“Make your choice, adventurous stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.”
Yep. It was time for another of the increasingly famous Trust Fall dinners. And this one — featuring three highly regarded local chefs and 60 guests — was the most adventurous one of all.
Trust Fall dinners are, in fact, a secret supper club. A group of friends from very diverse backgrounds puts them together. Regular folks like me buy the tickets, which sell out literally in a matter of minutes, and then wait until the appointed day to get an email with a cute little poem revealing clues about where the secret location is.
And, much like the team-building game of the same name, you literally let go and put your trust in the chef to prepare a great meal. You don’t get to choose what you will eat. No substitutions are allowed. The purpose is to give the chefs a chance to stretch their culinary muscles and the eaters a chance to expand their boundaries. Believe me, you won’t find some of these courses in any restaurant around here.
“We hope you see something on the menu that makes your skin crawl and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” said one of our hosts upon welcoming us.
“The chefs have to appeal to the masses daily. This is a chance for them to get out of their comfort zone and for you to get out of your comfort zone.”
He wasn’t kidding.
What secrets remain — Oh, the suspense.
Your clandestine affair is set to commence.
But how will you find us? We’re hidden too well.
There are those in the know, but they’ll never tell.
Follow me!
“Sea urchin tastes like seawater and butter,” Chef Gallaher said by way of introduction. It was served with a 2011 Verdicchio di Matelica from Capestrano. “It’s minerally,” explained Keith Kirk, the sommelier at Blackberry Farm who selected wine pairings for the dinner. “It is traditionally just served with seafood.”
The wine was a non-vintage Lelarge Pugeot champagne. “Champagne is very versatile,” Kirk said. “You can pour it with almost anything. It’s bubbly, it’s frothy and it pairs beautifully with vegetables.”
My comment to Alan: “I tasted it. I liked it. But I ain’t eating it.” I just couldn’t. (If you don’t know what sweetbreads are, just click here and let Wikipedia tell you — because I don’t want to get into it!)
Wine was a 2012 Radio-Coteau Platt Vineyard dry riesling from Sonoma Coast.
This was paired with a 2012 Damilano Barbera d’Asti. “Most people think pinot noir has to be paired with duck,” Kirk said. “But that’s not so. Barbera can be, too — and it will make you look like a wine geek!”
Of the wine, Kirk said, “It’s an earthy red wine from Spain. It’s beefy, leathery. I think you will like it with the beef.” He was right.
A word about the dishware. It was handcrafted by Leanne Moe-McQueen of McQueen Pottery. Some of it came out of the kiln just hours prior to the Trust Fall dinner. I think it’s beautiful. And the folks at Blackberry Farm apparently agree. They have quite a bit of it.
If you want to get in on one of the upcoming Trust Fall dinners, click here to go to a special website. There you can sign up to be notified of the next one and how to buy tickets.
Adventurous? Yes. Let’s give the Trustfall organizers credit for pushing the dining envelope.
Absolutely agree, Alan. You might expect this kind of eating in NYC, but who would have imagined we would have it in Knoxville? Was I too scared to eat some of it? Yes. But still glad these folks are trying something different.
Your commentary on the sweetbreads made me laugh aloud!! Sounds like a delicious & adventurous evening!
I wish I weren’t so squeamish, Carole. It actually tasted delish. I just couldn’t get my mind around what it really was that I was eating. These are great events — and there’s usually only one course that totally pushes the envelope. This was different mostly because there were three chefs all offering something outside the box.
Our first time in France I gleefully ordered sweetbread for my husband who does not speak French. I cackled maniacally as he was served the entree. To my disgust he loved it and ate it all never knowing what I ordered for him. I’m with you on this one, Cynthia.
Diana: Hahaha!
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