The past few weeks have been busy for me, for those that subscribe to my Twitter feed you’ve heard me dropping hints about a secret event that I was hosting. Well, today I get to tell you all about it!
[ No Recipes ] was one of 24 blogs selected to commemorate the official launch of the Foodbuzz Publisher Community by creating a unique meal, then blogging about it. Foodbuzz is a community of food lovers buzzing about everything from restaurants, to food porn, to recipes. While I’m not going to be quitting my day job anytime soon, their Publisher Community helps me pay for some of the costs involved in running this blog through the ads in the right column. If you’re interested in signing your blog up for this program, click here.
From the moment I first got their email calling for proposals I knew exactly what I wanted to do. With the density of over-hyped, over-decorated, over-priced restaurants here in Manhattan, there’s been a food-counter-culture backlash of “underground restaurants” popping up all over town. The term refers to an unlicensed restaurants that opens up for one night, usually out of someone’s apartment. The decor is typically pretty sparse and they are illegal in the way speakeasy’s were during prohibition.
Perhaps the prospect of getting an amazing multi-course dinner for the price of a take-out Chinese meal is the draw, or maybe it’s the surreptitious nature of the dining experience. Whatever the case, underground restaurants have been growing in popularity in big cities around the world.
I set out to turn my 550 sq/ft hole-in-the-wall apartment into a comfortable dining experience rivaling someone of my favourite Manhattan restaurants. Being one that likes a challenge (and one that likes to support sustainable agriculture), I also committed to sourcing the majority of my ingredients locally.
While it wasn’t simple, turning my living room and kitchen into a restaurant proved a lot easier than sourcing all my food locally. In the end I’d say I got about 80% of my ingredients from producers within a couple hundred miles of NYC.
I started with small vendors specializing in local goods like Saxelby Cheesemonger in Essex Market and Vintage New York in SoHo. Then there were many trips to the local Green Markets held throughout the week in the parks around New York City. As a last resort I found that Wholefoods actually has a decent selection of locally sourced food, all of which is conveniently labeled with a big green “local” sticker.
By buying local goods you not only help out small family run farms, but you’re also reducing your carbon footprint because it doesn’t need to be trucked/trained/flown in from across the country.
The social and environmental impact aside, I like buying local because the food just tastes better and is better for you. With fruit they are typically organic and riper/sweeter because they don’t have to be picked green (to survive the shipping time). Meat tends to be more flavorful because the animals are fed wholesome natural diets rather than the hormone and antibiotic laden formulas used in overcrowded feedlots trying to maximize a large corporation’s bottom line.
For those that have wondered what you can accomplish in the trailer-home-sized kitchens provided with most Manhattan apartments, this whole dinner (as well as every recipe on this blog) was prepped in this kitchen. No, there isn’t more to it that’s been cropped off, that’s all of it. This shot was taken from the middle of my living room.
After a day of work, the theft of 2 folding chairs from work, and the acquisition of a $20 card table off Craigslist, I was in business. I set up a dimmer on the room lighting and used candles on the tables to create some ambiance. The glassware and flatware were a bit of a grab bag, but I figured I could pass that off euphemistically as “charm”.
So what was for dinner at No Menus? You can click here for the printed list of the courses along with their wine pairings as seen by the guests, or read on for the course-by-course replay. Hit the links for recipes.
Faux Gras de Poulet with vanilla white plum preserve and brioche
Frozen Caprese Salad - Heirloom tomato granita on top of basil and fresh mozzarella
Kuromitsu pork chop served with kinako powder and creamy maple polenta succotash
selection of four local cheeses: Mecox Sunrise, Prima Cacciotta, Sprout Creek Rita, Old Chatham Ewe’s Blue
Kaffir Lime yogurt panna cotta with a summer rasberry puree
The best part? This restaurant comes with a couch to lounge around on after dinner.
