You know how much we love film and TV inspired dinners. Graham Bellefeuille and Ty Cox are cut from the same cloth. They created Guild of Cookery based on the medieval meals you’d find in Game of Thrones. Sans blood, gore and beheadings of course. They honed their craft in some of the best kitchens in SF. Most notable, for us, Foreign Cinema. A place that inspired our supperclub. Given the impending new Game of Thrones season, we’re betting tickets will go quick.
CONTERNO VS. CONTERNO sounds more like a 1920’s boxing match in which two brothers face off in a makeshift ring above a Bensonhurst red sauce joint. It’s not, but it is the next best thing. Batali’s highly knowledgable and uber hospitable caporegimes take you on a tongue punch for tongue punch of masterly cared fro Nebbiolo grapes. The berry that makes world famous, highly discussed barolo. In 1961 brothers Aldo and Giovanni Conterno, sons of one of the best barolo makers, disagreed on their wine making philosophy. The feud that followed created two of the best wines on earth. At this 7-course dinner paired with the vintages, you get to ring the bell and call the winner. Monday, April 25th @ 5:30 to 11:15PM in NYC.
We’ve loved the McKittrick Hotel since our first sneak peek before the fames Sleep No More ever performed once. The Punchdrunk team has now opened up The Attic and invited us to The Last Supper, a surreal time warp back to the 1960’s that boasts a hypnotic experience. Knowing this theater companies flair for the eerily awesome, there’s no doubt this night will be a head spinner you will remember for a solid decade. A few early reviews are available but leave a lot to the imagination. Our advice is not to click and be completely surprised by the journey that lies up in the attic. The dinner only runs until July 21st so you have to grab tickets as soon as you can. Don’t forget to wear your mid-century best or summon your inner Don Draper. Dressing the part always makes for more immersive fun. Now through August 4th in NYC.
I love a good backyard party. The fact is, I have not been throwing nearly enough of them in the past few years ever since my Brooklyn deck turned into a Queens backyard. That is not to place blame as much as it is to publicly say I am bringing them back this summer. If you don’t get an invite or if you prefer the professional chef version of this American past time, I have great news but it’s unfortunately not directions to my house. The two Franks, yes those Frankie Spuntino legacy guys, have just announced their 3rd annual backyard chef series. For those of you who live under a rock (aka. Deep Queens or the Upper West Side) Frank and Frank did some remodeling last year. They closed Prime Meats, their German steak house, and converted it into Franks. Confusing I know. Their reinvented spot is split between a wine bar and a trattoria. They also expanded the Frankie’s Spuntino dining room which allows for a new and improved backyard scene. All this means that this years line up has some new space and some new ingredients, or accouterments, to play with. The guest chefs include some of my favs like Angie Rito from Don Angie’s and Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted. A few out-of-towners are in the mix like the talented Kristian Baumann from Copenhagen’s Restaurant 108. The best part of all this is the entire evening is communal. From the welcome drinks to the long dining table you’ll make new friends at, things will get intimate. The spots at the table will fill up fast so make sure you pick a chef and grab up some seats before your only option is a useless attempt at a remake in your friend backyard alley, a $6.99 Walmart mini- bricket bbq and a 6-pack of canned rose. May 15th thru September 25th in Brooklyn.
We’ve got a little inside baseball on this one. Without spilling the beans too much, just know, the chefs behind this one have been friends of FTHQ for almost a decade. No big reveal BUT we can confidently say this, the Future of Protein Dinner is a must attend dinner. First off, who doesn’t like to time travel. Second, doing it with your tongue sounds far better than that antiquated phone booth Roofus had Bill and Ted ride. 80’s movie jokes aside, this experience spans three centuries of protein edibles. That’s meat for you culinarily challenged folks. Meat in it’s loosest sense, of course. You’ll learn, and taste, from where we started “meating”, trapping and hunting our food. On the other side, you’ll explore advanced cooking options through insect and plant based “meat” making. I know I’m psyched to get my grub on. Maybe literally. Tuesday, June 28 from 7 to 11PM @ MOFAD in Brooklyn.
