No Reservations at a Seattle Gypsy Dinner

I am one of those shark-like people that has to keep moving so he doesn’t die. This movement, of course, involves eating. I need constant nourishment, otherwise mood swings kick in and poor decisions. But yesterday, I had a meal that not only had me groaning as I lifted the last cinnamon-cream profiterole to my mouth, but has kept me from breakfast, lunch, and dinner today.

I had been invited to participate in a dress rehearsal dinner for Seattle’s premier if not only underground (ie, not legal) restaurant Gypsy (or click here). Gypsy is like a rave or a high school kegger—you have to know somebody to get in. It is like a dining club, similar to the Rainier Club or the Tower Club or the Ruins, but rather than being about society, a view, or faux exclusivity, it is about the food: sharing, tasting, enjoying, and discussing. Dinner may be in a private home at long communal tables or improvised two tops, or in larger rented spaces with professional kitchens.

As an architect, I know that the interior design has a great bearing on the atmosphere, but I also know that a lot of restaurant design sucks: too thematic, forced, or downright tacky. Yet, somehow in these makeshift restaurants, a multitude of sins is forgiven, including the no-credit cards policy.

I had heard about these sort of places before, most notably in the New York Times article Psst ... Alice Waters Sent Me which tracked several illegal restaurants of varying styles and price points. I initially had difficulty in finding out if Seattle had one, but once I found out the name, it was only a Google search away. And once I found the secret, it was as clear as the DaVinci Code, only better written.

I sent off an email for an application, and was a little dazed by the number of questions it asked. But then try shutting me up about food and myself. The reply "You sound cool! You're in!" had a tone that promised lots of fun, irreverent or otherwise. Later, emails would arrive out of the blue, with last minute openings or updated chef schedules. I admit getting a jump on the invites was the final, most compelling reason for getting the BlackBerry. Luckily for us, they are usually on Sunday, a school night, so we don't make it over there as often as we wish. But yesterday....

The rehearsal dinner was a trial run for Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential and the Nasty Bits: Collected Cuts, Useable Trim, Scraps and Bones, and we were being asked to give feed back on the food and wine pairings. Bourdain was in town filming footage here for his show No Reservations, and through a long string of communications, was on the trail of Gypsy. Gabriel Claycamp of Culinary Communion led the kitchen, and new Seattleite and Walla Wallian master sommelier Greg Harrington of Gramercy Wineries paired the food with some amazing wines. Desserts were by Dana Bickford of Earth and Ocean.

I immediatley was offered a glass of wine, but I passed since I predicted a rough work week ahead. But as we sat down to dinner and Champagne was poured for the amuse bouche, my defenses fell. I am not a big wine guy, and truth be told, while I like hearing professionals talk about it, non professionals annoy the bejeezes out me with their wine talk. This is all to lead up to the fact I took only a few notes on the wine (a Chateauneuf du Pape, a Chablis and about 25 others). But they were all good, although it was interesting how sometimes wine fell totally flat or trounced all the food. Greg Harrington was sampling away as well, and it was curious to watch him "work," as he filed away good and bad pairings and thought up alternatives for the latter.

What kinds of twists of fortune lead one to become a master sommelier? It can't just be excellent taste buds and the ability to articulate. Think of the poor guy stuck in Flint who has no idea that his party trick of being able to distinguish between a Bud 40 ouncer vs a bottle vs long neck vs a can vs a keg could be parlayed into the dream job of many deluded oenophiles.

Back to the dinner: The dinner was divided into two alternating menus, the Gold and the Silver (see below), so my first course was a cone filled with lamb tartar and a goat's milk foam. To my left and right were plates of foie gras brulee. The lamb had a distinctly middle eastern flavor, and the foam was, um, foam. (More on foams and Adria Ferran later, and I do mean more.) I didn't get a taste of the foie gras, but I resolved to be bolder in sampling other people’s plates.

The Watermelon Gazpacho was different, but tasty. The Geoduck fritter was probably the best I have ever had--must get that recipe. The bisque was a garnish for the fritter, not the planned other way around. The Copper River Salmon Carpaccio was a delight on the eye and the palate. (Hey it looks good even in my photo!) I think there were two kinds of salmon, probably King and Sockeye.

The highlight of the evening though came not in the form of foie gras, truffles, or some rich piece of meat. It was the marrow fritter and the "pho" with tendons. The marrow looked like a large Tater Tot, but one bite convinced me that this was destined to be eaten again and again. As for the tendons, well, I have avoided tendon pho on our weekly trips to the pho restaurant. But my God were they good in Chef Claycamp's preparation: tender, slightly gelatinous, they were slap in the face that I need to get over many more food phobias.

I have listed two other dinners that we attended. The second (actually our first Gypsy dinner) featured Italian chef Antonio Petruzzi. We were seated at a large communal table with 7 others. Communal tables still give me the hebegeebies—must be that high school thing. The others at the table were older couples, and they all seemed to know one another. But when two of the women began ogling Antonio, and one of the same, after her first bite of the Naked Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Quenelles in Pecorino Sauce with Sauteed Morels, exclaimed that her mouth was having an orgasm, we knew we were at the right table. We laughed and joked, and ate, and ate and laughed more. And it was at this dinner that Dale discovered that he loved authentic absinthe.

