Canadian Celebrity Chefs Event - Were You There? Who Should Have Been?

The first Canadian Celebrity Chefs Event held on Monday evening at the NAC had star power. Not just the well-known names playing on the Food Network, but also a select group of chefs from here in Ottawa that are considered on the top of their game. The idea for the event was the brainchild of NAC's Chef Michael Blackie. Host for the day was the ever energy-buzzed, Kevin Brauch, also from the Food Network.

The full day of culinary demonstrations gave us a hint as to what would be hitting our taste buds throughout the evening's reception. Were you there? Could you imagine it would be like this?

By the way, since you are asking, my favourite dish of the night was the presentation by Chefs Bear and Lyness of lobster and sweetbreads (larger description with picture below). No wishy washy answer from me that "I loved them all and just couldn't pick one". I know what I like. And I loved the balance of flavours, colour and texture. So complex. So bright. I did taste all 8 plates and hung in through to the very last morsel.

There has been quite a build up over the past few months in the foodie world as the details of Monday's event unfolded. There has been much attention for the NAC, the visiting celebrity chefs and the hosting chefs from Ottawa.

As I survey Ottawa's culinary landscape, it struck me that there really was a strong talent pool to pick from to make this a memorable first annual Ottawa event.

I reviewed Ottawa Magazine's Top 10 List of Best Restaurants for 2010 put together by Shawna Wagman last October and here is who was missing from Monday night's lineup.

Castlegarth
Town
The Wellington Gastropub
Fraser Café
Bistro St. Jacques
Absinthe
Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar (same chef at Domus Café)

I reviewed the Gold Medal Plate contenders from last November's regional competition and here is who was missing from Monday night's lineup.

The Urban Pear
Zen Kitchen
Murray Street Kitchen
Les Fougères
Narvarra

I reviewed a running list I have of restaurants that have or have had 'buzz' that do not have mention on Shawna's list or GMP, and here is who was missing from Monday night's lineup, just to name a few.

Benitz Bistro
Farbs Kitchen *
Restaurant Le Baccara *
Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro
Restaurant Ei8hteen *
Allium
Black Cat Bistro *
Courtyard Restaurant
Social
Luxe

(* Participants of Juniper's upcoming Duelling Chefs competitions for 2011)

As the names of Brookstreet, Vittoria Trattoria, The Whalesbone Oyster House, Empire Grill, Atelier Restaurant, Beckta Dining and Wine, Juniper Dining and National Arts Centre continue to come to mind in the days ahead, consider that there really is a much, much larger list of great restaurants known for a top-notch dining experience in the Ottawa area. Create your own 'Must Try' list. Venture out. Savour the flavours. This town does have a lot to offer.

And now my question to you. If Chef Blackie tasked you with creating the list of 8 hosting Ottawa chefs, is there a particular name that you want to see on it?

** Monday night's food presentations in the order of my likes **

Ray Bear (MIX, Halifax, NS) | Clifford Lyness (Brookstreet)
Poached Atlantic lobster | Bridge sparkling wine beurre blanc
corn flan + watercress sprouts | black olive purée
Le Coprin mushrooms | sweetbreads with candied fennel
08 Eagle Tree Muscat, Jõst Vineyards, Nova Scotia

Michael Lyon (Hotel Eldorado, Kelowna, BC) | Michael Blackie (NAC)
Sweet grass cold smoked Charlevoix veal | crisp potato girdle
Clarmell on the Rideau feta + sage infused retention
firecracker spotted prawn crisp | Cloud Horse mead-­‐lychee sting
08 Cloud Horse, Meadow Vista Honey Wines, Kelowna, British Columbia

Anthony Walsh (Canoe, Toronto, ON) | Michael Moffatt (Beckta Dining and Wine)
Drunken squab + Newfie screech | tatin of sunchokes | foie gras crepinette

09 Cabernet Franc Sabrevois, Domaine Perrault, Navan, Ontario

David Rocco (Dolce Vita, Toronto, ON) | Cesare Santaguida (Vittoria Trattoria)
Beet risotto | crispy pig cheek | seared Qualicum beach scallop | Granny smith slaw
08 Archangel Pinot Noir Rosé Sparkling VQA, Angels Gate Winery, Niagara, Ontario

