Official Release for Italian Kitchen

ITALIAN KITCHEN OFFERS A TASTE OF LA DOLCE VITA
(Directly from the Press Release)

Vancouver, BC (August 17, 2007): A spectacular coalescence of old-world charm and new-world sophistication, Italian Kitchen arrives in downtown Vancouver as part of the Glowbal Restaurant Group's successive expansion through Vancouver's most vibrant neighbourhoods.

The latest newcomer to Vancouver's prolific restaurant scene, Italian Kitchen will feature a multi-regional modern Italian menu dished up in ultra-sleek surroundings conceived by Emad Yacoub and Shannon Bosa Yacoub's Glowbal Restaurant Group collection (glowbal grill & satay bar, AFTERglow, COAST Restaurant, Sanafir Restaurant & Lounge, Glowbal Catering) and crafted by Box Interior Design.

As with other Glowbal Restaurant Group ventures, top-notch cooking, a high-energy atmosphere and gracious hospitality take top billing at Italian Kitchen.

Executive Chef Ryan Gauthier, who most recently led the kitchen at West Vancouver's Beach House, sees Italian cuisine as a natural and exciting step in his career.

"I love the freshness and simplicity of Italian food. It is always a feast, making the most of seasonal ingredients and letting them stand on their own," says Gauthier.

Guests at Italian Kitchen will delight in Gauthier's warm wheels of handcrafted pizza, peerless antipasto platters, and dry-aged steaks. His pastas are stunning: pappardelle blanketed with pulled osso bucco; impossibly fat gnocchi; and the ultimate ravioli with Dungeness crab and fresh buffalo-milk ricotta.

Box Interior Design has created two distinct dining areas in the 178-seat, two-level restaurant. The ground floor is the main attraction with a 60-foot white marble `DOC' bar serving classic cocktails with a new-age kick. DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) denotes an Italian wine from a certain region of superior quality.

A glass-walled wine cellar -- stocked with predictably excellent Italian vintages and New- and Old-World offerings -- anchors the staircase leading to the second floor. Upstairs, take a seat in the elegant dining room or alongside the floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the outside in.

You will not find Italian dining like this anywhere else in Vancouver. And the entire 'famiglia', which also includes Jack Lamont, Director of Operations for the Glowbal Restaurant Group and General Manager Robert Byford, who used to run the kitchen at Quattro on Fourth, cannot wait to open the doors with a warm 'benvenuto!'