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Cobaya touts itself as an underground dinner club for local foodies eager to open their wallets and pallets to food experimentation by South Florida chefs.; Hence its name: Cobaya/Gourmet Guinea Pigs.
The concept is not new. Call it a transient dinner, renegade party, occasional supper club or gourmet dinner club, it exists in several cities worldwide. Each offers unique dining experiences to a group of select food explorers. The allure lies in exclusivity. They are sometimes held in a chef’s home or closed restaurant with a menu of hard to come by ingredients or experimental cooking.
Does Cobaya qualify for the big-time? A quick study of dinners and diner feedback gave mixed results.
The prices are high for the menus offered, which, although extensive, are hardly “experimental.” Tuna sashimi, grilled octopus, braised short rib and peach sorbet are far from groundbreaking. One local seafood restaurant hosted a six-course “experiment” for $90 and today, the same location, offers a five-course for $65. Doubtful that the extra course offered an additional $25 value.
The concept behind Cobaya is to pay for dinner before any details besides the date are provided.; The last “experiment,” at $110 and BYOB, featured a visiting dignitary. It was met with mixed reviews. “Not that interesting” and “not worth it.”
Short Order has tried contacting the group organizers several times over the last couple of weeks with no response. Their last blog update was posted before the dinner held in early September. We hope they are reevaluating the concept.
