How Georges Eats: Chef Perrier’s Ten-Course Collingswood G(o)utfest
The last time I wrote about Blackbird Dining Establishment chef/owner Alex Capasso, he was allegedly punching a Center City lawyer who had allegedly insulted Capasso’s very pregnant hostess (the whole thing wound up getting tossed out of court). So when a source left a message on my machine saying “I have some information about Alex Capasso and Georges Perrier that you may find interesting,” the first thought that came to my bloodthirsty head was that the two hot-tempered chefs had bludgeoned each other to death with esoteric kitchen instruments, and that I would be up for a James Beard Award for Best Salacious Chef Exposé.
As it turns out, Chef Perrier had simply hosted dinner at Blackbird with 17 of his closest friends last Sunday at 5:30 p.m. There were no fireworks, other than for Perrier’s over-the-top praising of Capasso’s work (one observer says that Perrier toasted Capasso at the end, calling him a “genius.”)
Here is the menu, which I’m told cost around $125 per person — and which actually seems like a pretty decent deal (keep in mind that Blackbird is BYO; the wines were chosen by Le Bec-Fin’s sommelier). — Victor Fiorillo
Course #1: Housemade sweet potato chips with a crème fraîche caviar dip, escargot vol-au-vent with garlic butter, and caramelized onion and goat cheese crostini; 1995 Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne Brut
Course #2: Seared diver scallop with fresh black truffle risotto, topped with a sunny side up quail egg, vermouth sauce, and fresh black truffle shaved table side; 2005 Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Course #3: Roasted chestnut and black mission fig macchiato with foie gras dumpling; 2004 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese
Course #4: Crispy brick of braised goat with roasted beets, frisée, and smoked bacon dressing; 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Course #5: House made gnocchi with oxtai ragu; 1987 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande
Course #6: Seared black bass with Brussels sprout and celery root hash with black licorice sauce; 2005 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing (Santa Barbara)
Course #7: Kir Royale and lemon ice
Course #8: Venison crepinette with butternut squash ravioli and grand veneur sauce; 1986 Araujo Cabernet Eisele Vineyard, 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia
Course #9: Petite cheese plate of Taleggio with tupelo honey, Grana Padano with aged balsamic syrup, and Tartufo with fresh shaved truffle; 1991 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet (Stag’s Leap District Estate)
Course #10: Chocolate polenta financier with chocolate champagne zabagione, tricolor peppercorn Anglaise, and roasted pear with red wine syrup; 2003 Rieussec Sauternes, 2003 Graham’s Vintage Port
