Tuesday, November 24, 2015

experiment #58 - Cobaya Niu with Chef Deme Lomas


Another experiment successfully concluded! This time, we squeezed thirty guinea pigs into Niu Kitchen, a slender little Catalan spot in downtown Miami run by chef Deme Lomas and manager Karina Iglesias.

You can see all the pictures in this Cobaya Niu flickr set, and stay tuned for recaps. Here's the menu Chef Lomas put together for us:

Cream of Leeks
crispy leeks, herring roe

Flash-Seared Scallop
cauliflower purée, pomegranate gelatin

Baby Artichokes
bresaola, black truffle mayo

Cod Confit a la Catalana
roasted onions, dry figs, grain mustard, honey

Steak Tartare
mustard gelato, paja potatoes

Duck Magret
apple, cinnamon, chestnuts

Cold Melon Soup
lemon, mint oil

Pear Escalivada Crema Catalana
rosemary, maria cookies, grapefruit sorbet

A big thank you to Chef Deme, to Karina, to all their crew at Niu, and as always most of all, to the guinea pigs whose interest and support make these kinds of events possible.







Tuesday, November 10, 2015

experiment #57 - Cobaya del Cielo with Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos


Another experiment concluded! This time around, it was with Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, the chef of El Cielo - a restaurant with locations in Bogotá (listed in the S. Pellegrino "Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants" list if you follow such things), Medellín, and now, Miami, just off Brickell Avenue backing on to the Miami River. You can see all the pictures in this Cobaya del Cielo flickr set, and stay tuned for recaps here's are recaps from The Chowfather and Food For Thought.

It's more poetic than detailed, but here's the menu he served Sunday night:

Passion Fruit Mistela

Follow the Stars

Chocotherapy

Amazon's Tree of Life

Roasted Corn Soup

Fishing in Corn Water

Chicken and Beer

The Smoking Cow

Bocadito

Spicy Guava

Rose Petal

Thank you to Chef Barrientos and all of his team at El Cielo, and, as always, to the guinea pigs whose interest and support make these kinds of events possible.



Monday, November 9, 2015

experiment #58 - 11.23.15

Dear Guinea Pigs:

It's time for another experiment!

Quick Details:
Date: Monday November 23, 2015
Price: $90 (inclusive of tax and tip)
Start time: 7:00ish 8:00pm

We will be doing a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours.

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

You will be advised by Friday November 13 if your request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by noon on Tuesday November 17, or we may need to release the seats to the wait list to ensure all spots are filled. Note the tight schedule: please make your request quickly, and if you get a spot, please book quickly.

We have limited seating available, and while we try to accommodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events fill up fast. Due to space limitations, we will 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.

We are still working on the pairing options, but there will probably be one (for an extra charge); a la carte beverages will also be available and BYOB is fine as well.

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.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:


experiment #58