324 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

The family was out for a drive one weekend and we thought we'd pop into McMorran's for lunch. We had a look at the posted menu with its routine choices and first-class prices and decided against it, despite the fact it would have been our final opportunity.

We instead headed up the road to Adrienne's Tea Room at Mattick's Farm. It sounds kinda hokey but the food was better than expected and the prices very reasonable. Good service, too. It's true, there's no ocean view, but how much is that really worth, anyway? There's no charge for walking on the beach.

[AllseeingEye]

Personally I like Eric - he knew my dad well, he's a character and also a member of my masonic lodge - but on the subject of prices "back in the day" he used to charge for extra ice for drinks not to mention soda/pop for mix was always an extra dime or fifteen cents.

These days especially with so much competition for the consumer buck, potential customers have too many other options as cited above by Holden. McMorran's was great in its day but truthfully its day has passed. Time to move on......

[yodsaker]

Sadly, the food didn't live up to the setting. Food wasn't terrible, just the setting deserved more. Another link to old Victoria gone.

[Jacques Cadé]

Just a reminder: tomorrow is McMorran's open house, before its final day on Sunday. News story here. Sounds like parking will be tricky.

[Sparky]

McMorran's has been sold today to the Phoenix Group.

[Rob Randall]

That's funny, I went by there this morning and saw the for sale sign and was wondering why nobody has bought it yet.

[Sparky]

^ What a difference a day makes...

[martini]

McMorran's Beach House in Cordova Bay sold to city restaurateur
By Kim Westad, Times Colonist November 2,2010

http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz149RCL3kc

Kate Phoenix, who owns Sam's Deli and the Rogers' Chocolates Soda Shoppe, plans to spend "several hundred thousand dollars" upgrading the waterfront building that has housed McMorran's since 1921.

"We plan to carry on the tradition of having a nice neighbourhood restaurant," said Phoenix, who was vice-president of marketing and sales at Rogers' Chocolates until she retired from that job two years ago.

[spanky123]

I wish her luck. It is hard enough trying to run one restaurant, but two different formats under one roof is even tougher.

[ChrisA]

Squandering that precious waterfront space on a "nice neighbourhood restaurant," which sounds like a euphemism for Denny's-quality food at a markup, would be a shame.

How about a world-class restaurant serving contemporary high-end cuisine? Or at least another restaurant of the same caliber as Aura or Ulla or the like?

Generally, the lack of restaurants with water views in Victoria is ridiculous and costly. Zoning needs to be more flexible.

[Bob Fugger]

Squandering that precious waterfront space on a "nice neighbourhood restaurant," which sounds like a euphemism for Denny's-quality food at a markup, would be a shame.

How about a world-class restaurant serving contemporary high-end cuisine? Or at least another restaurant of the same caliber as Aura or Ulla or the like?

Generally, the lack of restaurants with water views in Victoria is ridiculous and costly. Zoning needs to be more flexible.

If here administration of Ye Olde Soda Shoppe is any indication, we ought to be keeping our expecations lows. Hell, if I was Steve Parkhill, I'd be calling up the TC demanding blood for referring to it as "Rogers Soda Shoppe." It hasn't been that for at least a year, now.

I work near there, so one hot day this past summer, the lads and I stopped in for an ice cream. What we discovered floored us. When Rogers owned it, they made the ice cream. Fine it was a bit pricey, but it was essentially an artisinal product in a prime location. But when we went in, the ice cream was very clearly being served out of Island Farms buckets - FOR THE SAME PRICE!

[Wally]

I know Kate and she is a bright lady. I echo Spanky in that running a restaurant isn't the same as serving ice cream and sandwiches to tourists.

I can't see how a couple hundred thousand renovates a building that probably hasn' been updated in 20 years and converts a ballroom to an open kitchen concept.

The demographics in that area are misleading as well. I would guess that 70% of the people who dine out are 60+. That is not the tapas or pizza crowd. McMorran couldn't make that location work even though he likely had the building fully paid decades ago and operated it with family.

The location was on the market (unofficially) for over a year and there were no bites (no pun intended). I suspect that McMorran cut Kate a pretty sweet deal and probably took back financing. Even though, it is hard to see her making a go of this and I wouldn't be suprised to see it back on the market in 18 months.

[VicHockeyFan]

Makeover for beach landmark


Times Colonist March 11, 2011



Kate Phoenix is reinventing McMorran's Beach House, with plans to reopen the landmark Cordova Bay restaurant by July.

Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz1GJ52VSrA

[spanky123]

So we have gone from Tapis Bar and Pizza joint to Deli and Dining Room?

[ChrisA]

Any news on McMorran's? I noticed furniture went in a couple of months ago, but there still seems to be a lot of work going on, and I haven't seen an opening date advertised anywhere.

[Pam]

Any news on McMorran's? I noticed furniture went in a couple of months ago, but there still seems to be a lot of work going on, and I haven't seen an opening date advertised anywhere.

I was wondering that myself. This is the only thing I have found lately:

New owner, Kate Phoenix, says the name will be THE BEACH HOUSE and she is hoping to re-open the restaurant in the first week of March 2012. She has had many delays to contend with - the latest being reconnection of the gas.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[Bingo]

Will they still have a dance floor?

[spanky123]

This must have cost Kate a fortune witht he delays. Lots of rumours about engineering challenges and permits and it sounds like she got in over her head.

The original plan was to have a seperate restaurant upstairs but who knows what the plans are now as they seem to have changed a few times.

[ChrisA]

According to an article in the Martlet, the restaurant formerly known as McMorran's is going to open "soon," possibly "around mid-April." Maybe they should have that muscular guy from Restaurant: Impossible step in to ensure the place actually opens.

"An enormous pizza oven will dominate the Beach House kitchen, and burgers, fish and chips, soups, salads and Angus steaks." So no fine dining (to put it mildly), but I'll be happy as long as I can have a seat with a nice ocean view and some properly-prepared pub grub.

[Bingo]

Great! When are they opening the dance floor?

"The piano has been refinished, and the old wood-burning fireplace has a new gas insert. The famous maple-wood floors, which have always been a favourite of dancers at McMorran’s, have also been refinished."

http://www.martlet.c...en-cordova-bay/