Ticketing, employed by top restaurants in fine dining cities like Chicago, came to Atlanta last month with a supper series at the Sound Table. TableNow, the team behind the first dinner, is back with a second— but some changes have been made. Although ticketing is still in place, allowing guests to purchase their meal, including tax and gratuity, in advance so that everything has been taken care of by the night of the dinner, it's now set on a variable-pricing model so that a meal during the week cost less than the same meal on a weekend night. Tickets are on sale now for a limited series of dinners at the Iberian Pig starting Friday, November 9.
Federico Castellucci III and Chad Crete of the Iberian Pig recently spent two weeks in Spain, exploring and eating in the Basque region. Their trip and the cuisine they encountered inspired them to create a meal surrounding the experience. "People talk about Spanish cuisine as being the catalyst for pushing modernist cuisine and pushing the envelope on what Spanish cuisine is," says Crete. "It really lies in the heart of Basque, especially San Sebastián, so that's what we want to focus on. We want to create a unique environment that can't be found anywhere else. Really focusing on the Basque region is exciting; not many people have experienced this type of food."
The meal will center around pintxos, one of the oldest forms of tapas and a popular cultural element in the Basque. Crete explains that pintxo bars are a common "third place" in Spain— the small plates are often included in the price of glasses of wine, encouraging eating and drinking while socializing, and people typically frequent three or more such bars in a night. TableNow and the Iberian Pig are calling the event a San Sebastián Txikiteo (chickee-tayo), which literally means pintxo-hopping in Basque. There will be drink pairings, including a special cider brought back from Castellucci and Crete's trip. Crete also intends to play with molecular gastronomy in order to "push the envelope and use modern techniques to create traditional dishes." The menu will be presented at the end of the night in lieu of a check so that guests can focus on the communal environment of dining during the dinner itself. Tickets start at $50 for the four-course meal, and seatings are available from November 9 to November 17.
· Supper Series [Official Site]
· All Coverage of Supper Series [-EATL-]
· All Coverage of the Iberian Pig [-EATL-]