Emma Lorraine

Dinner Date at Whist

Looking for dates in all the wrong places? How about discovering that the right place combines your love of political discourse, eclectic music, and a quirky look at the culinary world. Radio station KCRW is putting forth its inner yenta with Dinner Date.

For awhile now a group of us at KCRW has been noticing that the people who come to our events seem to have a lot to say to each other even if they've never met before. The singles amongst us simultaneously got a thought bubble about KCRW venturing into the date match space. This of course led to riotous laughter and a spate of catchy unusable names. And yet, the idea lingered. After all, we have this huge list of restaurants that support the station through the fringe benefits member discount program. We have DJs who love to share their favorite playlists. So there you have food and music. Doesn't Shakespeare say "If music be the food of love play on"? But in this town it doesn't really have to be about searching for love. It can just be about searching for good conversation, friendship and possibilities. And so much of what the station is exploring now is about possibility. Bringing people together is at the heart of that.

More >>

J. Cabral

Spot Prawn, Escabeche, Cauliflower, Peas

Has the age of the pop-up restaurant already passed its prime? These days, when a seat at LudoBites garners the same demand as playoff tickets at Staples Center and Wolvesmouth chef Craig Thornton finds himself rebuffing weekly offers from Vegas investors looking to commercialize his underground dinners into a multimillion-dollar endeavor, that statement might not be seen as much of a stretch.

Yet here we are in the thick of it: Ten strangers gathered in the chilly evening air outside a nondescript East Hollywood apartment complex, waiting to attend another dinner reserved via email and housed in a space with which we are not remotely familiar.

Miles Thompson, a former Son of a Gun chef who launched his first underground dinner club called the Vagrancy Project earlier this month, buzzes us in upstairs. He runs the events out of his own apartment, a small one-bedroom with a long black table and a set of mix-n-match chairs running the length of the living room.

More >>

Downtown Los Angeles supper club KTCHN 105 is looking for a prep cook/dishwasher. How do we know? They posted on their Facebook page.

What does it entail? Prepping food and washing dishes.

How do you apply? Call: (714) 720-2260.

Caleb Chen

Craig Thornton takes a break from cooking

If you read part 1 of our interview with Wolvesden's Craig Thornton, you learned about his difficult childhood, his stint at Bouchon in Las Vegas, and how he developed some of his unique creative flair. For part 2, we continue the conversation, and find out about his time as a private chef for Nicholas Cage, and the genesis of Wolvesden.

We also spoke about with Thornton about the amount of work that actually goes into one of his multi-course dinners, how difficult it is to get into one (you can join the mailing list here), and where he draws the line on his pay-what-you-can price structure. If you're feeling especially bold in the kitchen (or want to really surprise the guests at your next dinner party), you should make sure to check back tomorrow for Thornton's "Wolves in the Snow" recipe. Or as he describes it in the interview below, "a wolf attack-scene on a plate."

More >>

Caleb Chen

Craig Thonton over his stove

Back in August, we happened upon a photo from an underground supper club called Wolvesden. The blogs were already raving about these secret dinners, and in October, we had the opportunity to dine at one ourselves. There were thirteen of us there that night, with each person bringing bottles of wine and beer, which were shared openly amongst the group. We ate and drank for over four hours, put down thirteen courses, and left more than a little full.

The man behind the stoves was 28-year-old Craig Thornton, who took a rather unusual career path, leading him to a rather unusual professional situation. He cooks, preps, and shops almost entirely by himself. He refuses to work in a professional kitchen, or even to open his own restaurant. Thornton, it seems, does things his own way. So we sat down with the chef just before the holidays, and talked about his difficult childhood, the intentions behind Wolvesden, and how he formed his own personal style.

Check back tomorrow for part 2, and later this week for a recipe from the chef.

More >>

Flickr user nourishedkitchen

Now Among Those With The Power To Make You Blush

We try to refrain from devoting too much time to descriptions that equate food with soft-core porn, but we were curious about the woman behind what some have dubbed "the crack meets hot sex of olives." Curious and a bit wary, so we met our Olive Maker over coffee. In broad daylight.

