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| Zebrino tomato and queso fresco |
So I contacted Uri at Alloy Restaurant and asked about the possibility of doing an off menu dinner there, and he was more than happy to oblige! We arranged for a date and he asked for a list of the humans favorite ingredients, as well as how many courses they would want and I left the rest in his hands.
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| Seafood Trio with Blood Orange Emulsion |
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| Serrano Ham |
We started the evening with a Zebrino tomato and queso fresco salad with arugula, topped with white balsamic vinaigrette. The queso fresco was made in house with Greek yogurt and lemon juice, and hung to finish. The juicy tomatoes were locally grown, the cheese very creamy with Greek yogurt taste and a bright lemon flavor to finish. The dressing was both acidic and sweet, which perfectly balanced the dish out.
Next came a seafood trio with blood orange emulsion, ahi tuna, tempura soft shell prawn, and scallops. The tuna was lightly grilled outside and so soft inside I barely had to chew to eat it. The scallops were plump and buttery soft, and the soft-shelled prawns were brought in to Alloy especially for us. It was lightly battered, resulting in a crispy, edible exterior, and a soft inside. The orange emulsion complimented the seafood well, and was bright and acidic. The crispy vegetable slaw of onions and peppers were a nice and a textural different counterpoint to the soft seafood.
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| Seared Duck with Chipotle Yam Puree and Juniper Berry Demi |
@JacqulineAnnPR informed us the short ribs had been marinated in a mandarin BBQ sauce, braised for 6-7 hours, deboned, tempura battered and then fried. The humans enjoyed it, served with a mandarin BBQ sauce as well as a spicy aioli. I meanwhile gave them a death stare, which I don’t think they noticed due to the impending food coma.
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| Columbian Coffee Tiramisu |
After a brief reprieve, we finished up the meal with a Columbian coffee tiramisu with vanilla marscapone and Kahlua lady fingers. It was the first time at Alloy that they had made the tiramisu with coffee as well as incorporated it into the marscapone, adding a stronger coffee flavor to the dish.
Overall it was an mootastic meal, both food and service wise, with Uri checking in on us throughout the night and inviting us to visit Candela Lounge the next time we were in town since we were leaving on their first day it was to be open to the public. Alloy never fails to disappoint and we look forward to our next visit.
More photos at PhotoBucket!
Alloy Restaurant
220 42 Avenue SE
Calgary, AB T2G 1Y4
403-287-9255
Twitter: @AlloyRestaurant
Sounds like an awesome dinner.. just wondering price range on this and are most of these style of restaurants willing to do off-menu requests? This would be definitely something to look into
ReplyDeleteThis particular dinner was just over $200 with tax and a generous tip, so no more expensive than a regular meal out at a restaurant of this calibre for two people and a faux fur bovine.
DeleteI find that it never hurts to ask if a restaurant would be willing to do an off menu dinner. I've found it's less about the price point of the restaurant and the willingness of a Chef/the ability of the restaurant to accommodate this type of request. I've never had a no yet, usually because this type of request allows a chef to use his creativity and do anything he wants, instead of being tied to the usual menu.
Restaurants will normally accommodate these types of requests on slower days of the week/slower times of the day (usually earlier in the night).
Of course, if there's a restaurant you frequent and the staff know you by name or know you're a regular, they do tend to be more willing to do this type of thing.
But in all honest, just ask! Just make sure you ask to talk to the Chef or the manager, cause the host/hostess would not able to make this call or sometimes even know this could be a possibility.