Ray Bear returns with more casual eatery

HALIFAX—Ray Bear has returned to the restaurant business.

After six months of consulting with restaurants around the world, catering for private events and forming his own company, Bear opened a more casual eatery this month.

As of press time, the name was still a secret, but in an interview Bear said the concept is global cuisine, pulling from recipes he has complied from his travels throughout the United States and places like Argentina and Abu Dhabi.

“I have dozens of plates in mind that I am trying to get out,” Bear said. When he travels on a consulting trip and finds a recipe he likes, he brings it back to Halifax and recreates it in his own style.

That’s what happened with a dish discovered in Tucson, Arizona, that combines corn with lobster, a dish which is common in Mexico and the southeastern United States.

Bear said he’s missed the industry, and admits he was soured by the experience of his namesake restaurant on Barrington Street, now home to Café Chianti.

“Halifax is a value city. I want the opportunity to serve my kind of food for a larger crowd. That appeals to me,” Bear said. “It’s all about creating experiences for the customer.”

To do that, the price point is reasonable, about $35 per person, with ribs, hamburgers, lamb, shellfish and seafood on the menu. Ingredients will be organic and locally sourced. The 120-seat, 3,300 square-foot space overlooks the harbour at the corner of Salter and Granville Streets, close to the Four Points by Sheraton, Courtyard by Marriott and Radisson Suites Hotels.

“It’s called casual boutique. It’s cool but not too cool. It will be the best drink venue in the city,” Bear said. “We want people to come, have an appetizer, a main course, and stay to listen to cool beats in the lounge.”

The beverage list offers local beer, local wine and cocktails like the Passionfruit Virginia—vodka and passionfruit—all at a reasonable price point in line with the food.

Bear and his Toronto-based business partner in Trindian Culinary Group, Chris Richards, have plans to open up a location in Toronto, where they’ve been scouting locations. They will follow that up by franchising the concept in North America and internationally.

“A lot of restaurant chains are coming in from the west; we want to be able to start in the east and go that way.”

As if he were not busy enough, Bear said he has a high-end restaurant project planned for downtown Halifax that is in the infant stages of development.