Hidden Kitchen Dinner: Private Supper Club in Paris | Food in the Kitchen by Kitchen Gadget Girl

Hidden Kitchen Table

Sunday night, March 21st, we were fortunate enough to join a Hidden Kitchen dinner. The Hidden Kitchen is a private supper club in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, offering 10-course, prix fixe dinners four to five times a month for up to 16 guests. All in the comfort of their own living room. The secret part comes from the fact that you don’t actually know where you are going until a couple days before the dinner. Mysterious!

Laura and Braden, our hosts, were new to Paris in 2007 and decided to throw a dinner party to gather some of their new (and not-so-new) friends together. Word spread, and these days, their dinners are booked weeks in advance. Braden is the chef, with several years experience in kitchens back in the U.S., while Laura is the sommelier, matching lovely wines to all of Braden’s kitchen creations.

As we arrived, a cocktail of vodka, champagne, and lychee was served, and we introduced ourselves to the others, although with 16 guests, I did not feel as though I could possibly meet everyone. Since the dinner is 10 courses, we got down to business rather quickly, sitting at the table very close to 8:00 p.m.

With 10 courses, I had quite a few reactions, very few that I am remembering now (keep in mind, there were also six glasses of wine that went along with the dinner). From the notes I scribbled on the back of my menu, I apparently enjoyed the Quail Egg course, for its novelty; the Clams and Mussels because of the Sea Urchin Crostini; the Rabbit Saddle because the Grilled Celery was tasty and different; Beef Cheek Sliders because it was served on a page of the New Yorker; and the White Chocolate Cake, because it came with a candle for my birthday and because it was the tastiest thing ever!

For your drooling pleasure (or pain) here is a photo essay series with each of the courses. Special thanks to Suzy for letting me borrow her camera (forgot to bring my battery charger) and for making the photos look decent after I took them with full flash.

Amuse

Scallop tartar on squid ink cracker