Pre-Bourdain Meet-up at Z's Fusion

Well, I didn't know there was a table reserved, so I just stopped by there when I was downtown and reserved the lounge for us - not sure if that table of 25 is for us or for the Bon Vivant Savant Group.

Stephen, are you out there?

Marsha,

Is it under your name, hotbytes, or something else?

By my guestimate there is a head count of 17.
I got my ticket from Jo, but I think I would rather hang with the "cool kids" in the lounge.

I put it under HotBytes AND my name. I may call them this afternoon (after lunch rush) and try to clarify if that 25-top is for us or not, and consolidate. I count us as 21 right now. Whatever happens, just say "HotBytes group" and that should get us all in one spot.

I put it under HotBytes AND my name. I may call them this afternoon (after lunch rush) and try to clarify if that 25-top is for us or not, and consolidate. I count us as 21 right now. Whatever happens, just say "HotBytes group" and that should get us all in one spot.

That would probably be helpful

When Stephen told me about the table, he did mention that they were "doing something special." It makes a little more sense if that was in reference to the BVS group, but perhaps they've decided to "do something special" for both groups?

Hopefully, y'all would have come to expect something a bit ambitious outta me. To be honest, I may just be biting off more than I can chew on this one. /sigh Win or Lose, it will certainly be entertaining to watch me try, lol!

We didn't get a call from his producers, yet I wanted to be prepared to entertain Bourdain just in case he decided he wanted some of what we offer... 'cheffed' Hawaiian fish, sushi rethought or 'what-the-hades-were-you-thinking?!?!' cocktails. I designed a 20 (+5) menu that features our most aggressively creative works of the past 9 months. There are 2 competition drinks on there that haven't seen the light of day. Since you-all are coming in, I'm gonna play with dry ice. We'll probably set the bar on fire, lol!

BVS is also gonna be there with 10 confirmed also, so we will definitely have a mob, hehe. We're bringing in another bartender so I can give you undivided attention. We'll also have a barback and management service support/ focus. Chef Dallas is as stoked as I am about this, so fully expect a rain of amuse-bouche craziness! To speed things up, I'm probably just gonna give everybody an empty rocks glass at the beginning and then put stuff in them at different opportunities. So don't lose track of where your glass is, lol!

The menu will also have a section at the end called 'nightcaps,' that might prove useful if you feel the need to return after the event. This is a fresh idea to me so it isn't very developed recipe-wise, yet. I was thinking about the way cocktail parties used to be formatted in the 50's... at the end, desert would be taken with coffee and then the ladies would adjourn to one space and the gentlemen would adjourn to the smoking room for cigars/pipes and cordials/digestifs. These were not the mudslide/nuts n berry/ keoki coffees restaurants offer today (and rarely sell.) They were alcohol-prevalent, or had bitter nuance, or possessed astringent qualities helpful to to the digestive process. For some reason, I am fascinated by this tradition and plan to explore it further in the near future, so you know I'm gonna share with my kith and kin, even before I have a final concept. I can always count on the forumites for feedback!

We are certainly looking forward to seeing everybody and I hope to make you proud!

Just wanted to bring this back to the forefront - Stephen said here that the BVS group was 10, so the larger table seems likely to be ours. This also gives some insight into the "something special."

Okay, I reached Stephen and he's firming things up and rearranging our reservation and will call me back in the next little while. Anyone that hasn't RSVP'd on this thread, if you're planning on joining us, please post here soon! I count 21 people so far.

Okay, I reached Stephen and he's firming things up and rearranging our reservation and will call me back in the next little while. Anyone that hasn't RSVP'd on this thread, if you're planning on joining us, please post here soon! I count 21 people so far.

I think you got my wife and I, but if not, we're coming.

Also, a co-worker that's going to the talk is tenatively coming, so us for a group of 3.

Just talked to April Adams at Z's - they are going to seat us at and around the bar area. Just tell the hostess you're with the "HotBytes" group.

See everyone there!

I will be late-I gat off work at 5 and have to go home first.

That's a definite 2 for me now. Looking forward to it! We'll probably show up around 6:30.

See y'all shortly. I am hoping that tonight will be as exciting, enjoyable and wonderful as last night's offering by the Ahn Trio. I can't say enough great things about it.

We've got 3 coming - hopefully we can squeeze in somewhere there!

I think only about half the rsvp's showed up. Nice meeting Chris, Brad, Marsha, and Stephen. The food was awesome as were the cocktails. The sushi was fairly priced, but I found the drink prices(mostly the martinis) out if line. Schlafly and BBC bottles were $4.50 and martinis were $12.00. The "rain of amuse-bouche craziness" never happened, so we tried 3 items off the menu.

10/10 - awesome
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Spring Roll
baby greens, sweet chili aioli, red onion compote
..... 7.25

9/10 - chips were on the stale side
Ahi Poke Nachos
soy ginger marinated ahi, seaweed, blue corn tortilla chips,
wasabi aioli
............................................................................ 11.95

10/10 - Awesome
Crawfish Mango Crunch Sushi Roll
crawfish, mango, cucumber, spicy mayo, sushi sauce,
tempura flakes
................................... 9.95

So. Z's aside for a moment, what did Tony have to say ? Was it an entertaining presentation ? Were there any Tony "sightings" afterward ?

Well, I believe I learned a little something about the viral nature of these offlines and the impact of the forum on lurker traffic.

What we had planned would have been better executed on a slower night with less walk-in business. Somehow, some of the menus found their way to the floor. Oi Vey! It quickly turned into a nightmare scenario for me. Sorry I wasn't able to pull it off as I had hoped to...