Exclusive: Members-only dining club coming to Detroit
A national dining club that partners with innovative local restaurants is coming to Detroit.
The big picture: New York-based Tasting Collective works with top chefs to host off-menu five-course meals in their restaurants on days when they're generally slower or closed.
Vecino, which recently won the Free Press Restaurant of the Year award, will host the first event on April 22.
Coeur in Ferndale and Leña in Brush Park will follow in May and June.
State of play: The events are a test kitchen for the chefs, who can experiment with recipes, share stories and answer questions.
Pitched as the "anti-Yelp," the evenings include cards for diners to give constructive feedback on each course.
The latest: Detroit is the 18th city for Tasting Collective, which launched in 2016.
How it works: A $165 membership is required to buy tickets for Tasting Collective events — though the first 500 Detroit members can join for $99. Tickets open three weeks before each event, and customers can see menus before booking.
From there, tickets are $75. Members can bring up to three guests for $95 per guest.
Tasting Collective tries to make the events accessible and makes its money off the membership fees, CEO Nat Gelb tells Axios.
Members can also get perks at partner restaurants outside events such as discounts.
Zoom in: Hosting events on slow or closed days was a big plus for Vecino owner Adriana Jimenez, she tells Axios. It can be tough to close the restaurant for an event on a busy Friday or Saturday.
Innovation is a big theme for Tasting Collective. Vecino, which opened last year, keeps 20% tried and tested favorites on its menu and 80% of the menu changes based on seasonality and creativity, according to Jimenez.
What they're saying: Tasting Collective targets independent restaurants that push boundaries and are geared toward fine dining, but not "super stuffy old-school white tablecloth," Gelb says.
He adds that Detroit was one of the few cities where the company heard from locals asking when Tasting Collective was coming.
What's next: The April 22 Vecino event, an " Ode to Mexico City" with executive chef Edgar Torres, is now available with seatings at 5:15pm and 7:45pm.
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