Saturday in Santiago: Santiago Supper Club
The concept of Santiago Supper Club is simple: sign up online for an unknown menu to be shared with a bunch of strangers. Sound like a recipe for disaster? It actually reminds me of the puertas cerradas concept in Buenos Aires, with the exception that this is not a regular restaurant. And since I loved my puertas cerradas experience, I didn’t hesitate to jump onto the guest list for Santiago Supper Club.
Of course, I wasn’t about to do this alone, so I grabbed a friend. Our deposits paid, we received the Supper Club equivalent of a golden ticket: the address of this edition’s dinner. The house in Bellavista was a surprise, with an amazing open-plan kitchen that allowed diners to feel like part of the action without getting underfoot.
Things started off with bite-sized hors d’oeuvres: celery with Gorgonzola and walnut and bacon-wrapped prunes. I preferred the latter, since I like neither celery, nor Gorgonzola, nor walnut.
With our hors d’oeuvres we were served a complimentary glass of wine, but the rest of the meal was BYOB. This, people, is why you make sure to invite your sommelier friend to join you. I liked my Estampa wine, obviously, but her Tres Palacios was something I hadn’t heard of in a grape I don’t often drink (merlot). Our only problem was fending off other diners – we brought good stuff, and no, we are not sharing!
The various crostini were all yummy, as breads with spreads tend to be. Not only were the toppings nice, but the bread had been baked that day by the chefs. If they ever decide to start up a bakery, I hope they let me know, because it was truly outstanding.
These same bread bakers, Bolivian twin brothers, provided the only non-Italian-influenced dish of the night. I’m still not sure about the geographical combination, but I AM sure about their ceviche. I have had many ceviches in my day, and this was one of the best. I think the real lesson here is that these kids should start a restaurant.
Returning to Italy, we were presented with two different risottos and a pasta course. The risottos, wine and mushroom flavored, were good but slightly over-salted for my taste. This, of course, means they were probably perfect or even under-salted for everyone else since Chileans are salt fiends. The little spinach gnocchi-esque ball, however, though sadly not photogenic, was divine. Creamy, cheesy and perfectly cooked, I would have happily eaten the whole pan.
Our main dish was, for me, the one true let-down of the evening. While beautifully presented, the flavors didn’t really seem to mesh well. Each individual piece was good – although I would have much preferred my sweet potato puree warm rather than cold – but I didn’t see what tied it all together. It was a perfectly nice plate of food to be served in someone’s house, it just wasn’t up to the restaurant-level standards of everything else we were served.
This slight disappointment was quickly forgotten with dessert. Somehow we found room for our small slices of cake and kuchen, and then we found even more room for handmade truffles. Because it’s only journalistically responsible to try all the different flavors of truffle, right? And then eat a second of the one you like best?
Overall, Santiago Supper Club was a success. The organizers and chefs are aficionados rather than professionals, but they pull together an enjoyable, delicious event. And for $15.000 (US$30) for all that food, even the occasional moment of imperfection is hardly grounds for complaint. I’m looking forward to the next dinner!
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very cool!
It was a lot of fun, I’m glad I found out about it in time.
Great recap and review of the night! I thought the bread, ceviche, wine and company (of course!) were the best. And like you, there were some flaws but for that price and seeing the cool people behind it, it’s very worth it. I’m signing up for the next one and bringing a wine bottle holster so we don’t have the same problem as last time
Not only a sommelier but a SMART sommelier. This is why I like you.
I love this idea! Very cool. I love reading about your culinary adventures
I only wish you were still here to take part in them!
Me toooooo!
That bread DOES look good. Let me know if the brothers ever open up their own place
And yes, as a reader I politely request that you sample every truffle. It’s just the right thing to do by us, ya know?
Heather, you may have just won yourself the very prestigious Favorite Reader Award by telling me that I do in fact have to eat more chocolate.
YES!
What an amazing concept (much like Paris) and layout! Picture perfect…
You mean I can do a supper club in Paris? That sounds like perfection.
This sounds so awesome! What a great way to meet like-minded people =)
I actually was a little surprised there wasn’t more mingling, but we did meet some nice people.
Woah, what an interesting concept! Sounds like a good time, who did you go with?
Isabel!
Wow, that sounds really, really good. And such a good price for all that food! I’d love to have the confidence to go to one of these things and completely trust someone to make me a meal rather than have a menu. Must be kind of exciting not knowing what you’re going to have.
I always try to be a good sport and try everything, like the celery-gorgonzola-walnut thing. Who knows, maybe the chef knows best, and the combination of ingredients I don’t like will surprise me. I’m not too picky though, and I can imagine it would be more nerve-wracking than exciting if you had a longer list of dislikes.