There’s Underground Market, then there is Underground Dinning.
Underground Dinning is a growing trend here in USA. The concept is the chef/ or person who just love to cook, hosts the dinner at his/her private home instead of the restaurant. I read about it in the web news (ABC news did a small article on it) before, and have been itching to try it because:
1. Good way to interact with the chefs and ask them questions about cooking.
2. I want to try dinning in a more intimate setting instead of the busy, hustling restaurant.
3. I want to meet more people in the San Francisco area.
I accidentally stumble upon such a group called The Grub Club at Meetup.com. They are still in beta and testing the concept, but now accepting new chefs and foodies. I signed myself up, and been waiting for a chance to be involved either as a chef or as the foodies.
Finally there was dinner that matched my schedule. This time is a dinner by Chef Adams, the first chef at The Grub Club/GoGrubly. Chef Adams use to go fishing a lot and his brother is a fisherman in Alaska right now, so tonight’s dinner is Guacamole, Halibut Fish Tacos, and Fresh Fruit & Sorbet.
There were about 8 people who signed up for the dinner, and I have never met any of them before. When we arrived at Chef Adam’s place, he just finished making the guacamole for the appetizer. Chef Adam is from Texas, and gladly shared his secret ingredient that spice up the guacamole …jalapeno and Jalapeno juice.
Next Chef Adams rounds everyone up and start talking about the fish we be eating for dinner. It was informative and turned into a great discussion about the food chain in the ocean.
After he finishes cooking, its dinner time!!(The world just does not matter anymore when you bit into the freshly made fish tacos)
We had people from New Zealand, Europe, and locals in the bay area. During dinner, all the guests mingled pretty well and we had many interesting conversations ranging from everyone’s daily jobs to healthcare system, researches, new technology, and cooking experience. Pretty random I know, but it was a great way to connect and network with others in town. (And gets a peek at each others opinions and personality)
I really loved the dinner and want to try out more different chefs’ dinner. I know they have chefs who specialize in organic food, vegetarian, Italian….etc. I recommend this kind of dinning experience not just for locals, but for people who are traveling and wants a piece of the local American flavor in their travel experience. It is a great way to have a cultural exchange and have an excellent dinner without the stress of choosing a restaurant and waiting in line for food!
(We licked our plates clean, intellectually satisfied, and made a few new friends!)
Overall I think:
Atmosphere: 5 (out of 5) You get to meet people and the chef in a more intimate setting.
Food: 4 (out of 5) Really depends on the chef you signed up for (and what you like to eat), but usually GoGrubly screens their chefs before they host a dinner/lunch. Each chef have his/her own specialty.
Price: hmm I cannot rate this one because every chef and dinner varies. The price range I have seen for different dinners are from $12 dollars to $60 dollars, set by the individual chefs.
FootTracker 
I have heard of underground dinners, but have never been to one but this sounds like so much fun and a great way to people that you normally wouldn’t meet while experimenting with trying new foods as well. Thanks for the review. I will have to look on meetup.com and see if there are any in my area.
Your Welcome! I was pretty scared at first when I signed up since I did not know what to expect, but I loved the experience. The organizers for the group were able to answer my questions prior to the dinner also, which made me felt more confident about going to the dinner. I hope you will find a good one in your area ^_^ (Or if you come visit the US, you can join one also!)
What a fantastic concept! I would totally love to do this, but it’s hard to stay in one place long enough if the list/wait is long. 🙂
For the group I joined at meetup.com, they have different dinners every week from week-day nights to weekends. Just that I work at night during week days, so my choice is limited. Usually there is no wait list because they offer enough variety of dinners every week. =)
Hey, great idea! Never heard of it downunder here in OZ, but it’s got a lot of potential!! After reading your description of the meal, I’m salivating …
Thank you. It’s interesting because we had people from Australia and New Zealand area that comes to the dinners and other meet up activities. If you come to visit San Francisco areas, should try it once !
Would love to do this one day – also a rising trend in Europe. Paris and Barcelona have thriving underground dining scenes 🙂
Nice shots as well
If you try it at your area, please write about it and let me know. I would love to see how underground dinning is like at other areas!
Haha, the room had dim lights when I was taking the photos, so I had to Photoshop all the photos to make them “visible” XD Hopefully next time I have a better camera and more lights so I can take better food photos!
I attended something similar a few summers ago in Brooklyn. What this person did was invite 5 or 6 chefs to come to his place and cook. He selected a theme and each chef had to present their interpretation. Was lovely and very well attended. We got to sample everything for, I think, $10.
O.O wow nice! 5 chefs for $10 dollars, nice deal!!. I really love events like this because we get to eat something that you may not be able to find in restaurants. =)