Timothy Renshaw
TABLE HOPPING

Dad’s Cafe, 120-260, West
Esplanade, North Vancouver.
988-3038. Cash only accepted.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday to Friday. Open from 3
a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Not
licensed. Take the kids or call a
babysitter? Take the kids.

‘Menu for today:
© Mushroom Cheeseburger
($3.75)
*° Grilled Cheese Sandwich
($3.25)
N TABLE Hopping days of
yore, dining at Dad’s for
breakfast or Junch would
probably have meant a slice
of dry toast, a slug of tepid
tea and an earful of advice
on what an errant son
should do with his life.

But dining at Dad’s Cafe isa
whole nuther stary, as they might
say down south.

The new Dad's is tucked away
in a quiet corner of Esplanade’s
Courtyard retreat just across from
Waterfront Park and within inhal-
ing distance of some good salty
harbor air.

For the iongest time, Dad’
was the Cafe Terrace, a humble
eatery that served a simple tun-
cheon and evening fare combin-
ing European and Oriental influ-
ences. It appeared destined to
survive despite its Gut-cf-the-way
location and its low-key person-
ality.

But survival in the restaurant
business is as tough as itis in any
natural food chain.

In November 1993, Joe
Malnar, the former owner of
West Vancouver's Cinnamon
Cafe and Bakery, took over the
Terrace location, christened it
Dad's Cafe arid began filfing it

with homemade breads and
other baked goods, hamburgers,
omelettes and assorted fatherly
dishes and specialities.

He focused on the breakfast
and luncheon end of the dining
market, meals with which dads
have a particular affinity.

Molnar liked to make every-

NEWS pheto Mike Waketield

DINING AT Dad’s... A hearty table for two set at Dad’s Cafe,
just off West Esplanade in North Vancouver City.

thing from scratch — hand-
kneaded breads and handmade
burger patties.

Early rising diners liked
Molnar’s touch, and Daa’s began
to develop a loyal clientele.

But the investment of energy
required to maintain his stan-
dards of homemade and hand-
made took their tall on Molnar.
tn April he sold his srnall North
Vancouver cafe to Dave and
Lynn Chan.

The pair shared their prede-
cessor’s dedication to homemade
and handmade, and Dad‘s con-
tinues as a quality breakfast and
luncheon bar serving a basic
menu of classic pre-dinner
Canadiana.

Breakfast at Dad’s features
bacon and eggs (two any sivle
with homefries and toast for
$2.50), a half dozen omelets ($3
to $3.95) and French Toast

($2.50).

Lunch ranges from Soup of the
Day (with grilled homemade
bread, $2.50) to Chili ($3.50),
Salad ($2.50 to $3.50) to a brace
of sandwiches ($3.25 to $3.75)
and hamburgers (all homemade
quarter-pounders with fries or
salad, $3.25 to $4.75).

Cinnamon buns (95¢) and
other baked goods are also
served, as are cappuccines and
caffe lattes ($1.75).

Dad's serves solid Canadian,
three-napkin fare that sticks to
the ribs long after consuming.

Sampled hamburgers, for
example, were served in Dad's
patented home-baked buns and
featured homemade patties
topped with cheese, sliced mush-
rooms, lettuce, tomatoes and lots
of sauce.

See Cafe page 36

Merlot great for potluck menus

SANTA RITA RESERVA SAUVI-
GNON BLANC 1993 $9.95
(Chile)
Like the firm’s reserva cabernet,
this is a marvellously well-made
wine which puts most competi-
tors in the price range to shame.
The word “grassy” is often
used to describe a good sauvi-
gnon blanc. Here, you get a
chance to taste what the word
actually means: not mulch, but
the kind of cool, complex herbal
flavors Thai cooks achieve with
lemon-grass.

John Moore :

WINE SPCTS

Top-notch white at a reason-
able tariff.
MERLOT — CONCHA y TORO

(Chile) $7.45

This is presumably the stuff
that goes into the firm’s deserved-
ly popular 1.5-litre “jug-o’-fun” to
marry up with the cab. While it
predictably doesn’t have as much
oomph on its own (no‘pure mer-
tot does), it still makes a pleasant
lighter-style fruity barbecue bingo
that adapts well to pot-luck sum-
mer menus or afternoon terrace
tippling. Lacks the nasty acid
backbite of most French bulk
merlots that will run you a few
bucks more.

Wednesday, July 20, 1994 - North Shore News - 27

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