Worth Kitchen

If you haven’t yet made it to one of Worth Kitchen’s Thursday night dinners, then I’m sorry to say you’ve lost your chance. The underground supper club has been discovered by none other than the Department of Health, who issued the dynamic duo, Tamy and Felipe, a cease and desist order for serving the public without permits. But not to fret, their spirited, monthly dinner events will keep on rolling.

Personally, I’m saddened that I’ll never have experienced one of their intimate dinners. But you can bet I’m going to make as many of their 40 persons plus dinner events as possible. Why all the emotion over Worth Kitchen? Because not only does hostess Tamy know how to seat guests so they’ll have a blast, but Chef Felipe cooks five-star vegetarian cuisine – and not as a complete afterthought either.

I realize there are all vegetarian and all vegan (i.e. 4 course vegan) underground supper clubs out there. But there is just something so satisfying about a room full of omnivores and vegetarians sitting in a room together and eating as equals. That is exactly the magic that happens at Worth Kitchen. And it doesn’t hurt that the booze is flowing from the second you come up the elevator of the stashed away Soho loft. As soon as you enter, a staff of servers is at attention waiting to hand you a glass of bubbly. You can sip it while you socialize in the foyer – watch out for the constant refills – or have your glass with a view while you soak in the city from the amazing rooftop. But don’t overdo it because there is plenty of drink to be had with your meal since each course has a wine or beer pairing.

In the case of the March 2011 dinner I attended, the first course had both. Well sort-of. Through all the socializing it’s difficult to keep track of your glass. But you can be sure the waiters have filled it to the brim before you sit down to your meal. So by the time your meal arrives you are probably still sipping some of that bubbly. Since the March dinner I attended was so close to St. Patrick’s day, Felipe thought it a nice touch to pair his shepard’s pie on of soda bread with a shot of Oatmeal Stout from the Blue Point Brewery. And yes, I said shepard’s pie. While omnivorous friends were served a traditional version of the Irish classic, vegetarians like myself enjoyed a very savory and comforting vegetarian variety.

The second course of the dinner was a piece of interest. A large bed of very soft quinoa was topped with a succulent nopal pad and paired with buttery slices of zucchini and squash along with a bit of spicy sauce.

A third course presented something more familiar…or so it seemed. A pair of spring rolls appeared ordinary but were filled with a delightfully surprising combination of golden beets, flash fried hibiscus leaves, queso fresco and a touch of truffle salt. The rolls were arranged on a layer of rich and sweet fig and wine sauce. The combination of sweet, floral, earthy and salty was a revelation.

A fourth course was an ode to celebrating vegetables out in the open: fried artichoke hearts with cheese (though perhaps a bit undersalted), a honey glazed carrot, and a crostini topped with green pea puree with thyme.

For the finale, the kitchen served perfect soft, crispy and warm churro with a addictive and refreshing mint kumquant jelly. Though I did miss the chocolate (the association is just too strong), this version of the dessert was inventive and delicious.

While the food is stellar, the company is top notch to match. The crowd fared on the younger side and was full of interesting people from diverse backgrounds. And Tamy certainly knows how to put a table together so that the conversation never stops. In fact, at the March dinner, it didn’t stop until well after the dinner was over and much of the crowd had had a few drinks together at nearby GMT Tavern.

If you’re interested in attending a dinner soon (there are still tickets available for this Thursday), contact Worth Kitchen at info@worthkitchen.com or via Twitter (worthkitchen).