{"id":1189,"date":"2011-04-28T11:11:05","date_gmt":"2011-04-28T16:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=1189"},"modified":"2012-05-01T10:19:03","modified_gmt":"2012-05-01T15:19:03","slug":"ab-fab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=1189","title":{"rendered":"Ab Fab"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The opening oeuf - thanks to Elliot Faber for the pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Absolutely Fabbrica! We started with champers, darling \u2013 just a smidge \u2013 not Bolly but Nicolas Feuillatte Brut, standing around in Fabbrica\u2019s front bar prior to our Visa Infinite dinner. We all know Fabbrica \u2013 Mark McEwan\u2019s six-month-old Italian restaurant at the corner of the Shops of Don Mills. I reviewed it soon after it opened and felt the service wasn\u2019t as smooth as it needed to be. Well, that problem has been more than solved. This was the first time the restaurant had done a dinner for 80 but everything went impeccably. Mark McEwan was his usual charming self, hobnobbing before we sat down and then introducing Fabbrica\u2019s chef, Rob LeClair, and also Andrew Ellerby, chef from One (another McEwan property) who had come north to help on the line. LeClair and I had spoken a few days earlier about the menu (a collaboration between LeClair and McEwan) and discerned a subtle theme running through it. The notion of cucina povere, the proud culinary stance of Italy\u2019s rural poor in which as little as possible is bought, as much as possible is grown or foraged and nothing is wasted. It isn\u2019t an idea limited to Italy, of course \u2013 it reminds me of the way Canadian pioneers lived, especially at this hungriest time of the year when nothing is growing yet and the winter larder is empty. Is an exclusive and delectable dinner at a high-end restaurant too big a stretch as a way to honour frugality? I don\u2019t think so. For all the glamour of his restaurants, McEwan\u2019s cooking has very honest roots.
\nWe began with a small homage to the egg. As LeClair reminded us, an egg is not something to take for granted. It\u2019s a beautiful thing \u2013 especially the fine eggs Fabbrica sources through La Ferme, hen\u2019s eggs that come from a farm near Tottenham. This one was hard boiled, peeled and beheaded then the yolk was removed and crumbled into a mixture of salt cod and mashed potato seasoned with chili and oregano, like a stiff brandade. The cod mixture was put back into the hollow egg white and garnished with two chives and a crispy ribbon of pancetta. Some of us saw the dish as a Proven\u00e7al take on devilled eggs; others were reminded of an English breakfast of kippers, eggs and bacon \u2013 whatever. It was a delightful little opener. Matching wine to eggs is never easy. Craig De Blois from the Lifford wine agency had the job this night and chose a white Burgundy, Louis Jadot 2008 Bourgogne Chardonnay. It worked like a squeeze of lemon over the salt cod but the egg gave it the cold shoulder.<\/p>\n

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Octopus terrine and bitter greens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our next course reminded me of days long ago when my wife and I lived in Corfu with our baby sons, experiencing the Greek village version of cucina povere. Our koubaros, Philip, taught us to dive for octopus and how to tenderize them by hurling them against the rocks 40 times. At Fabbrica they pop their fresh octopus into the freezer then thaw it again, which has the same effect and is much less messy. They cook it in just the same way we used to, placing it in a Le Creuset casserole with a touch of garlic, chili, parsley and just a dash of olive oil, putting on the heavy lid and then letting it seethe in its own juices. First it clenches like a huge fleshy orchid and turns purply pink; then it relaxes. Once cooked, the limbs are layered in a terrine with the gelatinous juices to bind them. Then, when the terrine is sliced, it ends up as a beautiful pattern of different cricles and colours. We each received a slice of this delicious treat set over a pur\u00e9e of long red chilies which had a gentle heat, strewn with chickpeas, shaved radishes and a variety of bitter greens dressed with parsley oil. The wine match was spot-on this time \u2013 Trout Valley 2009 Riesling from Nelson in New Zealand. Its racy acidity cut the richness of the octopus while a brisk minerality in the finish reached out to the chlorophyl flavours of the greens.
\nThe next dish was classic Mark McEwan \u2013 oxtail slow-braised in a not-very-hot oven for hours until the meat is incredibly tender and the liquid is enriched by all the goodness from the joints of the tail bones and the integuments turn to jelly. Then the kitchen forks the meat apart, mixes it with a little very soft caramelized onion and folds it inside an oversized raviolo. The braising liquid isn\u2019t wasted. McEwan lightens it up, refines it, balances the seasoning and then uses it to flood the plate around the raviolo. The final flourish is a perfectly seared day-boat scallop from the Maritimes set on top of the pasta like a golden tamoshanter. Oxtail and scallop is a brilliant combination \u2013 both so sweet and tender, both wickedly rich. Finding a wine with which to bless this unusual marriage was a challenge but De Blois triumphed again with another gem from New Zealand \u2013 Carrick 2007 Pinot Noir from Central Otago. Light enough to refresh the palate it had masses of flavour and no big rough tannins to bully the scallop.<\/p>\n

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The short rib<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our main course was also iconically McEwan \u2013 gorgeous beef short ribs seared and then marinated in red wine. When they emerge from this bath they slide into another of veal stock with a vegetable mirepoix to be braised long and slowly in the oven until the chef can lift the bones out of the meat. To make it easier to handle and slice, McEwan presses the meat and sets each portion on a soft bed of polenta enriched with mascarpone and Parmiggiano reggiano. Again the braising liquid becomes the rich, dark sauce for the dish. Meanwhile, Rob LeClair has been busy with tomatoes, deseeding them, partially dessicating them in a cool oven and then smoking them lightly over a trickle of applewood smoke. He pur\u00e9es them by hand using a mezzaluna, feeling anything more mechanical ruins the texture, and they form a dazzling accompaniment to the meat, strewn with a scattering of crispy shallots. This time De Blois went to Italy for a wine \u2013 a super 2005 Brunello di Montalcino from Tenuta di Castelgiocondo \u2013 that proved an inspired match. The room bowed to his genius.
\nAfter that, Debbie Levy from Dairy Farmers of Canada introduced the cheese course, starring the cheese that is the new Grand Champion at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. It\u2019s called Louis d\u2019Or and is a washed- and brushed-rind firm cheese made from raw, organic milk from a mixture of Jersey and Holstein cows. It comes from the Fromagerie du Presbyt\u00e8re and is incredibly hard to find in Ontario as the dairy only produces eight wheels a week. Mild and nutty with a fruity edge, it has a smooth texture and a subtle, beautifully balanced flavour. Levy chose two other finalists from the Grand prix to accompany it, both divine \u2013 Celtic Blue, a splendid, mild, creamy blue cheese from Glengarry Fine Cheese in Lancaster, Ontario, and a 14-month-old clothbound Cheddar from Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. With them we drank Quinta da Noval NV tawny port which was a fine idea, its relative delicacy perpetuating the mood of restraint.<\/p>\n

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Trifle - or is it?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dessert was a trifle. Just saying those words will cause certain ears to prick up. My mother makes the BEST trifle that has ever been built and anyone who dares to offer me anything from the zuppa Inglese tribe will have the memory of her Christmas trifle as insurmountable competition. Fabbrica\u2019s talented pastry chef, Sabine Gradhauer, rose to the occasion however with an excellent confection starring the only fruit or neo-fruit we have at this time of year \u2013 forced pink rhubarb. This she stewed with some strawberries and a little wine adding layers of dark chocolate sponge cake, of whipped cream stirred with yoghurt and lemon and a final topping of strawberry granita and streusel crumble. It disappeared in a flash, helped along by a tangy 2008 Late Harvest Tokaji from Disznoko Furmint. But about that trifle\u2026 You will notice from the description that custard was conspicuous by its absence and I don\u2019t know that a trifle can really be considered a trifle without custard. I shall use this loophole to remove Fabbrica\u2019s dessert from any comparison with my mother\u2019s.
\nNext up for the VISA Infinite series is a visit by Rob Feenie to Truffles in the Four Seasons hotel, Yorkville. I won\u2019t be there, alas, but it sounds like it\u2019s going to be an amazing occasion. Chef Feenie is bringing most of his ingredients with him from Vancouver. Find out more at www.visainfinite.ca.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Absolutely Fabbrica! We started with champers, darling \u2013 just a smidge \u2013 not Bolly but Nicolas Feuillatte Brut, standing around in Fabbrica\u2019s front bar prior to our Visa Infinite dinner. We all know Fabbrica \u2013 Mark McEwan\u2019s six-month-old Italian restaurant at the corner of the Shops of Don Mills. I reviewed it soon after it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91,94],"tags":[399,178,179,180,400,234],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1189"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2017,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1189\/revisions\/2017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}