-30T00:21:00.001-07:00

Watching Louis CK on Netflix which has to be the first funny movie I've seen on here in 5 months..

Beat RSS

2011-04-28T18:38:00.001-07:00

#winning

Webbbbbb

2011-04-24T17:55:00.001-07:00

I think HTML programming has to be the most tedious thing to do on a Sunday afternoon... Bleagh

Dallas FC

2011-04-23T20:21:00.001-07:00

What at an amazing performance!
Hollywood should take note- those Texans can dive and roll around like the best actors on the silver screen. Pathetic- and they still won!!

Naramata Spring Release

2011-04-21T12:02:00.001-07:00

Pumped to serve up canapes for 500 tonight! Gonna crush it with Biebs and Sushi.

- BlogPress for iPhone

grab this tight new Sade track with Jay Z

2011-04-10T23:15:00.001-07:00

http://hulkshare.com/beair9z9a3pp

2011-04-08T01:03:00.001-07:00

BBQ for dinner last night

2011-02-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

Jordan's 30th got us all up to Laura and Dave's lovely home for a feast last night. Man Cave Meatery Competition BBQ team threw down hard in the paint.

Best description for your understanding - BBQ is not a verb it's a noun.

You don't BBQ something - something(usually pork or beef ) becomes BBQ by being slow cooked over Kingsford and hard wood chips for hours and hours.
Nice smoke ring.

2011-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

AWARD season

2011-02-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks very much to our guests for Voting us Best Wine List in the North Shore News Reader Poll and nominating us as a Finalist for Where Magazine in the Best Pub Fare(?) category.
Much appreciated!!

Vegas as per usual was pretty sick

2011-02-11T12:54:00.001-08:00

Vegas For Whomps next Thursday!

2011-01-28T01:17:00.000-08:00

Can't wait

New bar is finished

2011-01-28T01:15:00.001-08:00

I'll throw up some pics soon!
I have to say though, that this is my favorite project done so far and am really pleased with the finished product. This one was for Heart Throb.

Living Social

2011-01-28T01:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the support!

2010-12-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

We've got something in the works..

2010-12-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

pictures to follow sooner rather than late, but we have gone back into construction mode to bring you more good things.

Off to Mt.Fuji

2010-10-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well it's been about 2 weeks so far, and I still feel worlds away.
This country is beautiful on many different levels, and the first place I've ever been where I can understand nothing around me yet feel completely at home.
We've been lucky enough to be able to stay with a wonderful family, who is now taking us up to their weekend house at Fuji. I'm so excited to see the countryside!

Japan!

2010-10-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a day trip to Kobe. Japan so far has been lovely and just the break I needed. So far Osaka is my least favorite and Tokyo and Kobe are tied for my favorite cities. The food everywhere is great ( although pricey re:a muffin at Starbucks for $3.50 etc)
Back to Tokyo tomorrow for the week, then off to Fuji for the weekend. Awesome

New Menu

2010-09-20T01:49:00.001-07:00

Just launched the new menus ( dinner and beer ) with Jeff about to publish the updated cocktail and wine later this week.

Guu’d news? The jam-packed izakaya may be opening second location in Toronto

2010-08-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Guu’d news? The jam-packed izakaya may be opening second location in Toronto

Evidently we don't only export Casual Fine Dining concepts!

NYC's Underground 'Please Don't Tell' Bar Tells All || Jaunted

2010-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

NYC's Underground 'Please Don't Tell' Bar Tells All || Jaunted

er..retraction?

2010-07-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

First off thank you to the readers of the North Shore Outlook for voting The District Best Tapas, Best Cocktail, 3rd place Steakhouse and 2nd place in Best Late Night Dining.
It is certainly very much appreciated.

HOWEVER, I have to point out that we are called The District. Not The District Social House. I would like to offer my personal apology to Browns Social House, who own the trademark to the term Social House, and go on record in saying that we had no input whatsoever in the inaccurate use of this name.
I can only describe this as an editorial error made by Black Press, and would request that any and all concerns and or questions in this matter be referred to Mr.Black.
I believe he has some time on his hands.
I hope that our respective clients clearly realize that we are in no way related to your fine chain of establishments.

wow an emotional day to say the least

2010-07-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

First off R.I.P. Mike Bennett - gone too young and with a burgeoning family, my heart goes out to them.
Then sitting on the edge of my seat for 2 hours to see my birth countries chances fly off the pitch.
I think I should just go back to bed...

