We dropped by the Great Toronto Tartare-off to discover a meatetarian frenzy

By Karolyne Ellacott | March 30, 2012

By Karolyne Ellacott | 03/30/2012

Luma’s Jason Bangerter predicted the event was going to be a meat fest, so he opted for a tuna tartare instead.

Last night, Grapes for Humanity corralled some of the city’s top culinary talent under one roof (that of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel) for RAW! The Great Toronto Tartare-Off, an event to raise funds to support a high school in Guatemala. A panel of judges, consisting of John Higgins, Amy Rosen, Josh Josephson, Corey Mintz and, to the delight of many, Geddy Lee, was tasked with crowning one chef the King—or Queen—of Tartare. Those chefs included Jamie Kennedy (Gilead), Didier Leroy (Didier), Lorenzo Loseto (George), Jason Bangerter (Luma), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Brook Kavanagh (La Palette), Albert Ponzo (Le Sélect), Patrick McMurray (Starfish and Ceili Cottage) and, most impressively, Luke Wood of Thornton’s Wine and Tapas Room who flew in from Yellowknife specifically for the function.

Each tartare was paired with a wine—including picks from Rosewood Estates Winery and Stratus—and attendees moved around the room, swilling and swallowing as they best saw fit. Though chefs were invited to whip up meat, seafood or vegetable tartare, this was a meatetarian event lucked out, with only a handful of seafood options found in the room (we never found that veg pick). After tasting everything blind, the judges announced the winners in two categories: professional and amateur. Of the four amateur chefs present, Paul Pender of Tawse Winery snagged the top spot for his traditional beef tartare flavoured with capers, anchovies and leeks, with a horseradish kick to finish. But it was Lorenzo Loseto who was ultimately crowned King of Tartare for his artful cobia tartare topped with tiny skewered potato chips (although we must admit a certain fondness for Le Sélect’s offering). And with that, the remaining attendees headed home, most likely to deal with some serious meat sweats.

Check out our gallery of all the dishes and chefs »

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Pender’s winning traditional beef tartare flavoured with capers, anchovies and leeks and horseradish

Paul Pender of Tawse Winery won the amateur competition

Le Sélect’s Albert Ponzo was giddy for Geddy

Geddy Lee with judges John Higgins and Josh Josephson

Corey Mintz shoots Amy Rosen with Geddy Lee at the judges’ table

A beef and muskox blend, spiced with smoked paprika, wasabi powder, shallots and Dijon mustard. Amelie told us that their tartare was her favourite—“but it’s the only one I’ve tried!”

Over at the Thornton’s Wine and Tapas Room table, we found chef Luke Wood’s eight-year-old daughter Amelie running the show

Luma’s tuna tartare topped with a five-spice onion ring

Luma’s Jason Bangerter predicted the event was going to be a meat fest, so he opted for a tuna tartare. He also graciously hammed it up for us

Didier’s beef was mixed with cornichons, capers and a sprinkle of fleur de sel (from France, naturally), and sat on wedges of white “orgasmique” French bread

Chef Didier Leroy of, well, Didier, who made sure to point out the Canadian flag on his head, and the French one over his heart

George’s cobia tartare: the oily whitefish was served with roasted fennel, shallots and black trumpet mushrooms, and topped with a stack of tiny potato chips that had been fried on the skewer

At George’s station, Lorenzo Loseta was carefully attending to his cobia tartare

Ceili Cottage’s ostrich tartare was served with pickled quail egg gribiche

Beef tartare from Starfish’s Patrick McMurray, with oysters, roasted laver seaweed and salmon roe

The Epic station: wild venison tartare served on wild rice bannock, with pickled ramps, seaside blueberry powder, foie gras foam and pickled honey mushrooms

Epic’s Timothy Palmer offered up a wild venison tartare

The last time we saw Ponzo (at Recipe for Change), he also used quail eggs; when questioned he exclaimed, “I’m obsessed! It’s the year of the egg.”

Le Sélect’s Albert Ponzo perched quail yolks—encrusted in pistachio dust—on mounds of bison tartare nestled into chicharrón

Kennedy used house pickles and tomatoes in the mix, and added some chives that had been plucked fresh from his garden hours before

Jamie Kennedy doled his traditional steak tartare out onto a crispy and neutral-flavoured brioche

Kavanagh’s venison tenderloin tartare, mixed with pickled wild leek bulb, gherkin and 64° duck yolk. Kavanagh opted not to do his signature horsemeat tartare as he was a bit wary of the judges

La Palette’s Brook Kavanagh assembled cones of venison tenderloin tartare, placing them in a fancy cone-holding antler contraption

Cutrara opted for a venison tartare which he flavoured with black olive, cumin and spiced jalapeño

The Cowbell crew was helmed by chef Mark Cutrara

2 thoughts on “We dropped by the Great Toronto Tartare-off to discover a meatetarian frenzy”

Kaori says:

March 30, 2012 at 2:49 pm

Chef Bangerter’s tuna tartare was amazing. My favorite of the fish ones for sure. And he was the funnest guy at the party.
Betsy says:

March 30, 2012 at 3:34 pm

Chef Didier’s beef tartare was my favourite meat one (can never get bored of it) and Chef Bangerter’s tuna tartare was fantastic – my favourite fish one. Chef Brook’s tartare has the best presentation.