When owners of Austin’s newest supper club, glass2plate, asked themselves what kind of event to run for Valentine’s Day, the chef’s response was simply, “I’m going out of town that week.”
Which sums up the two restaurant veterans’ feelings about the holiday: “It is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants. It is a logistical nightmare. The people are a nightmare,” says Dirk Miller, formerly the wine director at Wink, where he worked many a Valentine Day shift indeed. “But we just started our supper club in October, so we had to do something.”
The result is a Heartbreak Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner, created for the jaded at heart, the single food lover without a date, or even the skeptical diner who doesn’t want to pay double on Thursday for what they could on the 13th.
Scheduled appropriately for Sunday, February 10th, before Valentine’s Day, the Heartbreak dinner will be held at Cafe Josie (1200 B West 6th St.) at 6pm with a possible second seating at 8pm. Complete with black roses and an enormous playlist of sad, loveless songs — everything from Lionel Richie to Alice in Chains — Chef Matthew Taylor’s choices will include a locally-procured, family-style meal with a winter salad course, braised lamb with gnocchi, and a delicious chocolate dessert. Each course will paired with handpicked wines as well as a dessert cocktail. Seats are $75 with an optional gratuity.
Want to turn traditional on its head a bit? Click here for information about reserving seats. And check out a full rundown of Austin supper clubs with special Valentine’s events in the February 8th issue.
This article appears in January 18 • 2013.
