The inaugural local edition of Diner en Blanc combined the concepts of flash mobs, fashion and fine dining last night in The Distillery District.
P. Diddy (or Dirty Money, or whatever the hell he calls himself nowadays) would certainly have approved of last night’s flash-mob dinner in The Distillery District. Called “Diner En Blanc,” it was essentially one big pot-luck dinner party in which attendees dressed up in head-to-toe-white and arrived at a location revealed just moments before dinner started. The concept originated in Paris back in 1988 before spreading to New York, Chicago, Montreal, Niagara-on-the-Lake and most recently, Toronto (though organizers say last night’s was an unofficial Diner En Blanc event and that they are trying to launch an official one next year).
The dinner was organized in part by Suresh Doss (the guy responsible for the Food Truck Eats events) and for $25 a head (to pay for tables, chairs, a DJ and the space), party goers got a seat at one of the many tables—but it was up to them to bring their own meal and make the meal as fancy as they wanted it to be. Of the 400 attendees, some went all out, bringing candelabras, gigantic centerpieces and silverware to make their tables stand out from the rest (much like a neighbourhood Christmas decorating competition). Tureens of soup were brought out, as well as roasted chickens, sushi platters and even a mini-blowtorch to give a casserole dish full of macaroni and cheese that crunchy crust.
Considering all the bottles of red wine being sold at the cash bar, the tomato soups and bottles of soy sauce at the tables, one would imagine a huge spike in sales of Tide this morning.