For more photos of the event check out our Flickr album. Many thanks go out to Foodbuzz for making this happen, as well as all the local vendors for putting up with my incessant questions about the source of their food. Also special thanks to L for all her help in making this thing happen.
Disclaimer: For any city health inspectors that may be reading this post, I didn’t collect any money from my guests, so there was no food being sold to the public.
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WOW! I wish I could have been there! Great post and the photos are fantastic!
Dude! Looks amazing… I’ll give you plenty of notice for my next NYC trip so you can start planning a sequel!
that sounds like so much fun! great job!
Thanks for a great experience and a great meal! We are still dreaming about the panna cotta…
really impressive. you did an absolutely beautiful job. i hope you feel pretty damn good about yourself!
These cheese selection and the lime yogurt panna cotta look wonderful! Wow.. creamy maple polenta, how interesting! I love your collage and use of white.. yes, it did the trick to enlarge your space! Congrats and wonderful write up!
that pork chop was OFF THE FUCKING HOOK. and i still don’t know how he cooked in the 7 square feet of kitchen he had to work with, i think he’s some kind of wizard, or possible a wizard.
thanks so much for inviting us - we had a great time!
Marc, what an amazing idea! The meal looks incredible…like something out of a restaurant, not someone’s apartment
Well done!
By the way, I think my kitchen is actually smaller than yours…and five people share it LOL. Looking forward to reading all the recipes.
That is one delicious menu! It’s also great that you used local produce– amazing how much more care one guy in his apartment can show than hundreds of restaurants in the area that actually function with licenses and stuff! Good job!
Well done Marc - you pulled it off beautifully! I find it funny that we both did a deconstructed take on Caprese salad - food blogger psychic abilities? I think so.
Also, I’m jealous of your fridge so big and shiny!!
I love the concept–and how awesome that afterward, there’s a nice sofa to lounge on and reflect / digest!! The cheeses…the pork chop…the salad…oh, everything!
What a wonderful menu! Let me know when you really start operating an underground restaurant.
thanks for visiting my post. Yours looks delicious–I particularly love the caprese salad idea. I would definitely have attended (and might have even paid.)
I can barely make a dish for a potluck. Forget about turning my apartment into a restaurant!
You put on a beautiful spread Marc…absolutely stunning! It was great getting a peek into your apartment as well. Great job!
I was looking forward to reading what you pulled off! Looks fabulous, and I’m going to have to check out the details once I regain some energy from today’s marathon posting (and I can’t stop editing
).
Now for some No Recipes Recipes.
What a fantastic idea, Marc, and beautifully executed. Great job!
Next time, West Coast!
WOW fantastic idea, post and photos. You had a great time, probably as good as we did
This sounds and looks incredible. I can’t wait for something like this to happen in London.
Fabulous! What a great idea for the 24 24 24! Your menu is so interesting, everything with a twist. I would have been happy there for sure! Here’s to your successful evening. Congratulations!
marc, what a wonderful event to hold! and the table decor is lovely. the menu looks fantastic as well - well I know it’s ‘No Menu’ but the dishes you served are beautiful. and I didn’t know underground restaurants existed! how interesting
Fabulous dinner, sometimes the meal is eaten on the sofa too!
Outstanding idea! A lot of work, but well worth it when I look at that menu. I, too, ask a lot of questions about where our food comes from. So far, they’ve all been patient!
An amazing idea and an even more incredible apartment transformation! It’s incredible what you can do in the kitchen when you put your mind to it…I guess it’s time for me to open my own restaurant (in my apartment!)
thanks for the inspiration!
inspiring! we once had 10 people for dinner in our 750 square footer and that was tough. gotta do a dance to get around people.
this looks creative and delicious. anytime you need guests, we’re only a borough away
What a fabulous idea! Looks great!!!
Beautiful dinner, and great transformation of your apartment! Love it!
Stacey Snacks
Thanks Marija! I would have liked to try out the food you showcased in your 24 post:-)
Evan, you know you were invited;-P
Thanks Aran, it was fun, but hopefully I’ll be in a bigger place the next time I try it.
