Dux
The Summit – home to great coffee, rotating art installations and an impressive number of laptop users, has launched a new dining series: Dux. It’s a new, special sort of dinner, perfectly separating itself off from the typing masses. Chef Eddie Lau prepares a multi course meal for just the eight seats alongside the bar. As he plates and personally delivers each plate, he explains the genesis of the dish, trying to create a more interactive, exploratory experience for the those who take this culinary trip with him. It’s a great match for the collaborative space and creative work that gets done at the Summit every day, and lets the chef stretch his culinary wingspan a bit more. It’s heady and intellectual but still accessible, and affordable to boot (dinners run $60 a head.)
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at his inaugural Duck themed menu this past weekend. Here’s a photo journal of the meal. But since discovering the process that lead to what is on your plate is such a key part of the experience, I’m going to hold back on commentary and critiques (it’s not like I’m unbiased anyway.) Instead, I encourage you to take the plunge and join Eddie for dinner on an upcoming Sunday night, and find out what’s going on in that head of his, and the story behind each dish. If you’re the process driven creative type, this is the meal you’ll want to try. To find out more about the menu, you’ll just have to reserve a seat at the bar.
Early Cherry Aperitif
Early Sweet cherries, nigori, bluecoat gin, floc de gascgne and mint
Duck Egg in Tart
fried sous vide egg, english peas, baby carrots, ramp duck bechamel gravy
Smoked Pears Smoked Duck Breast “Tataki”
cherry wood cold smoke, aged shoyu citrus gastrique
Dux Poutine
pomme dauphine, duck confit, foie balsamic glaze, goat cheese curd, mizuna
Dux Tsukemen
”00” tagliatelle pasta, honjuku duck egg, fromage de canard
Foie Gras Chantilly on Strawberry Genoise
smoked strawberry compote, meyer lemon marscapone
May 10th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Dang, this looks ridiculously good. Are drinks included in the $60? And, what’s the book he’s holding?
May 17th, 2011 at 10:11 am
[...] A look at Dux, the new dinner series within the confines of the Summit. [Beer Nosh] [...]
May 17th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Re. the book Chef Lau’s holding – might it be the Au Pied de Cochon (Montreal) cookbook? It looks familiar and I’m wondering if he used it as inspiration for the poutine. :)
May 20th, 2011 at 6:47 am
[...] art installations, collaborative environment, and white laptops galore, is beginning a series of intimate set menus. The meal, which serves only eight people at the bar on Sundays, is served by chef Eddie Lau [...]