GALLERY: at this month’s TBD dining series, Acadia’s Matt Blondin let loose

By Gizelle Lau | November 14, 2011

By Gizelle Lau | 11/14/2011

Blondin’s tapioca course (Image: Gizelle Lau)

TBD is a monthly dining series that brings some of the city’s top chefs together with one of the foodie world’s current obsessions: the semi-secret pop-up dinner. Concocted by Dan Gutter (Drake Hotel, Auberge du Pommier, Susur) and designer Sukko Stach (Acadia), TBD offers one-time-only intimate dining experiences in a distinctive setting for no more than 12 guests. Past TBD dinners have featured Dustin Gallagher, Steve Gonzales and the guys behind Poutini’s. November’s TBD took place last week in a tucked-away private members’ club at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and featured Acadia chef Matt Blondin. For $150, the diners were exposed to Blondin’s wilder, more modernist side over 15 courses (with wine pairings). Here’s what it looked like »

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Caramelized dairy with maple sugar, ginger frost, fragrant herbs and freeze-dried pineapple

Persimmon with granita of flowers, boreal honey, orgeat and persimmon stock

Licorice marshmallow with black sugar, vanilla-cured olive and caramelized pear pudding

Egg whites, three ways: cedar meringue (dried), spruce meringue (raw) and vanilla meringue (poached)

Ecolait veal cheek braised in raw beet juice with caramelized salsify, burnt leeks and mustard

Ecolait sweetbreads with smoked cheese, black garlic, pickled cauliflower and nasturtium

American cobia with caramelized eggplant, freeze-dried black and green olives and yogurt curd

Crystallized chestnuts with celery juice, salted chestnut cream, lovage and chestnut oil

Cured foie gras with banana bread, elderberries, peanut and sorrel

American spot prawn poached in buttermilk whey with buttermilk curd, dill and tosaka

Salted Nunavut char with black plums, raw apples, whipped laurel leaf tea and dried cod’s roe

Congealed Berkshire pork fat with compressed Santa Claus melon, sake-cured char roe and Blis Elixir sherry vinegar

Tapioca with coconut milk, African blue basil blossoms, candied lemon and Thai basil

Dehydrated caramelized milk skins with cocoa nibs, truffle essence and freeze-dried apples

Ginger beer with hot Buddha’s hand espuma, hydrated chia seeds and spray-dried cane juice

The expectant diners at the beginning of their feast

2 thoughts on “GALLERY: at this month’s TBD dining series, Acadia’s Matt Blondin let loose”

abby says:

November 14, 2011 at 4:43 pm

hollllllllllly hell this food is so beautiful!
Jason Carlo says:

November 14, 2011 at 9:26 pm

You can sign up at tbdtoronto.com to receive their invitations. Make sure to check your spam though because my first one went there. The invites have been awesome!