Think of it as "Son of Circus Contraption." That cavernous space in Fremont where Circus Contraption performed, part of the old Red Hook brewery, adjacent to Theo's chocolate factory? Well, there's good news: the space is alive and well and once again in use as an entertainment venue. The new shows are a spin on Teatro ZinZanni's dinner-as-theater shtick; here it's called Cafe Nordo, a floating restaurant run by a fictional martinet chef named Nordo Lefeszki.
No pretense this time (as before, when they called it "The New American Chicken") that it's just dinner. In fact, it's a rather elaborately staged dinner theater put on by alums of the disbanded Circus Contraption. It's all a bit self-referential; in the beginning, they weren't acknowledging the joke. But after I wrote about it on Cornichon they reluctantly admitted there was no such person as Nordo, just a persona. Meantime, they won a Seattle Times' Footlight Award for excellence in local theater.
They've got solid foodie support for the next go-round, called "Bounty! An Epic Adventure in Seafood," which starts May 13. The promotional materials credit director and menu designer Erin Brindley, writer and environmental designer, Terry Podgorsk...and Chef Nordo.
Dinners take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 13 through June 19. Champagne greeting at 7, first course at 7:30. $89 Friday Saturday, $79 Thursday; Includes five courses with a flight of wine. Tickets available at www.brownpapertickets.com More information visit www.cafenordo.com.
