experiment #21 - CobayAzul (a/k/a A.B.C. - Azul Bizarre Cobaya)

Wow. Our chef for Experiment #21 was Joel Huff of Azul restaurant, and he did it right. My pictures from the dinner are in this CobayAzul flickr set, will follow up shortly with some further thoughts and my recap is now up at FFT. You can also read a recap from Chowfather, get a glimpse from inside the kitchen at sous chef Brad Kilgore's blog, "The Power of a Passion," and see another take on the dinner at "Tinkering with Dinner." I'm also adding, in a comment to this post, an insightful recap I received from one of our guests who is also a chef.

Many thanks to Chef Huff and all of his kitchen crew, as well as all the FOH folks at Azul who took great care of us throughout the night (Bread service? Napkins refolded when you leave your seat? Is this a Cobaya dinner?); thanks to our special guest Andrew Zimmern and all of his crew, who were very well behaved as party-crashers go; and thanks most of all, as always, to the guinea pigs who make these events possible, for your support, and for your tolerance for all the cameras and other distractions. If you're interested in more of a glimpse of the interesting things going on at Azul, I also encourage you to check out sous chef Brad Kilgore's blog, The Power of a Passion.

Our menu:

Uni Monstera Fruit Sorbet

Pumpkin Swordfish Tataki, Pickled Squash, Pumpkin Oil

Beetzanella, Beet Textures, Wisconsin Blue

Smoked Mediterranean Octopus, Cauliflower Vadouvan

Carnaroli Risotto, Chanterelles, Forest Floor

Turbot, Lemon Scented

Beef Duo, Snake River Farm Wagyu NY Strip Loin, 72-Hour Short Rib

Local Strawberries, Sesame Brittle Sable

experiment #21 - 12/13/11

Time for another experiment! Short notice!

Quick Details:
Date: Tuesday December 13, 2011 
Price: $105 (inclusive of tax & tip) with optional $45 beverage pairing 
Start time: Likely 7:00pm 

We will do a similar routine as the last several dinners, with a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours, and additional requests filled, if possible, in the order they're received.

The rest of the drill is mostly the same as always: please send an email to request seats, and let us know how many you're requesting (please use the "contact the underground" link on the right to email a request).

You will be advised by Monday December 5 if the request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by Thursday December 8 or we may need to release them to the waitlist to ensure all spots are filled.

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.

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.

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.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail on Monday, December 12, 2011 confirming the location and other details.

Oh, one more thing: there may be cameras filming on site for this dinner, and diners may be asked to give a release. If you're in the witness protection program, this may not be the dinner to come to.

As always, thank you for your interest.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:

cobaya #21

1 seat w/o pairing $105.00 USD 1 seat with pairing $150.00 USD

experiment #20 - Cobaya Cabrera

Number 20 is in the books. Chef Alberto Cabrera from The Local Craft Food & Drink in Coral Gables put together our first truly "underground" dinner, borrowing an underground cellar space from La Bottega in Coconut Grove for our November 10 dinner.

You can read recaps at Food For Thought and Blind Tastes, and see pictures from the dinner in this Cobaya Cabrera flickr set.

The menu for the evening:

The Vesper
Ridge Silver Tip Gin - Boyd & Blair Vodka - Lillet Blanc Apertif
Mixologist David Ortiz

Charcuterie
Pig's Head Terrine - Pickled Vegetables - Foie Gras Brioche - Mustards

Maine Sea Urchin
Corn Custard - Yuba - Compressed Melon - Ginger Flowers - Dashi Froth
Paul Cluvner Gewurztraminer, Elgin, South Africa 2010

Cured Foie Gras
Country Duck Ham - Frisee - Pickled Mango - Scarlet Beet Puree - Duck Fat Vinaigrette

Beef Heart
Broccoli - Farro - Shiso - Coriander Flowers - Gochugang
Neudorf Chardonnay, Nelson, New Zealand 2008

Matsutake Mushrooms
Pine Nut Risotto - Coconut Fondant - Shellfish Emulsion

Cuttlefish Linguini
Cotechino - Romesco - Almonds - Squid Ink

Squab
Dark Chocolate - Strawberries - Whipped Balsamic - Red Vein Sorrel
Chateau de St. Cosme Crozes Hermitage, Rhone Valley, France 2009

Pork Tenderloin
Crispy Shoulder - Anson Mills Grits Purée - Grapefruit Gel - Local Honeycomb
Marietta Cellars Angeline Cuvée, Alexander Valley, California 2007

Raspberry-Yuzu Sorbet
Creme Fraiche - Mexican Vanilla - Thyme
Moscato d'Asti, La Spinetta, Piedmont, Italy 2010

Peanut and Dark Chocolate Turron
White Chocolate - Grapefruit - Lavender

Many thanks to Chef Cabrera and his crew, to the great group in the kitchen and front of house who made everything possible, to La Bottega for allowing us to use their space, and as always, most of all to the guinea pigs who make these experiments possible.

experiment #20

Time for another experiment!

Quick Details:
Date: Thursday November 10, 2011
Price: $79 (inclusive of tax & tip) with optional $20 beverage pairing
Start time: Likely 7:30pm

We will do a similar routine as the last several dinners, with a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours, and additional requests filled, if possible, in the order they're received.

The rest of the drill is the same as always: please send an email to request seats (use the "contact the underground" link on the right side of the page), and let us know how many you're requesting. You will be advised by Monday October 31 if the request 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.

When your seat request has been confirmed, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on the Cobaya website. 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.

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.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail on Wednesday November 9, 2011, confirming the location and other details.

As always, thank you for your interest.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:

If you have received a confirmation of your request for a seat for the 11/10 Cobaya dinner, please book your seat request here:

cobaya #20

1 seat w/o pairing $79.00 1 seat with pairing $99.00

(you can fix the number of seats after you "add to cart")