Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Experiment #8 - Vino e Olio e Cobaya


Another succesful experiment completed: this time, with Chef Andrea Menichetti of Vino e Olio in the Design District. My photos are up on flickr, with a recap to follow now up at Food for Thought. The menu is listed below. Thanks, as always, to everyone who came out to support Cobaya.

Olive Oil Ravioli

Panino con il Lampredotto
(Sandwich with veal tripe)

Ravioli all' olio extravergine di oliva, capperi e alici serviti su coulis di pomodoro
(Ravioli filled with olive oil, capers, anchovies served with fresh tomato coulis)

Lombetto di coniglio al basilico con cream di finocchi e vinaigrette al balsamico
(Loin of rabbit stuffed with basil, served with a fennel sauce and black truffle vinaigrette)

Animelle di vitello rosolate con asparagi e balsamico
(Sautéed veal sweetbreads served with asparagus)

Agnello agli zampetti
(Lamb chop stuffed with pork, served with broccoli)

Minestrone di frutta e verdure con gelato alla vaniglia
(Fruits and vegetables cold soup served with vanilla ice cream)






Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Experiment #8

It's time for another experiment!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010. Start time probably about 7:30pm. Price, $65 (all inclusive), optional $15 wine pairing (2 glasses).

Here is the drill: please send an email (use the "contact the underground" link to the right) to request seats, and let me know how many you're requesting. Within a few days you will be advised if the reservation has been confirmed. We have limited seating and while we try to accomodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events are filled very quickly. We will hold 4 seats for a "lottery," to be conducted a week in advance of the dinner for those folks who do not compulsively check their emails.

When your seat request has been confirmed, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up here on this website below. Please do not book unless and until you've received a confirmation.

A brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or two before the 14th, confirming the location and other details.

As always, thank you for your interest.



Cobaya 12-14-10 Dinner








Sunday, October 10, 2010

Katsuya Does Cobaya


On September 5, Chef Katsuya Fukushima cooked for our "Visiting Dignitary" edition of Cobaya. Chef Katsuya has spent several years in über-chef José Andrés restaurants, including as head chef at Café Atlantico and minibar, and shortly after our dinner made a victorious appearance on Iron Chef America. Chef Douglas Rodriguez was the gracious host, lending us the dining room and kitchen of the now-recently-opened De Rodriguez Ocean in the Hilton Bentley Hotel on South Beach and contributing several dishes as well.


You can read my recap at Food For Thought and see the pictures in this Flickr set. The menu:

Passed Apps:
"Fish n Chips"; Serrano Ham Croquetas with Apple & Curry
Smoked Marlin Tacos; Oyster Shooters

"Ginger Beer" Cocktail

Salmon, Tuna and Tambour Rouge Ceviches

Tomato, Burrata and Uni Salad with Arugula, Rose Petals & Dashi Gelée

Cinnamon Miso Soup with Clams & Sweet Potato

"Loco Moco"
(Wagyu Meatballs with Truffle Gravy, Rice, 63° Egg, Macaroni and Spam Salad)

"Moros y Cristianos"
(House-Made Rice Krispies and Bacon Brittle with Black Bean Ice Cream, Cherry Drizzle)

"Thai Dessert"
(Coconut Sorbet, Peanut Butter Powder, Tamarind, Citrus, Cilantro, Cayenne)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Where Angels Fear to Tread

'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill
Appear in Writing or in Judging ill,
But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence,
To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense:
A freelance writer for the Miami New Times took it upon herself to give a "critique" of the Cobaya dinners in their Short Order blog today. I put "critique" in quotes because what was most interesting about her comments - to me, anyway - is that she has never actually been to one of our events.

It is, frankly, disappointing that someone who has never been to one of those meals, and (forgive the snark, but I can't help it) doesn't know how to spell the word "palate" properly, thinks they're in a position to judge and give advice on "reevaluating the concept" of our Cobaya dinners. Even more disappointing is how the "critique" plainly got a number of facts wrong, facts which could have easily been determined from the information right on this website.

But most craven of all is that New Times has failed to publish the lengthy comment I left on the Short Order site responding to these matters.

