Delicious Underground - my 500th post!

Just a quick note, this is my 500th Blog Post! Wow! I was waiting to write about this dining experience for my 500th post, so here it is. Enjoy!

Clandestino Dining

a Pop-Up Experience
in the 7 Deadly Sins

Efrain and Lauren thinking about 7 Deadly Sins

Lauren and Efrain, the chefs and creative forces are from Chicago. They happened to be rolling through town after the Memphis in May BBQ Festival, and they decided to offer a pop-up dining experience called Seven Deadly Sins. There were 7 courses, each one representing one of the sins.

Envy: Baby lettuce, Cumberland cheese, goat cheese truffle, honey vinaigrette

What happened was that I was so lucky to be on the list for this event. I show up and I met by the most unbelievably beautiful host and hostess, a grand entryway with a swirling staircase up to the second floor, and the most beautiful art displayed in just the right places. I show up in my country bumpkin soccer mom attire including a "mom" skirt (thank goodness without too many wrinkles) and some sensible shoes that only my former elementary school teachers would love. Some of the other guests, I don't know where they came from, but they were certainly sporting the anti-soccer mom attire, light weight modern era Pucci style dresses, their hair were beautiful and flowing like those Tresemme commercials on TV, and their men looked like they are ready to step into Daniel NYC without being labeled the country bumpkin. I am not Envious of the beautiful guest, but perhaps I did Lust after some of the strappy summery shoes the women were wearing this evening.

Lust: Sopa, trout gravlax, Harissa crema, ramps, rhubarb and strawberries

The Clandestino crew had us start with a happy hour, so all the Tennessee Sinners aka pop-up guests could chat and get to know each other before being seated for dinner. Happy hour had a Tennessee Sinner libation made from a Tennessee bourbon, and accompanied by a guanciale wrapped local strawberry. The guanciale is a house cured free range organic salt cured pork jowl air dried in a Parma tradition. I behaved in a gluttonous manner by taking more than a few of these air dried pork jowl yummies trying to savor the fatty pork flavor.

Mustard green pasta waiting to be made into Wrath

The Sinners happy hour comes to an end, and we are all swept up to the ballroom where the white table cloth tables and chair are set up with candelabras set up as our main source of light. The transom windows were open over head to allow for a mid-spring breeze to flow through the room. The breeze caused the candle light to dance around casting lights and shadow from here to there, making me think I am at Wuthering Heights. When the chefs came in to introduce themselves and their dishes, the candle light danced around them making me see them in some sort of lusty slow motion dream state.

Wrath: Mustart green pappardelle, oxtail ragu, basil olive oil

As we made our way through the 7 deadly sins dinner, it became clear to me that I was sitting across from a male version of me when it comes to food and Oprah! We both like the same things to eat, from a humble grain of rice to something that Frank Stitt might make for us. He loves social dining experiences, as do I. He is also a big Oprah fan, as well as I am, and we chatted about what we are going to do after work when the show is off the air. Well, I need to call my male version of myself and find out what he is doing with and extra hour everyday. I find that I am more apt to go off to the gym rather than seeing what episode of Oprah I recorded, so that is a decent trade I think. I will still miss my Oprah fix (my cable lineup does not have OWN), but at least I am getting out there and not being slothy.

The kitchen where it all happens

The whole dining experience was dreamy and lustful. The ballroom, the candle light, the Pucci dressed guests, and of course the food was just over the top. It almost makes me wonder if this was all a dream or was it real. I am pretty sure it is real because I have the menu at my finger tips, and it is too intricate for me to have made up myself. Efrain and Lauren had to make it up. Here is the prideful, lusty and gluttonous menu of that evening:

Greed: Oyster po'boy with pickled green tomatoes in a soft pretzel roll
Sloth: Pork belly and pea soup
Envy: Baby lettuce with 2 local cheeses and a local honey vinaigrette
Lust: Sope, trout gravlax, and pickled ramps and rhubarb
Gluttony: Foie and French toast
Wrath: Mustard green pappardelle and oxtail ragu
Pride: Four desserts accompanied by a strawberry fizz

Darlings, please extend and invite to me again. I am lusting after the memories of this dinner.