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Underground-restaurant
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Demitasse March- Food and Wine Menu[1]
The movement started years ago--in Australia, no less--but took hold in St. Louis only a year and a half ago, courtesy of a guy who calls himself The Clandestine Chef. He now hosts two dinners a month (some themed, some not), every one with a different twist and a different menu. For me, the most intriguing aspect is that the venue is kept secret until the morning of the event. A bungalow in Maplewood? A log cabin in the woods? His UR dinners have been been held in both. There's a website, a Facebook page, he's on Twitter, he's done the requisite bit on Show Me St. Louis, even got a shout-out in the Wall Street Journal...he's still underground, sure, but he's been pushing all the above-ground buttons. There's even a new set of dinners, called "Upstairs"--more courses, more wines, more finesse--dinners held in a fixed location.
Which brings us to the newest member of the secret club.
This one's called Demitasse (no website as yet), and it operates slightly differently. Demi's monthly dinners are currently held in a static location as well--in the home of the Demitasse chef. The advantage is obvious...chef gets to cook in his own kitchen, one he actually designed and built, one with lots of Viking--and no surprises. I attended the third dinner: 7 courses/5 wines, outstanding from start to finish, and well worth the $75 pp. Dinner reservations are secured by emailing the chef directly at: demitasseunderground@gmail.com
This summer, Demitasse will operate from a farm in Augusta; in the meantime, the next set of dinners is this weekend, March 12 and 13 (menu is below). And, it's an easy drive...the chef lives in University City. -- George Mahe
