Exclusive: Members-only dining club coming to Detroit
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A past Tasting Collective event at Portland, Oregon restaurant Kachka. Photo: Courtesy of Tasting Collective
A national dining club that partners with innovative local restaurants is coming to Detroit.
The big picture: New York-based Tasting Collective works with top chefs to host off-menu five-course meals in their restaurants on days when they're generally slower or closed.
- Vecino, which recently won the Free Press Restaurant of the Year award, will host the first event on April 22.
- Coeur in Ferndale and Leña in Brush Park will follow in May and June.
State of play: The events are a test kitchen for the chefs, who can experiment with recipes, share stories and answer questions.
- Pitched as the "anti-Yelp," the evenings include cards for diners to give constructive feedback on each course.
The latest: Detroit is the 18th city for Tasting Collective, which launched in 2016.
How it works: A $165 membership is required to buy tickets for Tasting Collective events — though the first 500 Detroit members can join for $99. Tickets open three weeks before each event, and customers can see menus before booking.
- From there, tickets are $75. Members can bring up to three guests for $95 per guest.
- Tasting Collective tries to make the events accessible and makes its money off the membership fees, CEO Nat Gelb tells Axios.
- Members can also get perks at partner restaurants outside events such as discounts.
Zoom in: Hosting events on slow or closed days was a big plus for Vecino owner Adriana Jimenez, she tells Axios. It can be tough to close the restaurant for an event on a busy Friday or Saturday.
- Innovation is a big theme for Tasting Collective. Vecino, which opened last year, keeps 20% tried and tested favorites on its menu and 80% of the menu changes based on seasonality and creativity, according to Jimenez.
What they're saying: Tasting Collective targets independent restaurants that push boundaries and are geared toward fine dining, but not "super stuffy old-school white tablecloth," Gelb says.
- He adds that Detroit was one of the few cities where the company heard from locals asking when Tasting Collective was coming.
What's next: The April 22 Vecino event, an "Ode to Mexico City" with executive chef Edgar Torres, is now available with seatings at 5:15pm and 7:45pm.
- The menu includes Mole Negro with duck breast and a strawberry and yuzu Pavlova.