Nordic Chef’s Dinner
Imagine a restaurant that’s only open for one night – an intimate space where chefs and guests mingle, drinks are curated to each course, and the table is full of memorable conversations. This is a Chef’s Dinner: it offers what cannot be experienced in a typical restaurant and opens the door for exploratory dishes, creative methods, community, and collaboration.
Last week, as the culmination of a month-long dining project called “Eldi: A Nordic Bar,” BlakeSt hosted a Nordic-themed Chef’s Dinner in the Restaurant, featuring BlakeSt Chef de Cuisine Matt Tisnado and culinary talent Chef Daniel Ernce.
Daniel recently transferred to Bentonville from Springfield, where he owned and operated an inventive restaurant called Progress for five years. Upon landing in Bentonville, Daniel worked alongside Conifer’s Chef Matt Cooper for several months. “We are so happy to have Chef Daniel’s creative vision in Northwest Arkansas. His talent will be an awesome addition to our growing culinary scene,” said Cooper, who referred Daniel to BlakeSt’s Culinary Team for this project.
Once the connection to BlakeSt had been established, Chefs Matt (Tisnado) and Daniel crafted a menu that paid homage to the traditions and innovations of Scandinavian cuisine. This played right into Daniel’s wheelhouse, as he worked at Copenhagen’s reputable Restaurant 108, a sister concept to Noma (rated the best restaurant in the world for several years).
For BlakeSt’s Nordic Chef’s Dinner, four courses were presented and served family-style for a group of 30 guests. Chefs Matt and Daniel cooked fireside over a Lux grill, paying homage to the Eldi theme as well as showcasing flavors of char and primal energy. Many of the vegetables served were sourced locally from Turnbuckle Farm in Bentonville. The roasted carrots were a crowd favorite and redefined the possibilities of this humble root vegetable. Numerous accouterments atop the table spoke to Nordic pickling, preserving, and fermenting traditions. The beef shank in the main course featured locally sourced meat from Kings River Cattle Ranch in Kingston, Arkansas. The Rose Posset dessert was multi-dimensional, unfolding layer by layer with an undertone of rose vinegar from Noma in Denmark. Guests at the table expressed delight at its complexity.
BlakeSt’s Bar Team paired each course with various drinks, from Sake to Aquavit, grounding each course with complementary sips. Bar Manager Brendon Gliddon provided tableside service, explaining the heritage and detail of each unique pairing.
