This was hardly your ordinary Sunday brunch. Last weekend, shortly after 1 p.m. hungry people climbed aboard an L train in New York City. Within minutes, the inside of the car had transformed— complete with tables, fine silverware, a bow-tied maître d’hôte and linens. And just thirty minutes later the event had finished after diners enjoyed a six course gourmet meal complete with dishes like "an amuse-bouche of fluke crudo with bone marrow mayonnaise and trout roe" and "foie gras en brioche, with pots of homemade port-and-raisin jelly."
The unusual dinner was the work of several underground supper clubs in the Brooklyn area including "a razor, a shiny knife" and "Studiofeast" among others. In order to participate, guests received a cryptic e-mail early Sunday morning with a location and instructions for them to follow, "There will be a tall slender woman there with jet black hair who is holding an umbrella. Please just go up and introduce yourself. Her name is Michele and she is quite lovely, but no matter how hard you press she won’t tell you about the adventure you are going on."
Once they were seated (along with a couple of lucky walk-ins), chefs boarded every four to five stops with an additional course. By the time the train arrived at the next stop, diners had finished the course and the dishes had been cleared. Cleverly enough, most portions seemed to be quite small and easily finished.
“We might mention that we really love the slow food movement,” host Jonathan Cristaldi told the New York Times, “but today we’re not really about slow food. So eat quickly.” See the full menu below and check out a clip from Studiofeast as they prepared to board the train.
Thankfully, there was no trouble with the subway police, but transit officials were not amused after hearing of the stunt the next day. In the picture above, the chefs prepare to plate and serve one of the courses.
- Hamchi Crudo, Bone Marrow, Trout Roe, Laproaig, Sweet Lime
- Foie en Brioche, Port Wine, Raisin,
- Ramp, Black Garlic, Cippolini, Morel, Thyme
- Petit Filet Mignon, Pomme Puree, Asparagus
- Pepper Jam, St Andre
- Chocolate & Gold Leaf Panna Cotta, Raspberry
http://vimeo.com/23249443
