Secret Location's Jefferson Alvarez is creating 300 dishes in 30 days of set menus

by Carolyn Ali on January 14th, 2014 at 1:26 PM

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It’s an ambitious undertaking: over the course of 30 days, executive chef Jefferson Alvarez will be creating 300 new dishes at Secret Location (1 Water Street).

Starting this Thursday (January 16) through February 15, he’ll be serving a different 10-course tasting menu every evening—and he won’t repeat a plate. The meal includes three snacks, two appetizers, two savoury dishes, a palate cleanser, and two sweet courses. It costs $75 per person (plus tax and tip) and includes some taster-sized alcoholic beverage pairings.

The February 14 menu, which is the same price, will feature the colour red in every dish in honour of Valentine’s Day.

Below, have a look at the kind of dishes you can expect, which I previewed at a media event on January 14. Note, of course, that these dishes won't be repeated. Alvarez says he'll repeat a specific protein (like beef) but won't repeat the same dish or cooking method with it (such as braising).

Here's the preview 10-course menu:

Snacks

Sturgeon skin with smoked salt (the fish is a sustainable version)

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Radish and seaweed aioli

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Beef tartare with truffles

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Apptetizers

Squash: squash seed milk, squash skin, tonka bean-infused squash

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Shaved elk: smoked beets, dill aioli, black olive oil

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Savoury dishes

Confit toothfish: lobster saffron broth, kelp vermicelli (Alvarez sources this toothfish, or sea bass, sustainably off the coast of Australia)

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Bison short ribs: wild mushrooms, freeze dried peas, shaved truffle

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Palate cleanser

Aloe and compressed watermelon

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Desserts

Pastry chef Kira Desmond's desserts each came with a theme, the ingredients and components inspiring the name of the dish.

The Discovery: manjari espresso aerated ganache, hazelnut cream and soil, rosemary honey lemon fizzy

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Along the Mekong River: this dessert combines flavours found along the Mekong River region: kaffir lime parfait, calamansi and blood orange sorbet, curry pistachio, burnt orange caramel tapioca

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Intrigued? Reservations (604-685-0090) are being accepted for the evening service. Diners won't know what they're getting till the plate shows up in front of them, but dietary restrictions can be accomodated. See secretlocation.ca/300.