Holly & Kelly, up for Apotheke later this week?
Thanks Claudia, it did feel like a bit of an accomplishment:-)
Laurie, I’m glad the changes came through in the photos, I wasn’t sure if it would carry through. Thanks
Michelle, we should do a TNS/No Recipes collaboration sometime;-)
Thanks Laura! Smaller? 5 people?
Manggy thanks, there are some good restaurants here that support local agriculture but it would be nice if more of them did:-)
Christie, that is funny, I guess we must have blog-dar. The fridge is shiny but big?! I think I’ve seen ice chests that are bigger.
Cakespy thanks, I thought you’re idea (and techniques) were quite creative as well!
Kian, I surely will, perhaps I thinking about signing up for your October dinner, is there still room left?
Thanks Maybelles mom!
ZenKimchi, the cooking was the easy part, getting stuff local and finding room for 8 people in here was more of a challenge.
Peter, thanks! I’m always curious what kind of kitchen all the other food bloggers cook in as well so I thought others might have my same curiosity:-)
Giff, I feel your pain, I think posting was the hardest part of all especially given what a nice day it was outside on Sunday.
Heather, thanks! Hey if you’re ever out here in NYC or I’m ever in PDX, we’ll definitely have to do a collab.
Thanks FoodJunkie:-)
Jonathan, I’m sure there are underground restaurants there, but they wouldn’t be underground if everyone knew about them
Try hanging out around local food message boards and websites.
Thanks Lori Lynn!
Diva thanks! That means a lot coming from someone with such good taste:-)
Peter, yea that’s really more my style of dinner party, but this was fun for a change.
Kellypea, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
Food Woolf, I hope try it out. Good luck, I can’t wait to hear how it goes:-)
We Are Never Full, wow 10 people is impressive. I’m not sure I could have squeezed another 2 people worth of food out of my kitchen in a timely manner. We should do a food blogger event sometime. I had Michelle from TNS over and Robyn from Serious Eats.
Thanks Ginny!
Stacey thanks:-)
Beautiful! So much work! Very impressed.
Marc. You are brilliant. I wish we’d been there for the event. Next time we come to NY maybe. I’m actually looking into possibly moving there next year, fingers crossed. Anyway, your food looked exquisite. Well done!
think my comment got lost hehe…
Just want to congratulate you on a job well done - everything from the concept to the decor to the food to the photography is just perfect. And nice peek into your apartment =)
Thanks _ts:-)
Syrie, if you’re ever in NYC, do give me a buzz. That’s awesome that you might be moving here, there’s definitely room in this city for another great blogger (and no shortage of amazing food).
Thanks Noobcook, and sorry about your comment, my spam filter can be a little passive/aggressive sometimes.
I am seriously impressed and inspired! I too live in a minuscule flat, about the size of yours, and it’s amazing to see the space transformed. Well done!
You got some incredible results out of your small (but lovely) space. I’ve done quite a bit of cooking on the road in my RV and I know how challenging working in such a small space can be.
I’ll definitely be making your Kuromitsu porkchop with kinoko powder.
Great job with your 24, 24, 24!
I really enjoyed this post, and as a fellow member of the “Foodbuzz 24″ fraternity, I know how much hard work you put into it. Congratulations!
Wow!
I must say you must have enjoyed each and every moment of this event!
Hard work pays off! Nice to k now you through Foodbuzz!
You have a lot of STYLE! Looks wonderful and I’m sure it was a lot of fun. Nice job.
An underground restaurant, what a great idea! Very impressive to see the transformation of your apartment too.
Great job! You never, ever cease to amaze me with your talents! Everything you do is so clean, polished and professional!
This sounds amazing. I want an invite next time. Hehe
Looks great! I was just invited to an underground restaurant here in LA. Fun!
This sounds like so much fun! I’m impressed with what you can do in the space you have! Amazing!
what a impressive dinner.. I wish we are invited…..