Her name is Alessandra Innamorato, a private chef turned impromptu olive smoker after last year's Thanksgiving dinner, when a kitchen experiment (tossing some olives a friend gave her into her new backyard smoker) turned out to be pretty good. Really good, actually. For more on how the 41-year-old went from working as a street performer in Barcelona to make ends meet (she was the rhinestone-bejeweled cat, if you happened to be abroad during her Las Ramblas tenure) to smoking California-grown fruit ten hours a day, turn the page.

More >>

Gastronomnom.com

Tomato, bacon cake, bacon, basil

We learned about Wolvesmouth entirely by accident. While trolling through the LA Weekly Flickr pool, searching for a daily blog photo, we came across a real visual standout. The dish, called "F**k BP Oil Spill," was a culinary response to a national disaster -- an edible recreation of environmental tragedy. The chef behind the dish was 28 year-old Craig Thornton ("Wolvesmouth"), who runs a one-man underground supper club, regularly taking place at a private, secret location in Los Angeles. The dinners, keeping with the wild canine theme, are known as Wolvesden, referred to by Thornton as more a dinner party than a restaurant.

Fortunately for us, we were able to acquire an invitation to come see Wolvesden for ourselves this past Saturday. We arrived at the specified secret address, called the phone number we were given, and were eventually brought in to the simply decorated interior. Thornton encourages guests to bring their own beverages -- as he will provide only food and water -- and to move around, socialize, and engage throughout the dinner.

More >>

Supper Liberation Front

For one rare night, chefs Josh Gil and Daniel Snukal take their semi-underground, pop-up restaurant legit, bringing Supper Liberation Front to Oaxacan stalwart Guelaguetza. Think of this as a taste of things to come. What things? We can't say.

Gil, who earned his Michelin star while serving as the chef de cuisine at Joe's Restaurant in Venice, and Daniel Snukal, who trained with Masa Takayama, Pierre Gagnaire and Hiro Urasawa, will serve seven courses of contemporary Oaxacan fare including one with chapulines (grasshoppers), one with agave worms and a dessert made with Oaxacan chocolate.

Bricia Lopez, who helps run Guelaguetza, Pal Cabron and Natura Oaxacan Juice Bar along with her father (Fernando Sr.) and brother (Fernando Jr.) recently returned from a one-week "fact finding mission" to Oaxaca.

More >>

Supper Liberation Front

One of the many advantages of living and dining in Los Angeles is that you can wear shorts to your favorite Michelin-starred restaurant. Now not only can you walk into Spago in flip-flops, but you have someplace where your Che Guevara T-shirt will be seriously appropriate attire. It might even get you in the door, assuming you can find it.

The Supper Liberation Front, a sort-of secret supper club, was launched in February by two former white-tablecloth chefs with the noms de guerre of Sacco and Vanzetti, who "love fancy kitchen tools but hate fancy airs. We cook not for fame or fortune or to put our names on frozen pizzas. Occasionally we advocate culinary anarchy."

There are a few caveats, because it's secret and therefore there are rules. The chefs have actual families, so they don't cook on weekends (they serve Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays). You don't know the location (permit issues, etc.) until you sign up and have both your reservation and the location confirmed via email. Oh, and you can't make a reservation in the first place unless you know the chefs personally, or are friends with somebody who is, or has dined with them before.

More >>

Erinn Eichinger

Rachael Narins and Suzanne Griswold - Chicks With Knives

About a day before a Chicks with Knives dinner, guests are emailed the address to a secret location. On the night of the event, they arrive at a home they've never been to before and knock on the door. And while they don't have to give a secret password to enter, the evening starts out feeling a little like stepping into a speakeasy.

Welcome to a supper club dinner put on by chefs Rachael Narins and Suzanne Griswold who also go by Chicks with Knives. "Our dinners are usually four courses and we serve between 16 and 20," says Narins. "And it's just all about bringing together adventuresome people who love food."

The evening starts out like your typical cocktail party and then The Chicks gather the diners for a pre-dinner run down of the menu and their passion for the sustainable, organic and local ingredients. Says Griswold "we want everyone to support their communities and buying organic and local is an easy way to do that." From there, the meal begins.

More >>