I’m not going to lie, I was pretty worried my Friday night plans for foodie adventure were going to be iced out by yet another round of arctic antics. As much of the country has experienced out of the ordinary winter weather patterns like the “Polar Vortex” , here in Austin we had our own little “snowmageddon” late last week. It wasn’t so much snow, per se, as it was a thin, yet vicious, layer of ice which left most of us stranded in place thru Friday morning . Thankfully, I was not held hostage by winter’s wrath as the ice melted away by mid-day and I was able to take a seat at my very first Austin Dinner Lab Friday night!

Dinner Lab is a membership-based underground supper club hosted in random, bare-bones venues where up and coming chefs take center stage preparing creative multi-course meals. Austin is just one of ten cities in which Dinner Lab currently operates. Those who are lucky enough to secure a coveted membership get word of upcoming events via the Dinner Lab website. Once tickets are purchased, diners are only notified of the locale the night before the event. My lovely friend Monique had secured her spot a few months ago and in early January she generously invited me to join her at Friday’s “Southern Comfort Food” event featuring Chef Taylor Chambers of Justine’s Brasserie.

Our dinner was hosted in Space 12 , an open, airy collaborative art and volunteer space located on East 12th street. With walls bedecked in books and magazines, the large space was dressed simply yet festively, with white Christmas lights strung along the ceiling and 4 rows of folding tables neatly wrapped with white butcher paper, all set and ready for the 30+ guests of each seating.

Personally, I LOVE the family style seating of supper clubs. Meeting strangers over the common bond of food enthusiasm has proven to be a consistently fun, festive and delicious experience. This evening was no different, as Monique and I, Dinner Lab newbies, were lucky enough to sit with two original Austin Dinner Lab patrons and four other DL newbies hailing from Portland, Miami and the UK. We could not have found ourselves amongst better company, and i’m pretty sure everyone else was wishing they had sat at our boisterous table! But, let’s get to the meat of today’s post: Chef Taylor Chambers and his culinary magic!

Hailing from McAllen, TX, Chef Taylor’s heart has been at home in the kitchen for as long as he can remember, having worked in McAllen restaurants, Whole Foods Market in Austin and presently Justine’s Brasserie. It was Chef Taylor’s grandparents, who were from Alabama, that inspired his Southern Comfort 5-course menu of the evening.

We started with a very simple, elegant deconstructed Waldorf salad: celery stick dressed with apple aioli, roasted red grapes and a sinfully delicious walnut crumble. It was so good I forgot to snap a picture! This tasty bite was paired with a moonshine and grape vodka-based cocktail called “Alabama Moon”. I was expecting a bit of a kick from the moonshine, but this cocktail was light, refreshing and so very easy to enjoy!

Our second course was a tried and true southern staple of Biscuit and Gravy. Biscuit and Gravy! This was not the sleep inducing experience I’m used to, this was a petite biscuit atop a light and flavorful gravy mousse, accompanied by a brightly flavored sausage paper. YUM!

Petit biscuit, gravy mousse, and sausage paper.

A southern menu must always include seafood, and our third course hit the mark with hush puppies and a big, beautiful, melt in your mouth sea scallop! The spicy micro greens, thinly sliced radish and roasted corn aioli really put the perfectly prepared hush puppies over the top.

Sea scallop with hush puppies, micro greens, radish and roasted corn aioli.

Oh, the poetry of pork!! Chef Taylor’s fourth course of shredded ham hock terrine, enveloped in a perfectly crisp crust, can only be described as “heaven”! And the collard greens were true southern perfection. Hands down, this was my favorite course of the evening.

Ham hock terrine & collard greens w/yellow onion.

Before we headed into dessert, we were treated to a light palette cleaner of Sassafras Root Vodka. Why do I keep forgetting to snap photos of the beverages? I guess my weakness for spirits and wines is showing. I guess I was overtaken by the delicate scents of vanilla, cinnamon and wintergreen. And yes, it was a good as you would expect!

Our sixth & final course of the evening was Mint Julep Ice Cream with a bourbon puree, served atop a lovely, buttery & crisp shortbread. I did my best to slowly savor each bite, but it was a challenge! Our sweet finale was paired with Fazenda Bahia Coffee, a fruity, sweet Brazilian coffee I found perfect in its unadulterated state: black. Delightful!

Mint julep ice cream & bourbon puree

Chef Taylor’s menu was, simply, amazing! I have not been to Justine’s yet, but after Friday evening’s experience, I will most certainly visit as soon as I can. And, I must add, the Dinner Lab crew really runs like clockwork; the entire evening was two and a half hours. The courses were well timed and we had plenty of opportunity to casually visit with our table mates. Our more seasoned dinner partners said this timely approach is  standard operating procedures for DL. Good to know!

As Monique and I exchanged emails, said our goodbyes and parted ways with our newfound dinner friends, we left happy well fed, and certain we would make our way to future Dinner Lab events, through rain, sleet or, yes, snow!

Monique (l) and Monica (r).