Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Business, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, Asia, North America, Oceania, China, India, Japan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, France, United States, Australia, News, Middle EastFirst, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything's coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.

The impermanent nature of pop-ups means no real overhead or utilities, and little food cost and labor. They're not enough to sustain chefs financially, but are instead a great way for them to make a name for themselves and draw some income in between (or during) gigs. Pop-ups also give chefs a chance to stretch themselves, stylistically or ethnically, although some prefer to let local ingredients shine. Most pop-ups give props to sustainability by sourcing product from local farms, which is part of what gives these fly-by-night operations such a wonderful sense of place.

I first heard about pop-ups while couch-surfing in San Francisco two years ago (my own pop-up form of survival after relocating back to the West Coast from Colorado). Chef Anthony Myint, the brainchild behind SF's Mission Street Food pop-up, which started in 2008, was serving much-lauded, locally-sourced dinners Thursday nights, each time with the help of a guest chef. The food was unpredictable with regard to cuisine or style. The location? Lung Shan, a nondescript Chinese restaurant in the city's vibrant Mission District (FYI, my favorite place for great, usually cheap, eats). I remember thinking at the time, "More, please."Continue reading Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decadePop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lapland Ruka skiing Ruka holidays Ruka ski holidays