Glowbal Group Blog

14 Gold medals, 7 silver medals, 5 bronze medals, a star studded closing ceremonies and a hockey game we will never forget… There is no doubt that 2010 was the best Winter Olympics ever and Vancouverites earned a gold medal hosting it.

Sadly it all seems to have passed by far too quickly and the city’s Olympic “hangover” has more than settled in.  The Glowbal Group has just what the doctor ordered……..the “Olympic Hangover Party”.

Society Dining Lounge will be hosting a patio bbq with bevies courtesy of Russian Standard Vodka and Pilsner Urquell.  Come grab a burger and a beer and cheer on the boyz as they go for Gold….. again. (flags and cowbells welcome)

Also on the big screen…..Luongo and Nucks take on the Coyotes.

So come one, come all to SOCIETY Dining Lounge this Wednesday, March 10th, at 7pm for a party that is sure to cure that Olympic sized headache that ails you! The Olympics may be over, but the renewed spirt of our amazing city is not. Let’s keep Vancouver’s party torch lit… eternally.

Note:  THIS PARTY WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE!!!
WE HAVE A HEATED AND COVERED PATIO AND YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD PARTY DOWN!!!

Opening of Socie+y

Extra! Extra! A new restaurant opened in Yaletown!

Not exactly news of the century when you consider the food biz’s high fail rate. Yaletown, Vancouver’s culinary mecca, is no exception, with three new restaurants slated to open their doors this month alone. The space that housed the highly anticipated PINKY’S Steakhouse will be home to a new pizza joint, the short-lived Tequila Kitchen’s new owners are taking its menu to the other side of the border with a BBQ concept, and into the relocated Coast comes Glowbal Group’s latest member of the family: SOCIE+Y.

I have no idea if the first two eateries will make it past Dine Out, but SOCIE+Y, which had a lineup of wellwishers so long that two nights of opening celebration were called for, stands a good chance of seeing its first birthday. Each of Glowbal Groups six restaurants has a devout following among Vancouver’s style-savvy, but behind the glitz and Italian crystal lies the recipe for the success of the brand: hard work.

“Really, we’re just a mom and pop organization,” says Shannon Bosa, who runs the family business with her husband Emad Yacoub. She says their shared passion is the driving force behind the success of their brand. Honest dedication translates into a genuine experience which, in the restaurant industry, is the “x” factor that determines success.

In short, Glowbal Group gets it.

Remy Scalza, a writer for Inside Vancouver, came by to eat at Society recently & called it “down-home comfort food served in a hip, sensual setting.” Read Remy’s full review below.

Comfort Food for the Hip and Fabulous

Can mac-n-cheese be sexy?

At Society, a new restaurant and bar in Vancouver’s Yaletown warehouse district, it just might be.  Society, which bills itself as a dining lounge, is based on an unusual premise:  down-home comfort food served in a hip, sensual setting, complete with DJ and velvet sofas

“It’s a sexy room.  It’s a sultry room,” says John-Paul Lamb, who handles marketing for Glowbal, the restaurant group behind Society and several new, high-energy restaurants in Vancouver, including Italian Kitchen and Coast.  “We want it to be a playroom for Yaletown, a spot where you can come and spend the whole evening.”

I had a chance to check out Society at its opening this afternoon.  And the premise – as unconventional as it sounds – seems to work.  Inside, Society is stylish without being intimidating.  The dark floor and walls give the open dining room a moody, conspiratorial feel.  Suspended from the ceiling, two ornate pink chandeliers – straight from the set of Moulin Rouge – add a scandalous edge.  Slip across the dining room, and you’ll notice a staircase leading to a discrete upstairs lounge, concealed from below by an intricate facade.

But what about the food?  The menu is dominated by home-cooked classics like meatloaf and mac-n-cheese that evoke simpler culinary times, long before cucumber foams and torch-seared seafood became requisite menu items.  This doesn’t mean, however, that recipes haven’t been updated. Society’s mac-n-cheese is made with winter truffles and parmesan gratin.  Meatloaf is served with wild mushroom gravy.  And the Shepherd’s Pie comes stuffed with Atlantic lobster.

“We’re going for classic, American comfort food,” says Society manager Ryan McDonald.  “Something you ate as a kid is definitely going to be on this menu.”

The other part of the Society experience is the bar.  Drinks, too, represent a kind of R-rated version of childhood favorites.  Among the more decadent options are milkshakes spiked with bourbon and a potent mix that incorporates big swirls of cotton candy.  Between the drinks, the original menu and the lounge, Society aims to be a one-stop option for people looking for a night on the town.

