There will be blood. Well, not anymore, but Blood Alley in Vancouver’s trendy-to-the-max Gastown neighborhood once housed butchers in the ’60s, and oh yeah, there were also on-site executions in the 19th Century. Restaurateur Sean Heather and property owner/business partner Scott Hawthorn have played on that history with a pair of concepts with entrances on the alley. They started with Salt Tasting Room in 2006, and Judas Goat is their latest contribution to the long-shady neighborhood’s redevelopment, which seemed to be in high gear.
According to GM Nathan Doyle, a Judas Goat is the animal that leads fellow goats to their death in a slaughterhouse.
Dismembered animals and cartoon characters make sense given the alley’s butchery background.
One of the most impressive chefs from my Vancouver visit, Refuel and Campagnolo chef-owner Robert Belcham, consulted on the Spanish-inspired tapas checklist menu. Since Judas Goat was my second dinner of the night, my intake was limited, but most of the food deserved recommendation.
Sean Heather has one more concept in the works. Bitter, the beer equivalent to Salt, will be around the corner on Hastings Street. Given my positive initial experiences at Judas Goat and Salt, and my interest in beer, returning to his Gastown establishments is inevitable.
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