Main Street Cafe » Restaurant

Chef?s Surprise at the Hermitage Restaurant

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:47:04 +0000

Musicians, Artists, film makers – We don’t tell them what and how to make their art, and it seems presumptuous to tell a chef what he can do best on a particular night. Spending $50 on a dinner is a serious evening’s entertainment, certainly not to be frittered away on passing whims. So, my partner and I call Herve Martin, at Hermitage, named a date and a time and asked for $50 dollars each worth of luxury and comfort. It’s an approach I recommend. Tell your favorites, how much you want to spend and leave the rest to him or her.

It was certainly an evening, and we started with a salad of lightly blanched, almost melting but crisp red cabbage and toasted walnuts dressed with walnut oil. – A very appropriate welcome to the advent of winter. A second course arrived: Red snapper, wrapped in cabbage (green this time) and Prosciutto. – The three little filets sitting along side a coulis of sweet tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. A very interesting approach to a simple fish like snapper.

For the main course, a pan-fried veal chop, simple with its pan juices, pommes Anna and a coloring of lightly poached vegetables. A veal chop like this is not a conversation piece but a really profound piece of meat, complete with it’s own handle of bone for picking up and gnawing. By the time we finished it we were almost two hours into dinner. Finally, for dessert, an other simplicity, a perfect finisher – A large semi-crisp crepe, stuffed with fresh raspberries and served with strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

An amazing evening and experience was created from start to finish at the Hermitage restaurant thanks to the expertise of chef and owner Herve Martin.

By Jamie Maw

Vancouver Magazine

October 2006

Mention that you read this article on ARTICLES BASE and receive $25 OFF your bill.

Spear and Eat at the Hermitage Restaurant

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:46:05 +0000

Fondues, resurrected from the 70’s, are still going strong as hipster communication food.

Chef and owner Herve Martin always has fondue available on his menu, you just have to ask and give him 48 hour notice if this is your plan for your unforgettable evening at the Hermitage restaurant.

“Oil is far too ‘evy to digest,” says Herve Martin, of his beef tenderloin fondue. “So, we do it in wine. In Burgundy, it’s pinot, pinot, pinot.” The meal also includes cabbage and bacon soup, a green salad, potatoes, a cheese plate and for dessert, pears poached in red wine with black current sorbet.

The beauty of the fondue, Burgundy style, is that the flavors are so much more present. It’s a joy to bite into a piece of meat that has been slowly cooking in red wine. It’s so much more than just dinner, it’s a very social and fun way to have dinner. You have more time for interaction and talk as your meats are cooking.

It’s a perfect date dinning experience, gets families to talk more around the table, but best of all, it’s a very healthy way to eat.

It’s a perfect winter meal and it is now served until spring as a promotion for $49 per person. But, is also available year round. Ask and you shall receive.

Herve Martin says parties have booked out the entire restaurant for a fondue party.

By Mia Stainsby

The Vancouver Sun

February 2005

Mention that you read this article on ARTICLES BASE and receive $25 OFF your bill.

The Hermitage Restaurant is Vancouver's Best French Dining

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:45:07 +0000

Here is a little about Herve Martin, the chef and owner of the Hermitage restaurant in Vancouver.

Hervé Martin, Chef/Owner of The Hermitage Restaurant trained for eight years in France to achieve the level of Executive Chef. On his quest to achieve this position, Hervé also trained as a Pastry Chef and a Butcher prior to serving as the private chef to the King Leopold of Belgium. He has worked at some of the finest 3 star Michelin restaurants in Europe and then went on to be the executive chef at some of the best hotels in Europe, the United States, and Canada. Included in this category were the Palace Hotel in the South of France and Ireland; the Hotel Plaza de la Chaudiere in Hull, Quebec; the King Edward Hotel in Toronto; the Westbury Hotel in New York and the Palace Hotel in Philadelphia. In 1985 Hervé Martin came to Vancouver to open the Pan Pacific Hotel. During his three years at the Pan Pacific, several things occurred: the opening of the Pan Pacific was a hit, Hervé and his culinary team received many awards for various competitions, and he decided to open his own restaurant; thereby making Vancouver his home.

As a member of such renowned wine appreciation societies as the Chaine des Rotisseurs; the Confrérie du Sabre de’Or; the prestigious “Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin” and other associations, Hervé’s knowledge of French Gastronomic and the various wines that work well with it are outstanding. Therefore, Hervé has carefully chosen the wines for his critically acclaimed cellar including fine Burgundy wines from his family’s Chateau de Chamilly vineyard in France.

Now, about the restaurant.

Since its opening in 1988, The Hermitage has been a favorite of Vancouverites and visitors alike. Situated in an enclave away from the hustle and bustle of world famous Robson Street; it offers an elegant, but charmingly informal atmosphere that reflects the warmth and hospitality of provincial France. While engulfed by the coziness of French antiques, family treasures, and the warm brick of the fireplace, you can select from a menu created by master chef Hervé Martin and served in the traditional French style. The critically acclaimed wine list boasts one of the best selections of Burgundy wines in Vancouver and is highlighted with exclusive wines from the family winery in Chamilly, France. Always on the list when accolades are being given, The Hermitage has received many awards as a result of the mix of tradition, knowledge and artistry that Hervé brings to his restaurant. On a warm summer’s evening, you may wish to enjoy your dinner on the private courtyard patio while contemplating which of the wonderful desserts you will choose. Whether dining inside beside the fireplace or outside on the patio, you will be in for a memorable dining experience.

Chef/Owner Hervé Martin and his highly professional staff welcome you to The Hermitage.

Mention that you read this article on ARTICLE BASE and receive $25 off your bill.