“Z” night was zensational. In keeping with our 26-month-in-a-row alphabetical puns, that’s the best way I can think of putting it. For months, we joked if we made it to “Z”, we ‘d have to do it up big - celebrate in style. And that we did. We put on the fancy high heels, suits and ties and met for martinis and champagne at the new bar at the Jane Hotel. Among the glitter and alcohol, we toasted to (what we believe) is the first ever A-Z dining experiment in New York City (maybe even the country?). We chose Zampa as our last restaurant and considering the first image on their website is a sketch of a pig, we deemed it the perfect place. It was cozy yet big enough to hold 15 of us, and loud enough so we could laugh and tell stories about the past 2+ years without more than a few stares. And, most importantly, we ate almost every morsel from our multi-course meal. Awards were given: “(Near) Perfect Attendance – Michael Sweeney”, “Best Dining Adventure – Dan Rollman for Nurnberger Bierhaus Staten Island” and “Worst Dining Adventure – Colin Nissan for Kombit in Brooklyn”. Appropriately, A-Z Pinot Noir bottles were awarded. Dan even designed original Mr. and Mrs. Zupper Club t-shirts for us Sweeneys.
Is it the end of an era? The end of some edibly wonderful dining experiment never to be repeated? After 26 consecutive months of alphabetical New York dining, it was hard to believe we were actually finished. We really did it (without skipping one letter!) We were all still friends, and we even added a few along the way. Some of us got married, some had babies and some simply got drunk and hooked up after the Zupper night was over. Some of us lost jobs, started new companies, some wrote books and some went on to learn how to cook. If you live in New York, you know how busy life can be. Just running errands can sometimes be tough, let alone trying to get a group of friends together every month AND securing a reservation in a New York restaurant. Although A-Zupper club franchising has begun (friends in LA and SF have mobilized regional groups), the excitement and support that each member of our wonderful, delicious club has made would be hard to replicate. It was one of those things we didn’t expect to keep going - like one of those book clubs that sounds exciting at first but that you eventually can't find the time to commit.
It wasn’t about fancy four star dining or being the first to try a trendy new restaurant. It was about scouring every “C” restaurant in the Zagat guide (“there are so many damn restaurants that start with Café!!”), sorting alphabetically on nymag.com (“how could there be so many frickin’ restaurants in Williamsburg!!”), stressing to find just the right summer “S” type place. It was about finding a restaurant in every borough – even if it meant freezing your toosh off waiting in line to take a bus in Staten Island, or "gingerly" walking through the Bronx to seek authentic Italian. It was about the hundreds of cheesy, alliteration filled emails and the comical replies. It was about friends visiting from out of town and emailing specifically “can we get it on a zupper night?” (or trying to schedule productions around when we were meeting next).
But most of all it was about eating. And being together. So is it an end of our own little era? Not really. No one is ready to let go and an idea for Zupper 2.0 has already begun. Introducing A-Zupper Club: Around the World. A group of friends, one month at a time, one letter at a time, one country at a time, in alphabetical order... until we reach Z.
Who wants some African grub?
