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Have you heard about
Underground Dining? It’s apparently the latest trend for foodies: dining out at secret venues along with followers of a particular chef. These “bootleg restaurants” are one night only affairs, often housed in people’s homes, art galleries or other spaces open to hosting themed dinners.
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Chef Amy Jurist
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One of the proponents of
Underground Dining is
Chef Amy Jurist, a former film marketing exec who, ten years ago, decided she’d rather promote food than film, and getting a degree from the
Westlake Culinary Institute,
Chef Amy picked up her utensils and began to cook.
She’s now the owner of
Amy’s Culinary Adventures, a full service catering business. She also helps companies like
Trader Joes create new food products and teaches classes around the L.A. area. But her favorite endeavor is these
Underground Dinners. I attended her latest: “
The Bounty of California.” This $105 per person evening featured fresh seasonal fare from the San Joaquin Valley. It was a 4-course meal with wine pairings located at the world famous
Surfas restaurant supply store in
Culver City. No one knew the location until just before the event. All they knew was that it was going to be in
Culver City. It’s all part of the experience.
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Centerpiece by Fong
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The event was outdoors in the patio of
Surfas with long tables decked out with linens, candles and bottles of wine. The décor was provided by
Jonathan Fong, who’s been working with Amy for years, both having started in the film industry.
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Jonathan Fong
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His creative innovations for the evening, in keeping with the theme, included bouquets of sunflowers with fresh celery serving as the flower stalks. You can check out some of his other inventions at jonathanfongstyle.com
Prior to being seated, appetizers were served along with several wines from the
Temecula Valley and Limoncello Snow Cones from the
Ventura Limoncello Company.
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Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
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Appetizers included Proscuito Wrapped Asparagus with Herbed Goat Cheese; Shrimp, Artichoke Hearts and Avocado in little Cucumber Cups; a nice chunky Guacamole; and my favorite: a 12 Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Pizza.
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Veggie Cheese Pizza
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Amy told me her trick to keeping the dough from getting soggy is to bake it prior to heaping it with the veggies and cheese, which are also cooked separately. Then the toppings are added to the crust, and it’s placed in the oven to brown. Thanks for sharing, Amy!
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Cream of Corn Soup with Crab
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Once everyone was seated, the first course was served: Cream of Farm Fresh Corn Soup topped with a chunk of King Crab and an edible pansy. A heaping basket of sourdough bread was placed on the table along with little bowls of roasted garlic butter.
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Pistachio Crusted Halibut
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Next came a Pistachio Crusted Halibut with a Tangle of Root Vegetables that included yams, purple potatoes and yucca. Beautiful presentation.
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Colorado Lamb Chops with Wild Race Pilaf
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And for meat eaters Chef Amy prepared Flowering Thyme and Garlic Grilled Baby Lamb Chops with Wild Rice Pilaf and Dried California Fruit. My husband, who doesn’t usually like lamb, loved these chops. We discovered the meat was from Colorado rather than New Zealand…not as gamey.
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Tripe Treat Dessert
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And while most of us were already loosening our belts, we were then served a trio of desserts: A Date Shake Shooter, an Almond Florentine Napoleon with Cherry Almond Ice Cream and an Amaretto Macerated Cherry Compote. The best of the three: the little Date Shake…creamy vanilla ice cream blended with dates….not as “datey” as some I’ve had en route to Palm Springs.
As Chef Amy herself describes her meals, this was definitely “yummy, decadent food.”
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Our Two Favorite Wines from Temecula
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The wines paired with the dinner included selections from
Vindemia,
Hart and
Palumbo Wineries in the
Temecula Valley. My fave:
Vindemia’s Cabernet Franc. My husband’s:
Palumbo’s Tre Fratelli.
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Chef Amy Jurist
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If you’re interested in checking out
Amy Jurist’s underground events you can get on her email list at amy@amysculinaryadventures.com, and for other underground adventures there’s theghet.com.
Dining out has just gotten a lot more interesting…..
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on Hettie Lynne Hurtes/Photos by Randy Roberts
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