The Kitchen's Inaugural "Mad" Dinner

For Immediate Release: THE KITCHEN, Hamburg's first private supper club, opened this weekend to rave reviews. 

Bound by their love of cooking and eating and inspired by travel, design, seasonal produce, Jon Hamm, a stiff drink, and sharing a fabulous meal over riveting and hilarious conversation, two intrepid amateur cooks and professional food enthusiasts offered a three-course menu based on the American television series, "Mad Men" - set in 1960s Manhattan to 15 guests to open Hamburg's first secret restaurant. 

Mad Men goes into its fourth season this summer in the US and is set to hit German television for the first time this year - which meant the evening was an introduction to two things: a gorgeous American TV series and classic 1960s American cooking with a modern twist.

Guests arrived in full 1960s regalia ranging the gamut from demure Betty and dapper Don Draper to bohemian rhapsody. Real American martinis (none of the sweet stuff) with blue cheese stuffed olives and old fashioneds with maraschino cherries kicked off the evening before guests were escorted upstairs to the dining room. 

Buoyed by a mid 1950s - mid 1960s playlist created by DJs Nathan and Matthias, conversation flowed over one long table where 15 diners dug into a modernly twisted "spaghetti and meatballs" - seasonal white German asparagus ribbons tossed in brown butter, pancetta and green asparagus and topped with morel "meatballs" and shaved Parmesan. Wine pairings orchestrated by local weinhandler Weingut Wein matched each course including Betty's Beef Wellington with a potato and celeriac gratin and braised spinach. 

 

THE KITCHEN sends much love and owes special thanks to Nathan, Martin, Ingo, Matthias and Susanne, Bölle, Jochen, taste testers, fans and all those who have supported, inspired, fed, tolerated, listened to, instructed, and assisted in ways known or  unknown, seen or unseen.

 

Watch this site for THE KITCHEN's soon-to-launch website where interested parties can learn more about where dinners take place and when and how to reserve a table.