Friday, August 22, 2014

experiment #45 - Cobaya 1826 with Chef Danny Grant


Experiment #45 is in the books! This one was an intense multi-part study of truffles – specifically, Australian black truffles – conducted by Chef Danny Grant of 1826 Restaurant & Lounge on South Beach. A big thank you to Chef Danny for putting together a really elegant and tasty showcase for this ingredient, to Frank Brunacci of The Truffle & Wine Co., Australia's largest producer of Perigord truffles, who supplied the truffles and joined us for the dinner, to all the crew at 1826 for making this a great evening, and as always most of all, to the guinea pigs whose interest and support make these events possible.

Below is the menu for Wednesday's dinner. We'll update here when recaps have been posted. And here are recaps from Chowfather and Food For Thought.

Amuse Bouche
Foie Gras and Black Truffle Dumpling
with Ice Wine Consomme

First Course
Sea Scallop Poached
with Black Truffle, Hakurei Turnip and Fumet Blanc

Second Course
Potato & Black Truffle Salad
with  Cured Chicken, Foie Gras and Crispy Chicken Skin

Third Course
Wild Black Bass Steamed
with Black Truffle, Lettuce and Lobster Emulsion

Fourth Course
Wagyu Strip Grilled
with Black Truffle, Chanterelles and Bone Marrow

Fifth Course
Brillat Savarin Cheese
with Fig, Black Truffle and Honey

Sixth Course
Chocolate Ganache
with Almond Sable, Sable Breton and Black Truffle Milkshake



Friday, August 8, 2014

experiment #45 - 8.20.14

Greetings, Guinea Pigs - it's time for another experiment. Once again we're going to have a sort of quick turnaround time on this one, so please pay attention to the deadlines.

Quick Details:
Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Price: $150 (inclusive of tax & tip)
Start time: probably 7:30ish

We will be doing a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours, with additional requests filled, if possible, in the order they're received.

Please send an email to request seats using the "contact the underground" link on this page, and let us know how many you're requesting.

You will be advised by Wednesday August 13 if your request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by 5pm on Friday August 15, or we may need to release the seats to the waitlist to ensure all spots are filled. Please note the tight schedule: please make your request quickly, and if you get a spot, please book quickly.

We have limited seating and while we try to accommodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events are filled very quickly. Due to space limitations, we may limit people to 2 spots per request, though if you're interested in more let us know and your request will be added to the waitlist.

When your seat request has been confirmed, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page. Please do not book unless and until you've received a confirmation. When you do receive the confirmation, please book your seats through PayPal promptly. There will be a short window of time to book before seats need to be released back to the waitlist to make sure they're filled.

There should be a la carte beverages available for purchase on site and BYOB should be OK too; there will also likely be a pairing option available, we will confirm when details are released.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail the day before the event, confirming the location and other details.

A brief, but important, 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.

Plus some legalese: please note that if you're requesting a spot, you understand that any food or beverages you consume are at your own risk, that you voluntarily assume any and all risks, known and unknown, and voluntarily release the organizers of the event from any claims, including personal injury and wrongful death, resulting in any manner from your participation in this event, whether caused by negligence or otherwise. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Look forward to seeing you there. As always, thank you for your support.

One additional note for those of you who subscribe by email through the website: we've been experiencing some delays with the email update going out that are beyond our technical control. We are trying to remedy, but as a backstop, you may wish to also join the Cobaya Google Group - more info here.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:


experiment #45 - choose pairing?