Where It All Began

I am not making any promises, but after some "careful" research I believe the underground scene may have started in the bustling neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In BA they are more commonly referred to as "Closed Door" Restaurants. From my conversations with the masterminds of some of these endeavors, it appears the economic crash of 2001 really served as a bloom for the underground scene.

Argentinians are a picky bunch and they demand quality and affordability from their underground spots. The underground owners really produce and at a large scale. Both dinners I attended met both of these requirements, but for some minor shortfalls in execution or creativity.

I thought Buenos Aires would be a great place to start my blogging. I planned a trip around dining. The boyfriend was nonplussed. It would be yet another trip of ours where food ran to the forefront of planning/dreaming/obsessing. Numerous hours were spent sitting at the computer screen, waiting for Chowhound queries to be answered, or in search of the truly unique. I had a lot of my work cut out for me, given the plethora of options in the city.

In the end I didn't go for the most over-the-top, or even the most out there. I picked two places whose past menus spoke to my rumbling stomach; (1) Treintasillas (http://www.treintasillas.com) & (2) La Cocina Discreta (http://www.lacocinadiscreta.com).

In retrospect, I may have added an additional spot to round out the dinners, but beginnings are always shaky and it served as a lesson for future abroad ventures. Pretty sure I got it down here in the States, but there is always a learning curve abroad. Reviews to come and then on to my home turf of San Francisco!

And Its Off to the Races

I am in motion. I have decided its time to quit talking about introducing people to my world of underground dining and instead create an intimate window into my life. I hope this becomes an accessible place for people interested in underground dining to actually take the leap and support these incredible ventures. The hope is that soon this will launch into a social network platform, taking the best from other "foodie" sites and bringing people together....underground.

So aside from my spiel, I will tell you a little about me. Me = 27 year old, attorney by trade, food explorer by night. I have spent countless hours, researching, scouting and day-dreaming about my next food adventure. I have been across oceans to celebrate dining (along with the obligatory museum and monument stops) and have many trips planned to bring my scene to you. I live in Berkeley, California, which I first thought of as a second city to San Francisco, but every day I come closer to the realization that the East Bay is where the scene is shifting.

I am doing this not only for myself, but also to support those underground hosts, be it professionally trained chefs to those who have the skillz in their bones. Some events have had that magic combination of electrifying environment/mind blowing food, while others cover one or the other to a greater degree. I will endeavor to bring these experiences to you. I will also along the way be spreading hype for what should be a sizable market in every city.

Lastly, I hope to create a running tab of all underground dining spots first in the continental United States, and then slowly build my international database. This will be a one stop shop for underground dining.

So, without further ado, Its Off to the Races!