The last Dinner Lab that we attended, "Tour de France," struck a much better chord with my taste buds than did the beef tongue from my first Dinner Lab--Regional Mexican Cuisine. That this Dinner Lab was French food (and included a cheese course!) does not mean I am being irrationally biased in favor of it.
Had a nice chat with co-founder Drew Barrett beforehand. We talked about New Orleans, Dinner Lab's big plans for expansion, their business model, revenue projections, etc. We talked about some of the biggest challenges the concept faces. A big issue for Austin DL is finding venues. Owners of various spaces in Austin are addicted to the financial high from South by Southwest venue rental rates they are able to get, so finding a space at the right price for Dinner Lab Austin is tricky. New Orleans, by contrast, no problem. Good to know that sometimes you can use your Dinner Lab membership elsewhere. Victoria will be using hers in New Orleans here soon.
For the night's "Tour de France" menu, every course was more of a hit than a miss with our group--save dessert. I enjoyed checking in with Chef Jacques Richard for a French fix and really enjoyed his food, though as another writer notes, some foods are just difficult to prep for 50 (and she agrees that dessert did not work out so well).
Today is Day 7 of the Purification Cleanse (it's really about purification after all: all organic foods, spring water, raw or very lightly cooked egetables, etc.). I'm down 7 pounds as of this morning's weigh-in, and jeans that barely fit on the return trip from France are now starting to slip down to rest loosely on the hips. Forgot how good that feels.
I needed to increase the water intake on Monday, so I aimed to consume an entire large plastic jug of Ozarka spring water: the 3-quart one. Drank the whole thing in the course of the day. Between that and another supplement array with water before bedtime, I was up and out of bed between 3 am and the 5:30 am alarm for 4 visits to the WC. Granted, due to the miracle of the purification process, I went right back to sleep, but half-hour spans of sleeping in between so many noctural treks to the WC do not lend themselves to solid sleep.
Not that barely steamed cauliflower and pretty bowls of zucchini/squash/peppers are getting old (only 15 days to go!), I am starting to look forward to working my way back into the food world in 2 weeks.
What timing that we get today the announcement of new Dinner Lab events. Here's what they look like, text-wise, when Drew sends the announcement to the membership. I signed up for Modern Vegetarian: my first Dinner Lab post-cleanse. Wednesday night is not workable that week, alas, as "Ciao Curry" sounds fantastic.
Cuisine: Ciao Curry
Wednesday, September 11th
This menu epitomizes why the word “Lab” is so important to us. We were approached by Chefs Sandi Reinlie and Alex Dean (Sandi - pastry chef at Vespaio, and formerly with Congress, Walton’s and Bess Bistro; Alex - sous chef at Vespaio) to do something a little bit different; something that you wouldn't normally think to do . . . . . 8 courses of Italian cuisine featuring classical Indian spices. Sandi in particular is obsessed with the flavors of India, and wants to combine her love of the Med with her love of the sub-continent. Not convinced? Take a look at this menu, and we know you’ll be as curious to try it as we are. Green curry risotto here we come.
Event Menu* (We can accommodate vegetarian diets for this event. Please notify us in advance via email to request this substitution.)
Roasted Tomato Papadum - Curried aioli|olive
chutney|minted salsa verde
Seared Paneer “Caprese” - Crispy chick
peas|curried tomato|fresh herbs
Green Curry Risotto - Spiced
shrimp|coconut|kalamata oil
Braised Lamb Ravioli - Cashew almond
cream|cilantro|macerated onion
Sorbetto - Fennel|orange
Spiced Semolina Torta - Roasted carrot
ganache|mango omani lime mousse|cashew
Rose Panna Cotta - Pomegranate|plum|raspberry
gelee|macaroon crumblew
Mignardise - Cookies|candies|nuts|fruit|fudge
Cuisine: Modern Vegetarian
Friday, September 13th
We find it a little ironic that a kid from Fayetteville, Arkansas (home of the Razorbacks) approached us to do a menu featuring modern vegetarian cuisine, but Chef Reed Faitak (Parkside, Mulberry) is a man who knows his veggies. This menu is representative of what he enjoys cooking at home for his friends and family, but with an elegant, sophisticated flare. You asked for it, and we listened. Seven full courses of awesome vegetarian cuisine that, even as carnivores, has us longing for this date to get here. Enjoy.
Event Menu* (We can accommodate vegetarian diets for this event
(duh!))
Amuse - Watermelon Vodka Sorbet, Smoked Lemon
Confit, Arugula Syrup
Soup - Poached Eggplant, Farro, Peanuts, Fresno
Chili, Mint
Cold - Fingerling Potato, Corn & Chevre
Custard, Green Beans, Walnuts, Peach
Hot - Roasted Red Cabbage, Grilled Okra, Blistered
Cherry Tomato, Garlic Confit Yogurt, Rye Flatbread
Main - Gnocchi, Beets, Swiss Chard, Egg Yolk,
Pistachio, Persian Lime
Fruit Cake - Smoked Eggplant Cake, Peaches &
Cream
Chocolate - Dark Chocolate Truffle, Mango, Coconut
Milk
Sounds good, right? Or if not good, interesting enough to want to check it out. Dinner Lab New Orleans is sold out; memberships for Dinner Lab Austin still available. For now though, it's just me and my 3-quart Ozarka jug of spring water.
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