Short Order even had the chutzpah to respond to a tweet questioning their writer's psychic abilities to evaluate dinners she's never had by saying "We contacted Cobaya several times with no response. They can respond to us now if they'd like."[*] Then, after being told multiple times that my comment had not been published (and when a further attempt by me to post a comment on the blog also failed), they simply ignored me.

It sadly didn't occur to me that my response would be outright disregarded by any semi-serious, semi-professional journalistic outfit, and so I didn't save a copy of it. In light of New Times' failure to publish it, I'll do my best to recreate it here.

"prices are high for the menus offered" - Since August of last year we have done nearly a dozen events. Every one of them is different, and the prices have ranged from $35 (an event that featured six items and a drink) to $115. Four of them have been $55 or under. But we recognize that many times, this is not an inexpensive endeavor, and strive to deliver value. I think most of the time we've gotten it right.

"One local seafood restaurant hosted a six-course "experiment" for $90 and today, the same location, offers a five-course for $65." - I think it's great that Altamare (the restaurant mysteriously not named in the blog post) is now doing wine dinners somewhat similar to the event they did with Cobaya. What Short Order's comparison overlooks is that the Cobaya dinner pricing was all-inclusive, while Altamare's wine dinner pricing is exclusive of tax and tip - which makes up almost all of that $25 difference.

"menus are hardly experimental" - the fundamental goal here - as is described in the mission statement, if the writer had only perused it - is to give local chefs an opportunity to cook the kind of food they really want to cook, and to connect them with diners who are interested in that experience, whatever it may be. Some of those meals have been more technique-driven, others more ingredient-driven; some have been more "cutting edge" than others. You can surely pick a few items out of nearly a dozen menus with probably close to 100 courses and find some things you've eaten before. Our diners have also had the chance to try foie gras with root beer gastrique; tripe risotto; liquid greek salad; halibut with pastrami dashi; pulled pork char siu bao; whole roasted Hialeah pig; pork belly with whipped banana glaze, cilantro cocoa kettle corn, yogurt spheres and white chocolate powder; crawfish pie with tasso gelato; soba style yakamein; grilled lamb heart with kumquat chutney; Korean fried sweetbreads and frog legs; cupcakes with foie gras buttercream ...

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a similar dining experience on any menu of any Miami restaurant.

We're honestly not all that concerned with whether Cobaya is "not so underground," and we're certainly not fretting over whether we "qualify for the big-time" (whatever that may be). Indeed, that much ought to be clear from the mission statement:
For those who question the "underground" street cred of this mission, those questions are perfectly legitimate. My answer is, "I don't care." We're not limiting ourselves to meals cooked in abandoned warehouses in secret locations disclosed the day before the dinner; we're also not limiting ourselves to white tablecloths and silverware changed between every course. We're very open-minded that way: all that matters is if the food is good, and we think there's enough similar-minded folks to make that game plan sustainable.
Now, we do welcome constructive, informed criticism, and we get comments, both publicly and privately, from participants after every one of our events. They are not perfect - they are, indeed, experiments - and I think each of them has had their successes and failures. And it is not with pride, but with humble gratitude, that I note that the ongoing support for Cobaya has been tremendous. There are nearly 400 people who have joined the Cobaya Google Group to receive announcements of events. Those events have typically sold out hours after they are announced, and the overwhelming majority of people who have come to one event seek to come back again.

I see this as a testament to a much more vibrant dining culture than many give Miami credit for, and a tribute to the chefs who have worked to create these meals. We're fortunate to have some very talented chefs here, and I'm constantly grateful to have been able to help put together an open-minded group of diners who are appreciative of their efforts.


[*]The writer did indeed send me a couple emails asking generally to speak about Cobaya before the story was published. I did not respond. The truth is - and I know this may come as a shock to "journalists" whose stories, more often than not, consist of regurgitated press releases - we are not particularly seeking additional publicity for Cobaya. That certainly doesn't give a writer license to get the facts wrong or to write something completely half-assed and unbalanced. The "editor" (I think that's what Jose Duran is with regard to the Short Order blog, though it's hard to tell) responded to other comments from people who have in fact been to Cobaya dinners with the following: "Basically, you're all full of it and I don't disagree with Christina because I've heard far worse things about Miami's "Cobaya" dinners." With that attitude, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that they didn't publish my response. Unfortunately, it seems the inmates are running the asylum over there at New Times.


