february 2015 BCBusiness 75 daVId MCIlVrIde; IlluSTraTION: MarK aTOMOS PIlON
Downtown on historic Bernard
Avenue sits Salted Brick,
Kelowna's new epicentre of local
and organic, and with a mantra
of house-cured, homemade and
handcrafted.
With a menu that changes
every day, chef/owner Jason
Leizert focuses on locally
sourced meat and produce
with a determination that
"nothing from the animal goes
to waste." Craving venison
hearts or pig's trotters? You can
fi nd the off al and unusual here.
A local forager picks "crazy
stuff " from sumac to wild
mushrooms, and the gleanings
make their tasty way onto the
daily fresh sheet.
Even vegetarians leave here
happy, with savoury cheeses—
perhaps paired with apples and
greens—tucked into a crispy
baguette from the neighbouring
baker. (saltedbrick.com)
•
Vancouver's newest french
café, au Comptoir ("at the
counter/bar"), is unabashedly
Parisian, from the servers right
down to the custom built-in-
france tin bar.
and while co-owners
Maxime bettili and Julien aubin
aren't natives of the french
capital (they met while studying
in Poitiers 17 years ago), they
spent the better part of a decade
honing their skills in Parisian
cafés and wanted to create a
similar style here, right down
to the extensive hours and no-
reservations policy.
bettili, previously of les faux
bourgeois and the acorn, isn't
worried that locals will have
trouble adjusting to arriving
without a confi rmed table. "I
think people are ready for that
now," he says. "We are open all
day and serve breakfast, lunch
and dinner, with no break."
underscoring his belief that
"sharing a meal is something
important," bettili notes that au
Comptoir does not provide Wi-fi,
and with hours of operation
running from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
"you can come and enjoy a meal
at any time."(aucomptoir.ca)
— Alix Drabek
Parisian-style
atmosphere
in the heart of
Kitsilano
Salted Brick
Au
Comptoir
BesT TABLe Tuck yourself into a table along
the brick wall near the back, where you and
your guest can peruse the charcuterie on offer,
while watching the chefs at work.
MusT-TRY ORDeR The $9 brisket sand-
wich, available Mondays and Tuesdays,
delivers beef as soft as a marshmallow but
with all the taste you'd expect from meat
that has been brined for eight days, smoked
overnight and slow-cooked for 16 hours.
DRinK uP famous for its Old fashioned—
"we don't do any other kind of cocktail"—Chef
Jason believes that whiskey and cheese are
the ideal complements for charcuterie. If you
don't agree, try the sparkling wine on tap or ale
hailing from Kelowna's Tree brewing.
insiDeR TiP Tell the chef your favou-
rites and budget, and allow him to tailor a
lunch to your taste.
Chef Jason Leizert
has opened a
Kelowna
charcuterie that
serves locally
sourced
artisanal foods
by Patricia Dunn
ReD oR GReeN
Salted Brick offers many unusual
meats while still giving vegetarians
a few interesting options.
P o w e r L u n c h
R e c e n t l y O p e n e d
