Dish #43 - "No screwing around. No-shows will not be tolerated."

The Dish: I received the reply email from Charlie's Burger last night at exactly 9:58:41. I must, of course, follow up on this story and share their poignant words with you. You think I should email them back? Especially knowing that the potential of me paying 150 dollars to chew on critters is significantly high, I think I'll hold back from replying. Although, the probability of them serving 6+-legged creatures in the near future is pretty low. Hmm...and I am okay with eating strange foods like tripe and raw bananas. Nah, I think I'll pass on this one.

Charlie's Burger's response:

CHARLIES BURGERS
The Anti-Restaurant
www.charliesburgers.ca
The Anti-Restaurant is about the food experience first. It is not-for-profit, so the costs involved resume their proper place as something simply incidental to the event.

WHEN? At random intervals.
WHERE? At random locations.
WHO'S COOKING? A Chef who CAN and still loves someone whose love of a kickass meal has not been dulled by soul-crushing food and beverage managers and bean counters someone creative, innovative and fun. We've got a long list here in Toronto but more suggestions are welcome.
HOW MUCH? Total cost of food divided by number of attendees our goal is to keep it around $75 - $150 per person.
WINE? Paired appropriately.
DRESS CODE? No, but we don't want your chest hair in the salad, got it?
WHO? FOOD LOVERS. No screwing around. If you can't/won't eat certain things, this is probably not for you. Chef rules. This isn?t Fear Factor but there will be meat, seafood, raw stuff, and occasionally something from outside the mainstream experience. Duh, that's the point of the Anti-Restaurant.

HOW DO I GET IN? Pay attention. Email us back with your answers to the questions below. If you are for real, we put you on the potential invitee?s list If you get in, one day you will receive an e-vite notifying you that Charlie is having dinner. This e-vite will indicate the chef's name, cost, and menu. Those who RSVP first get in, another small group will get stand-by status. Either way you will get an email confirming your status.You will be able to RSVP for you +1. If you want to get 15 of your friends in, you can't- they'll have to go through the process just like you are doing now. If you can't make it please do not email saying just that. If we don't hear from you we will assume you are busy. Please don't worry, you will NOT be removed from the list unless you want to be. Please make sure that you can actually attend when you RSVP!!!!!!!! RSVP-ing before checking your schedule and then canceling is frowned upon.

IMPORTANT! NO-SHOWS will NOT be tolerated. If you can't make it, contact us in advance so we can give it to a stand-by. Failure to show this sort of basic decency gets you on the blacklist seriously, no more burgers for you. Show up. Eat, drink, pay your share, go home and dream about the next one. Name (first and last) & email (again) & best number to reach you to reconfirm the day of the event.

What is your occupation?
Where did you hear about us?
What are your 3 favourite restaurants in Toronto? What would your last meal on earth be?
Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
Please don't tell us you like food and cooking.
Get creative and don't be shy.

If you know anyone who loves food and eating well please refer them to www.charliesburgers.ca
NOTE: Please check your junk mail folder as sometimes our correspondences get filtered out. CB Team PS. Follow Charlie on Twitter. http://twitter.com/CharliesBurgers

They want to be mysterious...yet somehow they promote Twitter?

Dish #42: Charlie's Burger - Underground Bug Fest.

The Dish: During my lunch breaks at work, I usually shuffle through the office's newspaper (my big boss subscribes to the Globe and Mail) in search of something interesting to read while I eat my leftovers from the night before. Today, I chose the Life section. The photos that graced the headlines were not particularly graceful nor were they tasty. As I unfolded the paper, I saw bugs. I saw food. I saw photos of bugs in food.

Hmm? Obviously, I read on. I was apprehensive of my choice. It definitely wasn't the most appetizing article of the day. But as most of you know, I love food. I just couldn't help but be slightly terrified yet intrigued at the same time.

The article speaks of an underground "anti-restaurant" called Charlie's Burger, created by an anonymous man/men/woman/women who calls him/herself/themselves Charlie Burger. They reach out to famous chefs "to create whatever menu they want, with no boundaries whatsoever".

Filled with curiosity, I decided to Google this mysterious food fare. To my surprise, they don't have a real website. I was confronted with a photo of a door which I pressed and "entered". Hoping to find photos of great plates, samples of past menus and short blurbs of the chefs who had joined the event in the past, I was instead confronted with a black page that asked me for my email. Apparently, they will get back to me. (Screenshot of their website below.) Completely confused, I did some more research. There is no real location of the secret dinner party and not everyone is allowed to eat there. Guests were asked to meet at strange locations at precise times with $110 dollars of cash donation per person. Yup, pretty underground to me.

Let's go back to the bug article which started this investigation in the first place. Chris John, the author of the G&M article, was given the opportunity to taste a 10-course meal that revolved around various bugs (farmed mostly in Thailand) which was prepared by chefs Jeff Stewart and Matt Binkley with the donation of $155. Ouf. Here are some of the dishes he sampled: Roasted Forest Nymphs, Ancient Chinese Scorpion Soup, Queen Ant Thai Salad, charlie 'Bugger' Micro Chickpea and Bean Burger and Risotto con Quattro Vermi (vermi means worm by the way).

I will spare you the details of which bug went into which course. I was quite repulsed by the idea. I love food. I love people being innovative with food. However, there is something we call a food chain. There is an hierarchy. I don't care how much batter you dip these little critters in before frying them or how long you sizzle them in vegetable oil or how hot the water is when you boil them. There is something about rhinoceros beetles that I will never find appetizing.

To be honest, the concept of an underground, moving restaurant is quite interesting. But the concept of eating bugs has been around for a very long time in Asian cultures. Western cultures found it disgusting, dirty and cheap. It goes to show how hypocritical we can be. If you hide the food from the public, charge a ridiculously amount for it and be brave enough to call a queen ant a delicacy, people will fight in line to try it and you can make a business out of basically anything.

Charlie's Burger's Webpage (Click to enlarge.)

Caramel Crickets as Dessert

Link to Globe & Mail article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/charlies-burgers-waiter-theres-a-bug-in-my-soup/article1445207/