all photos: Kun Kim
A peek through the lowered rollgate revealed a narrow table of twenty that was nestled in between the towering wine shelves and the purposely dark hum of a refrigerator bank.
Through the steel and glass you could hear only muffled conversation, the clang of plates and the reverberation of laughter as it filled the converted shop and snuck out the cracks in the front windows. Last Saturday 20 lucky singles mingled it up after hours in a little Greenpoint wine shop to sip some vino, taste some edibles and meet their possible spring fling. I’d say the evening was a fantastic success being that our guests made a connection with more than the food. To pull this supper off we partnered up with Dandelion Wines to provide the space and wines that complimented our four course feast. We then summoned some singles who were up for a gastro-guzzle-blind date.
The idea came from my realization that daylight savings time forces us to lose an hour each year as we hurdle ourselves into the future. This imposed, careless disregard in hopes of getting closer to the impending spring is a cheap trick that strips us of the commodity that seems most scarce these days, time. I thought it might be smart, and fun, to hold onto those 60 minutes and see what happens if you anonymously were put into a room with nineteen strangers. Below is the glutenous mystery that unfolded.
As the final customers picked and purchased their Sunday night, night caps, we were busy finalizing the table settings of our conversion from wine shop to true pop-up restaurant. With every detail triple checked the menus were set and we fired up the small stove in the back of the shop to get the make shift kitchen into high gear. While Aimee browned the polenta and I started building the first plate of chicken cacciatore our guests snacked on some cheese and dried sausage while sipping Dandelion’s first selection a “La Gaudrelle” Cremant de Loire Sparkling Chenin Blanc.
Soon enough our first course was ready to be passed. We like to keep our guests standing for a bit so they can easily move around the room and meet others. The food worked it’s magic as each plate simultaneously became an interruption and a catalyst .
Chilled jumbo prawns with arugula pesto and a lemon aioli.
Braised chicken cacciatore on fresh polenta with caramelized balsamic onions.
