Consensus of
the senses

Taste (and see and hear) what Decadent Dish
has on the menu

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

An experience of the senses—that’s how Ricardo Cordeiro defines Decadent Dish, the series of soirees he and his partner in the project, Billy Alfonso, have been conducting for about a year now. “We want you to see, with art,” says Cordeiro. “We want you to hear, with music. And we want you to taste, with food. It creates an all-in-one experience.”

With 514 Productions, Cordeiro has watched Montreal’s nightlife evolve, and the rave pioneer, now 35, has evolved too, as has 38-year-old Alfonso, a St-Laurent restauranteur turned high-end party coordinator. “It’s a little bit where we’re at as individuals, the kind of experiences we do for ourselves,” says Cordeiro of the Decadent Dish nights, which have gone off at places like Buona Notte and Rosalies. “Start with a nice dinner, and then it translates into more of a clubbing atmosphere, and then a full-blown party. It was just natural for us. It really caters to our friends, and an older clientele too.”

Coming from the dining end of things, Alfonso certainly saw what was missing from the nightlife equation here in Montreal, and elsewhere (plans are in motion to take Decadent Dish on the road). Good music on a great system in a sweet-looking club is nice, but not enough. “People are dropping $400 on a bottle,” says Alfonso, “and then having a two-dollar meal afterwards.

“I said, we have to implement food into this somehow, because DJs are becoming celebrities while chefs are basically underrated, underappreciated and underexposed. So we thought of the concept of bringing chefs in from out of town. In my world travels, I’ve met quite a few chefs, and word of mouth has been getting us the feedback—one chef works for us and then he has five friends who want to come down and do the event.”

The third element is visual art, which can range from straightforward live painting to a fashion show winding between the tables. Silent, on-the-spot auctions of the art hold the promise of raising funds for worthy causes like the Montreal Children’s Hospital, something Cordeiro and Alfonso would like to move towards. They’re also pondering the possibilities of a cookbook with bonus DVD, limited-edition art prints and even a reality-TV show.

Controlling the variables

One thing at a time, though. The project is still developing, and the pair, keeping their standards high, feel they have yet to hit the perfect balance with a night.

“At one event,” says Alfonso, “we had an artist who did a live painting—that’s what really stood out. At another event, the after-party was better than usual. The food has been pretty consistent, though. We haven’t found the full package yet, the one where we’d say, ‘Wow, everything went off so well—the food, the art, the music, the DJ, the after-party, the attendance.’”

“We’re still in the laboratory phase,” adds Cordeiro, “testing different things—okay, seven courses are too many, maybe a six-course meal.”

“We’re trying to get it down to one location,” says Alfonso, “so we’ll be more in control of the variables.” While this permanent location has yet to be confirmed, the pair announce that the next Decadent Dish with take place late November at the elegant Théâtre Corona.

While constantly striving for improvement, Alfonso and Cordeiro can already look back at some memorable moments for Decadent Dish. Art-wise, Alfonso points to South African painter Robert Jennings doing his thing. “What he did was, he painted live, and it looked one way, then we flashed a blacklight on it, and as the paint dried, the fluorescent colours became brighter and brighter, and it changed the whole atmosphere of the bar.”

On the music end of things, John Creamer’s DJ set gets the nod from both. “How often does a DJ change their flight? Back in the day,” recalls Alfonso, “they were coming up for $500 and staying for a week, now they’re all business—‘I got a gig tomorrow, gotta go.’ After that show, he was like, ‘Ah, fuck it,’ changed his flight and stayed at my place.”

As for the food, Cordeiro salutes Sardinian chef Emanuel Cocas with a simple gasp and a hotcha-hotcha flap of the hand—and you know that means good.

For more info, go to www.decadentdish.com

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