Inside an impossibly cool Williamsburg loft, there is Ai, a Japanese girl serving small groups of adventurous eaters with inspired 5 course Japanese dinners in what has to be the most underground of underground dining experiences.

Thanks to EatWith, a website that can be described as the Airbnb of restaurants; Ai has a platform for her passion to regularly host imaginative diners from NYC and around the world. At these dinners, Ai can feed her guests with her wildly creative culinary whims and the fresh ingredients that she’s harvested from her rooftop. I for one was astonished with her level of cooking, which in my opinion far surpasses many of NYC’s restaurants.

This may not be an experience for just anyone. And perhaps I was lucky to have dined with some exceptionally warm, interesting folks including one architectural curator, one interactive technologist, a few in fashion and the arts and of course Ai’s lucky husband Mat – a passionate bike builder and all-round creative. But I will say, no matter whom you end up dining with, Ai’s is an experience to be treasured.

http://www.eatwith.com/#!/host/2309/reviews

The first three courses. From top Left:
1) A basket filled with grilled bamboo shoots, pickled carrots and gobo, ramp oshitashi and a skewer of shiokoji marinated quail egg, konnyaku with yuzumiso.
2) A dish of bamboo shoot tartar
3) A bowl of homemade tofu with edamame sauce and beet cream

Fifth seasonal salad course of grilled asparagus and fiddleheads, rooftop garden greens with white soy sauce vinaigrette and yuzu tofu sauce640

Fourth course: stuffed tofu mochi ball with mushroom soup

Fifth seasonal salad course of grilled asparagus and fiddleheads, rooftop garden greens with white soy sauce vinaigrette and yuzu tofu sauce

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