'Secret Suppers': Thanks to Garbee, not so secret anymore

— -- The latest twist in dining out is a hush-hush affair. These eateries have no sign. And they don't advertise. Still, the underground restaurant scene is growing, says Jenn Garbee, who has just written Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs & Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields & Everywhere in Between (Sasquatch Books,$18.95). She estimates there are at least 100 such places nationwide, with new ones opening all the time. She talked to USA TODAY about secret suppers.

Q: In a nutshell, what are underground restaurants? Are they essentially dinner parties that strangers pay to attend?A: They're something in between a dinner party and a supper club (in which members share the cost of dinners at rotating houses). The difference is the members aren't the same every time. There's a donation, but sometimes that doesn't cover anything but expenses. So it's sort of a paid dinner party — or like going to a restaurant where you don't know who's sitting next to you.

Q: What's the origin of the trend?A: The classic dinner party is disappearing. Everyone's busy; people don't cook. Also, it's a way to meet people. They're as much about the socializing as they are about the food.

Q: How did you learn about the phenomenon?A: I got an assignment from the Los Angeles Times about two and a half years ago to do a story on the Ghetto Gourmet, an underground restaurant in San Franciscothat was in someone's attic. The more I got into it, the more (restaurants) I found.

Q: Where are they?A: Mostly in big cities. New York has a lot. And San Francisco. There's even one in Des Moines. They can be harder to find in the South, though there's one in Atlanta and in Charleston.

Q: Since they're generally skirting tax and licensing regulations,most operate under the radar.How did you find them?A: Most are Internet-driven, so I just Googled "underground restaurants"and "secret supper clubs." You can ask chefs, food folks or at farmers markets, and check out food blogs. I wanted to include different types in the book in terms of size and location and the reason the chef is doing it.