Oranje voor de eerste keer sinds '78

2010-07-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

wow that was a tense 90 minutes

let's play catch up

2010-07-05T00:41:00.001-07:00

Alright deep breath..
Patio is done. Aircon installed.
New menu being tested.
Website updated.
15th annual Lion's Gate Hospital Fundraiser at Capilano GC.

And sadly a quiet end to The Sign of The Fish after 30+ years.
Regardless of my own religious leanings, to me it just adds to the ever increasing casualty in the loss of independent book sellers. Booooooooo.
All the best to Kevin and Celeste !

Plans in motion for the finish of the Garde Manger, re-do of the bar (with Belgian sink fingers crossed), Mr.Dixon to do some lights when his knee is all healed.
Keep you posted on the details and progress sooner rather than later.

Great little trip

2010-03-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

Just got back into town, and feel like I was a million miles away.
Thanks to Isobel, Ross and Nicole for their wonderful hospitality. Loved the Naramata region, as well as the whole lower Okanagan area ( Oliver and Keremeos in particular).
Great people, great wines..pics to follow. Sadly no pics of the freak high mountain blizzard we drove through though. Alas, somethings are best forgotten!

Im excited

2010-03-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

Going to Kelowna, Penticton and Naramata tomorrow! Can't wait to see what's good.

no patio roof

2010-03-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

Alas no roof allowed..in fact nothing involving any structure over 42".
" Unfortunately, at this time, staff will not be able to support your proposal to install posts attaching the proposed awning to the deck (or sidewalk) below, nor the enclosure of the space with any sort of fabric or transparent material. The intent of the Guidelines is to keep all outdoor dining facilities fully within the public realm and not to inhibit any public sight lines."

So sadly North Vancouver you will not be getting my version of the perfect patio anytime soon.
However, that does not mean you will not be getting an awesome watered down version of the aforementioned. Jeff and I finalized our updated design and we think that it will be something special.

on the radio with Terry David Mulligan

2010-03-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Just heard the podcast from the March 20th edition of Terry David Mulligan's "The Tasting Room". Scroll forward to about 34" to hear the d. I normally hate the sound of my own voice ( you know like on messages and such ) but I actually like it on this.
Thanks again to TDM!

update etc

2010-03-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

I am getting excited! Going up to the Naramata Bench for a little break in a couple of weeks. Wine and gorgeous countryside.
Just updated/messed with the website a little. I think it's a little cleaner this way.
Well off to printers to get architectural drawings for the patio. Wooot wooot.

Para

2010-03-13T00:05:00.001-08:00

Went to the opening ceremonies tonight with my mom. I have to say it was spectacular! The guy in the wheelchair almost sticking a back flip on a skate ramp was pretty damn cool.Seriously it happened.
10 am Canada vs Italy sledge tomorrow.

Lousy Smarch weather

2010-03-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

Did you see the snow this morning?! Well it only lasted about 20 minutes, so you'll be forgiven if you didn't.
Is anyone else as excited as I am to see more olympic events? Well para, but in my mind certainly not any less of an event.
Jeff and I are just waiting on a final drawing to go to city hall, and then we should be able to begin on the patio extension/renovation. Wooot wooot.
We just installed a BUNCH of new barstools in number 11 ( which we knew was long overdue - but at $200 a pop - we needed to save up a bit )
Wanted to say a special big thank you to the asshole who smashed our front window to take our Point of Sale computer! I have to say I'm somewhat impressed that someone would risk jail time and certain beating from me to get a computer which was on Craigslist for $200. Anywhooooo enjoy the day!

Wow the Olympics are almost over

2010-02-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or did that go by really quickly? Phenomenal experience all around!
We've been busy as well with our reno's finally reaching the state we always wanted. Look for all new bar stools next door in number 11 ( to the moron who wrote a recent civilian review - yes there's a whole other room with it's own bathroom!)
Jeff and I are looking to re-do, extend and roof our new patio starting next month - fun! Then throw some aircon in and we're good for summer.
Anyone interested in doing some beer tastings? Drop Jeff an email at jeff@thedistrictsocial.com

holidays

2009-12-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be a good time to mention that we are closed on Christmas day - but that's it.
We've also got a solid New Year's eve planned, and will be open on the 1st (it's a Friday after all).
Well that's it, I'm off to finish my shopping.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!

