ingredients, from salad greens to seafood, from local suppliers, ensuring that
the food is the true star of the show. As
Berarducci explains, the entertainment
will change, but good food will keep people coming back.
in addition to menu options like beef
Wellington, grilled asparagus, shrimp
cocktail and bouillabaisse, swing 46 Jazz
and supper Club offers a three-course
prix fixe menu that features an appetizer,
an entrée and a dessert. the classic supper club foods helped the New York club
earn a Zagat rating.
“When people come here, they expect
traditional supper club foods, so that’s
what we serve,” says owner John Akhtar.
most supper clubs also offer full wine
lists and drink menus with traditional
cocktails like the martini, lemon drop,
Cubano and old fashioned.
At swing 46, autographed black-and-
white photos of musicians complement
the red and gold décor, plush leather
booths and vintage accessories designed
to evoke the era of duke ellington, ella
Fitzgerald and Glenn miller. Akhtar
believes that patrons, many of whom
arrive at the club dressed in vintage
dresses and high heels or zoot suits
and fedoras, “want to drink cocktails,
order a meal and experience a setting
that makes them feel like it’s a special
At most supper clubs, the tables are
set with white linens and fine china, and
SUPPER
CLUBS 2.0
although most supper clubs
embrace the tradition of live music and
steak dinners, creative food lovers have
reimagined the concept, launching “under-
ground” supper clubs that pop up in locales
around town for special supper events.
The hosts of secret supper clubs range
from established chefs to talented home
cooks who choose a date and a venue,
design a menu and spread the word
through social media, email newsletters and
word of mouth to bring foodies craving a
unique culinary experience to their tables.
The concept is catching on.
In 2010, chef/artist Julia Ziegler-Haynes
started inviting strangers to have supper at
her home in the Williamsburg neighborhood
of Brooklyn. The supper club, called Dinner
Bell, offers four-course prix fixe meals that
are served family style. Details about the
meals are shared through a mailing list, and
the monthly dinners, which accommodate
16 guests, often sell out months in advance.
Geeta, who started a supper club called
Hush in 2010, hosts dinners at her row
house in the U Street neighborhood in
Washington, D.C., three times a month. The
location is kept secret until the evening of
the supper, and diners have to give a pass-
word at the door. To add to the secrecy of
the event, Geeta doesn’t even reveal her
last name.
At Hush suppers, diners feast on tra-
ditional Indian dishes. Before entrées are
served, guests mingle in the living room over
cocktails and appetizers like chana chaat
and mango lassi. The main dishes range
from kadhi with basmati rice and cucumber
raita to makai no chino and bell peppers
with besan and jaggery—all traditional foods
Geeta’s mother taught her to prepare.
“Food brings people together,” Geeta
says. “People really love the idea of a meal
as a social event. They love lingering over
a good meal and good conversation.”
geeta, host of the secret supper club hush.
continues on page 87
