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This Georges Perrier Tribute Dinner Features Two Top Chef Winners, NBD

What do you get when you pair a culinary legend with a handful of the hottest chefs he helped create? A reason to go to Chestnut Hill, at least.

Paris Bistro
Paris Bistro
Morrissey Design

Al Paris, chef-owner at Chestnut Hill's Paris Bistro, is hosting a little get-together to celebrate the career of his longtime friend and colleague, the legendary Georges Perrier. On Tuesday, November 11, Paris will cook alongside a handful of Perrier's Le Bec Fin proteges — including, but not limited to, two Top Chef winners and arguably the city's best French chef.

You know, just a casual dinner with pals, with a $295 price tag and a concurrent silent auction tempting you into dropping a few thousand more. But hey, if you've got it, this is not the time to be stingy with it. (That ticket price includes everything but tax.) The silent auction will, of course, include a number of experiences that sound like fever-induced fantasies to most of us: Sit down to an elaborate dinner for eight with Perrier, get in Nick Elmi's way as he graciously allows you to play at being a cook at Laurel for a day — and please, tell us all about it afterward, in excruciating detail.

The dinner, which will benefit the James Beard Foundation, will be cooked by Paris, Kevin Sbraga (Sbraga, the Fat Ham, upcoming Juniper Commons), Nick Elmi (Laurel), Pierre Calmels (Bibou, Le Cheri), Chip Roman (Mica, Blackfish, the Treemont), and Robert Bennett (Classic Cake Company). All of these guys have worked for Perrier. Each will prepare an hors d'oeuvre and one course at dinner, with Bennett going all-out on pastry to pay tribute to the LBF dessert cart. Here's the full menu:

Hors d'oeuvres

Al Paris:
Colorado lamb rack, green horseradish sabayon, sumac

Kevin Sbraga:
Seasonal crab salad, country toast, Benton's bacon

Nicholas Elmi:
Crispy veal terrine, purple harvest mustard

Pierre Calmels:
Escargot, champagne foam, green cauliflower and hazelnut

Chip Roman:
Kombu poached scallop, kaffir lime, caviar, lardo cream

Wine Pairing: Champagne Pierre Peters, Cuvee des Reserve, Blanc de Blancs, N/V

Dinner

Al Paris:
Autumn sea urchin flan
lobster consommé, langoustine, Savoy spinach
Wine Pairing: Gasnier "Cravantine" Sparkling Brut Rose, Loire Valley

Kevin Sbraga:
Cool Hudson Valley foie gras
lentil tajine, November seckle pear
Wine Pairing: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Muscat, Alsace

Nicholas Elmi:
Alpine Arctic char
licorice, late-harvest citrus, chicory
Wine Pairing: Cornu Camus, Hautes Cotes de Nuits, France

Pierre Calmels:
Local guinea hen, natural truffle mousse
celeriac purée, wild mushroom fricassee
Wine Pairing: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Guigal, 2007

Chip Roman:
American venison porchetta
sunchoke, coffee, fermented huckleberry
Wine Pairing: Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau Tournefeuille, 2010

Robert Bennett:
Legendary Le Bec-Fin pastry cart
Traditional Petit Fours
Wine Pairing: Pineau des Charentes, Ferrand, Cognac, France

Paris Bistro & Jazz Cafe

8229 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118 (215) 242-6200 Visit Website