Clandestino Supper Club

Welp, that was a pretty memorable valentines dinner. Great experience and food. Looking forward to a summer version

Go for the mindbending experience alone. Dinner was like being on the set of a Wes Anderson movie. It took place in a family’s home in Pilsen that used to be a ballroom. There was a giant tepee off to the side that functions as the teenage daughter’s bedroom and she swung from a trapeze hanging from the ceiling. Her mother handles wild animals and unearthed a barn owl they keep in a shed in the living room. It flew across the room on command and right back to its lair. She also casually informed us they kept a sloth downstairs.
Our lovely dinner was prepared by the 18-​year-​old son. The Jersusalem artichoke soup with pancetta and chestnuts was divine, rich but not heavy. Fresh, tender lamb was served with handmade tortillas and Mexican rice. Dessert was rhubarb ginger galette with cream, light and maybe a touch savory rather than sweet.
Clandestino put on a truly special night. Every guest was blown away!

Everyone’s familiar with this situation: you are invited to a friend’s dinner party that they worked really hard to make a success. They’ve chosen recipes that sounded delicious and cooked for hours. But you are sitting there, with plates of mediocre-​at-​best food in front of you, forcing yourself to swallow it, and trying to smile and compliment your friend all the way through.
That was Clandestino. Only you had to pay $ 100 to have this awkwardly awful experience.
I was very excited to try Clandestino: I loved the concept of a «secret supper club» that moved around the neighborhood. I had read dazzling reviews on Unilocal,and had even seen it mentioned in a couple articles about interesting places to eat in Chicago. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to finally try it.
Our dinner was to be held in the basement of a small, «healthy/​local/​organic-​y» grocery store in Pilsen called Belli’s. We were told that dinner would begin promptly at 7, so my friend and I arrived 10 minutes early. We were greeted with a very strange scene peppered with elements that seemed like they were plucked from an episode of «Portlandia:» a two-​piece folk-​ish band, a bar tender dressed in a bow tie and vest, and a preteen girl checking in coats. Another preteen came around with a tray of hors d’oeurves sized toast with foie gras pâté. This was our first bad sign: it was mediocre with the minerally aftertaste that poorly prepared foie gras gets. Next, the owner of Belli’s comes around with «ginger shots.» My friend takes one, and immediately proceeds to cough and tear up due to how potent these shots of straight-​up ginger juice were. This was bad sign number two. And bad sign number three came when we watched the bartender prepare in front of us drinks with whiskey, almond milk, and nutmeg, and yet we could not taste any of the ingredients.
About twenty minutes later, the group was instructed to sit at the table. Our first course was strawberries two ways: one wrapped in bacon and the other covered in chocolate. Strawberries dipped in chocolate? As a first course? Mistimed and lacking creativity! And the bacon wrapped strawberry? That was disgusting. It tasted like soft, watery bacon. The woman sitting across from us kept kosher and did not eat pork, but was brought out bacon anyway. When she politely reminded them of her dietary restriction, they asked her «is bacon pork?» Hmm, another troubling sign.
After plates were cleared, we waited about forty minutes for course number two. This course was absolutely abysmal. We were given a tiny plate with about seven arugula leaves with a slimy, room-​temperature oyster on top. That was it. No sauce, no dressing, nothing but arugula and a poorly prepared oyster.
Subsequent courses included bland mushrooms on top of undressed arugula, and overcooked, chewy bison, all of which came about 45 minutes after the previous course had been cleared. At this point, my friend and I had been picking at horrible food, and decided that we did not want to continue suffering through this meal. We politely thanked the chef for his efforts and left.
I was absolutely stunned at how terrible this meal was. It is particularly shocking because Clandestino has been around for several years, so I would have expected them to work out issues with timing, training the staff, and of course food preparation. Granted, they are preparing food outside of the normal, controlled restaurant environment, and it is a changing menu; however, there is no excuse for the evening to be this bad.
I really wanted to love the food; I really wanted to support and up-​and-​comer; I really wanted to tell the story of an awesome meal I had in a secret location. Alas, Clandestino, this was not your tale.

