Adventures in Dining

By John Watson - Spirit of Aloha - January 2005

Dining Out with the Yaletown Natives

Yaletown may have the feel of a work in progress, but its best dining establishments are quite the opposite, characterized by chefs at the top of their game who showcase their creations in casually elegant rooms reflecting the ambiance of the neighborhood.

Nowhere is that more evident than at Elixir in the Opus Hotel (322 Davie St., 604-642-6787), where award-winning chef Don Letendre serves up a French bistro menu influenced by his travels around the world. A Vancouver native who apprenticed in Japan, he’s served as the executive chef at Vancouver’s Moustache Café, specializing in French-Mediterranean cuisine. Letendre’s menus include brasserie dishes with Asian and Middle Eastern touches, including spiced lamb sirloin with couscous, duck confit salad with candied walnuts, and oven-roasted halibut with fennel, roasted tomato and clams.

"My goal is to provide comfort food with exotic flavors,” explains the 37-year-old chef. “And the ideal place to do it is in Vancouver, where we have the freshest fish, the best selection of produce and the widest variety of international products.”

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