BigLittle had given us enough information that we knew we needed to experience Supperclub and between the five of us we had a bounty of luck and moments before BigLittle called in an attempt to make a very last minute reservation, a party of six had canceled and on our Saturday night in SF we were able to lie among strangers and dine and party at Supperclub.
But before we lay down, we sat down at the bar and had drinks. Have you ever had lemon meringue pie in the form of liquid? I felt like Violet Beauregarde when she discovers a meal within a stick of gum. IT’S AMAZING! Willy Wonka, who reigned supreme the kingdom of delicious treats, would have had a hard time coming up with something more scrumptious than this.
At precisely 19.30 the doors to the restaurant were open. The iridescence of the black-light tinted white walls sucked me right. The place was a massive room lined in white plastic mattresses and lined with cotton pillows. At the back was the open kitchen, in the middle a discreet DJ booth and all around us fluttered the wait staff, dressed in costume. One fellow in a bee outfit that consisted of a yellow tutu, suspenders, no shirt and antennae, another woman in a flowing white gown, another in bondage gear and not one of them dressed in anything less than amazing.
No one was going to be seated at a table, dinner was to be served on small tables while we all lounged. Soon after getting comfortable the sweetest looking young man, face painted with a tribal design sat down with us to explain what we would be experiencing tonight. BigLittle had already given away part of the secret but Liam disclosed the concept like a sage: Dinner is a la carte but there is no carte to speak of, dinner is decided by master chef Jon Stevens. Only if you are vegetarian, vegan or allergic is the menu modified. We enjoy our friends company while the staff serves our destiny on a platter and we consume the food and the energy in this most beautiful setting, with the lighting and music - downtempo, chillout, dub, new funk breaks, world electronica, house - changing for every course.
Before our first course was presented I had already made friends with the DJ, B. Smiley. I was already ignited by the Supperclub recipe. When I told him I was from Argentina he said he would play something along my ancestral lines. I replied, Please do not play for one person, play for the crowd and that’s when he told me that, really, he played for the staff, not for the clientle. That really encapsulates the Supperclub experience: It’s the staff that makes the night and the customers are not just savouring the food but the energy and the passion the Supperclub family creates and savours themselves. I lost interest in the conversation when I realized that there were actually tables in the restaurant: two, in fact, and they were covered in real grass. B. Smiley invited me to dance on them but unfortunately by the time the restaurant turned into a club I was too drunk to remember. A small regret.
The food was delicious, magical in fact. Who would have thought that a slab of watermelon could be turned into a marvel by adding balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes? Well, after the first course of who - knows - what - but - o - my - god -this - is - amazing , it was obvious that Jon Stevens had.
There was dancing and singing between courses. The bartender who had made my drink came out without a shirt and his face painted all white. He lip-synched to Lou Reed’s Perfect Day and the hostess did her own show as well. But the main show was the interaction of the waiters with the food and us. Never have I seen such a perfect balance between the entire staff of any establishment, be it a club, church or theatre troupe.
Once the empty plates had been cleared the music and lighting changed again. The music wasn’t the type that would usually make me get down west coast house, latin house, Miami house - if you have been reading me regularly you know odio la musica house - but I truly was blissed out and couldn’t help it.
I had been going in and out throughout the night for cigarettes and noticed that there was a sign on the door that astated that supper was in progress. It was for the people that came only to drink and listen to a lower calibre of music. The ambiance was great though. When we left, well past midnight, the bar was full and outside the line-up was looooong.
Fischerspooner was incredibly incredible but supper at Supperclub wasn’t far off. I cannot wait until the next time Mezzanine throws a party that is too good to be true and I the next day I can go to a restaurant where the food devours me and I scarf down an experience that satisfies me unlike any other.
http://www.supperclub.com/
http://www.sunburn.org/sunburnstore/025.htm
http://www.mezzaninesf.com/calendar.asp
http://www.fischerspooner.com/