What on earth is a white dinner?
ESSENTIALLY, IT’S FANCY WHITE BYOE* PICNIC IN A SECRET LOCATION.
Long drawn out explanation here.
L e R o o t s
Well it started off in the 80s in France with a french dude who wanted to host an elegant outdoor dinner. He asked his buddies to meet at the park but dressed in white, to be easily identifiable.
Then… His son started the tradition in Montreal 30 years later. It trickled into Le Grand Pomme… And now it’s in like 80 cities, worldwide.
The Registration Process.
- You put your name down for Vancouver’s DeB waiting list. (We did this in Winter 2018),
- You’ll be emailed 3 more times with VIP RSVP dates (different invitation levels May-July),
- Once you get to level 3, you choose your Table/Team Leads, meeting location and if you’d like: booze and nibbles.
We ordered our wine and food.
Mmm Hawksworth 
In the uncovered box was a nice blueberry cheesecake. Mayhaps not the best colour choice for a white dinner.
The Day-Of Travel
When we registered, I didn’t know if Kells was working so I figured the best thing to do was to choose Skytrain option. (We both live near-ish to stops.) But it was evening rush hour and we got some snarkerton looks**. Some peeps smiled and asked if we were going to “that white party”.
Not gonna lie, N&K’ers: travel was onerous. But, we’ve got some workarounds for next year.
The Location is revealed only after everyone in your group has arrived.
L e E v e n t
After setting up, it became evident why this was popular.
3500 folks sat in carefully arranged rows of personalized tables – different food, centrepieces, candles, disHes, attire.
We brought our own tables. But, since they were all the same shape/size with the white dressings, the whole thing looked like one seemless En Blanc party. And if there’s one thing Nals enjoys, it’s symmetry.¶
Once all folks were set up, we started off with the napkin wave. Then we tucked in.
When I was in Home Economics in highschool, I loved the din at the end of the class when we’d sit, eat and talk. It was warm, enveloping and cozy. The low conversational murmur, infectious laughter occasionally breaking through, soft clinks of cutlery and glass… That’s exactly what DeB reminded me of.
Because the N&K Team & Table Leaders were organized, we were set up in great time. We chatted with our lovely teammates.
We had a special guest that evening: DeB royalty Francois and his wife. It was her birthday and Francois serenaded her. He was probably a bit tipsy, and the singing was a bit off-key but it was the ballsy thought that counts.
When it was dark enough, we ended off with a magical moment: the signature group sparklers.
When it was dark enough, we ended off with a magical moment: the signature group sparklers.
Final
Thoughts
DeB criticisms include pretentious, classist, overpriced, not family friendly and lost the original intent. Kids are not allowed on-site due to alcohol. But other than that, we found that there were a variety of folks there. Some were dressed in simple whites and other tables had lavish lights and overhead deco.
N&K can tell you is that it was a fun, friendly, magical evening. We will definitely be doing it again next year.
Footnotes
*Bring Your Own Everything like food, real cutlery, tables, chairs, table linens and centrepieces. Note that alcohol can only be purchased through DeB.
**Not because we had so much stuff but because we looked so cultishly regal in our blanc ensembles.
¶ This could be because I like to organize things or maybe it’s a facet of biology.
Just off-centre, they have their wine/liquor larder. It looks like a huge wooden centrifuge from the industrial era*. This large pillar runs to the ceiling, with 360-degree shelving. There are stairs snaking around the side like a DNA helix. (Kells and I wanted to go explore but there was a pesky ‘stairs not in use’ sign… and we didn’t want to make a scene… At least not that evening.)
crispy phyllo, and accompanied by apricots, carmelized onions, walnuts, grapes and house crackers. The whole mess was delightful. Everything complemented each other perfectly. And the grapes were an amazement — halved and warmed, with salt. You may think ‘egads how odd!’ But trust us… your tastebuds will thank you.
For our mains, we couldn’t decide from Maine Lobster Mac and Cheese, seared Diver Scallops with grits (daily special) or Wild Mushroom Rigatoni. We were also eyeing the Veal and Pancetta Bolognese (I love me some parpadelle) and Pan Seared 
Muscovy Duck Breast. Due to availability and what was popular we went with Scallops and Bolognese.
popular dish…Kells gives it 2 thumbs up. (But someone^ forgot her lactaid and we didn’t want to take a chance with someone’s^ gnarly digestive results if someone^ partook of the lactose-laden kryptonite.)
uper friendly, genuine and knew when to come by to ask questions (ie: not when we just took a big bite).
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