“We want this to be everyone’s hangout spot,” Ryan says.

Anyone had the chance to check out Society?  Do you think the comfort food/Moulin Rouge vibe works?  Let me know by adding a comment below.

Remy Scalza

www.remyscalza.com

To celebrate Society’s opening for the month of November only, enjoy a 2 for 1 lunch special from between 11:30am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, or come by for dinner & receive a complimentary Junk Food Platter, every night of the week.

You have hopefully had a chance to visit Society over the weekend, but if you’re yet to come by, at least have a look at a few interior shots below. With pink being primary & the highlight color of the gorgeous chandeliers, a sheen stream of gold subtly lights the lounge. The entirety of the interior is an eclectic blend of aesthetic elements of both vibrant & simplistic nature.

To view this set of interior images taken by Larry Goldstein, please visit The Glowbal Collection’s Flickr site.

For Society’s first VIP opening on October 29th, media was invited to mingle & experience the environment whilst sipping on cotton candy cocktails & nibbling on mini grilled cheese sandwiches & prime rib sliders.

Read below a review from Vitamin Daily & another review from Verve Girl Vancouver.

Society Dining Lounge in Vitamin Daily – Society Act

Society Dining Lounge in Verve Girl – High Society

Lobster shepherds pie, spiked chocolate mint milkshakes & a junk food platter consisting of cotton candy, chocolate cupcakes & doughnut hole cookies, Society’s menu boasts big flavours bound for satisfaction.

Take a look at the dinner menu, milkshake & express lunch menu & of course, the dessert menu, which features Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding with brioche & bourbon butterscotch.

Nine months ago, the seeds of an idea for a new restaurant began to develop after Emad Yacoub The Glowbal Collection Management Team returned from an R D trip, inspired by the unexpected elements that they had witnessed in various venues around Las Vegas. Was Vancouver ready for this? This was a question that had to be asked in regards to a city well-known for being contemporary casual.

The challenge then came in introducing such a novel concept to a city so nonchalant in style and attitude. In the building of the brand for Society, the idea of blending styles came into play a concept of opposites attract was born. After this idea solidified, came months of strategically styling the space so that an ideal mixture of diversity was achieved.

Pink chandeliers, Parisian bistro chairs, a cotton candy machine a mysterious screen wall are a few of the design elements used to combine, contrast compliment the restaurant lounge. With the design of the interior complete, attention turned to the design of the menu. Baked Mac Cheese with winter truffles and parmesan gratin, blackened Wild BC Salmon with tequila-lime dressing Classic Tomato Soup with mini grilled cheese sandwiches, are some of the menu items that stay true to Society’s soul in its mixing and mingling of ingredients. Stay tuned for the full menu, which will be released online later today.

The Society Dining Lounge begins its opening with a VIP event today, October 29th at 6:00PM, a secondary VIP event on Friday, October 30th at 6:00PM. Society will be fully open to the public on Saturday, October 31st.

The Glowbal Collection is also offering a pink VIP bracelet for Friday’s event to anyone who brings in a donation to Glowbal for breast cancer research by noon on October 30th. Click here for more information.

A restaurant’s kitchen can be constant in chaos in creating the dishes that leave you satisfied & with the curiosity to come back for more.

The kitchen is the core in which these dishes are born out of instinctive creativity & passion for food. For a chef, the beauty of the meal is in its creation & once its done, that passion is passed a long to the public.

In SoMedia’s next video for the opening of Society, Executive Chef, Brandon Thordarson, talks about solidifying the structure of the kitchen so to create the perfect flow.

Update: In addition to what Society is offering as detailed below, The Glowbal Group will now be giving a pink VIP bracelet to Society’s 2nd opening event on Friday, October 30th from between 4:00pm – 6:00pm, to anyone who brings in a cash donation for breast cancer research to the Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar from between Tuesday, October 27th to Friday, October 30th at noon. You can also bring in a receipt made to the foundation to receive your bracelet.

Your cash donation will be added to the 15% of Society’s opening events’ sales. Thank-you to anyone who has already agreed to donate!

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Whether you have never been affected with cancer, been personally affected with it or know someone close to you who has been, it’s crucial that we gather collectively in contributing to the fight against it.

As October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Society wants to contribute in extending this awareness by donating 15% of its sales from its opening events on October 29th & October 30th to breast cancer research. Help us help fight cancer.

For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness month, please visit The Canadian Cancer Society.