If you’ve been following local food photographer/“burger pervert” Mathew Ramsey’s PornBurger blog, chances are you’ve been craving a bite. The artful, addictive-looking patties—part of an ongoing project to build a burger a week since January—run the full creative spectrum, from burgers stuffed inside sesame-seed pop tarts with bacon jam to a “pickleback” pork-cheek burger with beer-cheese sauce and fried Gordy’s spears. Now you can get more than a visual taste with the launch of Bar R, a four-person supper club at Ramsey’s Bloomingdale apartment.
The dinner party came about as a collaboration with Kate Nerenberg, a former Washingtonian food writer. Once a month the duo will host a maximum of four guests in the basement apartment or possibly outside around the yard’s campfire in nice weather. The meal is $300 for the table, regardless of the number of diners, and includes five courses and a number of additional “culinary treats.” One course will star a PornBurger; Ramsey says he may start with the Lolita, which boasts a grass-fed patty, seared foie gras, and bacon peanut butter on a potato-chip-crusted bun. Other dishes will follow the playful theme, such as beet linguine with charred pistachio pesto and a runny sous vide egg that’s been battered and fried. As of now the club is BYO beverage, though you may see some guest mixologists and other spirited surprises depending on licensing. Guests will have a rundown of the menu in advance so they can plan their collection of beer, wine, and booze.
The immediate downside: Reservations are already sold out after Ramsey announced the supper club on his blog yesterday. Look for future dates on the site and social media soon, and possibly other pop-ups. As for the name, Bar R refers to Ramsey’s family’s East Texas ranch that they’ve owned since 1875.
“It’s a special place for me,” says Ramsey, “a little rowdy, a little country, and goes well with whiskey.”
Just like a PornBurger.
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.