2009-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

pet peaves - updated

2009-11-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well the all time one is people is who spell Caesar - CEasar- , but my new current fav is people who believe they will entice me to take their group by stating things like
- we drink alot! or
- we want a place to come down and have a few appies and lots of drinks!
This, to a restaurant owner, translates roughly to "We will certainly help your place appear to be breaking the B.C. Liquor Laws, and we don't understand that a restaurant is not a bar!"
How about no to you and your knucklehead friends?

A lady reminded me of my ULTIMATE one tonight.
Walking in the back door of the restaurant like you know somebody.
NO ONE is welcome to walkthrough the backdoor. Reminder to the lady tonight - you are NOT a VIP, in fact nobody even knew who you were which effectively makes you a nobody.
Walk around.

Food Primary Licence

it's been awhile my friends

2009-11-18T16:57:00.001-08:00

It's certainly been a busy month, and we are still kinda nuts with another 2 parties of 25 this weekend!
What else can I tell you?
New keg room is finished, which means even more beer on tap.
Smoke shed done this week, so the smoker now will have a permanent home.
Nick has officially started his apprenticeship here - nice one Mr.Smith.

Jeff and I are having our birthday gong show next weekend, and I'm a little nervous..not gonna lie.

This isn't set in stone, but the word on the street is that the chain restaurant that came after us for trademark infringement is going to have to close due to copyright infringment. Karma is a bitch.

That's it for today's update..

Winemaker's dinner

2009-11-06T00:49:00.001-08:00

A 4 course dinner with 2 fantastic winemakers!

a new look and a new day

2009-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I have recently made some aesthetic changes to our website, blog etc.
It turns out that a local restaurant group has trademarked the term "socialhouse", so we have been advised that we can no longer identify ourselves as a social house.
Alas.
So we are returning to our original moniker "The District".

No more lunches

2009-10-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

After much debate and months of holding off - we have decided to discontinue weekday lunch service altogether.
We are absolutely positively still serving weekend brunches -so don't despair - the weekdays just weren't what we needed them to be.

I love rain+landscaping

2009-10-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Just putting the finishing touches on the back of the building. Painted, cleaned up and now landscaped. What a difference.
Now off for two hours of crossfit and MMA. Woot woot

Eat BC!

2009-09-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

On October 1st we're going to be starting our Eat BC menu, which runs the whole month.

menus

Should be fun!

hartstikke bedankt

2009-09-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say thanks again to Vega for coming down and helping to re-do the sound down at the district.
Look for him and his dj crew to throw it around on Fridays and Saturdays from 10pm-1am.

campagnolo

2009-09-03T01:12:00.000-07:00

Went down and checked out Conde Nasts' pick for best restaurant in Canada tonight.
Definitely worth the walk on the wild side aka. the east side of Main street just before Terminal Ave.
If you can find the Ivanhoe Hotel, then you can find Campagnolo.
Lovely decor, exceptional service ( thanks Amanda ) and a solid rustic menu inspired by the Piedmont and Emiglia-Romagna regions of Italy, it will certainly not make you feel like you're eating in East Van..and if you're own with continuing your "european" escape through the eastern boroughs, check out Le Faux Bourgeois at Fraser and Kingsway for a classic French treat.
Lovely meals at both places, which always makes me a happy camper ( and no I am not going camping for the Labor Day weekend )

armchair critic

2009-08-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sara just told me a funny story. She had a lady come in last night and order 5 things off the menu, eat them all, and then offer her opinions on how we should change each one of those dishes. Really?! Who does that?
Even if you were a chef or a restaurant manager ( which you obviously aren't) nobody asked you!
Do you find yourself going into a coffee shop and telling them they should roast their beans differently? Or buy some flowers and then tell the clerk that they should have been grown differently?
Lady here's my tip to you - those who can DO, those who can't delude themselves into thinking their "considered" opinions matter to professionals. Try Cactus Club next time.
Now excuse me while I go back to making duck prosciutto - from scratch.

pink salt

2009-08-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

If all goes my way, we will have another building permit tomorrow to send off to Victoria for Liquor Board approval. For what you may ask? Well for an extended patio. Yes. Yes indeed.
Next week we are launching the new menus with about 8 new dishes for you to try. New benny, new mussels, new salad, a few new desserts, new appies. I am excited.
But my big mission is to find pink salt aka Prague Powder #1. And it is goddamn near impossible to find.
I have to go to deep Langley to get it. So that I can start to make my own Charcuterie. mmmmmmmmm. Smoked buffalo bresaola. Lavender Saucisson.

