| Home | Menu | Events | About Us | Blog | Contact Us |
| Sub-menu 1.2.1.1 |
| Catering Menu |
| Sample Menus |
| Children's Menu |
| Event Space |
| Calendar |
| About Us |
| Testimonials |
| Meaning of All Natural |
 |
When we host our Underground Supper Clubs, the clientele varies. The younger guests often take out their phones, snap some pictures and enjoy their meals. I love it when I get to see what happens next...here are the perspectives of some of our guests at our January and February dinners.
All Natural Chicago hosts an Underground Supper Club on the 4th Friday of most months. Our communal seating and open kitchen space offer a wonderful culinary dining experience. We have had a few Italian/pasta driven events. Our first, PastaPalooza can be found here. Ravioli, lasagna, handmade pastas, oh my! The next pasta focus event was APastalype Now! They are not always Italian driven, but our dinners allow Chef Micky to have a creative culinary outlet. We love catering social events and corporate meetings, though Supper Club gives Chef a chance to exercise his culinary muscles. We want to invite you and your friends and family to participate in these dinners.
Our Underground Supper Club will return in January. We are offering gift certificates this holiday season. When you don't want to buy someone you care about more stuff, offer them an experience and have one for you to share at a discount! With the purchase of a gift certificate for $120, you receive 2 seats to an upcoming Underground Supper Club and 50% off your seat to the same or another dinner. Dinners range from $60 to $75 per seat, depending on the menu and offerings. Our exclusive email recipients are notified of these events. They occur on or around the 4th Friday of most months. Sample menus can be found here. Consider offering your friends and family an experience this holiday season...to be enjoyed in the new year.
We catered a beautiful birthday party dinner on Friday evening. The home was spectacular, the guests were fun and energetic and the service was impeccable. Shortly before the first course, I went to make sure every one was seated and ready. The guests were sort of looking at each other quietly. I wasn't sure what was going on. A few moments before, cell phones were out, photos were being taken. There was a jovial vibe in the room. Now, quiet, people were getting up one or two at a time, and heading toward the front door. I made my way over to that area, only to discover 
the beginning of what became a large collection of cell phones amassed in the front hallway. It began with one guest, thoughtful enough to leave their cell phone next to their umbrella on a shelf near the front door. The host had gone to close the door and discovered this kind gesture. It moved her enough to say something to the table. Her words were not meant to shame, only to compliment the thoughtful guest and thank them for their consideration. Apparently, the other guests shared her sentiment and decided to become engaged in the atmosphere and company of the evening.
By the time the soup course, which was first, hit the table, the jubilation had returned and the guests were in the swing of celebration. It was the kind of evening that if you did not have fun and enjoy yourself, it was your own fault. The food courses came out timely. I know I am a little biased, but the flavors were spot on and the guests really seem to enjoy them. Every course was designed around the guest of honor's favorite foods. We began with Mushroom soup, served with a brioche crouton and shitake bacon (stay tuned for a future post about this). The second course was orrecchietti in a Parmesan infusion with asparagus and artichoke hearts. The main course was braised short rib with red onion jam garni, served over creamy polenta with green beans. Before all of the plates were served, the guests were asking if there were seconds of this dish. Dessert was birthday cake and chocolate covered strawberries. I thought I would share the menu, but as I did, I had the thought that I bet every guest could have told you what they ate. Until the drinks had been flowing nonstop, every person was engaged in the conversations, the food and the ambiance. Alcohol may have made the evening fuzzy, but at least it wasn't being viewed through the screen on a cell phone...
We catered a beautiful dinner party on Friday night. One of the guests left their cell phone next the their umbrella on...
Posted by on
It is always fun to host friends and family at the All Natural Chicago kitchen. Underground Supper Club is an opportunity for Chef Micky to work with ingredients and try techniques that our day to day menu doesn't always allow. We are hosting our first dinner of the year on Friday, January 23. There are only a few seats available as of writing time, but a reminder goes out tomorrow...
At a recent dinner, we had a diverse group of guests, some family, some friends, some strangers. Chef's cousin was in town from California and it turns out, he and his wife are food connoisseurs who write a beautiful food blog. We were honored when they wrote about their experience. I am including a few of Seamus Vanecko's images from the blog. He is a fantastic photographer. Please read the post. Sign up for an Underground dinner. You can check the events calendar each month to see when we are hosting them. Get on our email list to get your own invitation.
Sublime Oranges Underground Blog Post
Another update, if you haven't been able to attend an Underground Dinner, here is a blog post that will allow you to feel like you had. Of course, the only thing missing is the actual, incredible food....Kim Campbell blog post
Alternative dining wasn't going to remain covert forever. We still maintain a small list of potential guests, but we are always looking for new blood. There is an interesting article written about Chicagoan's discriminating options outside traditional restaurants. We have been mentioned in the article, but it is great knowing we are riding the right wave...Read it here. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the information for our mailing list. In the comments area, just put "Chicago Underground" and we will make sure you get the email announcements. Contact Us
Chef Micky was fortunate, in his childhood, to have a grandma that shared long time techniques and traditions in the kitchen. He and his cousins got to pick tomatoes for sauce, stomp grapes for wine, stir the pasta to make sure it didn't stick, and watch while she tore the basil instead of cutting it. It may have seemed silly when none of his friends got to have similar experiences, but in adulthood, the impression those tasks left serve him well. I am discussing these things because we recently had an event that would have made Grandma Mary so proud. We had been wanting to have a pasta themed dinner for a long time. The name was created, a menu was constructed, the invitations got sent and the seats were quickly filled. Dinner time, the judgement hour, expectations fulfilled or not...Yes, FULLFILLED! Eighteen people gathered to socialize, meet new people, see old friends and break bread at PastaPalooza!
We began with some antipasti. A tray of pickled veg & cubed cheeses and two beautiful dishes were laid out for the guests. Heirloom tomatoes surrounding a ball of Burata, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and grilled peaches around a ball of Burata, drenched in our peach bourbon jam were such a hit. When I explained that it was a cheese wrapped in another cheese, I had everyone's attention. I cut the Burata surrounded by peaches, the creamy cheese just oozed throughout the bowl creating true peaches and cream. 5 stars for bread and circuses in one dish. We sat everyone down, began with salad and proceeded to serve 5 distinct pasta dishes before ending with Tiramisu and lemon cheesecake cremeux. Three dishes contained hand made pasta; seafood manicotti, Vincigrassi lasagnette, and Pasta alla chitarrina with pomodoro basil sauce. Here is how the chitarrina gets made.
The dishes were both beautiful and delicious. Vincisgrassi pasta dough being rolled and cut. Vincisgrassi is a lasagna style dish layered with meat, vegetables and Romano cheese, then baked until the edges are crispy. This dish originated in Le Marche, the region Chef's culinary school was located.
Pictured here are some of the beautiful dishes that were served. Thank you, Grandma Mary, no one would be prouder than you, of Chef Micky's fantastic meal except his wife. That is me. My tummy and our friends - both new and old, were so impressed and satisfied.
Green City Market's mission statement states that Green City Market is a nationally recognized marketplace model for distributing, promoting and educating about local sustainably-grown food. In serving that mission, they also include local chefs to help the education process. Today, Saturday, March 1st, our Chef, Micky Kearns, has the honor of demonstrating his knowledge and enthusiasm for using the freshest, highest quality ingredients and elevating them to their greatest potential. Whether you came out today to see the demo, heard about it and decided to tune in here, or just stumbled upon this post, we really hope you will visit your local farmer's market and try making this dish. Your friends and family will marvel at how much flavor you can achieve with simple vegetables.