Monday, August 30, 2010

Cobaya 9/5/10 Dinner - Kats Out of the Bag

If you have received a confirmation of your seat request for the Cobaya Visiting Dignitary Dinner on Sunday September 5 ... you're in luck. Please go down to the bottom of this page and use the PayPal link to book your seats (please DO NOT use the PayPal link unless you have received an email CONFIRMING your request for seats).

In a break from our customary routine, I'm very happy to leak a little more info about our visiting chef. Katsuya Fukushima for the past fifteen years has worked closely with Chef José Andrés, including several years as the Head Chef of Café Atlantico in Washington DC. Katsuya helped open minibar, one of the more cutting edge restaurants in the country, as well as the more recently opened and acclaimed Bazaar by José Andrés in Los Angeles. He began work with Chef Andrés after spending a season at the legendary el Bulli in Roses, Spain working under the tutelage of Ferran Adria. So, yeah, we're kind of excited.

We have already received more requests than we have seats, but will be keeping a waitlist just in case seats become available. And if you're missing out on the dinner, you'll be able to catch Chef Fukushima on Iron Chef America on September 26.

As is customary, here is a brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Thank you as always for your support.



How Many?







Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Visiting Dignitary Edition Dinner - September 5

Thanks to the many responses to the "trial balloon" to the Cobaya Gourmet Guinea Pigs group, a "Visiting Dignitary Edition" of our Cobaya dinners will be going forward on Sunday, September 5. More details will follow, but our visiting chef is someone whose name will be well-known to the food-core, who has worked for fifteen years with one of the most well-regarded chefs in the country, and who has been head chef of a restaurant that is on the leading edge of culinary innovation. I'm not usually inclined to such puffery, but I'm pretty excited.

We are going to need to limit requests initially to 2 seats per person, with a "wish list" for additional seats. If you have not already done so, please send an email to request 1 or 2 seats, and any "wish list" requests (use the "contact the underground" link to the right).

Pricing - tentatively - will be $110 per person all inclusive; though that is still subject to final confirmation (if it changes it won't be by much). The dinner will be the evening of Sunday September 5, with a start time likely between 7:30 and 8:00 pm. It will either be BYOB and/or beer & wine will be available for purchase on site. Final details will be confirmed very shortly.

In a few days you will be advised whether the reservation has been confirmed; when you have received a confirmed reservation, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page (please do not book until you've received a confirmation). There will be a deadline to book, after which unclaimed seats will be rolled over to the waitlist. We also will hold a small group of seats for a "lottery" for the people who do not have a lightning-quick response time on emails. Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or so before the event, confirming the location.

As is customary, here is a brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Thank you as always for your support.


Monday, June 14, 2010

PODZILLA! - Chefs Jeremiah Bullfrog, Kurtis Jantz, Chad Galiano

We had our biggest group of guinea pigs ever (60+) come out for PODZILLA! tonight. The idea, as those who joined us know, was to have a casual, laid-back get-together with some of our former Cobaya chefs, with the culinary theme of the evening being elevated, American (very loosely speaking) street foods.

Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog, who did our second Cobaya dinner, brought out the gastroPod for the event, his mobile 21st century kitchen built into a shiny vintage 1962 Airstream trailer. And Chefs Kurtis Jantz and Chad Galiano, who were responsible for Cobaya Gras, offered their own unique spin on several classics.

The complete menu is listed below. I will follow up with more thoughts later and happily link to anyone else's recap or pictures.

