here is no other word that screams über cool urbanite than the word metro. Since the beginning of this millennium (that was 7 years ago, remember?) words like metrosexual have slowly seeped into the vocabulary of many a BC dialect, and if you travel across the ocean to Paris, nothing is more posh than hearing a Parisian accent discussing a voyage on the Metro (subway) to any given destination (SkyTrain just doesn’t have the same ring). One thing is for sure; this Metro doesn’t fall short of the intimidating ostentatious reputation associated with the moniker.

Let's get one of the particulars out of the way directly. At Metro, which opened on Burrard Street in the convention district (close to Gastown) in the manner of a jewel set into concrete, a crew of hungry souls can eat like ravenous hogs - but you must choose carefully; those little plates add up.

The theme here is Modern Canadian (as opposed to lumberjack chic), fresh from the market, and designers David Nicolay and Rob Edmonds (of Evoke International Design) have embraced it warmly and wittily. In the slick white washed dining room, with great views of the ocean-side and the city itself, they have dotted the space with white Italian designer chairs (perhaps the snow-topped Rockies were the inspiration here?). Throughout the room, itself sparkling with Brazilian wood flooring (so much for the Save the Planet movement), accents offer minimalist assemblages of all things aquamarine (a shout out to The Pacific no doubt).

There is substance to go along with that style: Brian Fowke and Tim Keller (Rare) are the talented force behind Metro, a Metropolitan Canadian Cuisine powerhouse with a fair amount of ambition in the kitchen. The response so far? Vancouver citizens are begging for more.

The restaurant and wine program is now managed by Mike Mitchell, formerly from CinCin. A meal might begin with a plate of grilled citrus Humboldt calamari ($9.00) with lime and habanero or perhaps a "Metro Plate" like the Baby Romaine Hearts salad ($11.00) with roasted confit garlic sour onion cream and lemon foam. A Trio of Wild Salmon Graavilohi ($15.00) that was served on one hot night was laced with beetroot, dill and red peppercorn, the heat of which slowly intensified but then receded as I caught the tartness of chive Crème fraîche.