Dear Food Diary:
A couple Fridays ago, I emailed my monthly dinner buddies J, J and C to try out this new Abode Pop Up dinner. Right inside the subway entrance of the old, abandoned Bowery Station, Chefs Gregg and Sarah created their version of comfort food Abode Family Style. Tickets were purchased through Eventbrite for $75 (5 course + wine pairing). Seating was limited to 10 people per service with only 4 services a night.

Fast forward a week, while watching the first episode of  The Taste, I see non other than Gregg Drusinsky on tv! He looked so familiar and then I realized it was the Gregg, that really friendly and fun chef from the pop up! I was so excited to see him chosen for Ludo’s team. Then it all made sense. Chef, tv reality cooking show, pop up dinner… I see he’s following his mentor Ludo’s path.

Check out the dinner and find the recipe of their awesome salad below…

Here’s Gregg describing the bite he prepared on The Taste. Later on I found out that Sarah is also part of the show. Maybe that’s how they met?!

Ok now back to the night of pop up… 



It wasn’t easy to find on a cold Friday night, but behind the red doors was this rustic space. Pretty table setting and an modern open kitchen.

We took our seats by the window and the food and drink started to flow along with friendly service. Gregg stopped by several times to describe what we were having.

AMUSE BOUCHE whipped ricotta, uni, lemon marinara
All my favorite things in one bite. Fluffy, creamy ricotta with sweet uni and a citrus kick. We were definitely amused to see what else was coming.

AMUSE BOUCHE warm pretzel roll with mustard butter
Soft, warm, chewy and salty. They were baked to order. My friend J asked for an extra one, which we made her split and share the tiny bite. Yes, it was that good.

SCALLOP SASHIMI shaved scallop, frisee, radish, apple gelee
The sweet scallops were great and there were enough textures in play, but as “ordinary” as my request might sound, a little citrus burst would of really helped. Or maybe a bit more of that sweet tartness from the apple gelee.

WINTER SALAD crispy cauliflower, baby kale, raw olives, marcona almonds, mint, satsuma, vinaigrette
Cauliflower seem to be getting all the attention these days and for good reason. They are delicious after some time in the oven. The crispy burnt parts are best. I wasn’t sure what some flavors were in the salad until we were told about the mint and kale. The flavors just work together. I would of never thought to put tangerines, but it added that sweetness. The raw olives delivered a burst of aromatic oil. I could be on a salad diet, if all salads were like this. Chef Sarah (who was also on The Taste) shared the RECIPE on her blog.

Cauliflower has come a long way for me. ChubbyMama use to use it in soups and I was never particularly fond of them. Thank goodness things have changed.

FISHERMAN’S STEW squid, razor clams, mussels, coconut emulsion, galangal, lime
Southeast Asia on a plate. The seafood was tender and fresh. The coconut, ginger and lime just enhanced the sweetness of the shellfish. Classic flavor combos.

BUCKWHEAT TAGLIOLINI guanciale, brussel sprouts, farm egg, parmesan
Think fancier version of carbonara, with a healthier carb. Anything with a runny egg makes me sing and this was no exception. 

STEAK + ONIONS butcher’s steak, smoked tongue pastrami, potato puree, onions x2
As much as I liked the tongue, the steak was quite tough. I got so distracted chewing, that the rest of the plate just didn’t register. But more tongue would of been nice.

CHOCOLATE TART caramel cashew, salted ganache, blood orange mouse
There’s something nutty, salty, sweet and CHOCOLATE! how can it be bad. Plus that awesomely sweet tart blood orange mouse on top. Yum.

Here’s Gregg working in the open kitchen.

After dinner, we got a tour of downstairs. You can’t see the subway platform, but that old lamp is an original. Pretty neat right?

The girls are always up for something fun and trying new things which I’m always grateful for. And though not everything was amazing, there were some good surprises. We had a great night of good food and drinks. 1 bubbly, 1 white and a red to be exact.

The dinners are scheduled on a week to week basis right now. Find out the latest info on  Sarah’s blog or Bowerystation 

P.S. Chubby’s Rating: