Our friends at Cheesewerks, Canada’s only restaurant that places cheese products at the center of every offering, recently had us for a fabulous fromage fete to give a preview on their latest joint venture with The Culinary Adventure Company, called Flix + Pix + Plates. Launching September 17th, the series will be an adventure through the worlds of food, film, photography and digital media as foodies are given a totally unique experience.
The evenings will be filled with food and drinks themed around the photographic food media and film chosen. Hosted by the charismatic “Big Cheese” of Cheesewerks, Kevin Durkee, and Chef Scott Savoie of The Culinary Adventure Company, diners will enjoy a 5-course meal with drink pairings, consisting of a one-of-a-kind menu designed specifically for the evening and its theme. If this sounds as good to you as it does to us, check out the September 17th launch, which will be created around the classic 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, starring greats Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates ($65 per person or $120 for couples, +HST).
For our little sneak peek, we got the chance to try some dishes themed around the three upcoming Flix + Pix + Plates, including Fried Green Tomatoes (September), Ghostbusters (October), and JFK (November). Any good evening should start with a cocktail and Cheesewerks did not disappoint. We whet our whistles with some of their Homemade Orange Vanilla Soda spiked with Crystal Head vodka which was wonderfully refreshing on a particularly hot summer’s night. While we sipped on our creamsicle vodka delights, we got to munch on some Parmesan Herb Truffle Popcorn with nice, big chunks of parmesan in it. Such a treat and so much better than at the cinema (high praise, we know).
We next had a chance to have tasters of six different dishes including “Mitch’s Coney Island Dogs,” an inventive Ghostbusters take on the classic Americana cheese dog with a dollop of guacamole on top (it was meant to look like that green ghost character named, well, Mitch, from the movie). Also included was a melty + cheesy take on New England Clam Chowder (apparently a favourite of JFK during is time in office) with a CW Grilled Cheese Point for dipping that was perfect comfort food deliciousness. Could you really ever go wrong with that much cheese? Honourable mentions also to the tarragon chicken on puff pastry and the Tyson Shaw Slow-Cooked Ribs, both of which were divine and melt-in-your-mouth perfect.
To finish off the evening, Cheesewerks set up a S’mores Torching Station where everybody who still had room could go make their own indoor campfire treat. The perfect end to a perfectly indulgent evening of good cheese, good company, and great food. Kevin Durkee is a personable, warm and energetic host who makes the experience feel like you could just as easily be enjoying the meal in the intimacy of his home dining room. To check out some of the other collaborations between Cheeseworks and The Culinary Adventure Company, head to CulinaryAdventureCo.com.
