Chelsea Self / Post Independent
On Friday, The Pullman restaurant is hosting “the next in a regular series of (irregularly scheduled)” dinners, as the shtick goes.
The catch?
You have to stay home.
And no matter how slowly you eat, you’ll be Zooming though your meal.
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It may or may not be the first dinner hosted through Zoom in the history of mankind, “But it’s certainly a first for us,” said Mark Fisher, chef/owner of The Pullman.
It will be a meal, a distanced gathering, an experiment. The event flier says, “Consider a Wi-Fi connection and Zoom as the new shared table; your computer as the new place setting, where you entertain separately but together. And just enjoy the weirdness/awkwardness/päntsdrunkenness of it all.”
The what?
According to “Päntsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation,” päntsdrunk means drinking at home, alone, in your underwear. So be careful where your computer camera is pointing. What happens on Zoom may not stay on Zoom.
Some diners may opt to eat quietly, while others may boisterously skoal at the beginning of each course.
“I have no idea what to expect. I’d like there to be some degree of interaction,” Fisher said.
Wouldn’t it be … noisy? “As host, we have the ability to mute participants. But then, wouldn’t a cacophony of clinking be kinda good? It is, after all, about dining together,” Fisher said.
And he is decidedly unconcerned about things going awry. “I kinda like the idea of losing control of things,” he said.
Sounds like this meal may require seat belts.
Tickets are limited to 50 couples, and Fisher said sales are strong. “We should be able to fill all the seats at the table.” So to speak. “In-house dinners typically sell out at 90 guests,” Fisher said.
The meal itself is the Roaring Fork Beer Company “virtual” beermakers dinner, with RFBC brewmaster Chase Engel talking about how the beers pair with each of the four courses, such as the dessert of Salty Chocolate 2-Minute Microwave Cake and Earl Grey Ice Cream paired with Dark Corners Variant Stout. The full menu can be viewed on the website, http://www.thepullmangws.com.
Four courses is scaled down from The Pullman’s typical dinner events. “Our tasting dinners are typically five to six courses. We thought it might be more approachable to simplify things,” Fisher said.
At $80 per couple, the price is lower as well. “It’s less than our typical dinner. For obvious reasons,” Fisher said.
The mechanics are explained in detail on the event flier on the website, but first of all, food and beer can be picked up curbside at the restaurant from 1–6 p.m. on Friday or delivered to downtown Glenwood Springs addresses.
