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PERSONALITY PLUS: With 85 years of hospitality experience between them, Robert Gagne, Albert Chee, and Scott Garrett know a thing or two about service. Passionate about customer service and creating the perfect dining experience, the three gents have recently docked at Coast Restaurant, following years at Joe Fortes. Gagne, a Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­icon known for entertaining regulars, tourists and visiting celebrities, joins Coast after 26 years at Joe Fortes. Part of Joe’s front of house dream team, Gagne, better known as Frenchy to regulars, along with restaurant manager Chee and general manger Garrett, made the short move around the corner to be reunited with Glowbal Restaurant Group owner Emad Yacoub who was executive chef at Joe Fortes almost 20 years ago. Four months into their new roles, there are already signs of their influence. First, new menus look strikingly similar to Joe’s. Aesthetics aside, a $49 three-course lobster dinner and $39 sushi plate for two also caught our attention on a recent visit. No longer the shiny new darling of the Glowbal restaurant empire, Coast opened in 2009 with much hoopla, fanfare and loud music. The decibel level has gone down, and the showy O Lounge and Bar is gone. Under the able direction of executive chef Mark Greenfield, formerly of Italian Kitchen, the fine selection of seafood is front and centre. Taking another page from the Joe Fortes playbook, Greenfield recently launched a weekend brunch, including a lineup of $9.95 Eggs Benedict, bubbly cocktails and classic Caesars.

VINTAGE CHINATOWN: A driving force behind the charge to preserve Vancouver’s Chinatown, Carol Lee has put her money where her mouth is. The daughter of real estate billionaire and noted philanthropist Robert H. Lee, the UBC and Harvard grad established the Chinatown Foundation and bought three restaurants and other real estate in the storied neighbourhood to keep the cultural district alive, maintain the area’s charm and traditions and facilitate growth. Lee has also worked closely on several initiatives to secure senior housing in the Chinese precinct. CEO and co-founder of Linacare Cosmetherapy, Lee along with her sister Leslie, and good friend Susan Chow recently opened one of their very first acquisitions, Chinatown Vintage and Curios — a thrift shop on East Pender, across the street from Chinatown Barbecue, Lee’s first restaurant to open later this fall. Family and friends convened for the much anticipated store opener. Expect to find designer items and other trinkets donated by Lee’s society gal pals. Opening day saw shoppers shriek with joy on fabulous finds unearthed. Proceeds from the store will support the ongoing mission of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Chinatown Foundation.

SIGN OF REBIRTH: The iconic Sai Woo sign came down in 1959 when the popular chop suey restaurant shuttered. After months of trying to find the original sign, Salli Pateman, owner of the new Sai Woo Restaurant on Pender Street, recreated and installed the popular neon sign thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. Donations of $18,000 helped bring the sign back to life. Perched high above Pender Street, the marker is another sign of the area’s revitalization. Pateman’s eatery is among a handful of landmarks returning to the old neighbourhood. They include the Jade Dynasty restaurant in the renovated Mah Society Building next door and Carol Lee’s Chinatown BBQ shop to open this fall, a few doors down from Pateman’s buzzy room serving modern Asian cuisine.  

DINER EN BLANC: A Parisian tradition for 29 years, Diner en Blanc has been embraced by Vancouverites. Now in its sixth year, the outdoor pop-up picnic at a secret location attracts 5,500 lucky individuals who made the list, with thousands clamoring to get in on the summer time fun. For the first time, Dîner en Blanc, produced by city’s merrymakers Jordan Kallman and Tyson Villeneuve of the Social Concierge, took place at two locations. Coal Harbour’s Devonian Harbour Park and Harbour Green Park was this year’s party sites. Everyone who made the scene — revealed at the last minute — was decked out head to toe in white toting their food, tables and chairs. Similar to past iterations, the alfresco event kicked off with the ceremonial napkin wave and capped with revelers lighting up the night with sparklers. Over one third of this year’s participants were first-timers, according to Villeneuve, joining a cadre of veterans for Canada’s largest Dîner en Blanc celebrations. Seventy cities worldwide, including New York, Singapore and Moscow, now host the trendy dinner in white.

Hear Fred Mondays 8:20am on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @FredAboutTown