Clandestino’s Valentines Day dinner was my first experience with an underground dinner party and I was blown away with how much fun it was. Our table mates were super friendly foodies so the conversation helped to pace all the courses. The location was a really great space (former church, former athletic club, now an arts center) and added even more comfort to the evening.
The dinner was themed after the history of the host neighborhood — Pilsen — leading to a really diverse 5 course (+amuse +cocktail) dinner. The lobster dumpling may have broken into the top 3 things I’ve EVER eaten. And now I must go infuse my vodka with lemon peel and jalepenos for the ultimate cold weather cocktail, as inspired by the splendidly spicy gypsy punch.
I can’t wait to see what Clandestino is scheming for the future events because you will find me there, without a doubt.
OH. BONUS POINTS: the super fat cat who inhabited the building’s lower floor and let me pet her between courses. Felines + Fois Gras = Fantastic

I outsourced my thanksgiving to these fine gentlemen and without getting too gushy or ridiculous, I will simply say that the food (and experience in general) was lovely and completely enjoyable.
Three words: Tur-​duck-​en.
Thank you for making Turkey Day less stupid and more enjoyable.

I’d love to tell you more, but I can’t.
I’d have to shoot you…

After the chef contacted me to apologize for the bad experience the first time, and offered to have me back to give us a better experience, I attended the Strawberry/​Herb/​Bacon dinner this past Saturday and it was a great experience! The service was great… dinner was served in a timely manner, and the food was pretty tasty… some things on the menu… bacon wrapped strawberry grilled (yum), the trout gravlax tostada was my favorite, but the spinach salad with the bacon vinagarette, the grilled fish with the fresh english peas, and the strawberry shortcake were also really good. The loft that the dinner was served in was really cool, and the DJ’s music kept the atmopshere upbeat and energetic. I think if you are a person who loves to try new experiences, eat some great food, meet some new people, etc then you should try a Clandestino event.

Disclaimer: I’m writing from the volunteer side of Clandestino and, thus, have never actually paid for any of my experiences here. Bias? Probably.
The opportunity to participate in these dinners has always been such a privilege to me not specifically just for the food — I’m not expecting Alinea by any means. The experience entire is the draw. Of course, I originally found it appealing because of the food — specifically when foie gras was still illegal — and Efrain was having a four-​course dinner with foie gras in each course. However, you realize quickly that it’s the setting, the randomness of it all, the music, the people, the many forms of art you’re probably exposed to, and, more likely than not, a jewel in the city is discovered.
That first dinner was 2.5 years ago and I’ve seen Clandestino’s progression over time. It’s not flawless, but I kinda like it that way (flashback: the Hull House fire alarm in winter. hahaha); I like seeing how this underground dining scene evolves. Through Clandestino, I’ve had the best pulled pork of my life, met a ton of cool people, saw fireworks from the roof of an aging abandoned convent in Pilsen, learned the politics of goat, mastered the art of loft soirees, ate BBQ with a traveling circus in a one ring tent, chatted it up with artists in their studios, and more recently painted (or doodled, really) all over a wall in one of the oldest mansions in Chicago.
Can I get that kind of experience in even my favorite restaurants? Nope, and that’s why I love it.

I love Underground Supper Clubs and was so excited to go to Clandestino, but I wanted to share our experience because it was not a «10».
We attended the Valentine’s Dinner, which was $ 100 per person. This, of course, is still BYOB and does not include tip. (We did leave a very generous tip, because I like what these guys are doing). We loved the whole atmosphere — the setting was in an art gallery in an old historic house. The people were great, from the servers to the Chef to the people attending. There was a singer and keyboardist who played during a break and they were wonderful. Loved the whole thing, but the food.. . was disappointing. I’m a serious cook and seriously, I thought I could have done better.
We had an Amuse of chocolate covered candied bacon, which was delicious, but honestly, it wasn’t bigger than a penny. No kidding. We had a first course of duck, which was nice but again, the portion was all of four bites. And the duck was near impossible to cut without a steak knife (we had just regular knives at the table). My husband gave up trying to cut his. It was tasty, but very tough. The pasta course was devoid of taste. My husband, who loves, pasta, was very disappointed and I kept thinking of ways the chef could have made this that would have actually built some flavor. Bland. The Arugula Salad was the highlight of the evening. It was the perfect palate cleanser and was fresh and bright. Home run on that. The main course, pork, was two little sausage links which were just okay. The radicchio and endive accompanying the dish was terribly bitter. I couldn’t believe they served this as the main course. Kind of a joke. The cake and ice cream for dessert was okay, but the the ice cream was hard as a rock. They served a little serving of hot chocolate with Grand Marnier after dessert which was delicious.
I really wanted to be supportive of these guys, I like the whole idea and the positive energy that showed, but the food was simply dull. I’m giving them three stars for the fun atmosphere.

