First we eat, then we blog

A group of friends went to an unusual establishment last night called the Gonzo Grill. It's a very modest house in a residential neighborhood where the owner/chef prepares weekend gourmet dinners for small groups of people. We were the only patrons last night.


Included in our group was Leroy Leep, left, who with his wife Tina sort of arranged our evening. They'd been to the Gonzo Grill several times before and "knew" the chef. It helps to have some connection like that since the chef takes so few reservations, and he's booked or weeks out.

Here, the chef explains his menu while some of the diners pose: Denise, Nick, Carrie and Joe.

Tina, Nick, Carrie and Mike McMillin, waiting for the next course. We had five courses, including ceviche, crab fritters, black bean soup, a Latino-styled beef dish and a trio of sorbets for dessert. Each course was fantastic. We were allowed to bring our own wines, based on the chef's suggestions for pairing them with his creations, and they were spectacular, too. (You can see all bottles in the background, on the countertop.)

Here's the chef explaining how he does what he does. One of the things he does is not "charge" for his meal. Instead, he asks that you pay whatever you think the meal was worth. At the end of the evening, diners just drop their money into a glass bowl sitting on a table at the far right in this photo. Dale and I left $100 for the two of us, which is pretty much what the others did. Of course, we paid for the wine we brought in, too.

In the background is the chef's wife, Anita. This residence is very modest, except for the chef's recently remodeled professional kitchen, which is beautiful. But the rest of it is 1950s ranch. We're all definitely planning to return.