Paul Rogalski (ROUGE, Calgary, AB) | Robin Bowen (Empire Grill)
North country bison hash | Quebec goat cheese + cauliflower ravioli
Preserved lemon + rendered bacon hollandaise | ancho chili plum gastrique
07 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vine Dressers,Petit, Verdot Pelee, Island VQA

Mathieu Cloutier (Kitchen Galerie, Montreal, QC) | Marc Lepine (Atelier Restaurant)
Oyster | honey flavor roasted foie gras terrine | marrow bones + chardonnay vinaigrette |
bacon foam
08 Ice Cider, Domaine Pinnacle, Québec

Brad Long (Café Belong, Toronto, ON) | Charlotte Langley (The Whalesbone Oyster House)
Shiitake poached pickerel | beurre noissette | dressed grains + greens
Crispy crème fraiche oyster 08 County Cuvée Pinot Noir VQA, Rosehall Run Vineyards, Prince Edward

Michael Howell (Tempest Restaurant, Wolfville, NS) | Norm Aitken (Juniper Dining)
Transverse Nova Scotia sea bass
crispy seared | citrus cured
cool fennel + citrus salad | warm gold beet purée + hay
brown butter | dulse and beetroot coulis | applewood smoked mussel bridge
09 Reserve L’Acadie, Domaine de Grand Pré, Nova Scotia

What Was Ottawa's Elite Doing on Saturday Night?

What was Ottawa's elite doing on Saturday night? It depends on where you were. In the heart of downtown or in the outskirts of the city.



The mister decided to volunteer at the Diana Krall Gala being held at the NAC this past Saturday. A strong team of foodies with kitchen know-how, augmented Michael Blackie's talented staff in an effort to feed 700 at the post-concert dinner. This doesn't even speak to the many canapés that were prepared to serve the 2200 concert-goers before the music started. I heard that a reception/concert/dinner ticket went for as much as $1000. Now that is fundraising! And some would think that all the glam of black tie, lovely gowns and the treasure chest of shiny baubles and bling would suggest that this is what THE elite of Ottawa were doing on Saturday night.



I, on the other hand, was some 30 kilometers away in the more south-west part of Ottawa attending a totally different kind of fundraiser. This was the annual Fall turkey supper put on by Fallowfield United Church for $16 a plate. That area of Ottawa still has a rural profile but as Bells Corners and Kanata creeps south, the farmland is being turned into densified housing. If a criteria of elite is money then I was sitting in the thick of them. There were no black ties, fancy gowns or even shiny baubles and bling. For this crowd, going out to a fundraiser was all about comfort, relaxing music and socializing with the neighbours.





As for the food, the Gala gang dined on a three-course meal of Michael Blackie's best: starter of Red Balinese stained “yellow tail” tuna flank, pickled celery and watermelon/long bean/chickpea/micro green/frisée salad, with gingered yuzu balm. Then a main course of cherry wood smoked rib eye of elk with sunflower and black sesame crackling and Alaskan king crab with brown butter-tobiko hollandaise. The dessert was a trio: dark and stormy baba, crushed meringue coupe-jackfruit tingle, and dark chocolate marshmallow disguise.





And in the wee church basement that can seat 90 at a time,we had a yummy feast of such home-cooked delights as turkey, stuffing, potatoes, coleslaw, gravy. The family style table service meant that we could also add on the steamed peas and carrots and cranberry sauce. The fresh, fresh buns came from a local bakery. I can't say enough about the wide selection of homemade pies served up with coffee or tea. It was all you can eat for those that find a standard dinner plate a bit on the small side. There were no canapés or wine bottles slinging. We tippled on either apple or tomato juice. If that wasn't enough, we could pick up a fresh local orchard apple on the way out. Just to show how solid their reputation is for fine food, the church tends to get close to 500 faithful clients streaming through their doors over the 3 1/2 hours of dinner service.



Maybe the telltale sign that my country friends at Fallowfield were THE elite crowd to be seen with on Saturday night, was revealed when mayoral candidate, Larry O'Brien chose the turkey supper over the NAC Gala for his first campaign meet and greet of the evening!

Her Majesty, Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones Sent Us To The NAC's Le Café for Lunch

I am a big Oscar Peterson fan. I am also a big Oliver Jones fan. And when I heard that the public unveiling of the life-sized bronze statue of jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, would include a tribute piece by renowned jazz pianist, Oliver Jones, I knew I needed to be at this event. He played Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom”, of course! Enough to make you weep.