Updates:

Summer Spritzer
salted watermelon, tomato, tequila

Octo Salpicon
smoked paprika, red onion, lime, tomato

French Quarter Chicken Livers
hot pepper fluid gel, evoo-sea salt crackers

Brine Fried Chicken
Big Mike's potato salad, buttermilk-chicharrone biscuits

Crispy White Corn Cake
poached egg, oxtail gravy, queso cotija, crema

Bánh Mì Tacos
pulled pork in trotter jus, nước chấm, pickled radishes, cilantro salad

'Baha' Fish Taco Salad
50°C swordfish, cabbage, chipotle, tortillas, pico de gallo

Double Decker Slider Burgers
stuffed with bacon and double cheddar sous vide @ 59°C

Mississippi Delta Tamales
cornmeal tamale, tomatillo, tomato ketchup

Root Beer & Bourbon Floats
Zatarain's, lemon, Elijah Craig, vanilla ice cream,
cherry 'on top'

White Chocolate Cupcakes
foie gras butter cream

Many thanks to the chefs, to Chef Mike "Big Basco" Marshall (the fried chicken zen master), Carla, Steve, the incredibly appropriately named DJ Kiko de Gallo who was playing great tunes all night, as well to Shawn at Harvey's by the Bay for graciously providing us with the venue for our dinner, and to his kids, who were helping out nonstop all night (and also ate their weight in fried chicken). I forgot to bring my camera, so instead will subject you to a few more of my goofy "Hipstamatic" iPhone pictures.

Octopus Salpicon
Chef Jeremiah and the Pod
Chef Kurtis Jantz (Chad Galiano grilling chicken livers in background)
This is your brain on a root beer and bourbon float


Monday, June 7, 2010

PODZILLA! Sunday June 13

Sorry for the short notice, but it's time to have a litle fun: a casual get-together with some of our prior Cobaya chefs.

This Sunday evening, June 13 - $50 - start time probably 7ish.

Please send an email to request seats, and let me know how many you're requesting (use the "contact the underground" link to the right). In a few days you will be advised whether the reservation has been confirmed; when you have received a confirmed reservation, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page (please do not book until you've received a confirmation).

As with our regular Cobaya dinners, do note: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or so before the event, confirming the location. Hope to see you there.

UPDATED: For those who have confirmed RSVPs, the PayPal link to book your spots is below (you can update the number of spots after you click "Add to Cart"). Thanks!

PODZILLA! 6/13/10 Dinner - $50/pp






Thursday, May 13, 2010

Experiment #6 - CobayaSteak at Bourbon Steak


Thanks to Chef Gabriel Fenton, General Manager John Riccardo, Sommelier Matthew Turner, and all of the rest of the crew at Bourbon Steak for putting together another great Cobaya dinner last night. And thanks, as always, to the guinea pigs for their support of these little experiments. Here's a little glimpse below, as well as the menu. My full set of pictures is here on flickr, and my recap of the meal is now up here at Food For Thought. I'll link to any recaps or other pics as they're posted.


The menu:

Michael Mina Cuvée Welcome & Gougeres

Michael's Classic American Caviar Parfait
House Smoked King Salmon, Dill Oil
Robert Weil Riesling Tradition, Rheingau, Germany 2008

Hawaiian Big Eye Sashimi
Aji Amarillo Chile, Cilantro, Lime, Chorizo
La Cana Albariño, Rias Baixas, Spain 2008

Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine
Strawberry, Grains of Paradise, Pistachio, Blue Basil
Royal Tokaji '5 Puttonyos,' Hungary, 2003

Line Caught Wild Alaskan Halibut
Baby Purple Artichokes, Meyer Lemon, Taggiasca Olive
Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles 2007

Columbia River Sturgeon
Short Rib Ravioli, Spring Garlic
Jean Louis Chave Cotes du Rhone, Mon Coeur, Rhone Valley, France 2006

Local Peach Sorbet
Ginger Gelée, Lemon Balm

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta
Candied Kumquats, Almond Biscotti
Jorge Ordoñez & Co. Moscatel Seleccion Especial, Malaga, Spain 2006

And yes: we had a 7-course meal at Bourbon Steak without a single steak. That's just how we roll.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Cobaya Experiment #6 - Wednesday May 12

We're at it again. Wednesday, May 12, 2010. This will be during "normal" dining hours, not a midnight affair, and will be a bit more upscale than our last event. Pricing will be $90/person inclusive of tax and tip, with a $25 wine pairing option.

Same routine: please send an email to request seats, and let me know how many you're requesting (please use the "contact the underground" link to the right). Within a few days you will be advised whether the reservation has been confirmed; when you have received a confirmed reservation, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up here (please do not book until you've received a confirmation). Seating will be limited, and I will hold 4 seats for a "lottery," to be conducted a few days in advance of the dinner for those folks who do not compulsively check their emails.

