experiment #38 - 12.9.13

It's time for another experiment!

Quick Details:
Date: Monday, December 9, 2013
Price: $80 (inclusive of tax & tip), with an optional $45 wine pairing
Start time: 7:30 p.m.

We will be doing a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours, with additional requests filled, if possible, in the order they're received.

Please send an email to request seats using the "contact the underground" link, and let us know how many you're requesting.

You will be advised by Friday November 29 if your request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by noon on Tuesday December 3, or we may need to release them to the waitlist to ensure all spots are filled.

We have limited seating and while we try to accommodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events are filled very quickly. Due to space limitations, we will be limiting people to 2 spots per request, though if you're interested in more let us know and your request will be added to the waitlist.

When your seat request has been confirmed, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page. Please do not book unless and until you've received a confirmation. When you do receive the confirmation, please book your seats through PayPal promptly. There will be a short window of time to book before seats need to be released back to the waitlist to make sure they're filled.

There will be a wine pairing (or a la carte beverages) available, or you can BYOB.

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail the day before the event, confirming the location and other details.

A brief, but important, refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Plus some legalese: please note that if you're requesting a spot, you understand that any food or beverages you consume are at your own risk, that you voluntarily assume any and all risks, known and unknown, and voluntarily release the organizers of the event from any claims, including personal injury and wrongful death, resulting in any manner from your participation in this event, whether caused by negligence or otherwise. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Look forward to seeing you there. As always, thank you for your support.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:
(You can change quantity after you click "Add to Cart")

experiment #38 - choose pairing?

1 seat (no pairing) $82.50 USD 1 seat (with pairing) $128.75 USD

experiment #37 - CobayaBelly with Chef Jose Mendin

Another experiment successfully concluded - this time around, with Chef Jose Mendin of Pubbelly and PB Steak. Mendin played host to nearly 60 guinea pigs at PB Steak, and put together an offal-intensive, "Bloody Monday" menu that focused mostly on all the bits on the animal other than the steak. It was very well done and very much in the spirit of what we try to do. You can see pictures in this CobayaBelly flickr set, or in this flickr set from Y'All Taste This, or scroll down a bit in Chowfather's Instagram feed. And here are recaps at Food For Thought and The Chowfather.

Here's the menu for the evening:

Passed Appetizers

Oxtail Croquettes with caramelized onion purée and valdeon aioli

Crispy Sweetbreads with fermented black bean sauce and carrot ginger slaw

Bone Marrow pumpernickel toast, short rib, raisins, pickles

Stabbed in the Beef Heart Tartare

(Niman Ranch Cattle, California)

peruvian aji panca rustic dressing, pickled baby onions, blood sausage filone toast

Szechuan Style Tripe

braised in juniper berries, allspice, cinnamon, orange, then fried and glazed with a reduction of chilies and sugar. raw slaw of shaved brussels sprouts, florida green onions, ginger and garlic

Veal Brains Meuniere

(Strauss Family Farms, Wisconsin)

black butter made with squid ink and soy, roasted huitlacoche, oregon chanterelles, fava beans, end of the season sweet corn, parmigiano reggiano

Red Oak Smoked Tongue Papardelle

(Jackman Ranch Wagyu Cattle, Florida)

tuscan kale from Robert Borek Farms in Homestead, dry shiitake, nicoise olives, umami jus

30 Day Dry Aged Prime Rib

(Cox Familiy Farms, Alabama)

beef blood jus, fall mushrooms, baby pumpkin souffle, vidalia onions with sauce bordelaise

Ice Cream Sundaes

with fudge, nut brittle and toasted coconut

A huge thank you to Chef Mendin, to Pubbelly partner Andreas Schreiner, to all of the crew in the kitchen, behind the bar, and in the front of house, who did a fantastic job accommodating our big group, and as always most of all, to all of the guinea pigs (including both some veterans and lots of new faces) whose interest and support makes these events possible.

"Friends of Cobaya" Part 2 - Craft Master Dinner Series at Michael's Genuine 11.8.13

But wait, there's more!

As another "Friends of Cobaya" alert, we bring to your attention the Craft Master Dinner Series, part of the Craft Spirits & Beer program running November 8-10, 2013, which has been spearheaded by Cobaya regular Jennifer Massolo. The dinner at Copper Box Atelier in the poster above is already sold out, but you can still get spots at the November 8, 2013 dinner at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, with pairings orchestrated by highly regarded whiskey maven Chuck Cowdery. You can get a little preview of the dinner here at the Genuine Kitchen, and you can purchase seats ($150pp) here through Eventbrite. Mention Cobaya and you will get a VIP Pass to the November 9 Tasting Gallery too!

