MENUMENTAL: Low-country cooking of the highest level at Acadia
- ERIC VELLEND
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- Sep 02, 2011 - 8:47 AM
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4This proliferation in the mid-range, however, comes at a price: excitement.
Chefs are afraid to take chances these days and their menus are like Ambien for the epicure. Even Origin, the most imaginative of the lot, slings a beet salad, miso cod and corn on the cob. Zzzzz...
Enter Chef Matt Blondin and his front of house partner, Scott Selland. These two young fellas met at Colborne Lane, which during its peak (not coincidentally during their tenure), was the most exciting place to dine in Toronto. At their new venture, Acadia, the dynamic duo have taken our dining scene out of its burger-induced torpor and opened the best restaurant in Toronto since The Black Hoof.
Start with one of Selland's fabulous cocktails, such as "Call Me in the Morning", a summery lowball of gin, Lillet blanc and fresh peaches. Beer gets as much attention as wine on the libation list - crisp King Pilsner and citrusy Hoptical Illusion are both on tap - and pairs well with Blondin's high-minded low-country cooking.
An order of corn bread served with a satiny emulsion of sweet potatoes and butter is essential ordering. Baked a la minute, the bread is light, crisp on the exterior and full of corn flavour, a revelation compared to the dense, sweet cake that masquerades as corn bread at most restaurants.
From concept, to execution, to presentation, the food is out of this world. An appetizer of seared scallops is not cliched in Blondin's hands: crusty exteriors yielding to quivering centres, the perfectly cooked bivalves are accessorized with impossibly thin chicken cracklings, Parmesan tuiles and juicy strips of pickled watermelon rind, which add a riot of textures and flavours.
Served in what looks like a groovy ashtray from the '70s, a dish of grits (American polenta) with shrimp, pimento cheese and ham hock consomme is good enough to make a nun scream "Hells, yeah!" and the best dish I've eaten all year.
Mains keep the culinary fireworks popping. Veal tenderloin is juicy and bloody, served with a sensational succotash of sweet corn, spelt berries, double smoked bacon and cream.
A peach and blackberry crisp is the only false note during Blondin's gastronomic symphony of awesome. Served in a Mason jar - die, Mason jar trend, die - the dish is surprisingly unpeachy, though the refreshing soy milk ice cream is excellent.
Stop what you're doing and make a reservation at Acadia before it becomes the toughest table in town. Restaurants of this ambition and calibre are a rare bird in a city that likes to play it safe.
Acadia
50C Clinton St. (north of College Street)
416-792-6002
Dinner for two with drinks, tax and tip: $160
www.acadiarestaurant.com
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