The best supper club in Chicago, period! Efrain is my hero! What a creative force and well thought out menu master. Don’t pass up the chance to experience what it is really all about– from Tripp with

I’ve got to be totally honest: I was unimpressed with the Clandestino Dinner Club. I had been excited about it for so long, and the night was kind of a bust. I mean, I’m giving them 2 stars because the concept is great and I like that they feature a lot of local food on their menu (but I think I’m being pretty generous here, given my experience).
First, lets talk about the price. For $ 75, I want a great experience. I have no problem dropping that kind of money on a good meal, but I should mention that it doesn’t include tip or alcohol (which is BYOB). Just for the record, the City Provisions Supper Club costs $ 60 and it includes beer/​wine pairings. Thats a pretty significant difference.
Next, lets talk about the food. It was good. It wasn’t outstanding, it wasn’t «outside the box» interesting or new. It was fine. (We attended the Southern-​theme dinner: fried chicken and such.)
Third, lets talk about the staff. Kind of a random mix of servers that seemed to be doing it for the first time. Our particular server was super friendly and chatty: like, a little bit too friendly. Early in the evening, she asked where we lived. She followed up that question by asking if we would drop her off at the purple line after dinner so she could get back to Evanston. I’m not even kidding. We were dumbfounded. And for the record, the purple line was nowhere near the venue or our house. I was also really put off when I got up to go to the bathroom and saw all the servers sitting out in the hallway chowing on the same meal we were enjoying, except it didn’t cost them $ 75. Its kind of a general rule for food service employees: its okay to eat, just don’t let the customers see you do it.
Lastly, lets talk about the pace of the evening. We were told that the dinner was to go from 7:00 PM until 10:00 PM on a Sunday (which is late for a Sunday night in our house, when one of us gets up to catch a 5:45 AM train on Monday mornings). Between all the courses and the music, the meal took FOREVER. The fact that the smoke alarm went off from frying the chicken didn’t help either (I don’t blame Clandestino for that, accidents happen, but we did have to evacuate the building for 30 minutes in the freezing cold while the fire department came). By 10:30 PM, we still hadn’t received our last course and the band was just starting another set… so we left.
And yes, despite the experience, we did leave a tip. Unfortunately, our friend had to find her own ride to the purple line.
The whole night was kind of a joke. Needless to say, Clandestino made a bad first impression on me, making it really hard to justify that $ 75. My advice? Try City Provisions Supper Club instead.