For the monarchy fans out there, be it our lucky day to have Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh come by just in time to pull the gold cord on the red velvet curtain for the big reveal. The weather was great, the mood was high and everything appeared to go without a hitch, despite Liz's tardy arrival. We filled our time listening to the very gifted Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir under the direction of Prof. Trevor W. Payne.

Renowned artist, Ruth Abernethy, has created a piece of art that speaks to her great sculpting talent as she has immortalized a notable Canadian in such a timeless and accessible way. I for one look forward to that moment this summer when I can return to the statue and slide in beside Oscar at his life-sized bronze grand piano, just taking in the quiet and humming a few tunes.

Yesterday, I did stop and smell the roses. I took the time to check out a small Canadian moment. I was there. It wasn't life altering but it was very Canadian and it did feel like something to savour. I am a big fan of doing things I have never done before and this was one of those times. Also, something not to be repeated. I knew I would never have Liz, Phil, Oscar, Oliver, me and my son in the same place ever again. And so it was with food that I thought we should celebrate. As the crowd dispersed some 45 minutes past 1 pm, my son eyed the sausage cart on Elgin across from the War Memorial. I eyed the sign for the NAC's Le Café!

We have yet to eat at Le Café since being taken over by award-winning Executive Chef, Michael Blackie. We quite enjoyed what he did at Perspectives at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata, but running the kitchen for the NAC is a totally different challenge. And it seems the reviews have been mixed. The 'Oscar Peterson reception' was being held on the terrace and would have the full attention of the staff. Our hope was that we would receive equally high quality service in the dining room.



We started with a bowl of rolls, accompanied by a trio of roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato and garlic spread, salted butter and then pumpkin seed pesto. I had heard that the buns were not the same dense, multi-grain gems so famous in the Kurt Waldele days. I had to agree with the critics. The bun change up is not for the better. Like the comments I had heard, the buns are not the gold standard you would expect to lead a first-class meal at THE restaurant meant to showcase the nation's capital. A bit dry and too airy. I add my name to the list of those petitioning to have Kurt's buns back. Michael, I am sorry to say, I don't like your buns. The trio of bread spreads, however, were quite lovely!

From here things picked up. We decided to go for the lunch table d'hôte. Two lunch items for $18.



My starter salad was fantastic. The greens appeared to be primarily arugula and by now you know just how important it is to me to have fresh, fresh, fresh greens. They were perfect. The dressing was a light accompaniment to the garnishes of goat cheese, radishes, pear and lightly candied pecans.



I didn't think my son really liked black bean soup so imagine my surprise when that was his pick. His words "A+". I snuck a taste with a distracting "Hey, look over there!" I had to agree with him that it was tasty, though I would have been happy with a touch of fresh cilantro. But then I think cilantro should be a food group. I would also mention that the portion size was handsome. The salad and soup each rang in at $6.50.



I followed with the rainbow trout with jasmine rice. The trout was seared to perfection and the sauce was rich and creamy. I probably don't want to know just how rich and creamy. The rice was pretty plain but served well to help soak up every last drop of the 'not to be wasted' sauce. I liked my new spring carrots and sautéed rapini.



My son, the big eater, chose the beef shins. An osso bucco style dish with a crazy amount of meat served on yukon mashed potatoes - his favourite form of potatoes - well, next to poutine. It was the plate that just kept on giving. Lucky me to help with the finishing. The meat was flavourful and fall of the bone tender. A beef jus finished the dish and gave it a glisten. He too enjoyed carrots and rapini. The two mains rang in at $11.50 each.

The winner of the lunch was the salad, then closely followed by the soup, then trout. My son's comments were succinct. "It was a really lovely lunch but it didn't totally knock my sox off." My son is a Blackie fan too and I think he has set the bar high when it comes to his expectation of 'Blackie perfection'. I would take that as a compliment.

We had a special day together and it was nice to round it out with a pretty special lunch. I have my eye on returning to Le Café to try the Taste 5 menu.

There is complementary parking at Le Café at Sunday brunches as well as Monday through Friday for lunch. Just bring your parking voucher with you to the restaurant to get it validated.

The summer hours are varied, depending on if you are there for lunch, munch, brunch or dinner and also if there is a show on in Southam Hall. The website can help you best to sort out the comings and goings.

Le Café
National Art Centre
613.594.5127