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It takes guts to open a restaurant in a ritzy downtown hotel and serve up pricey multi-course dinners -- without a menu. That's right, without a menu.
And forget about clues, too. The only thing you do know is that the cuisine is French continental and will no doubt incorporate fine foie gras and some sevruga. Control freaks, consider yourselves warned as you may find this line hard to swallow. In a nutshell, other than alerting the kitchen to any major dislikes or allergies, don't ask, as they won't tell you, what's being served until it arrives.
But think about it. How different is it from going to a friend's for dinner? Wouldn't it be rude to ask what's on the menu? And, as long as you trust the cook in the kitchen, why complain?
Now, for some that may constitute a visitation to the gastronomic twilight zone. But in the hands of chef extraordinaire Michael Potters at Accolade, you can put your fears to rest. Each night he prepares two completely different tasting menus -- no two courses are the same.
The four-course meal ($55) consists of an amuse bouche, a warm appetizer, sorbet, main course and dessert. The six course runs $75; eight courses will run you $90, the latter, of course, including a sublime and rare cheese trolley, $18 on its own.
The audacious Potters is without a doubt one of the hottest chefs in town -- and he's such a nice guy to boot. Unfortunately, you wouldn't know it from the crowd. It's mid-week and Accolade (in the Crowne Plaza Toronto Centre) is practically empty. Perhaps they're all saving their money to get a seat at Susur.
And, that's a shame. Having tried both, Accolade is ahead when it comes to the finest cuisine. Potters knows what he wants and he's prepared to pay for it. While a lot of places settle for what they can get away with, Potters demands only the very best -- and gets it.
His foie gras is ultra premium from La Ferme in Quebec; you can immediately taste the difference this kind of quality makes. Naturally, the less expensive B-grade is also available from La Ferme, but lower costs aren't part of the Potters plan. Indeed, after two visits, the hunch is that he probably has the highest food costs in town.
The first of the six-course menu is a freshly-shucked Malapeque oyster and chive glaçage. A single oyster, no matter how beautifully adorned and tasty, is a small and lonely thing indeed. Two would have been nice, but this is a tasting menu, after all. My companion's seared, tender ahi tuna, niçoise style, is divine with just the right amount of crunch. It was served with Nicolas Feuillatte, Premier Cru, Brut Champagne.
Which brings us to the excellent wine pairing program as selected by Accolade's maitre d'/sommelier Peter Costello. For the six-course menu, there is a $55 prix fixe pairing of six wines -- a real winner. For those ordering the four course, the wine-pairing runs $45; the eight course is $70.
From Champagne to Cave Springs 1998 Riesling icewine, in all, 10 different wines are poured, including a Pouilly Fume, Villa Paulus, Domaine Masson-Blondelet, 1998; Rully, La Chaume, Charton et Trèbuchet, 1998, and a Critchton Hall chardonnay, 1997. Not only is the mini wine tasting great fun, but these wines are no slouches. The De Bartolli 1997 Yarra Valley Shiraz, which accompanied one of the mains, is a sheer stunner, certainly worthy of its stand-alone wine-list price ($85). What a thrill to discover a new universe of flavours at such reasonable prices.
A silky cream of pumpkin soup is ladled over a savory bread pudding and tender rabbit confit ravioli. Its wondrous spicy flavours mingle perfectly with an extremely dry, lemony Domaine Du Millard 1999 Muscadet Sur Lie. Next up was a perfectly sautéed Quebec foie gras and tender quail with caramelized quince, raisins, wehani (grainy brown rice) and pomegranate essence, served with a sweet French 1996 Jurançon, Curvée des Casterasses, Domaine Bru-Baché.
Michael Potters uses live, organically farmed, Arctic char delivered to his door by Ted the fisherman. The filleted char and maritime lobster, served with an artichoke ragout, sautéed watercress leaves and a perfectly executed sauce Americaine, is a knockout. It is enhanced with a perfect pairing of a fruity, light-bodied red wine, Trénel 1998 Beajolais-Villages in a Spiegelau glass.
Following a vibrant Anjou pear- flavoured palate pick-me-up sorbet is a duo of rack and loin of fork-tender Ontario fallow deer with braised red cabbage, and glazed lady apple (like crab apple) stuffed with foie gras in a Grand Veneur sauce. Other courses included an exquistely prepared combo of filet of American Red snapper, sea scallops, Littleneck clams, and mussels in a bouillabaisse sauce, a fine fricasee of French frogs legs and escargot, and world-class tournedos of Sterling Silver beef tenderloin. But the arrival of the salad of lamb quarters and butternut squash, walnut oil vinaigrette and gently earthy winter truffle was the guilding of the lily -- words cannot suffice.
As for desserts, the passion fruit ice cream is beyond compare, while a sticky toffee pudding is utter perfection. Prepared by a former set designer and opera singer, the eye candy of a chocolate banana cheesecake in a huge, blown sugar bubble comes as no surprise; alas, not quite on par with what Potters delivers to our palate. Neither is the décor, which has the typical trappings of a hotel lobby dining room. It is elegant and pleasant enough, and fine original oils abound, but it needs major updating. Hilton's Tundra ring any design bells?
There's no question that Crowne Plaza management is to be congratulated for its support of Potter at Accolade. In an effort to attract the local dining-out set, Crowne Plaza is going out of its way to cater to more than just the tourist class. And, in a busy downtown core, free valet parking is an added bonus. Not to mention a "souvenir" menu that appears only after the meal. A full vegetarian menu is in the process of being added as is a full seafood selection. So, for those of you discerning diners still waiting to get a reservation at Susur, why not pay Potters a visit. You won't be disappointed.
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