Supper Club: Bushwick-Style
Posted at 03:05:31 PM in Food eventsby Bottomless Dish
One thing that makes me jealous of other cities is their superior setup for hosting secret supper clubs. Even though you hear about them popping up sporadically in New York, I was always hesitant to check one out.
Most New York apartments are so small, it's hard to imagine anything more than a tiny dinner party. But I decided to give it shot when my friend Carter Edwards, who'd been serving his own vodka infusions at R Bar in Williamsburg, alerted me to a neighborhood dining club he and a few friends were starting as part of a loose arts/community collective called the Bushwick Department of Public Works.
I bought my $15 ticket for "Umami: People + Food" online, which the hosts smartly insist on to ensure there's not too much or too little food. Entering the Bushwick loft, any fears of cramped quarter were allayed, as the high-ceilinged, zig-zagging space offered plenty of elbow room--enough, in fact, for the 70 or so people who attended.
Prepped and cooked by a large crew of volunteers, the dinner offered three buffet-style courses of Tex-Mex cuisine: nachos (homemade chips) topped with a variety of salsas; tacos stuffed with tender pulled pork and chicken in mole, and vegan squash enchiladas; and five kinds of flan. Each course was paired with one of Carter's beverages, including a lemon-infused vodka mixed with tamarind paste, wine mulled with mole ingredients like chipotle and cinnamon, and a "chocolate margarita," tequila infused with coffee and cardamom.
Head chef Laura Braslow says she shops locally for the meals as much as possible, at places like the Los Tortilleria Mexicana and "on the amazing shopping strip on Knickerbocker Avenue near Maria Hernandez Park. There are produce markets, meat markets and a ton of central and South American specialty shops, and it's great to put some money back into the community."
Another member of the crew, Gavin Kroeber, stresses that all proceeds from the dinners go toward overhead, and talks a bit about the impetus for starting the event:
All profits go to pay overhead and to buy new flatware, etc., for future dinners. We've been slowly moving from paper plates to hard since we began. We really see each dinner as a generous moment--a few hours to bring people together and talk--and although we do charge to make it possible, we put everything we might make into the next one.
All in all, it was fantastic evening, chock full of tasty eats and friendly people (or, as the invite put it, "awesome artsy Williamsburg types to talk to or laugh at depending on your disposition.") For now, the organizers are keeping the invite list private--cooking for 70 is a massive endeavor--but if you have any friends in the area, do your best Miss Marple impression and start nosing around.
(Photos and a whole lot of cooking: Lily Maase)
I wish I could join the Bushwick-Style supper club. However, I would settle for Chef Braslow cooking our Thanksgiving Dinner if she isn't already booked and doesn't mind traveling upstate.
Posted by: Pat Gerbarg | February 25, 2008 at 08:56 PM