Cafe Nordo Leaves Seattle

The show is over. The ovens are cooling. The chef hat is off and on the floor. The performers have taken off their makeup, and the fine china has been boxed. The restaurant is packed in the truck, and everyone is ready to move on to the next city. It must be exciting to traipse around the country brining good food, good wine, and great amounts of joy wherever you go. I wish the cast and crew of Cafe Nordo good luck.

As Nordo was piling the last of his books and utensils into the trunk of his car he promised to return with more bravado, more heart, more mystery, and of course, more food. He said he has already begun negotiations to bring another food adventure to Seattle in the Spring. Perhaps, as the Modern American Chicken winds up its tour, another evening, as yet unnamed, will debut here in the Northwest. That was his implied message. He truly loved the people and the art here, and he talked incessantly of creating a meal to commemorate the bounty of the Northwest and its distinct history. I can only hope.

So, good-bye Cafe Nordo. Seattle will be waiting.

And I thought what better way to end this portion of the blog with words from one of the cast of Cafe Nordo itself- Cochin the Sous-Chef. On closing night I asked her for a few words that I may include here as a cap to the story of the Modern American Chicken in Seattle.

“Tell All”

by Cochin

As I smear petroleum jelly on my eye makeup residue and bleach the colorful yolk and pate stains from my chef's coat, I'll tell you straight up: we at Cafe Nordo do not go in for histrionics. “Performance” was never the goal of the Modern American Chicken.

Wink, nudge, right? You're finding that hard to believe after watching Rosecomb and Lou have at it, surrounded by champagne bubbles. Our Maitre'd is an Oscar statue in and of himself, for goodness sake! And yet, that is who these people are. They are not actors, but ordinary folks who have worked damn hard to grab your attention...and slowly lower it to the plate in front of you.

To the food.

Everyone asks, where IS Nordo? At one point during our Seattle tour a fiery mouthed woman slammed her knife and fork against the table inciting her entire section to shout “WE WANT NORDO!” How can I explain? If Nordo were to perform for you, it would not BE Nordo. Our chef demands the best...perfection. Nordo the man? Hardly. Nordo the meal...that's another story.

When I enter the dining room at Cafe Nordo the lights shine bright, the room is flooded with music, glitter, a show. Irony, personified. Really! Nordo will tell you. I would very much prefer skipping out with him after plating the panna cotta. I'm happiest off the floor; drinking wine as we squeeze the pate into the chou, moving through our tiny, bright kitchen in a dance that can only be appreciated by those who range the fire; who are bound by temperture, by texture, by the pink of your tongue as you open your mouth.

This is why: I'm just a tool for the Chef. It's his perogative to pull the hair net from my head and push me in front of the crowd. The way Nordo explains it, my “performance” is merely another sort of prep work. I am preparing you, the diners, for his Henrietta. It was my pleasure.

Till next time Seattle. Thank you.

The Modern American Chicken Photo Album

Well, with only 3 shows and less than 50 seats left, Cafe Nordo: The Modern American Chicken is coming to a close in Seattle. It's been wonderful for Nordo. He's been impressed with the courage and joie de vie of the audiences. I've witnessed the bright faces of Seattlites as they leave the restaurant full of meat and wine, and Nordo has never been happier. It's been a good fall in the Northwest. It's been a good run at Cafe Nordo.

And in commemoration I decided to put up a few photos. Press shots. Food shots. Set shots. Just for posterity.

The People:

Wired and weird cast.

The family portrait with Henrietta.

Wyandotte coming to grips with Henrietta.

Cochin in her Egg Moment.

Henrietta looking for a seat at the table. She never did get it.

The Place:

The tables.

The world of Cafe Nordo.

The behind the scenes of Cafe Nordo.

And Finally the Food:

(pictures courtesy of Culinary Fool food blog. Thank you.)

The shot of Parsely with cream fresh and lemon curd.

The Salad. The Nest. The Shell. And the Egg.

Little Chicken Dumpling swimming in the Soup.

Henrietta in all her Glory.

The Ever Bloody Desert.

Enjoy.

Seattle Loves Cafe Nordo

Thank you Seattle. These following words by Misha Bersen of the Seattle Times put us on cloud 9. She seems to have understood what we wanted to do, and she had a good time.

And at the end of the piece she alludes to Cafe Nordo returning to Seattle? For a sequel? Really? We can only hope.

ps. Don't fail to notice how we did in comparison to our much larger uncle, Teatro Zinzanni.

Pull up a chair for decadent dinner-and-show combos: newcomer Café Nordo and veteran favorite Teatro ZinZanni

Hungry for dinner and a show? Café Nordo and the new show at Teatro ZinZanni will feed your need.

By Misha Berson

“Dinner and a show." That phrase has been around at least since the ancient Greeks munched figs and olives at their marathon drama fests.

And despite the economic squeeze, more au courant dinner theater can still be a hot ticket in Seattle — but not the kind serving canned peaches and cottage cheese. We checked in on two nouvelle versions: a decade-old favorite, and a fresh upstart.

Café Nordo

The disciples of the mystery chef Nordo want you to play with your food — and, frankly, to worship it.

A fricassee of satire, zany antics and enlightened food consciousness, "Café Nordo" has a unique spin on dining, wine-ing and watching.

A squad of wired, weird waitstaff usher you into the Theo Chocolate Company's Fremont warehouse.

There producer Terry Podgorski and director Erin Brindley (both of the now-defunct Circus Contraption) set up a shabby-chic dining tent for an elaborate ritual.

From the divine opening shot of parsleyed broth, to the delish chocolate-blueberry panna cotta dessert, each course of the sit-down dinner is served with a song, a dance, a poetic sermon about the food and genius of the elusive Nordo Lefesczki, alleged founder of the "carnal food movement."

With kinky sincerity, the show spoofs chef-cult madness but sincerely honors the consumption of a well-cooked meal — the piece de resistance of which is a succulent roast chicken dubbed Henrietta. (Saying grace to the fowl you're about to eat is, well, only fair.)

Also included: wine and convivial chatter with the strangers at your table.

Café Nordo's popular debut run ends soon. But the creators are pondering a sequel for next spring.

"Beaumont and Caswell"

My, how time trapezes by when you're having fun.

One Reel's lovingly decadent dinner-cabaret attraction, Teatro ZinZanni, has been a Seattle fixture since 1998. And despite the economic pinch, the constantly evolving show is still a swell way to romance, mark a big occasion, or just blow some bucks on a good time.

The newest edition, "Beaumont and Caswell," stars two returning ZinZanni faves: statuesque funnygal Christine Deaver and invincible drag artiste Kevin Kent.

Will or won't the Noel Coward-esque vaudevillians they play marry for a third time (or is it a fourth)? That burning question is answered over a pleasant dinner peppered with bawdy interactive comedy, skill acts (by raffish acrobats Les Petits Freres, contortionist Vita Radionova and elegant aerialists Erika & Andrew); and the hot-mama R&B song stylings of Francine Reed.

The costumes (designed by spangle diva Beaver Bauer) are more spectacularly garish than ever. And the leisurely extravaganza doesn't come cheap.

But One Reel has added some lower-priced brunch shows and matinees, to spread the love.

Yes!