Stir Pairing: France in Vancouver, via a curator's studio talk, new bistro food, and a cool red wine
This edition brings together the 2022 France/Canada Curatorial Residency Program,
Gastown’s Jules Bistro, and Château Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses Rouge
Clelia Coussonnet. Photo by Emile Barret/Hors Pistes
Jules Bistro.
Every week, Stir Pairing suggests locally available food and/or drink to go with a local arts event.
The event
Live from the Studio with Clelia Coussonnet
November 20 from 1 to 2:30 pm online
The food
Jules Bistro
216 Abbott Street
The wine
Château Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses Rouge 2019
Installation view: Ground Control, 2020, Bildmuseet, Umeå. With works by Maria Thereza Alves, Gerd Aurell, Céline Condorelli, Suzanne Husky and Mónica de Miranda. Curated by Clelia Coussonnet. Photo by Mikael Lundgren.
The lowdown
Based in Marseilles, France, Clelia Coussonnet is the 2022 France/Canada Curatorial Residency Program awardee. The program is a collaboration of The Polygon Gallery, Griffin Art Projects, and Cité internationale des arts, with the support of The Embassy of France in Canada and the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris.
The residency launched in 2021 with Vancouver writer, curator, and cultural producer Missla Libsekal being hosted at Cité internationale des arts in the Marais district of central Paris. During their tenure here, residents are hosted at Griffin Art Projects. The goal is foster cultural exchange responding to contemporary art contexts in France and Western Canada and provide opportunities for curatorial projects.
Coussonnet, who has curated exhibitions at Bildmuseet (Sweden), Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati (USA), Le Cube (Morocco), and MeetFactory (Czech Republic), is interested in how visual cultures address political, social, and spiritual issues in different or complementary ways to other disciplines.
She has dedicated her three-month residency in Vancouver to her ongoing research into “botanical politics, waterways/toxicity, and soil”, Coussonnet says in a release. Taking her curatorial approach in a new direction, she set out to understand “how the colonial history of Canada has made use of plants to assert power over territories, consider the meanders of the city's waterways and aqueous reserves, and listen to the legacies and murmurs that lie in the earth and sediments.”
Coussonnet will share insights into her work and residency at the free November 20 talk.
For more information, see The Polygon Gallery or Griffin Art Projects.
The food
Possibly one of the coziest dining spots in town, Jules Bistro—with its exposed brick walls, glittery chandeliers, paintings and city map of Paris on the walls, and easygoing vibe—has been a Gastown mainstay since 2007. French-born chef-owner Emmanuel Joinville has just introduced a new element, bringing the classic experience of a Parisian bar à vin (wine bar) to Vancouver.
Joinville got his start in the culinary arts in 1984 in his hometown of Dijon as an apprentice at Chateau Bourgogne, chef Rene Villard’s 3-star Michelin restaurant. He rose through the ranks, going on to become a well-respected chef and restaurateur in his own right prior to emigrating to Vancouver with his family in 2000.
An extensive selection of On Board share plates is a highlight of Jules’s new menu. With chutney, mustard, grapes, crackers, gherkins, and more the Charcuterie features sweetbread paté, prosciutto, salami calabrese, Genoa salami, duck rillettes, and cheeses such as double-cream Brie, blue, and raclette; Cheese has Dauphin, Roquefort, Aged Comte, Tête Des Moines, and raclette. The House Smoked board is an ocean-meets-land combination of salmon, sablefish, tuna and duck magret with olives, while Raw is a spread for seafood lovers with oysters, caviar, tuna tartare, scallops sashimi, and salmon roe.
There are other boards to choose from, with the rest of the menu featuring classics like French onion soup; garlicky escargots Bourguignonne with parsley and Ricard butter; lobster bisque; Sauternes-marinated foie gras terrine; and steak frites—a 35-day dry aged 12-ounce ribeye—with peppercorn sauce or herb butter.
Ben Muller, the bistro’s front of house manager, can expertly pair B.C. or French wines with any of them. He also makes a mean Paper Plane, complete with its darling folded namesake garnish.
Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm, Jules also offers Happy Hour from 2:30 to 5:30 pm.
“When I think back on the past couple years, what comes to mind is the proverb ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’ — ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’,” Joinville says in a release, the bistro having survived not only the pandemic but also an unexpected spring closure following the catastrophic fire at and subsequent demolition of Winters Hotel across the street. “That has served as true inspiration for all of us at Jules and made us ever more grateful to continue sharing our joie de vivre and spirit of hospitality that has been a cornerstone of Jules since we opened our doors.”
Château Pesquié.
The pairing
Situated between the Alps and the Mediterranean at the foot of Mont Ventoux (in a biosphere reserve listed by UNESCO for its exceptional biodiversity) in France’s southeastern Rhône Valley, Château Pesquié is a family-run winery in the heart of the Ventoux appellation. The area’s micro-climate and cool nighttime temperatures yield finely balanced wines, with the third generation of the Chaudières making everything with biodynamic practices; the vineyard is certified organic by Ecocert.
A deep ruby hue, Château Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses Rouge 2019 ($21.99) consists of 60 percent Grenache and 40 percent Syrah, with scents of fresh berries and some fragrant and spicy flavours. It’s easy to match with food, from pizza to charcuterie to roast chicken.
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