2009-08-11T02:05:00.000-07:00

well hello there

2009-08-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

So we have un-officially opened the expansion. I say that as we still have a few things to finish before we will 100% say it's done. But you can sit in the room and enjoy the space already.
We have gone through a bit of housekeeping recently as well - we sold Kantine Urban Cafeteria so that we could focus more on The District.
You will see some more changes soon such as the launch of our new brunch/lunch menu, our updated dinner menu, and our updated cocktail and wine list.
More to follow..

almost done!

2009-07-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

So a bit of news..
first off congratulations to
sonya k. - blueberry hill
cassidy ( aka bruce) - tough to be tender
and milan for - cafe del rus
but we need your help to break the tie for the 1st cocktail. See poll to the right.

We are almost done with the expansion, with Jeff finishing the trim today, and final inspections tomorrow. Exciting times kids!

still waiting....

2009-06-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's now been 4 1/2 weeks since we gave our paperwork to the city to get a building permit.
I'd like to thank Gord ,my landlord, for being so patient and generous with us.
Here's a bit of PR from Scout Magazine and Sean Sherwood.

Jeff and I are also now completely back at the district, having recently sold Kantine to a couple of great guys who wanted a crack at owning their own restaurant.

Just in time to wait and wait and wait for the city to issue us a permit.
*interesting trivia* when we built the district originally from getting the keys to opening the doors to the public took 9 weeks. We got our building permit in 1 day that time. Now it's been just over 8 weeks and we haven't even brought the tools out of storage yet.

updates updates

2009-06-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

A few things to note...in preparation of the upcoming expansion we are making a few changes - some temporary and some permanent.
As of next week we will be offering brunch/lunch on Friday Saturday and Sunday ONLY.
As of this week sundaysessions is going to take a short hiatus until the expansion is complete.
We'd also like to welcome Nick, Robin and Marco to the kitchen team, and wish Ben and Shuhei safe travels.

sorry about the delay...

2009-06-02T01:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I haven't kept you in the loop. I'm sorry.
I will be announcing some winners soon for the Cocktail Naming Contest.
We'll probably do it around the opening of the expansion.
Where are we on that? Still waiting on Building Permits. Yes it has been almost 7 weeks since we began and that was eaten up by an "architect" who took money to outsource an engineer after 3 weeks of lovely song and dance. Then we joined the queue for the City's Permit issuance. So wonderful.Here's some pics of pre-construction anyways..

room to grow?

2009-04-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

It looks as though we are going to be expanding south into number 11 lonsdale.
Unfortunately the Starfish didn't last, which forces our hand a bit..
so we're gonna raise and hope the river is kind.

Look for a lower ceiling, fireside lounge kind of a feel with touches of brick, hardwood and halogen.
Oh god more construction :(

Spring Forward

2009-03-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

Well we are springing forward in more ways than one!
We're happy that Ben has found a place to live in North Van, and doesn't have to leave us!

Look for our new combined Lunch/Brunch menu to launch this weekend with a few great new dishes ( including a smoked salmon benny)

We're also working on a tight Sunday night program. I'm posting a mock up of the flyer as follows..

For those of you who remember how Balthazar was back in the day - I'm hoping to tip my hat to what Ivo rocked out backed then.

well that was a surprise!

2009-02-01T00:55:00.000-08:00

For the last week and a half I've been playing phone tag with a guy regarding ( what I thought ) was a wedding reception dinner.
We lost touch late last week, and I merrily went off to Vegas.
So yesterday morning he calls Sara and asks if tomorrow ( saturday ) was still ok?
Of course it was not a problem and the arrangements were made.

So today Sara starts the party, only to discover this is not the reception BUT THE WEDDING!

So congratulations to the happy couple!

mental health break

2009-01-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

I needed a little break..and what better place to go besides Las Vegas?

A few buffets, a little slot-action, some bowling, some shopping , and an amazing 2 1/2 hour behind-the-scenes tour with Nik Rollison the director of food & beverage at TI.
I'm back a little more rested and a lot more inspired.
If you've never been to Vegas, go.

Oh and we got our Oceanwise membership!

Thanks for the blue lip special

2009-01-16T15:20:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I had a wonderful present the other night. Well Jeff did more than me. Someone a lot less fortunate than us decided to throw a rock through the front door and help themselves to 4 partial bottles of liqueur - including Blue Curacao. Now I appreciate a lightly orange flavored beverage ( although Drambuie or Grand Marnier is alot more to the point ) but seriously? So $500 for a new door and several hundred more for security screens for the booze....hopefully the perp enjoys his/her brutal sugar hangover. and a special thanks to Ironman ( brett stark ) for the carpentry work.

