Prior to joining Prestons, Gaertner was kitchen manager at Chop Steak Fish Bar in Richmond, B.C. and executive sous chef at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in Vancouver. He also worked as chef de partie at Vancouver’s Sheraton Wall Centre for five years.
The food at the 168-seat Prestons restaurant and 90-seat patio, which overlooks the Fraser Valley foothills, is a fusion of skilfully prepared West Coast cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian accents. Its creative intro plates include seared Diver scallop and sweet prawn gyozas, hoisin and star anise-glazed pork ribs as well as beef carpaccio with white truffle drizzle.
Entree-size dishes range from $13 to $26, and include pad thai with chicken, prawns and tofu, a grilled chicken and triple-cream brie sandwich on cranberry bread with sweet onion confit, rustic prosciutto filon, szechuan peppercorn-crusted Ahi, wild B.C. salmon and Prestons signature Fraser River stone steak.
