Haute Junk: Matt Blondin and Ben Heaton team up to serve KD and Slurpees at the latest Charlie’s Burgers dinner
By Renée Suen |
By Renée Suen |
In Toronto, the trendiest new restaurants ply an almost cultish kind of casualness, where the greatest sin a new eatery can commit—aside from serving bland food—is taking itself too seriously. Chefs dot their dining rooms and plates with ironic winks: mismatched mason jars, pounding rap music and $30 sirloin burgers served drive thru–style in wax paper wrapping. “Junk” was the theme of last weekend’s Charlie’s Burgers pop-up from ex-Daishō chef Matt Blondin and The Grove’s Ben Heaton, who presented guests, including former Barenaked Ladies member Steven Page, with a meal devoted entirely to upscale fast food. On the menu: a homemade Andouille corndog, a liquid nitrogen–frozen slushie and a flute of Moet Champagne spiked with neon Tang. Here, a slideshow from the $170, 10-course feast.
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- Guests were sent to a non-descript corner on Dundas West where they were told to “meet a man holding a wine barrel.” The man, who was Mexican chef Andres Marquez, passed out playing cards bearing the address of the venue (which was just across the street at bakery OMG Baked Goodness)
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The $170 supper was held at bakery OMG Baked Goodness, on Dundas west of Dufferin
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The aperitif: beer spiked with tequila, lime and agave nectar
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- Instead of linens, flowers and candles, the table had a runner of loose homemade Chex Mix and jars of crayons for scribbling
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The first course was homemade Chex Mix, already strewn across the table, and a glass of Moet Champagne, which guests were encouraged to spike with neon Tang
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The chefs’ haute take on Alphagetti: tomato gazpacho served in a paper cup with alphabet pasta, Parmesan and basil
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- A fancy pogo made with Andouille-style sausage and topped with cherry-agar catsup and moustarda
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- A McDonalds Filet-o-Fish facsimile made with fried shrimp terrine as the patty, plus homemade tartar sauce and aged cheddar
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The kitchen assembly line between courses
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The room burst into spontaneous applause when Blondin revealed that he spent two weeks trying to source KD-style noodles before giving up and deciding to go with the real thing (he gussied them up with old Beemster instead of fluorescent orange powder, but the mini bottle of Heinz ketchup was legit)
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- In a callback to his own Kraft dinner lyric from the 1990s hit “If I Had a Million Dollars,” Steven Page used the mini ketchup bottle to scrawl the word “Dijon” on his plate
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The Moet bottles from the first course reappeared midway through dinner, repurposed as candle holders
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The Grove's Ben Heaton and former Colborne Lane chef de cuisine Andrew Wilson
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- A palate cleanser of liquid nitrogen–frozen, gin-melon slushie mixed with mini melon balls and basil syrup pearls
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The KFC Double Down remade into a fried chicken breast sandwich with bacon and fontina, served with fresh peas and diced carrots
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The final savoury course was a mushroom pizza with fontina, tarragon butter and roasted black garlic with a truffle-dressed arugula salad, served in a take out style box
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- Page chatted about celeb life, including his influences (John Lennon) and favourite stars (Tom Hanks, who he says is very down to earth)
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- Matt Blondin at last summer's Charlie Burger dinner pop-up, also called Junk
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The first dessert course was strawberry JELLO served with berries
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- A homemade Jos Louis made with chocolate sponge cake and vanilla cream
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- A Twinkie-inspired sheet cake
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- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
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- The "Junk" dinner menu, including a reference to a mysterious new Matt Blondin restaurant to come in 2014
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- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- Charlie's Burgers: Junk
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/charlies-burger-junk-matt-blondin-food-event-toronto-08-96x96.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/charlies-burger-junk-matt-blondin-food-event-toronto-08.jpg
- https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/charlies-burger-junk-matt-blondin-food-event-toronto-08.jpg
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- https://torontolife.com/food/charlies-burgers-matt-blondin-junk/slide/charlies-burger-junk-matt-blondin-food-event-toronto-08/
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Great photos. But $170 for upscale junk food is not something I would ever pay for.