The New Years Eve dinner was a riot. An eastside commercial space had been transformed into a party tent-like space. Masks were set out for all the revelers. Three types of raw oysters were being served as were appetizers including a rabbit terrine, which Dale stopped halfway to his lips when he found out what it was. Dinner did not go according to schedule—shocker—but the food was delicious as usual. Three friends joined us, but there were three strangers at the table who interacted very little. (We realized then that your friends should fill the entire round table, or else you go alone and force yourself to interact with the strangers. Instead it was like being at a wedding reception with people you don’t know and will never see again—hmm, come to think of it, I rarely enjoy sitting at round tables. At least at rectangular tables, if you don’t like the person next to you, there is always across the table options.)

Bourdain Gypsy Dinner

Gold Menu

Amuse:Foie Gras Brulee with Pickled Cherries

Cream of Tomato Soup with Bacon Drizzle
2004 Poet's Leap Columbia Valley Riesling

Geoduck Sashimi on Oceanic Gelée

Mâche & Celery Salad with Lardo & Pancetta Dressing
2003 Villa Raiano Fiano di Avellino, Campagnia,
Italy


Copper River Carpaccio with Herb Salad
2005 Soter Yamhill-Carlton District Rosé

~Black Pepper, Tequila, and Strawberry "Otter Pop"~

Roasted Chicken Hearts, Duck Gizzard Confit, and Duck Prosciutto Purses
2001 Domaine du Pesquier Gigondas, Rhône, France

Truffled Braised Veal Cheeks with Morels, Braised Leeks, and Pomme Purée
2004 Waters Columbia Valley Syrah

Lamb Loin "Sous Vide," Brûléed Lamb Tongues, Artichoke Bottoms, Ratatouille, Lavender Demi 2003 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Merlot

"Fig Newton" Toasted Fig Bread with Windsor Bleu and Roasted Grapes
2004 Mission Hill "Five Vineyards" Okanagan Valley Riesling Ice Wine

Bittersweet Chocolate Terrine with a "Cluttering" of Garnishes
2003 Mas Amiel Maury Vin Doux Natural, France

Butterscotch Pudding
1999 Rene Renou "Cuvée Zenith" Bonnezeaux, Loire, France

Mignardise


Silver Menu

Amuse: Cone of Lamb Tartar with Goat's Milk foam

Watermelon Gazpacho
2004 Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano Falanghina, Campagnia, Italy

Creamy Potato Bisque with Crisp Geoduck Fritters

Three Grasses: Raw Asparagus with Bulgarian Feta, Spargel with Vinaigrette, Wild with Olive Oil Sorbet & Grapefruit
2001 Mantlerhof Roter Veltliner "Selection" Kremstal, Austria

Halibut Ceviche "Picada"
2005 Soter Yamhill-Carlton District Rosé

~Douglas Fir, Cinnamon, and Vanilla "Otter Pop"~

Head Cheese, Fried Marrow Sticks, and Boudin Noir
2001 Sierra Cantabria "Cuvée Especial" Rioja, Spain

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Foie Gras Ravioli, Strawberry Compote, Rhubarb Gastrique, and Toasted Pine Nuts
2004 Waters Columbia Valley Syrah


Grilled Hangar Steak in Mushroom Tea, Soft Tendon, Fava Beans, Fondant Potato
Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheese Whiz: Whipped Epoisse with Gaufrette Potatoes & Granny Smith Apples
2004 Mission Hill "Five Vineyards" Okanagan Valley Riesling Ice Wine and Boones' Farm

Strawberry Hill Lime Cheesecake on an Aural Crust with Strawberry Sorbet
2000 Muller Catoir Mussbacher Eselshaut Rieslander Auslese Pfalz, Germany

Lemon Sour Cream Pudding
1999 Rene Renou "Cuvée Zenith" Bonnezeaux, Loire,
France

Mignardise

Chef Antonio Petruzzi: Italy in Seattle June 12th, 2005

"Naked" Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Quenelles in Pecorino Sauce with Sauteed Morels
Castello Di Poppiano, 2003 Vernaccia
di San Gimignano

Carnaroli Risotto with Red Wine, Gorgonzola and Pears
Fattoria Ucceliera, 2002 Chianti

Home-Made Mozzarella Ravioli with Crispy Vegetables and Basil Filet of Sea Bass in Martini Sauce with Grilled Vegetables
Roggiano, 1999 Morellino Di Scansano
Riserva

Chocolate Pocket with Gianduia Soft Heart, Whipped Tiramisu, and Orange Sauce
Malaga Oro Viejo Trasanejo 5 Anos

A Gypsy New Year's Eve Celebration

Celery Root Cappuccino with White Truffle Foam
Jean-Baptiste Adam, Alsace, 2003 Tokay Pinot Gris

Poached Quail Egg on Toasted Brioche with Frisée and Caramelized Onions

Pan Seared Black Cod on a Salt Cod & Currant Stew
Domaine Lafond, Roc-Epine, Lirac 2004 Marsanne
Rousanne

Foie Gras, Unagi, and Scallop Sushi
Jacques Dépagneux, Brouilly, 2004 Beaujolais


Braised Kurobuto Pork Belly on Heirloom Borlotti Beans with Demi Vegetables & Foraged Mushrooms
Vieux Telegramme, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2002

Spice-Crusted Venison Medallions with Parsnips, Cranberry Cassis Compote, and a Game Jus
Maestro Sanguineti, Tuscany, Nessun Dorma 2003 Sangiovese/Merlot/Syrah

Microgreen Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Trilogy of Desserts: Gingerbread Tiramisu, Chocolate Ganache Cake, Eggnog Ice
Viejo, Malaga, 5-Year Moscatell

If you would like to attend a Gypsy dinner,

write: apply@gypsydinners.com