Nam khao croquettes, scallop-stuffed crêpe and laab at Bad Idea
When you’re as popular a restaurant as Bad Idea, chefs from all over want to come visit and perhaps share the kitchen with Colby Rasavong while Alex Burch puts together beverage pairings. Two notable restaurants are taking advantage of Bad Idea’s hospitality this month.
The first collaboration is this Thursday, July 10, starting at 5 p.m. when chef Yia Vang of Vinai pays a visit from Minneapolis. The Twin Cities has long been a popular settling spot for immigrants who were part of the Hmong diaspora in the ’60s and ’70s. Chef Vang named his restaurant after the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand where his parents met and where he was born.
His cuisine is an homage to his family and the nomadic roots of his ancestors, so it makes a lot of sense that he would travel to Nashville to share a kitchen with chef Rasavong and his own brand of Lao cooking. Bad Idea is a great place for this kind of collab, since the menu is ever-changing and concentrates on small dishes anyway. Expect both cook teams to contribute fun and fascinating options that evening, so come ready to be surprised and delighted.
Make your reservations at Bad Idea’s website.
While plenty of reservations were still available for the Vinai event at time of this writing, the second special guest visit is a little more exclusive. Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium credit card, and Chase occasionally offers special dining events just for cardholders. They’ve chosen Bad Idea as the site for one of these events later this month.
On Saturday, July 26, the kitchen crew from Krüs Kitchen — under the direction of chef Sebastian Vargas — will bring their brand of seasonal and sustainable gastronomy from Miami to 1021 Russell St. for one night only. The restaurant’s commitment to sustainable practices has earned two Michelin Green Stars, and they’ll be showcasing their talents as part of a $125 tasting menu at Bad Idea that evening.
Now for the FOMO portion of the event. It’s limited to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders only — and it's already sold out. But I want to believe that there’s at least one Bites reader out there who's reading this and has that baller credit card in his or her wallet, and is willing to take the chance to put their name on the “Notify Me” wait list for what should prove to be a really special dinner.
I believe that by putting this out in the universe, maybe someone will be lucky enough to manifest this into existence. (And perhaps invite me as their plus-1. A guy has to try, right?)
May the odds be ever in your favor!
