Titled the Winter Harvest Dinner, it will take place on February 29th, beginning at 6pm with a cocktail hour and then the actual dinner begins around 7pm. For this month's event, the chefs involved have put together a six course vegan and gluten-free menu for $65/person. Tickets go on sale today and can be purchased through the website.
Having been to one of their events (more to come on that soon), they are not only providing great food, but the overall experience is really fun and unique.
What a tremendous waste of $$$, even by Vegan/Vegetarian standards. 6 courses of dirt-grown mush.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ a $150 (incl tip) MONDAY NIGHT dinner for 2 without any expensive/prestigious ingredients.
How disgraceful, and disgusting.
Confused why Monday night seems to be such an issue for you?
DeleteAdditionally, any multi-course dinner tends to be more costly and cooking without relying on meat or grains as substantiative and easy main ingredients often takes more effort, more creativity, more ingredients, and more time. Keep in mind these are just the names of the dishes - they're not labeling everything going into them.
If it's not for you, that's totally understandable but I don't know why you think it's disgusting or disgraceful.
Do you dine out a lot on Monday evenings? And if yes - do you like spending $65, just for you, on an unbalanced meal which severely lacks nutrition: no amino-chain proteins (soy is unhealthy) and no complex carbs. These dishes dont require any extra ingredients than those of a better balanced (and better tasting) meal.
ReplyDeleteFollow up: Are these chefs famous and/or prestigious? Because they GOTTA BE for charging $150 for two people for a bunch of plates of produce which prob cost them $5 each (maybe less). And yes....thats DISGRACEFUL.
The best steak in Hudson County is less than that.
I would guarantee this dinner has the lowest turn out of any to-date. Why? 1) Unattractive menu 2) Insulting price 3) Inconvenient night to eat out 4) THE SMUGNESS
This is not something I would do every week, but for an overall unique experience - private group dining, a specialty menu - sure, Monday night is fine and the expense is not unexpected.
DeleteAlso, there's no soy listed on this menu. Panisse is made from chickpeas - a source of protein and complex carbohydrates.
As are Greek Giant Beans for that matter....
DeleteI'm so sorry to see that you are offended by the menu and event in general. This is not for everyone, but I can assure you that no smugness is involved.
DeleteThe nature of small business is that operating costs are higher than larger, heavily funded business ventures. I'm sure you've seen the difference between retail and wholesale prices before. When you are creating a six course menu for 30 people your price per plate is higher than that of a menu that's replicated 300 times in one night. Beyond food costs, the price of a ticket goes towards the myriad of costs that are known as operating costs. The venue/equipment rentals alone are enough to write home about, but I'm sure you've had experience throwing a large party before. You can understand how much goes into it monetarily, physically, and mentally.
That being said, Chilltown Kitchen is a grassroots operation and everyone who is involved, guests included, embrace that aspect of our efforts. We are very thankful for the support and enthusiasm we've received from the community.
What we do at Chilltown Kitchen is unique in the fact that it's a once a month event. The goal is to create an experience for our guests that goes above and beyond an average dinner for two. Actually, we encourage guests to come alone with the intentions of making connections with the other diners. Many of those connections have extended beyond our dinners into friendships and business relationships. In order to foster that environment, we welcome a limited amount of guests to our communal dinner table.
The reason it's on a Monday night is strategic. We are a pop-up. In order to exist in an actual restaurant space without accommodating crippling costs, we need to occupy a fully functioning restaurant that is unused. Traditionally, venues will close on Sundays and Mondays since they are the slowest nights of the week. Beyond that, there is less competition in terms of other events going on and it's easy for the staff (who are all employed elsewhere) to get the day off. In general, our guests have something nice to look forward to on a Monday night and we get full reign of an otherwise occupied space.
To address your displeasure with the menu, I can assure you that there are more ingredients and finesse going into each of these dishes than what is listed. We have yet to do a full vegetarian-friendly menu and over the past months, I've received enumerable request. When putting out 6 unique dishes, some are going to shine over others- it's the nature of the game. At this point, our repeat guests trust that we will provide them with a delicious meal that is worth their hard earned money. We do not take that lightly. People work hard for what they have and we are honored that they choose to spend some of it with us. We would never be so bold as to ask someone to pay $65 for flavorless purees and some roasted veggies. That is why I refused to include any soy in this meal. It was done as a concerted effort to highlight the creativity and complex flavors that make a vegan meal healthier and more satisfying than slapping a steak on the grill. In addition, the sad reality of our food system makes nutrient-dense, plant-based food more expensive than meat.
Everything on the menu is made from scratch and part of the dining experience is explaining the nuances of the dish to the group. From there, they are invited to taste what we've created and form their own opinions. I personally welcome feedback from my guests, because we're not looking to become celebrity chefs. We're looking to hone our craft so that we can provide an experience that is unlike your average trip to any restaurant. With all of that being said, I welcome you to email me at alysis@chilltownkitchen.com. I'm open to constructive criticism and available to answer further questions about how our supper club comes to fruition.
If we have the pleasure of connecting before the event, I would love to extend an invitation to have you dine with us.
Are you guys a for-profit venture? If so....
DeleteGood lord, if you don't like the menu, move on. This passionate hatred of it is so bizarre.
ReplyDelete