2008-12-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

This is what gives me energy when I'm exhausted

a new hope..er..blog

2008-12-09T01:22:00.000-08:00

With all the changes afoot for us down in Lower Lonsdale I thought it might be a good time to update the website and add a proper blog..
I will endeavor to keep this one and Kantine updated as much as possible.

"Charismatic leaders are proposed to be unusually high in dominance, self-confidence, the need for influence and in belief in their own values. They act to create these effects by having a vision of what could be and then stating goals in support of that vision, building their own image as the leader, arousing needs in followers, and communicating high performance expectation and confidence in followers."

previous entries...

2008-12-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

October 13th - Thanksgiving -

I am still in Montreal, but thought I'd give you all a bit of an update. Jeff and I were here doing market research for the last week. I think I put on about 10 pounds. Ate Foie almost every day.
My tally now is at 19 restaurants visited. A few repeats as well.
This city is wonderful.
Most visible distinction between here and van? In Vancouver we build gorgeous expensive rooms and staff them with imbiciles and serve mediocre food...in Montreal they build shitty plywood boxes and staff them with servers and chefs who LIVE for food service. I've been to 3 rooms that were basically sponsored by IKEA and would absolutley crush any competition in Vancouver.
No $50,000 light installations or Warhols on the wall.
Great city, great smoked meat, great portions, great duck abuse, oh and Jeffs major observation? Almost no blondes!
So we are coming back rested and re-charged. What's next? Well if the financial end of things all comes together, we will have a new restaurant within the month!

September 1st 2008
Wow, it's been awhile since my last blog post. My apologies for keeping you all out of the loop.
We've had quite the summer!
Firstly, we are all very proud to have won the North Shore Outlook "Best Tapas" Restaurant Award for 2008.

Just this weekend we competed in the LoLo Chef's Competition down at the Party at the Pier in North Van.Sa
dly we did not win "Battle Blackberry". But the boys fought well, and every one involved is looking forward to another competition.
We also celebrated our first Anniversary at the end of July, but sadly no pictures are g-rated.Haha.
Jeff and I will be taking a little jaunt to Montreal in a few weeks, and I will post again with some pics!

June 11th 2008
Our newest bit of excitement..we've joined the Lower Lonsdale Restaurant Association.
Check out http://loloresto.blogspot.com/ for more information.

May 12th 2008
Alright. We're there.
New wines.
New menu items.
New ceiling fans.
After a nice 13 hour day, we'd like to say thanks to pretty much the entire staff for their help today, as well as Mr. Stark and Billy.
Also we made it onto TV! Check out this clip from Shaw TV.

May 2nd 2008

So I'm almost ready to launch the new menu. Some old favorites are returning, some new ones being introduced.
Our new man in the kitchen, Fraser, is fixated on fish being on the summer menu, so keep an eye out for some amazing seafood. We've got an application in with OceanWise, so wait for a fancy sticker on the front door as well. There Fras..happy now?

We've secured some amazing wines from Kettle Valley, La Frenz, Golden Mile and Nichol Vineyards and some great new liqueurs and liquors as well.

Other news? Hmmm sad to lose Tasha, happy to gain Ali, Michelle, Chris and Kyle. We've got out strongest team yet, so the summer should be fantastic.
Our huge 8 seat patio is now open, complete with lovely Stella Artois umbrellas.
Finally at the end of May we'll hear if we get our 2 am extension.
Lovely.

April 13th 2008

Pffft April's been a real treat. No more chopping potatoes whilst distracted.

March 23rd 2008

Well it's been 8 months and I figured it was time to update the website.
The only real shitty part about doing this is that I lose the Hit Counter History. Sooo for the record, as of today the site actually had 5321 hits.
It's been quite a whirlwind so far!

A few select numbers to break it down -

1147 orders of Crab & shrimp cakes
850 Steak Frites
779 Chocolate Souffles
942 pints of Stella
1917 cups of coffee
and 1 Manhattan ( weirdo - who drinks Rye with a cherry? )

We are just about to launch our new spring/summer menu, so a few favorites will be returning. Remember the prawn lollipops? Yes they were amazing - and are therefore coming back.
We're also very excited to be welcoming back Joie wines to the list, as well as Golden Mile!
I'm also very pleased and proud to welcome a daughter to the world. Adison Sophia was born March 11th.