Not all supper clubs are created alike. In some contexts (especially when talking historically about supper club endeavors in Latin America and those currently in operation in New York, DC, Paris, San Francisco, &c.), supper club is synonymous with a gustatorial speakeasy (as is the case of The Prandial Kabaret). From a more traditional Midwestern viewpoint they were once commensurate with meat and potatoes establishments serving up night-time entertainment and a Lenten Friday fish-fry. At present, there are places like the Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club in Chicago which serve up food, drink and entertainment in a semi-non-traditional way. Then there are other places; places with addresses not listed on Yelp (if they even show up there at all), places often ethereal in nature that move about the city in secret currents skewing the notion of place while emphasizing the fundamentals of space and taste.
The uniting aspect of all underground dining (anti)establishments is the fantastic combination of bravado and munificence that characterizes the chef/host/organizer/salonnière. While only the squarest among us would deem an interlude filled with striking company, music, conversation and food unsanctioned by the city a terrible conception, underground dining does present potential guests with a host of potentially frightful unknowns. The chef/host, the food style/quality, the area of the city, and the other guests at the communal table are all potentially unfamiliar elements that could scare one away. The Prandial Kabaret cannot guarantee that everyone will walk away thinking that he or she has never had a more fantastic meal, a more glorious evening- something that to most people, the Thomas Kellers of the establishment deal in nightly. It’s always a question of taste and expectation. Underground dining is a terrific idea, but there is a tremendous divide between coming up with an idea and executing it, between thinking and doing. The Prandial Kabaret is all about taking the time to think and then utilizing more time to do, to implement, and to execute thoughtfully.
We ask that you give us an interlude and we just might provide you with the glories of the possible…
For those who have never dined underground, never imagined doing so, or are generally confused about underground dining:
Dining Underground in Paris- The New York Times
The Prandial Kabaret 