Dinner Lab

At the last moment Tuesday evening Sara and I were invited to attend a Dinner Lab event at Second Line Stages! I may have mentioned DL on here before, but if not this blurb from their website sums it up nicely:

Dinner Lab is a membership-based social dining experiment that unites undiscovered chefs with adventurous diners who are looking for something different from the traditional restaurant experience. Whether it happens on the roof of an abandoned building, the floor of a paper mill, or inside a motorcycle dealership, we believe that good people, good food and good drink are the only elements paramount to a memorable meal.

 

The theme for that evening's dinner was "Sunday Pub Roast" presented by Chef Jonathan Follett of Root. (I haven't been to Root yet, but intend on going for sure after this fabulous dinner!)

  

Second Line Stages is a movie production studio and home to multiple sound stages. There was a warehouse kind of feeling to the space and lots of graffiti all around. Rumor was that they were shooting American Horror Story in the space beside the area DL had taken over.

 

Two dinners were served that night, this picture was taken after a large portion of the crowd had cleared out. Sara and I dined with the later group. Everyone is set up at long tables with folding chairs so that there is interaction amongst folks who don't know each other.

 
1st Course: ENDIVE oyster-celeriac puree | champagne mignonette | fresh dill CELERY SHOOTER celery | gin | lemon | bitters
Notes: Probably my least favorite of the courses simply because I do not have a taste for oysters...no matter what form they are served in. The drink pairing, however, was delicious and very refreshing!

 

2nd Course: YORKSHIRE PUDDING popover | lamb neck & short rib | marmalade | chives

Notes: Yum! The meat was very tender and flavorful. The little purple flower was a nice, visually pleasing addition.

 
3rd Course: ROOT VEGETABLES crispy potatoes | roasted parsnips | shallot & herb glaze
Notes: An over-easy egg was added to this dish as well which made me nervous since I had never tried runny yolk before. Mine was cooked pretty well though which I think I preferred. I love parsnips. This could be an awesome breakfast dish!

  

4th Course: SUNDAY JOINT roasted lamb leg | bacon-fried brussel sprouts | mashed swede | horseradish-mint sauce

Notes: Sometimes I like lamb and sometimes I don't. This time I liked it! The mashed swede (rutabaga) was very good, very mashed potato like. Bacon-fried anything = great!

 
5th Course: SPOTTED DICK bourbon crème anglaise | cranberries | beef suet WARM ENGLISH PUNCH dark rum | red wine | tea | orange | lemon
Notes: The cake was very dense and the cranberries gave this dessert a nice sweetness. I do not like wine nor oranges but this warmed drink was actually quite tasty. Kind of like a sweet, heated up cough syrup.

 

As an ending note there were dark chocolate peppermints with a hint of violet. They were a nice cool way to end this spectacular meal. My only thoughts were that this was a weighty, warm-themed meal and it would have been especially enjoyable on a cooler evening (damn New Orleans and its 80 degree October days!)

 

It was very cool to be able to attend a Dinner Lab and makes me want to become a member even more, though I don't think membership is open right now due to it's intense popularity! Currently DL is active in New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, and New York with branches opening in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Washington D.C. soon! With growth like that it is hard to believe they have only been at this for slightly over a year! Super cool :)