Seasonal Pantry is already an unusual dining spot: Only 12 guests can reserve seats at a time inside chef Dan O’Brien’s Shaw market, and are served a multi-course meal of anything from fried chicken to a standout uni pasta. Now O’Brien is adding to the supper club vibe of his concept with the “season pass,” which allows 24 ticket-holders to gain access to four pop-up dinners a year, each in a different location.
Similar to other members-only dining clubs such as Dinner Lab DC, the idea is inspired by the at-home dinner party. Relative strangers will gather at a different host location for a 10-to-12-course meal paired with wine and other beverages. The dishes will be dictated by what ingredients are freshest, and events will be scheduled around each seasonal solstice. There’s also a possibility of collaborations with other chefs. Membership isn’t cheap—all four inclusive dinners are purchased with the pass at once, totaling $680—but the $170-per-pop-up price tag is only a little above the regular Seasonal Pantry experience. O’Brien says diners can expect a mixture of hits from the supper club, including that uni pasta, and new dishes intended to push the envelope.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
