Scenes from a collaboration dinner: Please at Pallet23 2.4.2014

Tonight's Please pop-up dinner was not only tasty and inventive, it was especially fun to have a kitchen-side seat to watch talented chefs work together. It was billed as a collaboration dinner between chefs Ryan Santos of Please and Julie Francis of Nectar, and included a couple more talents.

My thanks for a memorable and delicious evening.to (left to right) Dave Taylor, Ryan Santos, Julie Francis, and Amanda (sous-chef and pastry chef at Nectar).

Pop-Up Dinner Round-Up, Part 1

Whether you call them “pop-ups” or “underground dinners,” these innovative one-off prix-fixe culinary events are blossoming more quickly than the daffodils in my front yard. Here's my first installment about some unique events to check out.

Last night I attended a Date Dinner, by Steven Shockley, who recently became Executive Chef at Cumin and previously worked at Pho Paris, Chalk, Jean-Robert’s Table, and Maribelle’s (when it was at its previous Riverside Drive/Eastern Avenue location). Steven takes thematic inspiration from a wide array of sources (the previous Date Dinner I attend was based on the music of Miles Davis). Although Steven is sometimes given to pun-filled constructs, last night’s dinner side-stepped the opportunity for April Fool’s Day jokes while, as usual, focusing on out-of-the-ordinary flavor combinations.

Lentil soup with pomegranate and sumac whipped cream

Flatbread with gorgonzola-potato puree and parsley

Braised lamb neck with grapes, quinoa, and cauliflower puree

Cardamom rice pudding

The schedule for Date Dinners varies, partly depending on Steven’s work schedule, and is usually limited to about 12 people, in an Over-the-Rhine apartment the location of which you learn after RSVPing (and, now, paying via Paypal). Like the Date Dinner facebook page to hear about upcoming events. Steven has a keen culinary curiosity, and I’m not going to try to guess where he’ll take Date Dinner next, although he says he’s switching the format to four courses for $35; still BYOB. He also occasionally pops up with snacks at Market Wines at Findlay Market and Neon’s. Steven has a personal proclivity for veggies, grains, hand-ground spices, and the occasional braise or venture into offal territory. I will definitely be curious to see where he takes Cumin’s spring menu, set to launch this Thursday. He will also be participating in the 1 Night, 12 Kitchens Midwest Culinary Institute April 21 on behalf of Cumin, in case you were one of the lucky folks who bought ticket before they sold out.

Steven recently collaborated for a dinner at Pallet23 in Northside with another young chef who is garnering a lot of attention for his pop-up dinners, Ryan Santos of Please. Ryan leaves tomorrow for a stage (internship) at Michelin-starred In De Wulf in Belgium and has another lined up at Castagna in Portland for September. I can't wait to see what inspiration Ryan returns with from his travels (for a terrific food-porn-filled blogger's-eye-view glimpse of In De Wulf, click here). After he returns from Europe, Ryan and crew will be shedding the "Arts and Lettuce" title for their pop-up dinners and taking them to Carriage House Farm for a new, rustic dining experience that will involve not only eating outdoors but cooking outdoors. No electric, thank you very much. Ryan has always cultivated close relationships with area farmers to source local and sustainably raised foods for his dinners. He has more intriguing collaborations in the works, with entrepreneurial aquaponics venture URBTank and a "beverage" partner.

Please: a Staff Pick for “Best Now-Above-Ground Underground Dinner Series 

Turned Into A Residency” in City Beat's Best of Cincinnati 2013 issue

Here are just three more pop-ups taking place in the next week. If you're interested, act quickly or they may be sold out.

Frances Kroner, the talent who created the marshmallow dress at The Art of Food, is doing her second "edible installation" collaboration with Modern Makers and Pones, Inc. this Friday, called "The Big Dinner." Details here. Her "food event design" company FEAST was just featured in the Business Courier (sorry I can't share a link that gets beyond the paywall). I was out of town last week and missed FEAST's pop-up last weekend, but heard great things about the event and the food from friends. Can't wait to check out what she's doing this Friday!

