Chairman Mao’s Pork Belly from the March dinner The Red Threat: A Culinary Tour of Communist China and Vietnam.
Papaya Mango Sesame Seed Cilantro Oil from the March dinner The Red Threat: A Culinary Tour of Communist China and Vietnam
Taro root and leek soup cilantro oil pine nut praline.
Passion Fruit Candy
Chef David Fiscarelli set to host a dinner on May 25 on par with top metropolitan restaurants
Trenton foodies hungry for something new and unusual can find a taste of sophisticated dining right here at home. But they are going to have to do some digging first.
David Fiscarelli, 37, and his wife Yahna, 33, operate the first underground restaurant that we know of in Trenton area. Since presenting its debut dinner in August of last year, their Wooden Horse Underground has been providing what Fiscarelli calls “the New York dining experience here in Trenton.”
Underground restaurants have long been popular throughout Latin America, where they are known as restaurantes de puertas cerradas or paladares. Sometimes referred to as free form dining or supper clubs, they are also common in Hong Kong and are a growing phenomenon in larger metropolitan centers in this country.
The attraction is that they offer cutting-edge dining experiences with a dash of mystery. The appeal for owners is that they are free to create and serve what they want without the inherent complications of managing a restaurant. Diners benefit because they can enjoy high-end meals at reduced prices.
Underground restaurants work in a gray area. Guests come and spend time with one another at a location. They are fed a set menu and bring/imbibe whatever adult beverages they bring, just as they might at any dinner party. At the end of the evening they make a “donation” to the host.
Fiscarelli is not the kind of guy you would suspect of running a covert dining establishment. His “day job” is the Growing Expectations indoor plantscaping business. He’s also a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
“I was reading about [underground restaurants] a couple of years ago on the Internet, and it stuck in the back of my mind,” Fiscarelli says. “It allows me to get into the food business on my own terms.”
The Wooden Horse Underground — the name is an allusion to the Trojan Horse and was chosen by his wife — is a professional endeavor. The chef quickly points out that he is not “playing restaurant.”
He’s obviously serious about providing a quality dining experience comparable to what one might have in Manhattan. Yet he wants to enjoy the experience as much as the guests.
About once a month he and his wife, a pastry chef, stage a meal that he feels rivals anything you might find in New York City or Philadelphia. The dinners are an outlet for Fiscarelli to bring his interest and training in food to the forefront without giving up control of his creativity or his life.
Running a restaurant can be a burdensome task. The planning, staffing, and being responsible to investors all detract from the joy of creating and serving quality meals to an appreciative audience. The hours can be incredibly long, taking away from family life.
“There is no need to be at a restaurant on a holiday. You should be home with your family,” says Fiscarelli.
With the underground restaurant concept, the chef can work as much as he wants, keeping the food in the forefront and not having to worry about all the other details.
The menu is different each month. Fiscarelli doesn’t like to repeat himself, and he loves to explore international cuisines. A recent dinner showcased Moroccan foods. In March, the theme was a combination of Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. He strives to bring a contemporary approach to authentic flavors and ingredients. He applies the French cooking techniques he was taught to all that he cooks.
For the May 25 dinner, the menu will be strawberry gazpacho with basil olive oil black pepper papadum; grappa-cured gravlax with warm potato salad, salmon roe and horseradish gelee; arugula salad with citrus, green olives, pistachio cream, parsley and a champagne emulsion; tea-smoked duck breast with white asparagus, rhubarb and truffle coulis; and caramelized white chocolate torta with strawberry sorbet and poppyseed brittle.
All of the above plus bread and water service will be provided for a donation of $65 per person.
Quick to correct you if you cite his “passion” for cooking, the chef is simply trying to share is love of food with others while improving his skills.
“It’s not a passion,” he said. “I don’t like the word ‘passion.’ Passion makes you do stupid things. I really do believe that. Passion makes you look beyond certain things. It makes you look beyond your mistakes just because you love what you do. Desire and drive…drive to be better; desire to be better. Desire to make better food. It makes you learn from your mistakes and makes you a better chef.”
Meals are promoted via Facebook. Diners are directed to the location and advised of the menu and the amount of the donation ($55 for the April dinner) per person.
The Wooden Horse Underground is also catering a wine-tasting dinner for the Trenton Museum Society at Ellarslie on May 11. For that dinner, Fiscarelli developed a menu that he will prepare in a certified commercial kitchen. The food will be paired with American wines chosen by Keith Watson of the Wine School of Philadelphia.
How can you go wrong with someone who loves what they do, wants to share that and wants to push himself to get better?
“I do enjoy it,” Fiscarelli asserts. “I have fun. It’s not work.”
For information on the Wooden Horse Underground, search for “Wooden Horse Underground” on Facebook.
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