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When a restaurant staff speaks the language of it’s food, it bodes well for a traditional dining experience. So it is at the Hermitage restaurant on Robson Street. Your first taste of a truly French evening comes with the impeccably presented staff who greet you and seat you with courteous aplomb and a delicious French accent. It may be a small thing, but it eases you into the menu with comfort.

There are a few things that set the Hermitage apart. Rather than having a noisy, energetic bistro feel, this is where you go to enjoy fine French dining in a comfortably elegant setting. There are tables and booths, indirect lighting, clean white table cloths, and walls lined with dark wood, French treasures, and bottles of wine. As is the tradition in France, the servers are there to cater to your every need. And as you finish your various courses, all the remains including your silverware will be swept away in an instant by the attentive staff and replaced equally efficiently and unobtrusively.

If you decide to begin your evening with a bottle of wine, there’s an extensive wine list to peruse. However, if you don’t have a particular wine in mind, there are eight special wines from Burgundy that are recommended by owner Herve Martin. The three whites, four reds and one sparkling wine all come from Chateau de Chamilly, a winery owned and operated by Herve’s sister and located just outside from his original home of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy. These wines are specific and exclusive to the Hermitage restaurant and while all are most likely equally entertaining, the Bourgogne pinot noire is an excellent smooth choice that will ready your palate for the fine cuisine to come.

A good lace to start would be the “asperges verte avec sauce morilles” This translate into green asparagus with a wonderful morel mushroom sauce. Light and delicious, it’s an excellent alternative to a salad. Plump praws sautéed with strips of fennel and scented with oregano and garlic, are an other satisfying option. But let’s move on to the entrees. Last week’s specials included duck Magret, a wonderful breast of duck served in a leaf-shaped slices fanned out on a plate lightly covered with a rich pink peppercorn, brandy and cream sauce. As with much of the French cuisine, the attention to sauces is what makes many of the dishes. Also on special was rainbow trout filet Grenobloise, a delicate dish enhanced with the tang of lemon and capers, butter and fresh herbs, dotted with homemade croutons. All herbs used at the Hermitage are Fresh, which only adds to the care taken with individual dishes.

If you care to finish your repast with dessert, all the sinful choices are homemade. Chocolate cake, crème caramel, crème brulee, lemon tart or any of the others, you won’t be disappointed.

The Hermitage restaurant has been part of the Robson street scene for twenty years now, and Herve Martin has put his extensive history as an executive chef to good use. If you want to be served in style yet relax in comfort and not be rushed, the Hermitage, is hands down, a French favorite.

The Hermitage restaurant is located at 1025 Robson street, in the Robson galleria and is open for lunch Monday to Friday and every night for dinner. Reservation are a must. Call 604-689-3237.

By Bonnie Bowman

The Georgia Straight

August 2007

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