restaurant/dining clubs

Does anyone have the name of any fun dining clubs/groups. New to the living in the city and anxious to get to more of the great restaurant scene...and make new friends.

At Mas, I've hosted some parties for the Fun Young Foodie Club. They have a website, and I think it is free to join. Also I believe a portion of the proceeds go to a charitable cause.

Fun Young Foodie Club

They really exist? I thought the way they presented themselves on CH a few years ago they were a satirical joke.

ChicaGourmet may be something to try once or twice to see it if it is your speed.

If you follow the Events Board there are often get togethers announced. While not a formal club, you will meet people and eat interesting food. The cost is your time and a portion of the bill more often than not. Indirect charge is your time spent writing up your experiences on food, otherwise people won't know you as well.

Regards,

Ryanj wrote:At Mas, I've hosted some parties for the Fun Young Foodie Club. They have a website, and I think it is free to join. Also I believe a portion of the proceeds go to a charitable cause.

There's something too earnest not to be real about FYFC: I always assumed it was some bizarre trixie transliteration.

There was a long threadabout the FYFC over at Chowhound a couple years ago. Some fun comments

Um... see our Events board, too!

There was a long thread about the FYFC over at Chowhound a couple years ago. Some fun comments

You know how sometimes you look at your parents and make a mental note, "Must remember not to turn into that"?

That's how I, as an LTHForum moderator, feel when I read the third post down in that thread....

gleam wrote:There was a long threadabout the FYFC over at Chowhound a couple years ago. Some fun comments

Buried in the cited thread, or cut, is the information that FYFC was formed by members of Landmark Forum/Education (this background used to be on the club's Web site, but has been removed, along with the names of club organizers). Landmark is an outgrowth of est.

Also, it's $97 per year to join.

LAZ, yeah, that's part of the reason I linked to it.

Anyway, my suggestion is ChicaGourmets, which I gather is comprised of mostly mid-40s and up people, so may or may not be a good suit for the OP)

My real suggestion, though, is the Events board.

Well, if the OP's goals are just to meet people and make friends, the average age of ChicagoGourmets' members shouldn't matter. They're an interesting bunch, and the group is open to all comers -- they'd be delighted to have more young members. However, their events tend to be long, multi-course affairs at high-end restaurants, with wines paired with every course, which may not be everyone's idea of fun, and which brings the price up, part of the reason their regulars tend to be more established types. They also mostly come in couples. Membership is $40.

If the goal is to meet single people in your age group, the Single Gourmet might be of use. They have a mix of people, but try to seat people with others of their approximate age group. They go to a range of restaurants, and try hard to hit all the hot, new ones big enough to accommodate a crowd. Membership costs $129 for new members, $89 for renewals. (Also, they're focused on introductions, so if you're at all shy, it might be a better way to meet people than -- forgive me for saying so -- LTH events, which in my admittedly limited and awkward experience tend to be more about eating than mingling).

There's also something called Eight at Eight for youngish singles. You pay $40 plus the cost of your dinner and the club fixes you up with seven other singles -- four of each gender -- for dinner at local restaurant. A host meets and greets and buys the first round of drinks. I'm not sure about the level of food.