EatWith Dinner

On Monday night August 15, 2016, the dining group participated in a meal sharing experience through EatWith.  The event was held at EatWith’s test kitchen overlooking AT&T Ballpark in Soma.  The event was approximately three hours long and had about 20 attendees.  It was an Italian inspired dinner that focused on seasonal foods.  Vanessa was our chef and prior to joining EatWith she participated in a six-month culinary course in Italy after deciding that she wanted to pursue a culinary career.  She hosts about 2-3 EatWith events per week.

Vanessa cooked us a beautiful and delectable meal.  Since I am not a fan of Italian food, I was nervous that I was not going to enjoy the meal as much as I would have something else.  Fortunately, I was very wrong.  Upon arrival, we were immediately offered a glass of wine as peach, eggplant and tomato/pesto crostinis were passed around.  After taking our seats, a salad of melon, avocado, feta and cucumber was served.  For the main course, Vanessa prepared a lasagna with pork shoulder.  For dessert, we were given a delicious panna cotta.  The food was top-notch.

To date, this was my favorite meal sharing experience.  Every component of the event was meticulously put together and thoughtfully planned from the table and seating decorations to each individual dish and wine pairing.  There are several reasons why my experience with Vanessa has been my favorite meal sharing experience.  First of all, the space was perfect for this type of dining experience.  The space was massive and had an open kitchen and dining room that fit a long group table.  The views were beautiful and the kitchen was pristine.  Since the kitchen was open, we were able to observe Vanessa cook.  As a result, my worries regarding food safety and preparation quickly subsided.  Lastly, I really liked that there was a large number of people (approx. 20 people).  In a sense, it was more of a dinner party than an intimate dinner.  I personally liked this better than our other meal sharing experiences when there was just 3-4 people.  With more people, conversation flowed more easily and there was less pressure to constantly think of engaging conversation with the other participants.  I would definitely recommend any EatWith event with Vanessa.