Lumiere and db Bistro Moderne restaurants will close on March 13

by Charlie Smith on Feb 27, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Lumií¨re.

Two well-known restaurants on Vancouver's West Side, Lumií¨re and db Bistro Moderne, will close on March 13.

General manager Chris Gonzalez confirmed the news in an e-mail to the Georgia Straight. He added that any comments would have to come from either co-owner David Sidoo or Georgette Farkas, spokesperson for renowned international chef Daniel Boulud, who, in 2008, made these two establishments his first Canadian dining operations.

Boulud's French-inspired menu at Lumií¨re is overseen by executive chef Dale MacKay. He replaced celebrated Vancouver chef Rob Feenie after he had a dispute with Sidoo.

The B.C. restaurant industry has been battered in the past seven months by the introduction of the harmonized sales tax, which added a five-percent provincial levy to the cost of a meal. In addition, new drinking-and-driving penalties have scared many restaurant patrons away from ordering drinks with their meals.

There's no word on whether or not these provincial policies contributed to the demise of the two restaurants, which are in the 2500 block of West Broadway.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

Comments (18) Add New Comment
Morty
Feb 27, 2011 at 3:18 pm
I know everyone loves to blame the HST for, well, everything—but do you really think it's an issue at Lumií¨re's price point? I sure as hell don't. The restaurants just haven't been that busy since the Sidoos and Feenie had their falling-out, and I can't imagine that it's been cheap to have Boulud's name on the menu (as noted by Andrew Morrison at Scout Magazine).
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Pat Crowe
Feb 27, 2011 at 5:02 pm
People aren't spending right now. And the people with money are hanging on to it.
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Danny Wong
Feb 27, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Their food is simply not en par with their price. It was better back when Rob Feenie was the chef.
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Vancouver 2011
Feb 27, 2011 at 10:13 pm
The Cactus Club is more popular now as they are more affordable. Most smart chefs see the future is offering value to customers.
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86er
Feb 27, 2011 at 11:04 pm
As much as I would love to have a meal at Lumiere, it would be a total luxury for me. Unfortunately, many people don't have the budget to eat there on a regular basis.
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Lillian
Feb 28, 2011 at 12:01 am
Love Lumiere, service and food are excellent even after the change over, I always go there for special celebration.
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LJF
Feb 28, 2011 at 11:22 am
I really enjoyed DB bistro for brunch. The service and bar staff were top notch. I will be sad to see them close.
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burnabyguy
Feb 28, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I think this restaurant is being brought down by celebrities and want-to-be-celebrities. Feenie was running around trying to be a celebrity, and he got into hot water with investors. Subsequent celebrity chef was only a chef in name, and Canadians, unlike the Americans, do not care much for celebrity chains.
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SIP
Feb 28, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Both restaurants are far too expensive for a tough economy. HST is also a big factor. I've cut my dining by 3/4 since HST came into effect. Liberal party... we are not ATM machines.
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Sven Crawson
Feb 28, 2011 at 6:40 pm
New York chefs had their designs on Vacnouver prior the Olympics, and now that they're over and the international crowds have left, so, too, have the patrons for these fine dining restaurants. I imagine Market at the Sangri-La will be next to close up shop, only to be replaced with yet another Cactus Club or perhaps a homeless shelter or casino.
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Chuck D
Feb 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm
So long foie gras serving a**holes
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Lillian
Feb 28, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Love this restaurant, best food and service. It has been my special occasion dinner once a year. It's sad to see it close.
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justin
Feb 28, 2011 at 11:53 pm
the girl who hosted at DB was smoking hot
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Bobbie Bees
Mar 1, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Whaaaaaa!!!!!!
Oh cry me a friggin' river.
So what, we're supposed to encourage drinking and driving just so these two places can stay in business. What a load of poppy cock.
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Second Nation
Mar 2, 2011 at 12:18 pm
If the HST and the drinking/driving laws are to blame why aren't all restaurants closed? This seems like a political jab thinly disguised as restaurant news.

ps - I think your camera's phone should get wiped more often, that photo gets an D-.
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trouble
Mar 13, 2011 at 1:25 pm
great shame the restaurants are closing David bought something very special to Vancouver that will be missed.
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Randi Winter
Mar 15, 2011 at 12:55 am
Losing DB Bistro is definitely a loss to the city. Lumiere as well, although I preferred the price point at DB Bistro and have been to several of Boloud's restaurants in NY as well. It is a loss for the city. I agree that it is tough on all restaurants. On the other end of the spectrum I have never seen Hon's so quiet either. I think all restaurants are hurting due to all of the factors mentioned. Meinhardt closed down her second store and these are all signs of the times. Dine out, entertainment books and groupon show there are markets for almost anything at the right price point.
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24-7
Mar 31, 2011 at 6:47 pm
We had our company Christmas dinner last year. We feel very fortunate to have experience Lumiere as it was a fantastic experience. Top notch all the way. Will be truly missed.
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