To best understand the concept and menu at Dovetail, one needs to be familiar with their contemporaries or inspirations. At first, hearing that it is “California inspired” might be a little confusing given that their most famous menu items are their pasta dishes. Two California restaurants that immediately came to my mind after my first visit to Dovetail are Jon & Vinny’s, with locations around Los Angeles, and Santa Monica’s Élephante. In fact, Wish You Were Here Hospitality, who own Élephante as well as a half dozen other establishments, was cited by Dovetail owners as particularly inspiring.
Coastal California
Indeed when I asked co-owner Jenn Hang about the California seeds Dovetail grew from she said, “I love talking about the California inspiration,” explaining that the team “all grew up visiting with family, chasing the sun down to California as often as we could, which definitely fed our curiosity as we started exploring restauranteur-ship.” You can see Dovetail’s California inspiration in the soft coastal colour palette used, and in the lively atmosphere, as well as in the menu which is centred around simple, quality ingredients.
California is a continued source of inspiration, with the team crossing the border to check in with the Golden State. As Hang explains, “Our bi-annual research and development trips serve the purpose of observing and experiencing a hospitality market that is, in some ways, farther ahead than Vancouver and figuring out what inspires us to take home and make our own.”
Tasting Inspiration
Interpreting this California inspiration on the plate is Executive Chef Ejner Christiansen. Since opening, there have only been minor adjustments made to the menu. What is most popular has stayed on the menu since day one. That said, Chef Christiansen is currently working on some new and exciting dishes for winter. These will be launching soon.
Speaking of food, to start, the bread (which is a focaccia) is worth ordering for the fabulous balsamic butter alone. Finished with rosemary salt, the tang of the vinegar cuts the fat of the butter making it even more savoury.
Now, it is the salads at Dovetail that remind me most of Jon & Vinny’s. For example, their Baby Gem Lettuce salad is a fresher, lighter version of a traditional Caesar. It comes covered in a thick snowfall of Grana Padano cheese. Jon & Vinny’s Gem Lettuce Salad also comes with a generous covering of cheese, but in their case they opt for a Parmigiano Reggiano. Dovetail’s Kale Salad was seemingly simple enough but the addition of feta along with the roasted shallot vinaigrette and almonds brought an appreciated earthy, funky, richness to the dish.
An Ode to the Dovetail Cheeseburger
Now, the salads at Dovetail are scrumptious and the pastas are satisfying and comforting. But they also make a pretty excellent cheeseburger. In their Large Plates section, they have the double patty option which comes with fries for $25. They also have a single cheeseburger (sans fries) on their Happy Days menu. This single is the perfect size for a lighter lunch or a quick snack with a couple cocktails.
Pasta & Parm
I would be remise to skip over Dovetail’s delicious pastas. The Bolo is perhaps my favourite. With a slow-cooked beef and pork ragu, the Bolo was the comfort food I was craving when I first visited Dovetail on a lunch break. The pasta dishes are meant to be shared, but I polished off almost the whole portion to myself.
The Spicy Vodka lumaconi was immediately popular when Dovetail first opened, and rightfully so. The balance of creaminess in the sauce with the subtle spice is perfect. Plus, the sauce stays unctuous and silky even as you get down to the last bites. Think of the pasta dishes at Dovetail more as fresh takes on Italian-American food rather than modern iterations of Italian classics. The Mushroom mafaldine with mushroom ragu and sherry cream is much less creamy than the Spicy Vodka although packed with rich mushroom flavour. Another well executed Italian-American dish is the Chicken Parm. This one in particular makes a great sharing plate for the table. First, because it’s huge but second because the flavours complement the pastas.
While I enjoy stopping into Dovetail to grab a weekday lunch, the best way to fully experience the vibes is to visit for dinner, preferably on a weekend. The energy in the room when I visited for dinner on a Saturday night was electric. The many staff circulating the room are young and beautiful, and dressed to match the decor in whites, creams, and browns. Dovetail harnesses its coastal Californian inspiration to make it a quintessential Yaletown dining destination.