Chef Efrain is awesome and so are his friends and helping crew. His events are spectacular. All the servers are friends of Chef Efrain or volunteers either from a high school culinary school or some other organization. I have attended three of these events in 2008 and had a great time at each of them. There is always an artist of some sort around, either a musical performer, or a painter/​drawer to exhibit his/​her work. I’ve been to three Clandestino events and was impressed that Efrain knew my name! How awesome. He is such a great guy and an outstanding chef. I think its great he’s creating a non-​profit organization for kids who are interested in the culinary industry. The locations to these events are never disclosed until 1 – 2 days before the actual date of the event. The meals are usually $ 75-​$ 80 but include at least 5 courses if not more. You meet a lot of interesting and great people too! And if you arent enjoying the conversation, then at least you’ll enjoy the food or entertainment. I’ve always had a great time. Below are the menus to the dinners I’ve attended. One event was in a supermarket (supposed to be on the rooftop of the building but changed due to rain) and two were in a loft apartments. If you are a vegetarian, just let Efrain know and he can cater to you specifically so that you enjoy your meal as well!
June 2008
**Starter of Grape Truffles and Bourbon Cherry in frozen ginger lemonade disk
**Ceviche of Cod, lemon juice, Summer Radish, Serrano Chile, Chives, chamomile vinegar
**Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Maine Shrimp Sauteed w/​Green Garlic and Achiote, Candied Lime
**Grilled Baby Bok Choy Salad, Roasted Pumkin Seeds and Pear, Citrus balsamic vinaigrette
**Housemade Escarole Fettucini, Applewood smoked pork, Local Mushrooms and Spring Onions
**Black Forest Amelanchier Cheesecake w/​Cocoa Jelly Petals and Chocolate Almond Tuille Cookie
July 2008
**Grape Truffles
**New England Scallops on the Half Shell, Baked with Polenta, Seasonal Salsa w/​Herbs and Chile, Microgreens
**Purple Haze Carrot and Jicama Salad w/​Cinnamon and Chile Piquin, Lime Vinaigrette and Watermelon
**Grilled Romansco Squash and Avocado Soup
**Mélange a Trois: Eggplant stuffed w/​Local Cheese and Swiss Chard, Sweet Pepper stuffed w/​Ground Piedmontese Beef, Spring Onion, and Green Garlic, Squash Blossom stuffed w/​Local Cheese and Fresh Favas, Grilled Fennel and Heirloom Tomato Concasse
**Saffron Pot du Crème, Lavender Caramel, Dried Peaches, Candied Lilac Petals
August 2008-​Iron Chef event
Chef Saul Schwartz
— Gazpacho Consommé, Poached Louisiana Shrimp
— Arborio Rice Crusted Shrimp, Avocado Salad, Microgreens and Olive Oil
— Barbeque Shrimp, Andouille Risotto, Corn Sauce
— Pork Cheek and Apple Ravioli, Vanilla Butter Poached Shrimp, Natural Jus
Chef Efrain Cuevas
— Nigiri-​Style Shrimp and Grits with White and Red Remoulade
— Summer Melon Bloody Mary w/​Pickled Summer Vegetables and Grilled Louisiana Shrimp
— Cajun Pasta: Housemade Fettucini w/​Andouille, Wild Shrimp, Crawfish, and Catfish
— (Pastry by Chef Stacey Whitney) Coconut Shrimp Macaroon, Praline Ice Cream, Cayenne Blueberry Sauce

After discovering Clandestino, I had to try it, so I signed up for the Iron Chef dinner featuring Chef Efrain and Chef Saul Schwartz. I was so excited when I got an email a few days before announcing that the secret ingredient was shrimp. I was even more excited when the location and menu were sent out a couple of days later. I have to admit, I had no idea what an Iron Chef event was (don’t watch the chef shows), so when I got the menu, I was a little shocked. «Everything has shrimp??? Even dessert?!?» Then I felt like a big idiot when my friends said, «Of course, don’t you know what Iron Chef is?» Clearly not.
My cab driver looked at me a little funny when I asked to be dropped off in front of a bunch of abandoned lofts in Humboldt Park, but I assured him it was the right place and got out. I was a little unsure when I walked up to an unmarked door that looked like no one had been to in years, but I rang one of the buzzers and was let in.
Once inside, I was greeted immediately by a smiling and enthusiastic Chef Efrain. I was running a bit late, so everyone was seated when I arrived. I apologized, but he was so nice, said they’d been expecting me, and showed me to an empty seat at a table of four (one couple and another single gal).
I brought my own wine and (luckily) decided to share it with the other woman at our table. I say luckily, because I probably would have finished the entire bottle if it weren’t for her. Eight courses were served, 4 by Chef Efrain and 4 by Chef Schwartz. After each course, we were given the opportunity to score the dish and walk around to check out the art by a local artist. There was also a band that played in between courses. The food was excellent, they managed to vary the dishes enough that each one was distinct and flavorful. Even the dessert was amazing, shrimp coconut macaroons by Chef Stacey Whitney. So good!
The people I met at the event were very nice as well. I didn’t really think ahead and didn’t realize that cabs are scarce in the area later in the evening. The couple at our table walked out with me to make sure I got a cab before they took off. That was really nice.
The entire experience was great from start to finish. Great food, cool people, mystery location… what more could you ask for!

