EVENT - dinner lab slow supper with brooklyn brewery

I've always been a fan of the beers from Brooklyn Brewery, especially during my New York days - not only are they tasty but my inner marketing and PR nerd thinks their branding is pretty well done too. I joined Dinner Lab a few months ago but hadn't yet signed up for a dinner due to annoying real life scheduling commitments (like that little thing called “work”, which I do in order to pay “rent” – all so tedious.) For the uninitiated, Dinner Lab is a kind of private dining club where the organizers bring together up and coming chefs and a group of diners at unorthodox dining venues (ours took place in an industrial warehouse of some kind in Northeast DC.)

When I saw that Dinner Lab would be hosting their next dinner in DC in partnership with Brooklyn Brewery, I decided to give it a shot. Armed with copious amounts of wine, cocktails and beer (duh) that was available, my friend Tiffany (who kindly supplied some of the pictures below) and I jumped into the fray:

The verdict? A pretty hit or miss experience.

• Pros: It's a great way to meet new people, especially fellow foodies. For example, the group sitting to my left that night were also huge fans of Rose's Luxury, which is always nice to see. You also get to taste food from undiscovered chefs who are potentially poised to become big stars in their field. The beer pairings along with each course were also pretty generous (read: not pacing yourself = danger zone)
• Cons: Portions that night were really pretty tiny. I'm no stranger to the small plates game but I vaguely (and slightly drunkenly) recall going home that night and scrabbling around for a "fourthmeal" snack (unfortunately not a taco.) The price of each dinner can also be prohibitive, which ranges anywhere from $50 to $95 a person, on top of the annual membership fee, which runs between $100 to $200 depending on which Dinner Lab market you live in. Given the price, the (I'm sure) eco-friendly paper plates and bowls seemed a little on the..."light" side.

In the meantime, I'll stay on the lookout for a second Dinner Lab experience that sounds interesting before making a decision. 

Dinner Lab
www.dinnerlab.com
Current member markets: New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC