HOME OF THE BRAVEN
J.W. Marriott’s new eateries set to make their mark
Chef and food stylist Paul Brans shows off a dish — and the bold decor — at Braven, one of the new restaurants opening at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Ice District.
And now it’s a city.
Never mind Rogers Place, the 69-storey Stantec tower (the tallest Canadian skyscraper outside Toronto), and our reputation for sending Tony award-winning shows to Broadway. As of noon Thursday, Edmonton boasts an icecream sundae that’s 18 inches high.
One could dismiss the $21 Eton Mess Black Forest Sundae at Braven, the fine-dining establishment at the new J.W. Marriott, as mere culinary showmanship, or worse, a shameful exploitation of brownie. But try to see things my way. For too long, this city has restricted its culinary excess to $168 Tomahawk steaks and frozen margaritas poured into a bird bath and pierced with an upended beer.
Over-the-top desserts were not in our repertoire. Those days are behind us, as I learned during a sneak preview of the offerings in the two restaurants now open in the J.W. Marriott, only the third iteration of the luxury brand in Canada (the other two are in Whistler, B.C., and Muskoka, Ont.)
The preview was hosted by Paul Brans, a chef and chief culinary stylist for Oliver and Bonacini — the Toronto-based hospitality and events group — a powerful brand with 27 eateries (including several in Calgary) that prides itself on being a not-chain. All food in all the restaurants is overseen by corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh.
“We don’t see ourselves as corporate at all,” says Brans, who has been creating the look and feel of new O&B restaurants for 12 years. “We are small, independent restaurants with really good backup.”
Brans says each and every O&B concept is unique and chef-driven — from its 100-seat Toronto flagship property Canoe, which for nearly 25 years has been turning out award-winning Canadiana dishes from the 54th floor of the TD Centre in the city’s financial district, to Calgary’s The Guild, located in the historic Hudson Bay building downtown and a celebration of wood-fired meat.
Even the two new O&B concepts I sampled in the new J.W. Marriott (designed by Dialog) are vastly different in taste and tone. Kindred Food and Drink is the breakfast, lunch and dinner offering, where hotel guests (or anyone in search of great hummus) can enjoy a casual, all-day concept.
Helmed by chef de cuisine Jason Greene (most recently located in kitchens at The Westin and Tzin), Kindred has a reasonable price point (yummy hummus was a starter at $13), and an atmosphere that feels special, if not intimate, at 90 seats. With lighthearted blue/ green accents and 30-foot windows, Kindred is veg-centric but still prepares classic comfort foods, such as a massive chicken pot pie (more of a puff-pastry pillow than a dish).
The warm toffee pudding ($9) at Kindred is the best I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten a lot. And there is a 48-seat patio.
But the signature space in the new Ice District property (10344 102 St.) is Braven, a 200-seat “beast,” according to Brans, in town from Toronto for the hotel’s grand opening Aug. 1. Don’t hold the restaurant’s name against it (sadly, braven is not a word), this restaurant will be the new go-to for those with empty bellies and deep pockets.
Braven is a simply stunning room. Deep-green, clubby and masculine with copper and bronze accents, it smells like new leather chairs. With a nod to classic 1970s steak and seafood joints, the restaurant also has feminine touches, such as German crystal and hand-painted plateware, plus lighter fare on the menu including tuna tartare served on forked avocado. The previously mentioned Eton Mess is a girlie extravagance if ever there was one.
Braven’s executive chef, Jeremy Korten, has relocated to Edmonton with his family from O&B’S property in Blue Mountain, Ont. Edmontonians familiar with the chef scene who are seated at the sea-green marble chef’s rail close to the kitchen may catch a glimpse of chef Colin Mcfall, formerly of RGE RD.
The third food and cocktail space was not fully finished during my tour. But Alchemy Bar, located on the hotel’s fifth floor, will have its soft opening over the next few days and weeks. With only 55 seats (five of them at the bar), Alchemy is a cosy space in a deep, teal-blue with brass accents and a mysterious, hidden entrance located behind a bookcase. Perhaps the highlight is the 164-seat patio with an au plein kitchen that overlooks the outdoor event area between the Stantec Tower and Rogers Place.
The J.W. Marriott also has a lobby bar between Kindred and Braven with a cocktail program described as “aggressive.” (Aggressive has replaced the word “robust” for communications professionals looking for a way to describe something that’s quite good.)
It’s easy to regard large restaurant players as uninteresting, or somehow untouched by the creativity that makes Edmonton’s smaller culinary jewels such a treat. And there’s no denying O&B’S proportions. Its 2018 partnership with Calgary’s Concorde Entertainment Group, which has 19 concepts in Calgary, brings O&B’S stable to more than 3,000 employees and upwards of 60 restaurants and event venues across Canada. Katz Group, which developed the Ice District, has a substantial non-controlling investment in O&B as their hospitality partner.
A player of such heft has potential to contribute much to the scene. It raises the bar, gives local talent a new place to hone hospitality chops, and can boost the health of local producers, including Marriott suppliers Mo-na Foods, Irvings Farm Fresh, Doef ’s Greenhouses, Sparrow’s Nest Organics, Art of Cake, Sundog Organic Farm and Neo Juicery.
Kindred and Braven turned 1,300 plates during the multi-day friends-and-family test run, and Brans visited 36 local restaurants in November during one fact-finding mission to get a handle on the Edmonton scene. This is no driveby opening.
Restaurants cannot survive through amazing desserts alone. It will take time to see if O&B has been able to nail the palate of this city, which is more adventurous than some give us credit for.