Poor Jillian Harris. The bubbly Vancouverite was one of the final three contenders on The Bachelor until she got dumped last week in the show's "most dramatic departure of the season."
"You have an amazing life," Bachelor Jason Mesnick consoled Ms. Harris, who is the interior designer for girly steakhouse chain Pinkys. "I wouldn't be able to keep up with you."
Considering how successful Pinkys has been at influencing its competitors, creepy Bachelor boy may have been right.
In fact, it was as I was watching a YouTube video of Ms. Harris grilling up a mess of hot dogs as she put the Bachelor to "the wiener test" that a press package landed on my desk from Earls Restaurants, announcing the new V Spot in Yaletown.
V is for vodka, and this "sophisticated" new room, conceived as an upscale alternative to Earls casual dining, plans to sell a lot of it - to women.
I guess these female-friendly spaces are supposed to be the anti-sports bars. And I'm sure there is lots of solid marketing research to back up the demand. But the whole idea of designating a drinking space for the little ladies strikes me as being about as progressive as spouse-shopping by televised contest.
On Friday night, the V Spot is far less busy than the main Earls restaurant on the lower level. The clientele is an equal mix of men and women.
The modern baroque design does feel a lot like the original Pinkys in Yaletown, albeit not as eclectic. Here, the ubiquitous exposed brick and wood beams are embellished with black-lacquered wrought-iron screens, shiny silver tiles, crystal chandeliers and regency damask banquettes.
It's cute, except for the hockey game blaring on four flat-screen TVs, which are later switched to a music video of Fergie crawling across a boardroom table in her underwear.
Me and my gal pals order the Friday night vodka special - a flight of four half-ounces for $18. The blind tasting is kind of fun. But if we had bought the shots singly, we would have saved $5. I guess we're paying for the sculpted ice container, which quickly melts all over the white marble bar top.
"Could we please have some napkins?" we ask the closest bartender (the other has been steadfastly ignoring us).
"In a minute," she replies, barely lifting her eyes from the computer monitor. Five minutes later we have to ask again.
There are no hot dogs on the new tapas menu, which is just as well. The grilled prawn taco ($9.50) stuffed with aged cheddar and fistfuls of cilantro are a fresh-flavoured hit. But the tomato sauce on the Margherita pizza ($11.50) tastes as if it came from one of those 3-for-1 pizza factories.
Ahi tuna poke roll ($11.50) is a little bit sweet (macadamia nuts), a little bit crunchy (tempura) and a whole lot spicy (wasabi mayo and mustard sauce). While I'm impressed to find a chain restaurant cranking up the heat, it completely obliterates the tuna and should probably come with some sort of warning.
We round out the night with a bottle of Quail's Gate pinot noir, for only $34. At these prices, we're tempted to order three. Earls has the lowest markups I've seen in Vancouver - not including Joeys.
If the V Spot caters to women, the Wine Room at the new Joeys in the Bentall One tower is made for men. It feels like a private-club-cum-sports-bar with its round leather booths, banker's lamps, a cutting-edge Steinway & Sons music system with huge, stadium-style speakers and an enormous roll-up TV screen. Playing the hockey game, of course.
The pièce de résistance is the massive Italian Enomatic wine machine behind the bar, which keeps up to 60 bottles fresh for about three weeks.
Earls and Joeys, although ostensibly competitors, have for several years shared a wine program that helps them leverage low prices, exclusive products and 10-year contracts with large commercial companies.
But the new Wine Room selection comes from a different, much deeper, cellar. The markups are higher than at Earls, but not outrageous. And the list ranges from a cheap and cheerful Mesta Tempranillo ($6 a glass or $2.40 a two-ounce taster) to a decadent Château Palmer 1998 Margaux ($120 or $48).
There are a few boutique wines in the mix, but it's mostly familiar names and large labels. The Wine Room caters to the masses, not serious oenophiles. It's approachable and unpretentious, much like the clientele here tonight.
To our right, a wobbly gentleman in a tailored suit and tie is encouraging us to order the lobster grilled cheese sandwich ($14.99). We should have taken his advice, because the tuna tacos with crispy deep-fried shells ($9.99) are a mess to eat and the gyoza ($9.49) is incredibly bland.
To our left, an attractive blonde is commiserating to a much younger man about the after-work dress code: "Women can't win. If we wear something flashy, we're trying to pick up. If we wear black and low-cut, we're trying to pick up."
The sartorialist is wearing both, and it's working. The men flock to her side all night.
Who knows? Maybe in this retro world of bread, wine and rose ceremonies, everyone's a winner.
Just look at Ms. Harris. A week after being dumped, the fan favourite is now a front runner for her very own reality-TV series as the next Bachelorette. You go, girl.
The V Spot at Earls Yaletown: 1095 Mainland St.: 604-688-4990. The Wine Room at Joeys Bentall One: 507 Burrard St.; 604-915-5639
