Choose Your Own Adventure with Dinner Lab
One of the coolest and most exciting things is coming to Phoenix and I have all you need to know to get in on it and experience an innovative dining experience, not only here in the Valley, but all around the country.
© Aaron Lyles PIXELLAB pixellab.us
Starting today you can purchase a yearly membership to Dinner Lab, an innovative pop up restaurant concept. Essentially, Dinner Lab allows established and up and coming chefs the opportunity to test out new menus or dishes, something that really has deep meaning to them, on diners and get immediate feedback. The dinner, food, location and ambiance are all synchronized to tell a story.
Maybe there is a chef out there cooking for a corporate or chain restaurant where he cooks the same menu week after week and he wants to create a menu that celebrates his (or her) heritage. Maybe there is a sous chef out there that has been studying and taking it all in for years and thinks they are ready to branch out on their own. This is a fantastic platform in which the best talent in the Valley will be featured, some you may know and some you will never forget after their specially crafted dinner.
© reauxphoto.pixieset.com
Dinner Lab is currently present in 26 markets across the US (from Seattle all the way to Boston), making Phoenix its 27th. Your membership gets you access to all the markets in which Dinner Lab operates, not just the Phoenix area. There can be up to 100 dinners in a host city per year, with 50% of the chef driven dinners coming from the area and the other 50% will be brought in from other markets, guaranteeing an incomparable experience. No two dinners will ever be the same.
As a member, you’ll have access to the dinner information a few weeks before the event, being given all the information except the location; that won’t be released until 24 hours before the dinner. The cost of the dinner is all inclusive, tax and gratuity – all of it. Dinner Lab wants you to settle in and enjoy your dinner and get to know your fellow diners.
© Ryan Green 30mileswest.com
Speaking of other diners, all member can bring up to three guests with them to the dinners (with a paid dinner ticket). A yearly membership is $125 and dinner prices range between $50 and $80 per person and this includes a five course meal, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage as well as tax and gratuity. Aside from a great meal and an epic culinary journey, your membership allows you access to like-minded individuals. Food is universal and no matter where you come from, it brings us together.
Dinner Lab’s first Phoenix dinner will be held on April 10th with Chef Nini Nguyen. Chef Nguyen, a Michelin starred chef, is a New Orleans native who first learned to cook in her Vietnamese grandmother’s Louisiana kitchen. She attended a local Pastry Arts program and then her dreams led her to New York City and huge success.
The scheduled menu promises to be a gourmet mixture of familiar ingredients transformed into works of art.
Viet Nom, Nom, Nom: Authentic Vietnamese from a Michelin starred chef
First| Canh Chua: sour tamarind & prawn soup, tomato & pineapple, rice paddy herbs
Second| Xoi Chien Don: crispy rice cake, soy sauce chicken, shallots
Third| Cha Ca La Vong: turmeric & lemongrass seared fish, vermicelli noodles, dill
Fourth| Thit Kho: caramelized pork belly, rice, fresh herbs & greens, marinated soft boiled eggs
Fifth| Che Chuoi: coconut sorbet, caramelized banana, peanut crumble
This really is such a fun concept and I am excited to have Dinner Lab in the Valley. Will you be opting in? Hope to see you there!
Head over to Dinner Lab to get your membership.
About the Author - Taryn Jeffries
Taryn Jeffries is the owner, editor, writer and Chief Eating Officer of PhoenixBites, an independent Arizona food and dining publication. She's been exploring the Valley's culinary scene since 2010, sharing the stories behind the restaurants, chefs and people who make it delicious. Named the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame's Food Writer of the Year in 2017, Taryn believes good food deserves a good story, honest opinions and occasionally a little sass.
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