A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I enjoyed an amazing night out of some fun avant garde theater and some really yummy food at Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant (which is having another performance this Monday at Joe’s Pub).  What was really quite enjoyable was that the menu was built into the script and each course came with a performance.  After drinks and mingling with the cast in the lobby the show started with music, introductions to the characters, rules for the evening (there was no ordering, there was plenty for seconds and this was not dinner theater).  We were moved into the dinning area with long communal tables, an open kitchen, a streak of gratuitous nudity and several performance spaces.

The opening number was in fact a performance based on the following recipe – reprinted here with permission.  The soup was served by the cast members and the rest of the evening essentially continued as such.  (For example the main course was a pulled pork sandwich  that was served after rock love ballad to eating pig.  The vegetarian option was a delicious marinated portobello mushroom sandwich, but that didn’t get a song.)  My boyfriend said he doesn’t normally like cold soups, but he went back for thirds that night.  So I had to ask for the recipe.  Although I didn’t reproduce the soup in quantities reprinted here, I did get a lovely smooth slightly savory but distinctly pear soup – really perfect for the fall.  Enjoy!

Maybe it is cliche but they say dinner and a show makes for a great date.   I’m hoping so because this weekend my boyfriend and I will be eating at Conni’s Avant Garde Resturant – which is both dinner and a show.  But this is not your average local dinner theatre. They are really serious about their local food.  I got the chance to talk with some of the folks working on the show about their menu and focus on local food.  Below the jump is a brief interview and information on how you can get your own tickets to this fun event.