Awesome restos in local hoods

[Kentan]

I didn't know quite what to call this topic but I think you know the kind of places I'm talking about: New upscale restaurants that take a chance on up-and-coming or out-of-the-way neighbourhoods because they are confident that if their kitchen is up to snuff, diners will find them.

My guess is that prior to the rise of food blogs it was harder for the average person to find a new restaurant. You'd either hear about it from a friend or you'd have to walk by it by chance. This meant that you had to have a prime location to generate enough walk-in traffic. Now with many more ways for potential customers to find out about new hot spots, restaurateurs can choose cheaper locations with more character and still make a go of it. It may actually work out better for them than choosing a high street location. I'd be interested to hear the forum's thoughts on this.

Anyway, I think one of the first examples of this trend in Vancouver would be the opening of Chambar on Beatty St in September 2004. It's hard to remember now, but at the time it was seen as a hugely risky venture to be opening a higher-end place in a rather desolate part of town. Since then they've been going like gangbusters, and now Cafe Medina has opened next door, and the Dirty Apron Cooking School will surely complete the revitalization of that street.

Some other examples I can think of:

Salt Tasting Room - Blood Alley in Gastown. No kitchen!

La Buca on MacDonald @ 24th. Very small space, out of the way location. But the food was great so it became a huge success.

Campagnolo - Another desolate stretch of road on Main St near Prior

Les Faux Bourgeois - E 15th next to Kingsway. Packed every night and they now have a cafe as well.

Au Petit Chavignol - East Hastings near Hawks

The Pear Tree - Hastings St in Burnaby, east of Boundary

Others? Others that are being planned?

[fmed]

Gudrun (Steveston)

[barolo]

Chambar definitely seems to be the poster child for breaking new ground in Vancouver. Although in the novel Stanley Park ,by Timothy Taylor, a fictional but very trendy restaurant was located in the Crosstown area well before Chambar got there.

I think Henry's Kitchen was in the La Buca space and was pretty popular so I might put an asterisk beside that one.