Good Detour Supper Club: Dot and Feather Fall Supper

What did Indian food taste like before the spice trade carried New World chilies, tomatoes, and potatoes to the subcontinent? Long before the Columbian Exchange transformed modern global palate, the royal, temple, and day to day kitchens of India built bold, intoxicating flavors using black pepper, long pepper (pippali), wild roots, botanical dyes, fermented curds, and sun-dried souring fruits. Dot & Feather strips away five centuries of post-Columbian additions and reimagines these ancient lineages through the living terroir of Northern California. In this four-course dinner, classical Indian preparation methods—from dum pukht clay-seal braising to dry-pan tawa charring—converge with native West Coast ingredients: coastal wild huckleberries, native mountain hazelnuts, pungent California bay laurel, and wood-fired nopal. Expect rich gravies naturally tinted with ratan jot (alkanet root) rather than red chili powder, heritage flatbreads bound with acorn and ancient millets, and layered, medicinal heat that upends modern preconceptions of the subcontinent's food. The Details: Seating: Extremely limited (20 seats) Format: 4-course seated tasting Dietary: Distinct paths for both vegetarian and meat guests (confirmed during checkout) Location: Berkeley, CA (Private venue details sent 48 hours prior to service) Come hungry, intellectually curious, and ready to experience the subcontinent's ancestral kitchen.