experiment #59 - Cobaya SoBeWFF 2016 with Chefs Alex Chang, Andrew Zimmern, Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo and Carlo Mirarchi

A year ago, we "took our talents to South Beach" for the first time, teaming up with the South Beach Wine and Food Festival to put on a dinner together. That one worked out pretty well, so we did it again this year. We were able to score another great lineup of chefs: Alex Chang of the Vagabond was our host, Andrew Zimmern made a repeat visit, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, Son of a Gun and an ever-expanding list of new restaurants came over from Los Angeles, and Carlo Mirarchi of Blanca and Roberta's came down from Brooklyn.

It was a great night, in a great place, with some great food, and nice wines from the Bodegas Lustau portfolio. A big thank you Lee Schrager for his support, and for letting these dinners keep a little Cobaya edge to them; to all of his crew at SOBEWFF for the incredible amount of work that goes into putting on this and the million other events they have going on during the festival; to Dominique Shiekman at The Workshop Collective for being an invaluable liaison; to Alex Chang and the entire team at the Vagabond for everything they did to make this happen; to all of the chefs and their crews; and as always most of all, to the guinea pigs who come out and support these events.

(A side note: we have an upcoming event on March 8 which was originally posted as Experiment #59. We're not very good at counting. SOBEWFF was  #59, the upcoming event is actually #60. Sorry for any confusion).

Here's the night's menu:

RECEPTION

Shaved Ribeye, Black Sapote, Burnt Eggplant and Nasturtium

Snap Peas with Leek Oil and Goat's Milk

Alex Chang

Oyster Vichyssoise, Island Creek Oysters

Andrew Zimmern

Hamachi Taco, Fish Sauce Vinaigrette, Peanut and Avocado

Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook

Viña Herminia Viura 2014

Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos

Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa

Kissing the Gunners Daughter

Lustau Manzanilla Sherry, Pimm's No. 1, simple syrup, lemon juice, topped with grapefruit soda garnished with mint bouquet, cucumber, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry

DINNER

Cucumber Variation with Cherry Tomato, Za'atar and Pickled Ramp Ranch

Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook

Marquês de Irun Rueda 2014

Vitello Tonnato

Andrew Zimmern

Viña Herminia Rosado 2014

Suckling Pig marinated in Condensed Milk, Green Papaya and Preserved Marigold Salad

Alex Chang

Viña Herminia Rioja Reserva 2009

DESSERT

Coconut, Meyer Lemon, Poppy Seed and Celery

Carlo Mirarchi

Lustau Moscatel Emilin

experiment #60 - 3.8.16

Greetings Guinea Pigs - we've been quiet for a while during the buildup to our South Beach Wine and Food Fest dinner, but it's time to announce another experiment!

Quick Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Price: $75 (inclusive of tax and tip)
Start time: 7:30ish

(edited to add: this one is actually Experiment #60, not #59 - guinea pigs aren't good at counting)

We will be doing a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours.

Please send an email to request seats and let us know how many you're requesting.

You will be advised by Saturday February 27 if your request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by noon on Tuesday March 1, or we may need to release the seats to the wait list to ensure all spots are filled. Note the tight schedule: please make your request quickly, and if you get a spot, please book quickly.

We have very limited seating available for this one, and while we try to accommodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events fill up fast. Due to space limitations, we will limit 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 an optional $30 pairing option; a la carte beverages will also be available and BYOB should be fine as well (but please confirm).

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:

experiment #60 - choose # and pairing

1 seat (no pairing) $77.50 USD 1 seat (with pairing) $108.50 USD 2 seats (no pairing) $155.00 USD 2 seats (with pairing) $217.00 USD