Dining with Strangers
Imagine this...
A private rooftop party in Barcelona, Spain where 22 people from all over the globe show up, all meeting each other for the 1st time, to wine, dine and have one of the most memorable evenings ever. Sounds a little crazy right?
Perhaps, but believe it or not, that's exactly what we stepped into as we walked through the doors of this industrial converted rooftop penthouse this past Saturday night.
Tell me more, you say? Glad you asked!
This is what's known as the Clandestine Dinner. An exquisitely custom crafted 9 course dinner party organized and hosted by the charismatic founder and producer of Let's Drunch, Rodolfo Madera.
The scene was set in the up and coming El Poblonou district of Barcelona at this 6th floor penthouse terrace. To add to our excitement, Rodolfo kept the exact address secret until the day of the event, ensuring that we left all expectations at the door.
Walking in we were greeted by our host and offered a glass of traditional Catalan Cava. Additionally there was an open bar on the terrace serving up Catalan Wine, Spanish beer, various Organic Teas and, of course, still and sparkling water for those who preferred to keep the evening alcohol free. They even had alcohol free wine, something I didn't even know existed.
With drinks in hand and music being spun by one of Barcelona's well-known dj's, Marc Molto, we were now ready to mingle!
We met people from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Columbia, Zurich, the UK and the US, all here, just as we were, to experience something uniquely spectacular: A personal global dining experience.
The Intro
Upon all RSVP's arriving, our host gathered us on the terrace to give us a little background on how he came up with this concept and what to expect for the evening.
From there, it was onto the food. Not only was it a 9 course tasting menu, which by the way is my favorite way to dine, but the evening also included a live cooking show of Chef Marc Grive and staff, artistically constructing and serving each dish as ready.
The menu consisted of 3 apps, which were served by way of platter as we continued the connection building on the terrace. Of these 3, the last but certainly not least, Cocktail of Beluga lentils and truffle left me scraping the sides of the champagne glass it came in, hoping to find just one more burst of its delicious flavor.
Now that we knew all each other, it was time for the "main" event. So my boyfriend and I gathered our new +2's, the couple we loved and instantly connected with from Zurich, and we took our seats. The menu continued with bottomless drinks of our choice while we were served up 4 properly portioned main dishes. Winning my palette's vote out of these was the Fricando Ravioli as well as the Fish "a la catalana" with spinach sauce. Then came the part of dining I look forward to most (and the reason I need to go for my long runs), not just 1 but 2 desserts. Mmmm...happiness!!
With tummies full and glasses empty we wrapped up the evening at about 1:00 am. We made some great new friends and left profoundly fulfilled making this one of life's soulful experiences I will never forget!
Rodolfo's whole idea is to bring people together from all over the world, whom would never otherwise meet, to share in a truly unforgettable evening and cultivate one of the most valuable things we crave in life... connection.
Well done, Rodolfo, you succeeded!
That said, next time you're in Barcelona and you want to experience something that will easily classify as a highlight of your travels, go to the link below to experience your very own dining with strangers and please please please come back to share with me your experience.
