As we embark upon a new year, and for many a self-proclaimed “new beginning,” we feel it is important to take a moment and reflect on all that has happened over the course of 2012.  While the year has had its ups and downs, highs and lows, for those who may call themselves “foodies” or are passionate about food and unique culinary experiences, it was a year of many “ups” and “highs.”  From feasting on oysters and lobsters next to a completely nude woman to seeing your favorite supper club become a successful NYC restaurant, the year in alternative dining is marked by many exceptional events, culinary pioneers, and exciting success stories.  Here is a list of some of the who, what, where, and how highlights of 2012.

Absurdity at the McKittrick

Yup, this happened.  On June 3rd at the famed McKittrick Hotel (home to Sleep No More) things got a little absurd to say the least.  Underground Eats‘ The Absurdity at the McKittrick launch party with food by Chef Marc Murphy was an epic evening of naked women covered in seafood, suckling pigs, charcuterie corners, oysters galore, and a slew of questionable, entertaining characters.  Cardinal Spellman blessed us with his presence (pictured above) along with Salvador Dali, and Albert Einstein.  It was an night of debauchery, gluttony, and above all, absurdity.

The Switcheroo: 21st Century Limited

This past fall two of the biggest names in restaurant world performed the ultimate “switcheroo” when NYC’s Eleven Madison Park opened at Chicago’s Alinea and vice versa.  Each restaurant spent four nights at the other’s location while offering limited $495/person tasting menus.  The project was called “21st Century Limited” based on the name of the train that traveled from New York to Chicago and was known for its stylish decor and elegance.

Titanic’s 100th Anniversary Dinner

On the evening of April 14, 2012 Chef Rob McCue (Hell’s Kitchen Season 8, Fox), Adam Banks (Chef ROble & Co., Bravo TV), and Jonathan Cristaldi (The Noble Rot) reinvented the original menu that would have been served on the evening the Titanic struck the ice berg.  The extravagant dinner marked the 100th anniversary of the historic sinking of the gigantic ship.  The all-star culinary team served a decadent seven-course feast featured modern interpretations of the original twelve-course dinner that would have been offered to the powerful and elite aboard the Titanic a hundred years prior.  Relive the magical evening of decadence and excess by watching this video coverage.  Drool over the menu here.

Le Fooding

In September the annual Le Grand Fooding festival took over Brooklyn for five days as chefs from around the country gathered for various unique dining experiences in the foodie-friendly borough.  Top Brooklyn chefs partnered up with their outsider alter-ego for special dinners that included the imported talents of Sean Brock, The Animal Dudes, and The Young Turks.  New York food fans celebrated throughout the five-day extravaganza which culminated at the Campfire Sessions where foodies could chow on Danny Bowien’s red hot kung pao pastrami pizza while listening to a Miike Snow DJ set.

David Santos

2012 was a big year for Chef David Santos as he went from underground supper club king to opening his own brick and mortar restaurant in the West Village.  After having a successful run with his supper club, Um Segredo, Chef Santos finally  reentered the New York restaurant scene with the opening of Louro.  While fans of Um Segredo Supper Club may shed a tear to hear of the end of their favorite alternative dining option, the good news is that Santos’  supper club experience can still be found at Louro on Monday nights.  The series is called Nossa Mesa Supper Club which means “our table” in Portuguese.  You can find most of the Nossa Mesa Supper Club dinner options on Underground Eats‘ event site.

The Breslin Butcher’s Ball

On June 27th Underground Eats teamed up with LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, Meatopia, and April Bloomfield in putting on an extreme-meat-lovers dinner called The Breslin Butchers Ball.  The event showcased the crème de la crème of LaFrieda Reserve beef from their dry-aging room which had only ever been available to the very well connected.  The evening saw grown men and women giddy with child-like excitement as they sampled bits of raw dry-aged beef and chatted to “Meat Goddess” April Bloomfield and the Meat Men, Pat LaFrieda and Mark Pastore.

Friends with Benefits

The NYC alternative dining scene welcomed 2012′s newcomers, Friends with Benefits, as the team put on a collaborative dinner event and cocktail club series.  The concept is based on having members of the restaurant industry team up to do one-off events that highlight the combined culinary talents.  The cocktail series saw top mixologists from PDT, The Wayland, Monkey Bar, and even featured Eater’s “Bartender of the Year” Doug Quinn. Pictured above is the crew from the first Friends with Benefits dinner with founder Christopher Mitchell (top left) and collaborators from that night, Jon Bignelli and Kevin Dention, the chef de cuisine and mixologist from wd~50 (top middle and right).

Daniel Delaney

It was the year of Daniel Delaney.  The guy who started VendrTV and launched an online web series about street food made headlines when he drove a massive smoker from Texas to NYC with plans of offering New Yorkers true Texas-style BBQ brisket.  It didn’t take long until the entire city was buzzing about Delaney’s BrisketLab project allowing people to purchase pounds of perfectly smoked brisket to be picked up at a series of BBQ parties throughout the city.  Propelled by the momentum of BrisketLab’s growing popularity, Delaney was able to fast-track the opening of his own Texas BBQ restaurant, Delaney Barbecue, in Williamsburg.  From an underground brisket trade to a fully-functioning Bedford Avenue restaurant, Delaney’s dream of bringing authentic Texas-style BBQ to New York has been a true success story.

 Cómodo, From Supper Club to Critically-Acclaimed Restaurant

The “underground supper club to restaurant” metamorphosis was definitely trending throughout 2012.  Back in July SoHo welcomed newcomer Cómodo to its restaurant scene.  Cómodo (meaning comfortable in Spanish) is the restaurant-baby born out of the popular underground supper club started by Felipe Donnelly and Tamy Rofe.  Before Cómodo, the husband-wife team (Donnelly as the chef and Rofe as the charming host) had a successful supper club series held at their TriBeCa apartment where they would invite friends and strangers to dine and then blog about the experiences.  With the help of social media, growing trends in alternative dining, and of course, really good food, their dinners became increasingly popular.  Finally, they were handed a notice from the health department demanding that they cease their underground operation and were forced to stop.  Thank goodness for us, the pair were not ready to give up on their passions for food and entertaining.  Rather than pack up and call it quits, they decided to turn their dinner series into a restaurant.  Since opening back in July, Cómodo has received rave reviews from diners and critics.  Watch a video about how Cómodo came to be, here.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, as many restaurants remained damaged, empty, and unopened, those in the culinary industry who were willing and able came together to offer exceptional dining events to help raise money for those who suffered.  Among these fundraiser events was the Supper Clubs for Sandy dinner by the collaborative efforts of NYC’s Studiofeast and a razor, a shiny knife, and L.A.’s Wolvesmouth (the entire crew is pictured above).  This one-night-only dinner offered 24 guests a tasting menu prepared by each of the talented culinary teams.  It was a delicious example of how effective teamwork can be!

Article on Underground Dining in The New Yorker Food Issue

Underground dining made headlines in The New Yorker’s food issue of 2012.  The New Yorker article highlighted the success of Chef Craig Thorton’s L.A supper club, Wolvesmouth (yes, the same Wolvesmouth that participated in Supper Clubs for Sandy) while discussing the allure of underground dining as more and more people are interested in culinary experiences that are outside the norm. There is no denying that finding unique ways to enjoy food was a growing trend throughout 2012 and we can only assume that it will continue and heighten during 2013.  So be sure to keep your ear to the [Under]ground as 2013 unfolds…

Happy New Year!