Keeping it casual, but with quality. That is what these restaurateurs aim to bring to Britannia Beach.
Autostrada Osteria envisages a casual yet sophisticated Italian restaurant.
The owners previously had two locations in Vancouver.
Their Main Street venue closed in December last year to enable more funding for renovations at its current Vancouver House venue.
Now the owners are preparing for the opening of a new venue, with a new concept, at Britannia Beach this summer.
Autostrada’s new concept, unveiled on Instagram last month, is called Autostrada Oyster Bar and Grill, with a focus on seafood and other seasonal ingredients to enhance and utilize the Sea to Sky’s food resources and community, rather than reiterate its menus and practices from Vancouver.
Co-founders Dustin Dockendorf and Lucais Syme, who have experience in developing a range of eateries, from laidback pubs to fine dining, have a strong affinity for food and travel. They strive to entwine their fondness for food with memories of their favourite places, creating what they aspire to be special, holistic experiences for their customers.
Autostrada was inspired by Dockendorf’s and Syme’s travel memories from Italy in the last decade, and is foremost a warm regard for the joys of simplicity.
“It's not ‘cuisine du jour,’ it’s about taking traditional time-tested recipes and techniques, and putting a modern touch on them. You don't see a lot of people focus on tradition, doing things the right way, the whole way through. So I think that will be at our core; doing things the right way, buying the best ingredients,” Dockendorf said.
“On the other side, you have to listen to your guests, and so we're going to come in here with an idea of who we are, but you can't be stubborn at the same time. There'll be some evolution, I'm sure.”
'Showing our authentic self'
Dockendorf emphasized the importance of the cuisine’s versatility with the new venue.
“When you're in Vancouver, and you have so many options at your doorstep, you need to be pure [about] what your concept is, [but] here we can have more fun,” Dockendorf said.
“Essentially, everyone else has to go out of their way to get here. So we have to make sure we are showing our authentic self, whilst also appealing to a broader range, right?”
Newly hired general manager for Autostrada Oyster Bar and Grill, Alexis Riley, who is a Squamish resident, said the customer service will be the most important part of her role.
“That part doesn't feel like a job,” she said. “I'm really passionate about connecting with the community, building the best team we can, and working for people who care about the environment. [It’s not] the city moving here. They’re embracing where they are.”
Among the restaurant’s current menu items at Vancouver House are classics such as handmade spaghetti and meatballs, and seasonal risottos, as well as fresh vegetables, sashimi, and steaks.
Syme, who is also the restaurant’s executive chef, feels it is likely the local shrimp will be popular at Britannia Beach. He also said the wine will be imported locally from BC, as well as from France and, of course, Italy.
Syme elaborated on how the restaurant, while considered to be upscale by the team and customers, is fully inclusive and a place to relax.
“The cuisine is polished for sure, but if [people are] in their trail shoes and shorts, [they can] come right in!” Syme said.
“[It] doesn't have to be micro-food to be high-end, we're here to create experiences that are enjoyable, [and that] you want to come back to.”
Building the new restaurant adjacent to, as Dockendorf describes, “one of the most gorgeous highways in the world,” was a purposeful way to connect customers with food and culture by car, as part of a literal culinary journey, like that he and Syme experienced in Italy.
What is in a name?
The Autostrada in Italy is a network of Italian highways of the same name.
“Lucas and I really love the name Autostrada from our first location almost 10 years ago now, and it highlighted our love of seeing the world [by] car at the time,” Dockendorf said.
“The name does really seem to work with our ethos of eating and drinking around the world on road trips. At first, we thought, ‘Are we just guys that like the name?’ but there was something about the name that really connected with people. People remembered it, and we love that.”
Dockendorf, Syme, and Riley gave The Squamish Chief a tour of the under-construction Autostrada Oyster Bar and Grill. It is a restoration of Britannia Beach School, which was destroyed by a flood in 1921.
Among the new restaurant’s amenities, there will be an oyster bar, a fireplace for the winter, and a patio for al-fresco dining during the warmer months. The patio includes a herb garden.
Autostrada Oyster Bar and Grill is due to open at Britannia Beach in early July.
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
