Classic steakhouse will open in historic brick building in downtown Kelowna

It all started with Ross Derrick grilling up his own 15th birthday dinner at the iconic Hy's Steakhouse in Winnipeg.

"Ya, I had to cook my own birthday steak," remembers Derrick with a laugh.

"My dad called ahead and told them I wanted to be a chef. So, they let me do my own steak at the big, circular grill. That's when I knew I really wanted to be a chef and open my own steakhouse one day."

That day has come, albeit decades later.

Derrick has lined up investors and partners and secured his own iconic location in downtown Kelowna to open Derrick's Steakhouse.

It's the beautifully restored, 1914-era brick building at 1560 Water St. that used to be Raudz Regional Table and Fresco restaurants under chef Rod Butters.

"Rod really created the Kelowna culinary scene there when he first opened 22 years ago," said Derrick.

"The timing and everything lined up. I knew that space was going to become available and I didn't want it to be anything else but a restaurant."

Derrick already owns and operates two other eateries -- The Broken Anchor fish and chips place beside Codfather's fish store in Guisachan Village on Gordon Drive and Globe Tapas at Big White Ski Resort.

In about a month's time, Derrick's Steakhouse will open in the historic Water Street location, capitalizing on the brick facade, as well as the brick walls, imposing bar, open kitchen and banquette and communal long table seating inside to create a 70-seat modernized classic steakhouse vibe.

"Downtown Kelowna definitely needs a steakhouse," said Derrick.

"The Keg Steakhouse is a great business, but it's not downtown (it's uptown off the highway on Underhill Street)."

What does modernized classic steakhouse mean exactly?

According to Derrick, it's all the steakhouse classics from the 1950s on the menu from martinis, tableside-tossed Cesar salad and prawn cocktail to tenderloins and strip loins.

What will make it modern is the latest grilling techniques and wine list heavy on Okanagan reds.

The atmosphere will be clubby and celebratory by nature with steak entrees starting at $46 -- the kind of place you'll want to mark special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, births, promotions and retirement.

But, there will also be chicken and vegetarian entrees starting at $36 to make Derrick's a great night out any day of the week any time of the year.

The chef at Derrick's will be Alex Lavroff, who also works with Derrick as the culinary director at The Broken Anchor and Globe.

Before creating his own restaurants, Derrick was the opening chef at Globe in 2008 (under the original owners) and the chef at Sparkling Hill Resort near Vernon and the Delta Grand hotel in downtown Kelowna.

Last year, Derrick was inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame in the 'local champion' category.