Underground Dinner Clubs

They're being branded as the anti-restaurants: dinner clubs that draw food-lovers together with the low-cost informality that's hard to find at mainstream eateries.

This week The New York Times profiled one such club, called A Razor, a Shiny Knife, which draws urbanites upstate for the "unique guerrilla cooking school experience" of watching a wild boar be butchered, processed and transformed into a six-course meal with wine and dessert, followed by a game of boccie.

Unlike a restaurant, the guest lists are limited to friends of friends, asked only to chip in for the cost of groceries. Apparently, dozens of unlicensed restaurants exist in apartments and other private spaces, with news of dinner events spread through online groups and word of mouth, like a gourmand MeetUp.

And this isn't your typical potluck either. One recent menu included peach gazpacho, insalata caprese, wild mushroom brulée, and pâté en croute.

Another group, The Ghetto Gourmet, began in early 2004 as a "pirate restaurant" in a basement apartment in Oakland, Calif., and was since become a "dinner party network" connecting passionate foodies across the country.

In another variation on the idea, Atlanta's Rogue Apron organizes dinners around a certain theme — BBQ, sushi rolling lessons, corned beef, coconuts — and mixes and matches groups of new people. And for those who can't afford to throw down cash, offering your services as a dishwasher, greeter, or party host is also acceptable.

(Photo by Vera Devera)