And here are a couple more dates to pencil in on your calendar:

November 21, 2013: Chef Jason Wang of New York's Xi'an Famous Foods and Biang! Restaurant supposed to be popping up at Khong River House.

November 24, 2013: P.I.G. #4 with Chef Jeremiah, and from what I hear, several special guests.

More details coming soon ...

"Friends of Cobaya" Part 1 - Trufflepalooza 305 11.20.13

Periodically we use our platform here to bring to your attention events that may be of interest to you Guinea Pigs - especially when they involve Cobaya alumni. Here are a couple such events, and a heads-up for a couple more. First:

Trufflepalooza 305!

For years Andrew Carmellini has put on a "Trufflepalooza" dinner at Locanda Verde in New York to celebrate the start of truffle season. When Hurricane Sandy interfered last fall, what started as a proposal to bring those truffles down here to Miami wound up as an excellent Hurricane Sandy Relief Dinner at The Dutch.

This year, barring more hurricanes, we're getting the truffles: Trufflepalooza 305 will be happening Wednesday November 20 at The Dutch. They will be doing something similar to the Locanda Verde Trufflepalooza event in the main dining room: 3 courses (a choice among 2 appetizers, 3 mains & 2 desserts) for $75, excluding tax and tip.

But even better: they will also be doing a Cobaya-style special menu on The Dutch terrace for Cobaya Guinea Pigs. Five courses, a mix of plated and family style dishes, for $110 per person all in (inclusive of tax & tip). Considering what The Dutch did for prior events, you can probably guess which we think is the better deal.

Details on start time for the CobayaTrufflePalooza will follow soon, and suggested wine pairings will be available for purchase at the dinner.

Want in? The answer is "yes." We're selling seats on a first come first serve basis right here, link is below.

BUY SEATS FOR TRUFFLEPALOOZA 305 COBAYA STYLE:

SOLD OUT!

With thanks to 5 Diamond Delicacies, The Dutch's partner for Trufflepalooza 305.

experiment #36 - "Pink Collar" Cobaya for a Cause

Almost exactly a year ago, Cobaya helped Andrew Carmellini raise more than $17,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts with a dinner and auction at The Dutch. This year we joined up with Chef Daniel Serfer of Blue Collar on Biscayne Boulevard to help raise money for Susan G. Komen For the Cure - a cause that's particularly meaningful to Daniel, who lost his mother to breast cancer eleven years ago this month (last year he lit up his neon sign pink and donated the proceeds of certain dishes from the month of October to Komen).

You can see all the pictures from the dinner in this Pink Collar flickr set, or check Chowfather's Instagram feed, or this set from Y'all Taste This. You can also read a recap here at Food For Thought and over here, Chowfather's 31-question interview with Chef Serfer.

With his staff done up in pink tuxedo t-shirts, Serfer served up an incredibly luxurious meal. Caviar, stone crabs, lobster, truffles, foie gras, prime rib - it was completely over the top, in the best possible way. Here's the complete menu:

Kumamoto Oysters

Porcini Mushroom Croquettes

Santa Julia Brut Rosé NV

Caviar x2

Scrambled Eggs 'n' Toast, Yukon Gold Blinis, Kaluga Caviar

Paul Blanck Rosenberg Riesling Alsace 2009

Stone Crab Roll

Mini P-Muff, Pink Pepper, Shallot, Drawn Butter, Old Bay Fried Potato Chips

Terrapin Rye Ale

White Alba Truffle

Acquarello Risotto, Saffron, Aged Pecorino

Allan Scott New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Chilled Maine Lobster

Jicama, Mango, Watercress, French Lemon Vinegar

Evesham Wood Pinot Noir 2012

Roasted Prime Rib of Beef

Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Potato Rosti, Jus

Terrebrune (?) Bandol Rouge 2008

Fried Cookies and Soda

Oreos, Newman Ginger-O's

Dr. Better Soda

Hidden Rose Apples

With forty guinea pigs contributing $150 a person, lots of suppliers donating product for the cause, and even Blue Collar's servers contributing their time for the evening, Blue Collar will be able to give $5,000 to Komen from our dinner. A huge thank you to Chef Danny, to all the staff at Blue Collar, to Allegra Angelo for pouring some great pairings (Allegra is a Cobaya vet - this was the third event she's poured for), and as always most of all, to the guinea pigs whose interest and support makes these events possible.