Getting the Raw Deal

Up five flights of stairs, on one of the hottest days of the summer I found a hidden location for New York's hottest dining trend: supper clubs. Underground dinners, popular during the great depression are taking root again, and the modern versions are often recession and environmentally friendly. Supper clubs can have an exclusive air, but it seems that many will welcome you, that is, if you can find them -- Websites can be out of date, if available at all. It might have been the heat, the spiked lemonade served right when you finished the last flight of stairs or the easy conversation between newfound friends, but the atmosphere at this club was purely southern hospitality.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the third dinner of The New Deal: A Progressive Supper Club; this one was held at Green Spaces, an office and event space for green entrepreneurs in downtown Brooklyn. The New Deal is run by Sarah Pace, the owner of Rabbit Mafia Catering and Suzanne Barr from Sweet Potato Bakery. Pace loves "the dinner-party feeling, cooking for people who are curious and want to try something new and who appreciate what goes into making food really incredible." If you're in New York City and like the dinner-party feeling, too, you're in luck — the next Rabbit Mafia supper club is this Wednesday, September 16th.

Pace and Barr teamed up to make us a raw supper club dinner. Before you scoff at raw food, Pace wants to remind you that summer is the best time for raw food and she says, "We have only one true raw food person (that we work with) and we have managed to fill our venue with meat eaters and pescatarians and vegetarians, but not raw foodies and I think that's really wonderful." Pace prides herself on working with companies that support the local economy and American industries. In addition to partnering with Sweet Potato Bakery, she also worked with 44 North Vodka, an artisanal vodka company from Idaho, and the local and sustainable fish was supplied by Sea to Table.

The seating was an eclectic mix of old and new chairs and the tables were communal in various sizes. I took a seat and discovered I was seated with the chef's family. Pace stopped by to warn them to be on their best behavior as I was writing about the dinner. She stopped by during dinner to check on everyone's meal — but we weren't getting special treatment — she was attentive to her 30 or so guests.

A whimsical evening with wonderful service is nothing if the food doesn't win you over as well. I was squarely in the camp of the raw food skeptics, but on this warm evening I was loving the food in its natural but heightened state. We started off with slightly spicy watermelon mint ice cubes, floating in watermelon soup. The brightly colored soup was perfect parts sweet and edgy. Next came the ceviche. There were those who had the vegetarian option, a mushroom and avocado version with Tahiti slaw served in a pepper. It looked delicious, but couldn't possible compare to the Alaskan rockfish and side-striped shrimp ceviche with Wild Alaskan Coho salmon and sesame cucumber salad that I devoured. Cool and refreshing with pops of citrus, it was the kind of dish that made you want to pile each distinct flavor up on your fork so you could feel the fun of the whole dish in each bite. Dessert was a stone fruit raw pie with a praline crust and pignoli whipped cream. A coconut-ginger sorbet was meant to accompany the dish, Pace confessed, but with the heat as it was, the sorbet turned into more of a sauce. Perfect for drizzling over the pie, I thought!

Leaving the dinner party I was happy and content (who know raw could be so filling!?) and even a bit cool, I only wished the chill of those dishes could have followed me underground as I waited for the 4 train in the August heat.

Interested in hosting a supper club of your own? Here are some tips from Sarah Pace of Rabbit Mafia:

1. Research where your food is coming from. I learned so much about the fish industry from working with Sean Dimin of sea2table. I also think that it's important for small American businesses to support each other, hooking up with 44 North Vodka, which is made in Idaho, is fine with me. They are an artisanal vodka company that is 100% American made and really delicious. I think it's not about eating food only grown within a one-mile radius, but more about knowing where.
2. Keep it simple and don't over season, really fresh food has incredible flavor.
3. Preserve whatever veggies are left over, pickle them and serve them at your next dinner.
4. Have fun because that's the most important part, when it stops being fun ... why are you doing it?