UPDATED:

For those people who have CONFIRMED SEATS, the PayPal link for booking your seats is below. Please do not pay for seats unless you've received a confirmation email. Thanks!



Cobaya 5/12 Dinner





A brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or two before the 12th, confirming the location. Start time will be around 7:30/8:00pm, again, details to be confirmed shortly.

As always, thank you for your interest.


Monday, April 26, 2010

Experiment #5 - Cobaya in the Night Kitchen at Sakaya Kitchen


Many thanks to the forty guinea pigs who stayed up late and came out to Sakaya Kitchen at midnight this past Saturday for our latest Cobaya dinner. You can see all my pictures here in this flickr set (there's a little taste below), and my recap of the night's festivities is up on Food For Thought. I'd love to hear others' takes on the dinner, feel free to add your own comments or links. As always, we are tremendously grateful for your support for these events. We had our biggest group yet, and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks.


Edited to add: a recap from Tinkering With Dinner is now up as well, and also now from The Chowfather.


The full menu:

"Cobaya in the Night Kitchen @Sak[1]aya Kitchen"
 April 24, 2010 Midnight

What you may already know...

Papa's Shrimp & Pork Filipino Egg Rolls, Fuji Vinegar

Pork Butt, House Cured & Roasted Boston Butt, House Pickle, Ssamjang Sweet Chili

Some new stuff for Cobaya...

Garlic'd Laughing Bird Shrimp, Chive Flower Soba Noodles

Bucket of Korean Fried Sweetbreads & Spicy Frog Legs, Local Baby Cucumber Blossom

"Chim Quay" Quail, Pig Skin "Tsitsaron," Chinese Broccoli

"Nuoc Mau" Pork Belly, Roasted Local Baby Carrots, Crispy Bone Marrow, Coconut Rice

Dessert!?...Go home and have sex like the old days instead of blogging about food...

Blue Point Oyster[2]
Pajeon

Menardies[3]

Wife Hales' Chocolate Chocolate Cookie Bag

[1]Cobaya Kitchen

[2]An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire

[3]Postcoital



Monday, April 19, 2010

Edible Cobaya?

There's a little blurb on the Guinea Pigs here in the latest edition of Edible South Florida - and a lot of other good reading too, including Norman Van Aken singing the praises of a couple of my favorite tropical fruits, mamey and lychee. You can see more about Edible South Florida on their website, or look for the publication at Whole Foods and several other locations.

For those interested in the April 24 "Cobaya in the Night Kitchen" dinner, "lottery" and waitlist seats should be announced tomorrow. For those of you who have already received confirmations of your requests but haven't booked through PayPal yet: your seats will be released to the waitlist if they're not booked by midnight tonight (Monday April 19). Tick. Tock.


Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Cobaya in the Night Kitchen

"Did you ever hear of Micky, how he heard a racket in the night and shouted and fell through the dark ..."

Time for something different. Cobaya. Midnight. Saturday, April 24. $55, tax & tip included. Want in?

Please send an email to request seats, and let me know how many you're requesting (the email link is over on the right side over there, where it says "contact the underground"). Within a few days you will be advised whether the reservation has been confirmed; when you have received a confirmed reservation, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page (please do not book until you've received a confirmation). Seating will be limited, and I will hold 6 seats for a "lottery," to be conducted a few days in advance of the dinner for those folks who do not compulsively check their emails.

UPDATED:

For those people who have CONFIRMED SEATS, the PayPal link for booking your seats is below. Please do not pay for seats unless you've received a confirmation email. Thanks!


How Many?





A brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or two before the 24th, confirming the location. Start time will be midnight.

As always, thank you for your interest.




Tuesday, March 23, 2010

experiment #4 - Altamare w Chef Simon Stojanovic

Another successful experiment concluded. This time, twenty guinea pigs got to try a menu crafted by Chef Simon Stojanovic (an alum of MGF&D) as owner Claudio Giordano played host and poured wine at Altamare, the new incarnation of South Beach's longstanding locals' favorite, Altamar.


