A Secret Brunch.....

I have been reading all about these secret dinner clubs that have been popping up in DC and have been wanting to try one out for quite awhile. I'm not sure how it exactly happened, where I stumbled upon it, or read about but I somehow found out about Artisa Kitchen, which has been put together by Chef Bryon Brown whose aim is to "change the dining landscape of DC".

I convinced a friend to sign up for an upcoming 15 course brunch, as brunch is my most favorite meal, and it seemed like a good way to start my first secret dining club experience.

Blood Mary a la molecular gastronomy

Pumpkin pancake

Caramelized onion, sausage, and aged balsamic

Smoked salmon on a cracker made from pasta

Corn pancake with crispy beets and pomegranate seeds

Poached egg with a very fancy tomato sauce

Calf's Liver with grits

Tomato consomme

Mussels on toast

Grapefruit with burnt sugar

Potato cake with eggplant puree

Roasted yucca

A little dry ice magic

Mojito sorbet

Cheese plate with poached apricot

Nutella Crepe



And for the most part this secret brunch was a great experience. There were some misses for me: the tomato consomme was a bit watery and the crepe was average at best. But there were also some amazing dishes: the salmon "bruschetta", a perfectly poached egg, and the most amazing cheese dish. But I think what really made this experience worth while was the ambiance and people. It was wonderful to have a local art gallery all to ourselves and to meet so many people that share the same interests in food that I do. I definitely would love to try another meal some time soon to get another look at Chef Brown's style and to meet some more foodies that are as passionate about DC and the local food scene.