As more and more dinner clubs put finishing touches to their menus and send out semi-private invites to devotees, an unusual supper club came to Boston’s South End earlier in the summer. Run by three men of no small talent or imagination– Michael Cirino, Jonny “Cigar” Cristaldi and Daniel Castaño — A Razor, A Shiny Knife (ARASK) has, over the past three years, sent out thousands of invitations and put on lavish meals across the country, including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, New York and Austin, not to mention London and Paris. The club boasts an appreciation “of making food a social and interactive experience among friends and strangers,” says founder Michael Cirino.
For the soiree I attended in the South End, guests were asked to dress in 1920’s cocktail attire and expect an elegant night of theater to go with dinner. The thematic elements of food, attire and decorative aesthetic took their inspiration from the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, one of Jonny’s favorite authors (Hemingway’s best work was written in Boston–this according to Jonny). With our hosts dressed in three-piece blacks suits, elegant cuisine served, followed by absinthe served, numerous wine pairings and allusions to ‘choices’ (a nod to the moral choices made by Hemingway’s protagonists) — it was all there. We guests were high-end diners, theatre-goers and social lab participants all wrapped up in one.
The food prepared was unforgettable, from lamb and lavender to raspberry and caviar. Michael performed a liquid nitrogen demonstration for the guests, turning limes into ice-like shards that went into the white elephant cocktails, one of the main elixirs of the evening. Daniel made a gourmet sausage, encouraging guests to participate. The comedy, drinks and theater offered up by Jonny added a sparkling edge of humor, rendering guests comfortable to mingle freely and get to know one another, many for the first time.
To my mind, the revolutionary aspect of supper clubs is how they offer a chance to celebrate food, drink and social interaction in unconventional ways. Unlike dining out at a restaurant, supper clubs allow you to interact with chefs and the other guests while experiencing a communal meal in myriad environments, from apartments to banquet halls. The ARASK event was located in a private lavish loft apartment graced with a long table and a spiral staircase leading to a balcony overlooking the Boston cityscape. This venue made the evening feel like an historic, upscale literary party, which A Razor, A Shiny Knife pulled off with a unique twist—incorporating literary themes that spoke to tradition, history and art.
ARASK is slated to be back in Boston this October with some new tricks up their sleeves. If you’re interested, make sure to add your name to their e-mail list before the invites are sent!
(Listen to Radio Boston’s recent coverage of Boston’s underground supper clubs, O.N.C.E. and Feast Mass HERE.)