DTLA Dinner Club (Downtown Los Angeles, CA) with new host Arnold Myint!

You know those amazing supper clubs that you wish you had the invite to, but you only hear about it after the fact? Well, here’s the inside scoop on one that I thought I would never be able to get into… the DTLA Dinner Club!

You might be thinking, “Diane, of course you would get invited. You’re a huge foodie and you’re so close!” But alas, this lovely venture is exclusively open to Downtown L.A. residents, so I wasn’t close enough. 🙁 I had heard about the lovely dinners and conversation, not to mention that there would be an occasional celebrity or chef popping by, and the whole party was free! So you had to imagine my excitement when I found out that I would be attending the first DTLA Dinner Club of 2016. Not only that, it would be the first party thrown by Chef Arnold Myint in his own apartment!

DTLA Dinner Club - January 2016 (Downtown Los Angeles, CA) with new host Arnold Myint! on The Episodic Eater

At first, I thought that the rest of the guests are totally going to spot the imposter and exclaim, “She doesn’t belong!”, but everyone was sweet as pie. 🙂

As I walked in, I saw the chef plating our first course, so of course I had to stop by and snap a few in-process photos. Soon after, I was introduced to Josh Gray-Emmer, the brains behind the DTLA Dinner Club, which he started in 2011. Why did he decide to pass the torch to Arnold? He’s moving to Bali in a week! Luckily, I can safely say that the DTLA Dinner Club will be in good hands. 🙂

Before we started on our first course, Chef Arnold Myint spoke a little bit about himself and how he is super excited about to take on the dinner club as a new resident of Downtown L.A. As you may know from his numerous television appearances on Top Chef AND Food Network Star, Arnold is known for his incredible plating skills and that he’s from Nashville. (Believe me, we talked on and on about our love of hot chicken, which I totally miss.)

What you may not know about is his time in the figure skating circuit and about his fabulous alter ego Suzy Wong. Also, when the cameras are off, he is just as passionate about food as you he is in front of the camera. Seriously, take a look at the wall art (that he installed!) in his apartment. Gorgeous! Future Dinner Club attendees are going to have an amazing time with such a wonderful host. 🙂

Are you ready to see the dinner part of the dinner club? Let’s get to it!

Roasted Garlic Panzanella

egg, chicke-rones, chickpea puree, blistered tomato, mustard seeds, dill

The dish was plated beautifully, and I could have eaten a crate of those blistered tomatoes. Everyone looooved the chicke-rones, chicken skin crisped up like chicharrones, and more than a few people asked for seconds. 🙂

And because I know you wanted to see it, here’s that yolk porn…

Eggplant Rollatini

feta, ricotta, caramelized onion, red pepper jam, micro radish

Eggplant dishes are usually reserved for the vegetarians in the group, but these was so flavorful and comforting, I almost want to steal the recipe for my next dinner party… 🙂

Quinoa & Barley Tabouleh

cucumber, parsley, lemon, kalamata, peppers

As much as I like the idea of tabouleh in theory, I’m always disappointed in it… until now! The use of quinoa and chewy barley is genius, because I always find myself disappointed in the tiny couscous that is typically used. Besides, is this not one of the most gorgeous dishes you’ve ever seen?

Oven Roasted Carrots

citrus, pomegranate seeds, ginger zest, mint

Oh wait, we have another contender for gorgeous dish champion! Honestly, this came to the table and everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed. The carrots were gorgeous and dressed so perfectly with just enough to make the carrot taste even more like a carrot. The jewel-like pomegranate seeds were that extra special touch that only a chef would think of. Genius!

Lamb Meatballs with Cilantro Yogurt

sesame, cumin, smoked paprika

At first, I was thinking… “oh lamb meatballs without a sauce. I hope these aren’t dry.” Thankfully, I was wrong on both counts. The meatballs were moist, tender, and just packed with flavor! As if they weren’t enough on their own, the Cilantro Yogurt was basically one of those sauces that you want to eat with everything… and I mean EVERYTHING!

I was polite and tried one of everything on my plate… three times.

Orange Olive Oil Cake

cardamom buttermilk ice cream, pistachio, local honey

The other day, I was out to dinner and had a disappointing olive oil cake with someone who had never eaten one before. I tried to argue the merits of how moist and wonderful they are, but I couldn’t without proof. Here! Here it is!

The cake was easily the best olive oil cake I have ever eaten. The texture was heavenly, and the essence of orange was so gorgeous. Now, I heard that the ice cream was homemade especially for the dinner club, from the ice cream machine that Arnold had shipped from Nashville. It was spectacular!

Instead of using cream and milk, he used sour cream and buttermilk for a tangy, zippy flavor. The cardamom and pistachio additions almost gave the feel of an Indian kulfi, which once again complemented the orange cake beautifully.

At the end of the dinner, we were happy and full, having had so much wonderful conversation and food.

The experience was made even better by our wonderful host, Arnold Myint, who is sure to have a wonderful year of menus coming up for DTLA Dinner Club!

I took some fun videos on Snapchat of the whole experience. If you want to follow along, screenshot the pic below or find me at @episodiceater for more new food adventures!