16 - Friday, March 14, 1986 ~ North Shore News

FOR THE ARISTOCRAT IM EVERYONE

Emerald Park Restaurant retains regal atmosphere

AS RESTAURANTS, refurbished homes exude the warmth of the ¢ lives lived d within their walls.

by Ti imoth y Renshaw

Despite. the vagaries of their convoluted architecture, which can reduce the lifespan of the sturdiest waiter, old homes house some of

Vancouver’s best and :nost ex-. clusive restaurants. In North Vancouver, the

Emerald Park Restuurant, 350 East Second Street, resides in one of the city’s landmark abodes.

Its 190 seats, its bar, kitchen, and banquet facilities fi" the various drawing rooms, li' aie . dens and billiard roous of Emerald Park Lodge, the palatial digs of Col. Alfred St. George Hammersley.

The restaurant’s clientele can look out on the old lodge’s grounds from vantage points once occupied by the legendary blue- blooded North Shore aristocrat as he pondered his next grouse hunt from the business end of a vintage port.

HERITAGE STATURE

Prior to Friday night, 1 had often considered a visit to the

heritage-housed restaurant, but never mustered the gumption. My bloodlines, { assumed, were a trifle dilute, my wardrobe, far from top drawer.

But Emerald Park is no longer infatuated with itself; staff that previously regarded regular folk with disdain reserved for the lef- tover crumbs from life's upper crust, have been sent packing with their pretensions.

The restaurant's original owner- ship, after investing an estimated $1.6 million to overhaul the col- onel’s turn of the century manor house, faded beneath the weight of that investment and the imprac- ticality of trying to sell an opulent menu in recessionary times.

MENU TONED DOWN

When the Sillito brothers, John and James, took command of the regal Emerald Park in early 1984, they jerked the stuffy rug from beneath the restaurant’s too serious image, and toned down the menu to a more workable taste and price range.

Entree selection is now a tradi- tional blend of continental seafood and meat dishes with the sturdy Rack of Lamb topping the fist at $17.95. At the other end of the scale, a simple beef Brochette ($12.95) in a simple green pepper- corn sauce or a Pride of B.C. grill-

edise'me “let 713,95) presented ‘tur «aise sauce ASCOTS WELCOME

But the Sillito brothers have not cut ali ties to the Emerald Park’s aristocratic heritage.

For those who regularly wear ascots to dinner or who just feel the urge to veer into the economic fast lane for a few kilometres, there is the 007, a three course feast for two, featuring Emerald Park Duck Pate, Entrecote Double with Bouquetiere, topped off with Frozen Souffle Grand Marnier and a bottle of Dom Perignon, all for $125. One of the colonel’s favorite ways to end a day, according to

HEAD CHEF Rene Widmer proudly dispiays Emerald Park’s menu in front of the historic restaurant. The owness of the establishment have preserved the dining room's elegant reputation, providing fine food and

service at reasonzole prices.

legend.

Unfortunately, all my ascots were at the cleaners and my wife's Lynn Valley accent dispelled any pretensions we may have had to such upper class indulgence.

SUPERB SOUP

We headed, therefore, into the meat and potatoes of the menu, and tested the Soup of the Day ($2.50), a pleasant cream of broc- coli enlived with a hint of curry. The Melon Proscuitto ($4.25), featuring thin slices of the renowned Italian ham draped over sweet slices of cantaloupe and honey-dew melon, was superb.

We accompanied both with a 1984 vintage Pisse Dru Beaujolais ($19), a reasonably bracing selec- tion from the Emerald Park's sim- ple wine list. Extreme care must be taken with pronunciation when ordering the above bottle.

For entrecs, we tried the Prawns Corfu ($15.95) and the Duckling Grand Marnier ($14.95). Both had good visual presentation and both were full-sized portions.

GREEK STYLE

The prawns came aboard a queen-sized bed of white rice, simmered in a gentle Ouzo flambe, then baked Greek style in a cream and Feta cheese sauce — an ex- cellent combination.

The duck suffered somewhat from a Grand Marnier sauce that was too subtle, and from not being in the sufficient volumes in which the web-footed beasts are happiest and most tasty.

The accompanying vegetables, a blend of carrots, zucchini and duchess potatoes, were good, though predictable,

We by-passed the Emerald Park dessert selection, with its tempting line up of tortes, souffles, mer- ingues and Poire Belle Helene (two baby pears dipped in chocolate, stuffed with walnuts, then covered with vanilla ice cream and choco- late sauce, $3.95), opting instead for the three-layer Cassata drench- ed in Grand Marnier.

FIRST CLASS SERVICE

Service throughout our meal was first class and friendly; the view from the colonel’s study was a pleasant meander through the back pages of Brideshead Revisited, though marred somewhat by the glare of overly enthusiastic garden spotlights.

The Emerald Park Restaurant Tepresents a touch of eating elegance in one of the North Shore’s finest old homes.

Open every night for dinner and every day except Saturday for lunch, the restaurant is a recom- mended stop for all North Shore folk who have never had contact with, nor realized we even had, an illustrious aristocratic heritage.

British accents preferred, but not mandatory.

984-4414 733-3825

1200 Lonsdale 1885 York, Kitsilano

924-8161 for reservations,

a I miles north of m Horseshoe Say

1184 Denman & Davie

9am Mon.-Fri. Special Menu

@® =117-260 W. Esplanade Free Parking 986-2228

Mon.-Thurs. 9am-i0pm, Fri. 9am-11pm Sat. 1f1am-1tpm, Sun. 11am-10pm

PRESENTS

restaurant and banquet

Dr. Chuck Spezzano, t.p. m.F.c.c. (from Hawaii} Join him for lunch and seminar “LOVE, SEX AND HAVING IT ALL"

$40 per person — lunch included Thurs. Mar. 20/86 -- 12-2 pm.

260 W. Esplanade call 984-3304

North Vancouver us

2c =. Neptune... 7 Choose either 60z New York Steak : with rice or french fries, fresh 499 vegetable and side salad. only

Open for lunch & dinner from 1130, Sat, & Sun. from 9:30 am

Neptune or Schnitzel Neptune served Special from 4:30-9.00 pm daily til March 22, 1986 Reservations 987-8812, 1301 Lonsdale, North Van §

Restaurant

banquets & private parties

UNTIL MARCH 31 LUNCH & DINNER

fe

BERS

" VALET PARKING AVAILABLE

684-5322