Charlie’s Burgers is the new anti-restaurant in Toronto that may make you nervous; a blind date with food in a secret location. Think Gossip Girl mixed with Eyes Wide Shut meets The Last Supper.
On Sunday evening at 5:58 we followed strict instructions to wait at the cryptic address marked by chalk, until a strange man approached. A cue of the eyebrow prompted us to reveal the secret code: “The rooftops in Moscow are snowy”
We descended through doorway number one and were greeted by stranger number two who requested $150. We handed over the wad of cash and by means of a fingerprint security pass, were ushered into a dark and misty cellar and then into a furnace like boardroom draped in candles and red wine; we weren’t the only one’s Charlie invited to dinner. Eight other apprehensive couples stood around with glasses of Rich Prosecco, softly interrogating one another:
“Who are you and how did you find out about this?”
Guests included the esteemed food guru Bonnie Stern and gregarious red-haired sommelier of Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, Jamie Drummond. Beyond the culinary gifted were a mix of surgeons, artists and conservative Yonge and Lawrence professionals.
Through a variety of peculiar paths, all of us had received a titillating e-mail a few weeks back that asked us candid questions regarding our discerning taste:
”What are your three favourite restaurants in Toronto?” (Apparently Mistura and Lee were the top picks)
”What would your last meal on earth be?”
We sent in the form and waited to be called to the table. Those accepted received this message:
“Congratulations, you have made it into the next Charlie Burger dinner.”
CB insiders relayed that 150 people had submitted forms and those selected were done so based on a combo of good answers and random luck. (i.e. – picking Milestone’s won’t win them over)
Each time the location of Charlie’s dinner party changes, as well as the chef. Although we can’t disclose where we dined, we can relay that it was a stretch of the imagination that could not have been predicted.
So what was on offer? Despite the name, this was no Mom n’ Pop burger shack.
Zampone e Lenticchie
Risotto Mare O Monte
Top Meadow Beef Trio – Striploin, Oxtail, Tongue
Artisanal Panetone Bread Pudding with Tuscan Olive Oil Gelato
It was incredibly sexy and delicious. Each course was introduced with a well chosen wine pairing. We fell in love with the Inferi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Maramiero 2004 and the dessert pairing with sweet pink Brachetto Arione Piemento.
Seated at a long and narrow table, strangers became acquaintances quickly. Of course, much of the discussion was reserved for sharing other exotic dinner experiences; eating with our hands in the pitch dark at Berlin’s Unsicht Bar run by the blind, getting yelled at by tempermental dramatic servers at Montreal’s Spirite Lounge (where you have to finish your meal or be banned for life) and ending up in a pathetic quasi porn setting at London’s School Dinners, where men are bibbed and fed by naughty schoolgirls who are intermittingly spanked by a wretched Head Mistress.
There was debate on whether we would attend if masks were requested and a quick poll on who assumed sex would be involved.
An exceptionally special evening that we encourage you to experience – go to Charlie’s website and request he send you an e-mail.
And who is he? That’s a secret we’ll never tell. xoxo
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