Grub Street

This week's Ghetto Gourmet events are sold out, but you underground diners shouldn't fret. Instead, put on your most convincing eighth-century Baghdad caliph outfits and cop an invite to one of the "Arabian Nights" meals that'll be held in a Williamsburg loft on Friday and Saturday. The events are the latest dinner-and-dancing bashes inspired by hip historical scenes (fin de siècle Parisian parlors, twenties high-society New York) and thrown every few months by the founders of the Dinner Club: Hairdresser and antiques aficionado "Miss Amy" Burgess and chef "Miss Julia" Jaksic of Employees Only (and now the Beatrice). Previous events have featured Chinese wedding beds, chandeliers, even acrobats and swing bands, hence the $85 ticket price. This one promises to be just as lavish.

Burgess was reluctant to reveal many details — she likes to surprise her guests. "It's really about creating a moment in a space that's completely different than people are used to," she tells us. But expect a fourteen-foot sheer muslin tent to shelter 60 or so diners (a mix of foodies and downtown creatives; James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins has previously attended) as they feast — family style, with rugs and cushions for seats — on a three-course dinner of stewed lamb, grain-based salads like tabbouleh, stuffed zucchinis, and similar Moroccan fare. Might there be a trapeze artist? You'll have to wrangle an invite to find out. (Official guests are allowed to bring one friend.)

And for those who've sworn off Williamsburg, rumor has it that the next party, in February, may happen in Manhattan — a first.

— Daniel Maurer

The Dinner Club

Earlier: Secretive, Cultish Gourmands Aim to Convert New Yorkers [Grub Street]