I'm not sure how to describe it properly. It's a group dinner that is prepared by someone, somewhere. You do not know this information until the day before the event. The dinner is usually multi-course and "adventurous", which drink pairings. It is usually prepared by one or more local or national professional chefs. I'm guessing about 50 people attend. Everything is included for a flat fee. I was the guest of my date, so I don't know exactly how much it cost or how hard it was to get in. I hear there is a waiting list.
This Dinner Lab was on an organic commercial farm in an indoor area. I'm guessing most of the food was grown on that farm. It's great for a meat and potatoes guy like me as it forces me to try new stuff.
Here is a description from the site (
www.dinnerlab.com):
Dinner Lab is a social dining experiment that unites undiscovered chefs with adventurous diners who are looking for something different from the conventional restaurant experience. Our events bring together a group of interesting strangers around a common table to share cuisine crafted by up-and-coming chefs from all over the country.
We don’t dictate what our chefs cook, but instead give them a platform to tell a story through their menus – recipes that speak to their background or heritage, ingredients they are passionate about, or completely new dishes they’ve been experimenting with on days away from the restaurant. Our platform flips the traditional “dinner out†on its head by putting chefs at the center stage and giving our diners a voice in the process. Each time you attend an event, your feedback and suggestions are shared with the chef so that he or she can iterate and improve on their menu concept. With your input, aspiring chefs are given the tools they need to effectively prototype new dishes and tweak recipes to help them create the next great restaurant concept.
