Resturant Review: Casual Spot on The Drive Goes Beyond Basics

The Charlatan serves up the usual nachos and wings or you can opt for duck confit, one of four mussel dishes or grilled venison

Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun

Published: Thursday, April 19, 2007

Commercial Drive is a great hang-out street thanks to a movable feast of coffee bars, cafes and restaurants between Venables and Broadway. And there never seems to be a shortage of bodies to fill the seats.

It's a particular style of hanging out -- different, definitely, from Yaletown, where locals might ostensibly be chilling. But really, how can one relax amid all the glitz and glam and shiny Gwyneth Paltrow hair? Different even from Main Street, where there's more intensity per square inch.

On Commercial, you hook your arms around the back of your chair, tip back and settle in with friends for beer and laughs and, of course, food.

The Charlatan is a newby spot that caters to locals. It replaces Sash, which replaced Bukowski's. It has an oddball interior with three levels, each sloping down with the grade of the side street.

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