Burrowing into the Underground

Welllll … I’m going to my first underground restaurant over the long weekend and will post a follow-up report on same. For the uninitiated, the concept of the underground restaurant originated in other countries but is relatively new here. The first whispers of the phenom appeared in the national press less than 5 years ago. I believe it’s still primarily an east/west coast occurrence, but then again, there’s no real way to know for sure, because it’s all under … the radar. And that’s part of the charm and the mystique … Googlesearch "underground" restaurants and you’ll come up woefully flat, hungry for details. Locally, the movement is like a prairie dog in March: it’s just now beginning to poke its head above ground. UR’s are held in venues from private homes to warehouses and serve a single, prix fixe menu (sometimes announced, sometimes not) at one (or several) seatings. They’re a little like an MP3 or “freeze” event (remember the one in Grand Central Station?), in that details are purposely dribbled out at the last minute. In this case, I know my seating time but have no idea exactly where I will be going—I only know the municipality, a wise inclusion in these gas-conserving days. The diner can at least pre-determine the drive time (or whether the drive even makes sense). Invitation is by a word-of-mouth referral only. The worthy diner is then given a website and a password, which provide access to the menu, price, seating time and the general vibe of the place. My reservation was confirmed quickly but the final specs (like the exact street address) will be emailed close to show time. It should be noted that since UR’s have no business license, no health department blessing and may well ignore the tax man, they are technically illegal. But somehow, to me, a guy merely anxious for an unusual dining experience, this doesn’t exactly qualify as living on the edge. However, should I end up in the pokey, my next post may be a tad delayed. — George Mahe