I arrived at the dinner late (though still in time for a braised and grilled octopus with aioli over farro spiked with chorizo and green tomatoes, and then a delicious Deep Creek Farms lamb heart with a kumquat chutney), so hopefully some of our other attendees will have some good recaps. My own thoughts on the meal are here at Food For Thought; and Chowfather has a good recap too (more complete than mine).

Thanks to Claudio for being such a gracious host, to Chef Stojanovic and pastry chef Crystal {?} for putting together some great food, to Ellen Marchman of Get Ink for helping to coordinate things, and most of all, to all of the guinea pigs for coming out. I am constantly gratified and energized by the tremendous support we've received for these dinners. There's lots more in store, so if you haven't had a chance to join us yet, stay tuned.

The menu:

Sheepshead Carpaccio
heart of palm, cara cara orange, chive salt

Triggerfish Tempura
shaved fennel and buddha's hand salad

Grilled Octopus
warm farro, chorizo, grilled lemon, green tomato, saffron aioli

Grilled Deep Creek Ranch Lamb Heart
fregola, kumquat and medjool date chutney

House Made Pappardelle
braised short rib, beet greens, bufala mozzarella, roasted tomato

Chocolate Mousse Brulée
fennel sponge cake, candied lemon, olive oil gelato

Friday, March 12, 2010

Experiment #4 - March 22, 2010

The experiments continue. Cobaya Dinner #4 (the numbering is pretty arbitrary at this point, considering we've done a couple events that somehow didn't get numbers) will be Monday, March 22, 2010. Pricing will be $70 all-inclusive, $90 with wine pairings.

Please send an email to request seats, and let me know how many you're requesting (the email link is over on the right side over there, where it says "contact the underground"). Within a few days you will be advised whether the reservation has been confirmed; when you have received a confirmed reservation, please book it using the PayPal link below (Please do not book until you've received a confirmation; also please note there is an option for either with or without the wine pairing).* Seating will be limited, and I will hold 4 seats for a "lottery," to be conducted a few days in advance of the dinner for those folks who do not compulsively check their emails.

A brief refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail a day or two before the 22nd, confirming the location and start time, though we'll probably begin around 7:30pm.

As always, thank you for your interest.


Cobaya 3/22/10






Saturday, February 13, 2010

Cobaya Gras!


A hearty thank you to everyone who braved the elements last night and joined us for Cobaya Gras. A group of 36 got to eat some great food from Chefs Kurtis Jantz, Chad Galiano, Mike Marshall (a/k/a Big Basco), Jenny Rissone and Chris DeGweck. We had a great time and for the most part even managed to stay dry.

I'll follow up with a recap over on Food For Thought, but in the meantime here are some pictures from last night.

Update: Recap now up at Food For Thought, and an inside view from chef Chad Galiano.

More updates: Recap from Mango & Lime


Geaux Cobayes!

The full menu:

Pimm's Cup
Creole Kettle Corn
Sausage Sliders
Fried Chicken with Red Beans and Rice
Crawfish Pie a la mode with Tasso Gelato
"Yakamein" Soba Style
Crawfish Bread "French Dip" with Gumbo Consommé
Fried Shrimp with Lemon & Green Tabasco Fluid Gel
BBQ Oysters with Garlic Butter and Pepper Jelly
Cafe Brulot Bread Pudding
King Cake Ice Cream with Crown Cookies
Pralines


Friday, February 5, 2010

Cobaya Gras! February 12

"Cobaya Gras," a celebration of Mardi Gras Cobaya-style, featuring the cooking of some New Orleans expatriates, will be happening next Friday evening 2/12. Price will be $50 a head, BYOB, style will be a little more laid back than some of our prior Cobaya dinners.

If you wish to attend, PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY (the email link is over on the right, where it says "contact the underground"). WHEN YOU HAVE A CONFIRMED SEAT, please use the PayPal link below to book it. Don't pay for a seat before you've gotten confirmation that they're still available, thanks.

For those who do not compulsively check their emails, I will hold 6 seats to be selected randomly on Wednesday evening.

Thank you as always for your interest. Geaux Guinea Pigs!



How Many?