Order 02! It's the Summer of Dinner Parties
Secure your seat at one of these three local dinner series this year
The pandemic reminded us how much we as humans crave intimate experiences. Dining at a restaurant is special, yes, but there’s just something magical about sharing a meal with 20 or so people who you don’t know but who share your same curiosity and spark that just makes you feel like you’re a part of something – and who doesn’t love that?
Amidst a buzzy rekindling of events and experiences, this summer we’ve noticed a number of dinner parties popping up. They’re a chance for chefs to show off what they’ve been whipping up as of late, testing out new concepts and, for many, the idea of expanding or branching out on their own. That’s how the guys over at Tam Tam got their start, and it could be how Miami’s next hottest chef does too.
"We wanted to do something fun during the quiet summer months and collaborate with some great people that we've met since arriving in Miami,” says Mimi Yao, General Manager at Hai Hospitality, Uchi Miami. There, Chef de Cuisine Dina Butterfield will be pairing up with some of the city’s most beloved chefs to whip up multi-course course tasting menus we won’t want to miss.
The spirit of experimentation, connection and novelty is the special seasoning when it comes to dinner parties, as much in your own apartment as in a chef-driven setting. But, let’s get to the meat of the matter here. What pop-ups and dinner series should you snag a seat at?! Here, we’ve listed out a few that caught our appetites, er, eyes. Let us know what you think in the comments and tag us if you go!
Fonte Farms Dinner Series
When: Monthly
Have you ever wanted to dine under a lush canopy of palm trees and bistro lights, conversing with old and potential friends over courses and courses of wine, cocktails and one-night-only dishes? Well, you’re in luck, because once a month, Fonte Farms serves up the dinner party experience of your dreams.
Tucked away in South Coconut Grove, Fonte Farms is more bungalow with Rod Stewart-looking chickens than it is full fledged farm, but on one night nearly every month, Kris Fonte invites a chef as well as a sommelier or bartender to collaborate on a pairing menu full of flavor, heart and soul.
“I’d always wanted to host a dinner series, though I never worked in the food industry,” says Kris. “I grab chefs who are either working or in between jobs, but have been around the Miami scene for a while. I want it to be an intimate dinner, anywhere between 20 and 30 guests, to give the chefs the chance to experiment, get creative and do things they wouldn’t normally do when working.”
Though their July 7th dinner party featuring food by Wolf of Taco’s Eduardo Lara and cocktails by Scapegoat’s Bobby Gilardi with was cancelled, Kris is currently working on the August edition, which will likely happen near the end of the month. He tells us September and October are already locked in, but preferred to keep the collaborations a surprise. Tickets will be around $150 and include either wine or cocktail pairings. Follow them on Instagram for updates. Maybe we’ll see you there 😉.
Uchi Dinner Series
When: July 17, Aug 16, Sept TBD
Uchi Miami, the James Beard Award-winning Austin transplant that needs no introduction to foodies, is tapping in a number of chefs for their summer dinner series. Tickets are $150 – $200 and you can add on a drink package for $60.
We’ve got a bit of bad news: Tickets are officially sold out for their first event on July 17th with Chef Raheem Sealy of Drinking Pig BBQ, the Pandemic-born pop-up that has enshrouded Miami with a cloud of meaty mist from their traveling smoker.
But the good news is you can score one of 18 seats at their Phuc Yeah pop-up on August 16th. Uchi’s umami flavors, coupled with Phuc Yea’s Viet-Cajun fare is an adventure for anyone’s taste buds. We’ll update you when tickets go live.
Common Ground Dinner Party
When: July 16
What? You thought you could only get nacho’s at Melinda’s? On July 16th, Roger “Paco” Dominguez launches Common Ground, a dinner party series with the aim of connecting people over food, drink and music. In other words, common ground.
Paco will be pulling inspiration from his travels, and this first event promises a true taste of Mexico with offerings like carnitas tacos that have been cured for 24 hours straight, rum-doused tres leches and a signature tamarind margarita. Tickets are $45 and you can buy them here.
Go on, get into to some trouble. Here are some upcoming events, openings and things Nat & Ash are excited about in the upcoming weeks.
The beach bar Miami has always dreamed of has opened in South Beach, featuring natural wines, Bar Lab cocktails, ‘zines, and a really good lineup of live music. Will we see you there?
Midtown’s token bar now has Token Tuesdays. Collect them during the week and use them up on free drinks on arguably the most stressful day of the week. Soulful tunes are included.
Speaking of Tuesdays… your favorite pho joint has released it’s own fried chicken sando, aptly named “The Tuesday Special.”
$.99 MARTINIS. This is not new news, but we just wanted to remind everyone that this Michelin Star restaurant has $.99 martinis from 6pm to 7pm and a late night bottomless special that includes espresso martinis EVERY. DAMN. DAY.
WHAT IS HAPPENING over at Center for Subtropical Affairs?! They’re making way for something delicious from Jaguar Sun and Clyde’s Caribbean. We’re on the edge of our seats here, too.