Another series I'm excited to finally get in on is "Underground - A Hen of the Woods Production," which is celebrating Spring with a dinner Monday, April 8. Join their facebook event asap, then await instructions and get your cash or check to chef Nick Marckwald by Friday for this wine-inclusive dinner with sommelier Kevin Hart of wineCRAFT, who collaborated on an amazing pop-up at the Mercantile Library with the fine folks from Dutch's recently. (The talented Gina Weathersby of 513{eats} documented that event in full photographic glory here.)

Nick, Kevin, and other talented folks are also doing a pop-up of heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts at The Rookwood in Mt. Adams April 10 to benefit the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America. Details here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Pop-Up Round-Up. Lots of exciting ventures coming up!

Arts + Lettuce Goes Out with a Bang!

I was working on a blogiversary post about all the things I’m looking forward to in 2013 on the Cincinnati food scene when I learned this news, which is too exciting not to warrant its own post. The monthly series of underground dinners known as Arts + Lettuce by chef Ryan Santos and his crew at Please is coming to an end – and transforming!

If you haven't been to an Arts + Lettuce dinner yet, this video will give you a glimpse. The January dinners are already sold out, with just two A+L series left, in February and March. Come spring, Ryan will be changing things up with outdoor wood-fired dinners at Carriage House Farm as Artist in Residence, similar to the one from November in this video via {513}eats. (Stay tuned for info on more pop-up dinners at Carriage House Farm from other local chefs.)

Meanwhile, Ryan has been accepted to stage at Michelin-starred in de wulf restaurant in Belgium, and will be offering some special dinner deals to help defray the costs of his trip. His pop-up dinners for just 10-12 people each have so many loyal followers – and continue to get so much buzz – that they often sell out in the proverbial blink of an eye. Want a guaranteed seat? Email him at ryan@pleasetoeatyou.com to get in on offers like these:

For the last two monthly Arts + Lettuce series in February and March (three nights one week each month, each with two seatings, in the Streetpops space formerly occupied by Fork Heart Knife in OTR), instead of the usual $55, for $80/person you’ll get extra special, double secret notice (my words, not Ryan’s) of the schedule and the opportunity to reserve which date/time you want to attend. (The additional $25 will go toward his travel expenses.)

Ryan also plans to pre-sell seats for his first spring dinner at Carriage House Farm in May for $100 instead of what he expects to be a usual $65. And in February or March he plans to do a dinner at the prior A+L location for $150/person, which will include beverage pairings for each course rather than the usual BYOB format. You can also make donations here.

Dining at several Arts + Lettuce dinners last year, I had the opportunity to taste what a talented chef truly focused on cooking locally and seasonally can bring to the table throughout the year.

Ryan Santos is one of the most exciting young chef/entrepreneurs in Cincinnati, and I can’t wait to see how he and his crew will grow to be next!

Arts and Lettuce Sneak Peek and Battle: Literary Food

I've been traveling, eating, working and, alas, not blogging in a while. But all is well, especially after a phenomenal meal tonight at Arts and Lettuce, the monthly underground dinner series prepared by the talented Ryan Santos of Please Catering. It was springtime on a plate through many surprising and delightful courses, and I'll be back with a full report, along with tales of my travels to Tennessee, and more.

Meanwhile, our gracious host of the March Culinary Smackdown – Battle: Spherical Food – Leah, of Eat, Drink and Be Married, recaps the "Battle Balls" entries here. Congrats to Katie of Taste and See Cincy for her win with some insanely tempting popcorn balls and one of the funniest entries in Smackdown history. As last month's winner, Katie becomes host, judge, and theme-picker for the April Smackdown, and this one is mighty intriguing. Check out her announcement post for all the details on Battle: Literary Food here. All are welcome to join in this friendly little monthly cooking/blogging contest.In fact, our most recent winners have been newcomers :)

Hope you are seizing the delights of Spring wherever you are, and sharing a table with friends, family, or, as I did tonight, an intriguing group of people you are meeting for the first time.

xoxo, eggy