I miss that Bread Lamp ~ it was so delicious. It was also the start of one of the most bizarre meals of my life, and i’m not even sure quite where to start… perhaps that is exactly why i’ve been so slow to get this post up… this was back during ICFF/NY Design Week! So while i’m catching up, this one had to go up next after the Conran party… it was actually that same night, only after the Conran party we went to the Housewarming party that took over a not yet finished 34th floor of condos in chelsea (by I.D., Smallpond, Matter - showing Established & Sons, Tom Dixon, and Thorsten Van Elten), then crashed the Samsung party in some artsy warehouse space where chow mein was served in mini plastic chinese take out containers, THEN we fought for cabs in the rain to take us out to Williamsburg… where with some surprising amount of organization, the week before i had called this bar/supperclub/performance space, Monkeytown, nearly every day to expand my reservation for this mysterious “Dine On Design” supperclub like experience that i knew somehow involved a Bread Lamp that i had to try!

By the time we made it over to Monkeytown for our 10pm “Dine On Design” dinner “experience” we were a large and rowdy creative bunch of 9! (out of 30 available spots!)… It was an 8 course prix-fixe meal that our few vegetarians were intrigued enough by that they tagged along having snacked before hand - we were promised a dining experience where design was applied not only to what the food was served on, but to the food itself… Curated by Parson’s grad, Eliza Axelson-Chidsey, here’s all we knew going into it:

“Where do design, supper clubs and the avant-garde intersect? How does design engage food politics? Who will start the next food trend? Is there a different way to eat? What can a change in presentation do? … “Dine On Design” is committed to the experience of dining through design… By pairing dining and design in short-lived gastronomic events designers, artists, chefs and performers are able to present new and event specific work in a dynamic setting.”

Our menu to guide us through the 8 course prix fixe experience of the night…

Attaching us to the tables were our tablecloth/bibs… each had a different image printed on it, whether it was a bra or buttoned down shirt/bow ties… and they had magnets as the clasp! Designed by KNS - Kameron Gad, Sara Musselman, and Nicole Nadeau.

As you can see, we were on very low seating (like ikea futon/couch things) all around a square room - with video projections going on every side, which was contributed by Orphic Project…

1. First up was the BREAD LAMP ~ that i can’t stop craving… it was seriously deliciousness, Andy would yell at our table not to be like the others with blindingly bright lights because they at all their bread, so we tried to eat it creatively… until we just couldn’t resist - and devoured it and threw a napkin over the light for some ambiance…. This is designed by Kimberly Hu.

Smoked Sea Salt Butter ~ aka Candelicious - that was in the shape of a scoop of ice cream, and had a lit candle wick coming out of it… this bread and butter as lighting theme went all the way… also by Kimberly Hu.

2. Next up was:
Papaya and Mango Salad with Ginger Flower and Black Sesame
Bay Scallop with Parsley Jus and Cauliflower Foam, Aged Balsamico
Little Neck Clams with Salsify and Shitake Mushroom
… All in textures porcelain shell spoons by Andrea Miranda Salas

3. Gnochetti with Trio of Spinach Puree, Smoked Mayonnaise and Spiced Crème Fraiche
This divided plate and sauce bowl were by Daina Platais. (Gnochetti = mashed potato tatertots?)

4. Chilled Melon Soup, Serrano ham, cabrales cheese
This bowl with a skewer spoon is called Epee from the Amuse Collection by Irina Kovlovskaya and Aaron Tsui.

5. Trout with Salad of Fennel and Oregano, Caremelized Apples and Beurre Blanc Sauce
The gold dripped plates were part of the luxury collection by Kathy Erteman.

6. Puerco pibil, rice and beans bowl, wasabi guacamole

Ok, as you can see, as more and more of the wine pairings work their way into my body, and the dinner party gets a bit more out of control, as do my pictures… but i still tried to get at least one shot of each dish for you guys to see!

7. Rajasthani Veal Cheek Curry with Daal Foam and Mash
This bowl with a lid and grate is called Aroma from the Amuse Collection by Irina Kovlovskaya and Aaron Tsui.

8. Chocolate flavormat, saffron chocolate fondue, blueberry chantilly, lemon curd ~ also by Kimberly Hu of the bread lamp and candelicious butter. (We flashed this in part because i couldn’t figure out what we were eating, since they had turned our bread lamps off!)

Here are some pics i snagged from Rose Apodaca’s awesome post on our dinner party… definitely worth a read! Here is Eliza, the curator chatting with us… and OH! I forgot to tell you about our “guides” who were seated in the center of the room, and attached by their tablecloth/bibs, who we were supposed to look to, in order to figure out what to do…

Click below to view this screencapture of the MonkeyTown page on Dine on Design (captured, just incase years from now i look back, and the page is gone!)