Another steak joint in Vancouver? Hardly.
The Shore Club is Vancouver restauranteur David Aisentat’s latest creation 
and is making some serious waves in the downtown business core.
The Shore Club opened smack-dab in the epicentre of Vancouver’s downtown financial district in June 2007 (kitty corner to the newly renovated and mammoth Holt Renfrew) on the corner of Dunsmuir and Granville Street.
The Shore Club’s location is definitely prime time for their target market - downtown business/lounge types. Their ‘fairly prominent’ gleaming marquee (a la Radio City Music Hall) probably just falls short of being visible from space…so you can’t miss it. Really.
Swing open the castle doors of this ‘cozy’ 275-seat, 12,000-square-foot food and beverage emporium and you’ll be greeted by 14-metre-high ceilings, custom artwork, chic design and finishings and of course, a Yamaha grand piano (you need one of these, obviously).
The menu does have some of Aienstat’s ’steak joint staples’, but what makes it unique is the addition of some really nice (and unique) seafood dishes. Now, let me play it straight for you, I’ve only been for lunch a few times on business (read: exactly the market the Shore Club is targeting) so I have yet to sample the steak (having been to Gotham, Hy’s and the Keg MANY times, I’m sure they’re good.
From my two or three lunch experiences, though, I’ve been suitably impressed. I’ve found the wait staff to be very courteous and easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and timely…all good things, don’t you think? Their lunch menu is ‘clean’ (one page, simple selection, easy to choose from) with reasonble prices attached and their wine list is so extensive, they honestly could release it in a one or two part series (The Chardonnay Ultimatum, The Pinot Supremacy, whatever). Personal favourites: Fish Tacos, Lobster Cobb Salad, and Tuna Nicoise Salad.
Aienstat has added a ‘couple’ of popular restaurants to his portfolio since 1997: Gotham, Hy’s Steakhouse, The Keg (96 of them to be exact!), Ki (an amazing Japanese fusion experience in the heart of downtown Toronto), and now, The Shore Club. What’s even more interesting is that the restaurant where it all started (Hy’s in Calgary) was closed on New Year’s eve just this past year.
The Shore Club certainly has shot out of the gates and is gaining considerable momentum and press. Judging by the excellent service I’ve experienced and the menu (and extensive wine list) I’ve sampled, this is only just the beginning.
Bon Apetit.
T&D Rating: 4.5 NY Strips (out of 5)
Nice review.
As a steak lover, I might just have to try this one day.