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11 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 25,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca limited time onlylimited time onlyFREE DELIVERY IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER.SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. NO PROMO CODE REQUIRED 65 UNIVERSITY AVE. E WATERLOO (519) 725-5252 When you think of surf and turf, images of a classic steak house come to mind: formal din- ing rooms with linens and heavi- ly upholstered furniture, vested waiters and kitschy tiny tabletop lamps illuminating a lobster tail and a rib eye seared at 1500 F -- plus a $10 side of steamed brocco- li. It's the territory of a Ruth's Chris, Peter Luger Brooklyn, Mancy's Toledo, Barberian's To- ronto and those original founda- tional decades of finer dining at the historic Charcoal Steak House in Kitchener. But, perhaps unexpectedly, it's a dish that you can also find at White Rabbit. The uptown Waterloo venue with an impressive back bar has a cocktail lounge-vibe and inven- tive beverages. White Rabbit's food menu, though, is evolving. "The cocktails have layers of flavours and can have elaborate garnishes and infusions, so we're moving away from the pub and to- ward a more gastropub dining ex- perience," according to White Rabbit chef Andrew Beckford. Describing himself as having "a love" for creative and playful food at times, Beckford's inter- pretation of surf and turf has seri- ous flavour: deeply smoked beef short rib in a rich porcini sauce, garlic prawns with an herb pesto and crispy crab cake. The veg component changes with the seasons: it's currently mini red jacket potatoes and some exquisitely charred Brus- sels sprouts (though not with a steak-house extra charge). The distinction in the flavour- ing, most of it traditional, is in a combination of dill, tarragon and chives with a touch of cilantro -- but in a ratio that Beckford has spent some time creating for the seafood seasoning. "The herb blend that we add to the crab and shrimp has followed me through my career over many years," says Beckford; he's cooked at Charcoal, Rude Native and Proof Kitchen & Lounge, as well as his own catering compa- ny. "The ingredients are balanced and sort of hiding with each oth- er. You may pick up on some indi- vidually, depending on your pal- ate." Otherwise, Beckford calls the smoker at White Rabbit an inspi- ration. "It's a great rig to work on." That much is obvious when you tuck into the short rib. It's a long process: the bones are removed and roasted to a light char for the stock; while the smoker is doing its low-and-slow work, Beckford adds some of the mirepoix for a quick smoking too. "We take the veg off the smok- er and add it to the stock. The short rib then gets braised for a beautiful flavour base. You can recognize the smoke ring, giving you an idea about what we did." The dish is plated with flour- ished garnishes of sauce and a lit- tle extra creation from Beckford's sous chef Chad Voogel. "He's cre- ated the porcini sauce and a por- cini dust that sits beneath the short rib." "Just because of the tech- nique, this is probably my favou- rite menu item. I see myself as a sauce guy along with loving roasts and reductions. A process like this is what we're excited about at White Rabbit." You can tell he's enjoyed devel- oping and honing the dish. "I like doing difficult things," he says, noting that he sees an op- portunity with the current cir- cumstances and the way people are thinking differently about food and restaurants now. It means further menu plans for a wider gastronomic experi- ence for visitors to White Rabbit in the near future, especially as things open up again. For more about White Rabbit, visit whiterabbitwaterloo.com. Andrew Coppolino is a Kitche- ner-based food writer and broad- caster. Visit him at www.andrew- coppolino.com. OPINION SURF'S UP!: DIG INTO THIS SURF AND TURF FOOD MENU IS EVOLVING AT WHITE RABBIT, WHICH FEATURES AN IMPRESSIVE BACK BAR, WRITES ANDREW COPPOLINO ANDREW COPPOLINO Column White Rabbit chef Andrew Beckford. Andrew Coppolino