PATIO

THE ARBOR

THE ARBOR

THOUGHTFUL VEGETARIAN COMFORT FOOD 

The Arbor, Vancouver’s newest vegan, comfort-food eatery, is a consolidation of backgrounds ranging from The Acorn (owners Scott Lewis and Shira Blustein) to Farmer's Apprentice and Royal Dinette (Sommelier Paul McCloskey) as well as Bishop’s (Chef Rob Clarke). Fortunately, in pursuing their new endeavour, the team did not retreat from a philosophy of ecologically minded, freshly produced ingredients. The focus on quality transferred over from their respective backgrounds flawlessly, all while creating a complementary inverse to The Arbor’s vegetarian fine dining sister restaurant just five storefronts up Main Street: the still-popular Acorn.
 

THE BIRDS & THE BEETS

THE BIRDS & THE BEETS

THE FORMULA OF BOTANICALS, BREADS, AND BARISTAS

Stepping into Powell Street's The Birds & The Beets, you'll enter a bustling shop. On the left are rows of brilliant fresh flowers for purchase supplied by The Wild Bunch Floral Studio and smaller square tables align along the right. If it’s summertime, the large pane windows will be folded open steeping fresh air and sun into the café. There will be a quick moving line, but there’s always a chance to gaze at the day’s enticing goodies in their glass encasement. Before you know it, you'll find yourself wanting to order a hops kombucha, a rhubarb soda, their homemade lemonade, and a macchiato all before even looking at the food options. Once you see a miso barley bowl glide by in an employee's hands, you'll be instantly back to scanning the menu board: the options for deliciousness are endless.

BLENHEIM RESTAURANT: PASTURE TO PLATE

BLENHEIM RESTAURANT: PASTURE TO PLATE

HARVESTED IN THE CATSKILLS, SERVED IN THE WEST VILLAGE

Blenheim Restaurant owners Morten Sohlberg and Min Ye, an accomplished husband and wife duo, merely intended to create a neighborhood staple but wound up with a highly sought-after Michelin Recommendation, ushering their team into a rare class of pre-trend innovation. The intimate nook in Manhattan's West Village sits at the intersection of two tree-lined, cobblestone streets: a romantic throwback to the days when the Chase Banks and Walgreens of the world had less of an imposing presence.

CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

WITH AN AMOROUS GLOW, CHAMBAR WILL TAKE YOU AWAY

Located in Crosstown (the ambiguous mid-zone between Chinatown and Yaletown), the remodel of the second location of Chambar was a collaboration between co-owner Karri Schuermans and Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects, who are also based in Vancouver. Their design goal was to parallel the reach of the restaurant’s ambitions with "exquisite cuisine, exceptional service, and a room that glows", branding it as "an unpretentious fling with fine dining.”

BUTLER

BUTLER

PASTRIES AND PICCOLOS: BROOKLYN'S FINEST BISTRO

Given the moniker for the surname of its Michelin starred pastry chef Ryan Butler, this bright, propitious corner café at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge will remind you of your long-lost love for brioche, crumb cake, scones, and toast. Interlacing the nostalgia of freshly homemade baked-goods with the exultation of detail-oriented gourmet cuisine, Butler brings its guests back to what food is supposed to bestow upon us: emotion, nourishment, and reverie.

HOMER STREET CAFÉ

HOMER STREET CAFÉ

A ROMANTIC ROOM, HEARTY DISHES, & CLASSIC SERVICE

Situated in a building deeply rich with local history, Homer Street Café stops you in your tracks as soon as you enter the room. Featuring an open-concept Rotisserie, this upscale Café is known for a focus on its juicy and perfectly seasoned chicken - so much so, that with an order of chickpea dip and bread thins you get a crispy, fried chicken skin. By sourcing from BC estates like Salt Spring Island's Foxglove Farm, the team behind Homer Street's menu is committed to seeking out humanely raised proteins and freshly harvested produce - a place where nothing sits in a fridge or on a shelf for longer than it should.

ROYAL DINETTE

ROYAL DINETTE

FARM TO DOWNTOWN: TRUE SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND

A restaurant that truly exemplifies its "Farm to Downtown" branding, we first heard about it from Harvey's Organics at the Trout Lake Farmers Market. The menu changes every few weeks, is always seasonal, local, and "99% organic". Each type of pasta is handmade in-house, right in front of your eyes (if you get there early enough!) by one of the unbelievably consistent sous-chefs.