“You’re in for Saturday! …” This was the email that I had been waiting for. A coveted invite to a wolvesmouth dinner. It was all I could think about for the next couple days.
I would be going as a party of one – my husband was out of the country on business and due to fly back the same night as the dinner. “Um… the babysitter will be picking you up from the airport while I thrash into a nine-course dinner party.”
I arrived as one of the first guests (18 total). I was escorted into the wolvesden which is in a Downtown LA loft location. Once inside, it was dim-lit but comfortable. I do not like being the center of attention or life of the party, so it was perfect that I arrived a little early and was able to meet Chef Craig Thornton and his friends/crew and have a little personal conversation. We didn’t have the chance to chat much but I complimented him on his Joy Division t-shirt, one of my all-time favorite bands that has influenced my own songwriting and music tastes.
me and wolvesmouth Craig Thornton
Guests trickled in for the next half hour or so as the informal BYO drinks were drank and new dinner friends were made. I was surrounded by a friendly and diverse group of people. Alexandria is a writer who moved here from Australia a few months back, CC is a movie editor and young mom, Tati is Venezuelan and has her own Spanish cooking show, Ron is a personal chef and photographer, and the other Ron writes about places to dine and knows a ton about about places to eat. And this was just my corner of the table.
We were then asked to be seated at the elongated rectangular table and the courses started coming. They were each introduced and a copy of the menu was on the refrigerator for anyone who cared to see it. I personally wanted to be surprised. But of course I took a picture of it after the meal as there was no way I would remember the details of each unique dish.
9-course thrashin
The plating was wolves-like. Splatters and drizzles were subtly ferocious. The courses came quickly, and crowned as the “slowest eater who ever lived” I needed to keep up! My very first bite of wolvesmouth was an unforgettable fork full of ribeye. Caleb, one of crew, asked me which was my favorite course. That’s a rhetorical question, right? Ribeye, halibut, pork belly…
As guests, we were invited to integrate with the wolvesmouth crew. Of course we would not be cooking or plating, but we were able to freely visit them and watch them work in the kitchen and clear our own plates if we felt so inclined. The dinner setting was extraordinary fine dining, yet the barrier between the kitchen and the table had been demolished. No pretentious waiters, no snobby chefs. I felt like I was among friends. These guys worked fast, they worked hard. It was unbelievable that they were serving a nine-course meal to 18 guests in a four-burner, single-oven kitchen. Extraordinary.
wolvesmouth crew (partial) with me in the middle
After the courses were served, the crew hung out and I was able to meet them on a more personal level and share stories and give them thank you’s and compliments on the best dining experience I’ve ever had.
This is a unique and truly amazing dinner experience that I’ll soon not forget.
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in the wolvesden