Okay guys, this is what you need to know: go for the experience and the experience only. The food is slightly above average but definitely not worth the $ 75 you pay.
The atmosphere, on the other hand, was nothing like we’ve experienced. The moment we walked in, we were greeted with smiles by complete strangers. When we sat down at our table, we found out that everyone was a first-​timer. We introduced ourselves, downed some wine, and engaged in random spurts of delightful conversation. Chef Efrain was extremely friendly, and came around to all the guests to chat. (Apparently he studied to become a civil engineer, only to abandon it to pursue his true passion.) At the end of the two-​and-​a-​half hour dinner, the organizers arranged for us to go down to a salsa club down the street.
I don’t know if we would do it again, but it was definitely a different and new dining experience that was entirely enjoyable.

I really enjoyed my Clandestino dining experience. It was something that most people don’t ever get to experience, unless they’re in the know. The «secret» about everything until a day or two in advance makes things fun, but also makes you wonder «is this for real?»! But sure enough, within a week of the event, we started receiving info, bit by bit, until the day before when the menu and the exact location was released. Our group of 40 dined in someone’s loft in the West Loop. We were all amazed that they prepared a four course meal for 40 people, in a regular kitchen. I still don’t know how they pulled off that feat! The dinner was also accented by a live music performance by Nave. Everything about the experience was nicely done and very satisfying.
For the menu:
Gorgonzola stuffed dates, wrapped in prosciutto — I’m not a big fan of dates, but man, these were tasty bites of warmth. Sweet, salty, smooth. I’m a date convert if you’re going to serve these to me!
Deviled eggs with smoked mayonnaise, rock salt, and slivers of porcini mushrooms — Awesome twist on a regular classic. The smoked mayo added a nice depth to the usual, without being overpowering.
Curly endive and baby greens with bacon vinaigrette and goat cheese — bitter, salty, and creamy all at once. I liked this, but a touch of sweet would have been nice. Maybe because I’m a sucker for the salty and sweet anytime.
Pork belly and red kuri squash ravioli — I’ve never heard of red kuri squash, but it was a delicious way to make ravioli pasta! Once again, the salty of the pork belly, and the hint of the sweet from the squash were a great combination. Also, you can never go wrong with a browned butter and cream sauces when it comes to squash and ravioli.
Rack of lamb with chestnut and brioche crust. Served with wilted greens and celeriac and potato purée — Wow! I actually try to avoid lamb nowadays for personal reasons, but in cases like this, I decide to enjoy myself. These little lamb lollipops were perfect! The strong lamb taste that a lot of people associate with and usually avoid lamb because of, was not present here. So fresh and meaty tasting. And cooked to the perfection of medium rare. I couldn’t taste much of the crust (because it was on the outside of the chop) with the meat, but I was still really pleased with this. I was also very happy with the veg purée. I know now what to do with that pesky celery root that shows up in my produce deliveries on occasion. The purée was so smooth and rich tasting, I was swooning over it.
And for the finale: Honeycrisp apple bread pudding with pear cream and caramel sauce — A perfect finish to a hearty and warming meal on a cold winter’s evening. The pear cream and caramel sauce were presented as dollops and pools on the side, instead of drizzled over the bread pudding, which I appreciated. Sometimes you want to be able to control how much sweet you’re going to get in one bit. The bread pudding wasn’t too heavy or overly eggy — wonderful.
All in all, everything was noticeably fresh, which I think is something that everyone can appreciate. A wonderful experience with a roomful of strangers, but yet felt so intimate; it’s something that I can appreciate for it’s unique set-​up, a meal to remember!