About a month ago, I was contacted by Grubwithus to see if I would like to participate in their Veg Week in Chicago. I had never heard of the company before, so I did some scoping out of their website. Basically, Grubwithus, “is a social dining network that brings individuals together at great restaurants.” (taken from their website)
Sounded pretty cool to me! Basically, you make a profile (it’s free!), check off the things you are interested in (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc.) and join groups/search for dinners in your area. And if you don’t see a meal that you’re interested in, you can create one for others to join you. I immediately thought this would be a great tool to use if you are looking to expand your social circle, if you’ve recently moved to a new place, or if you’re just looking to try out new restaurants.
Once you find a meal you like, you sign up and pay in advance. This covers your meal as well as gratuity — all meals are family style, so it’s pretty neat to take the guess work out of it and be surprised!
After I signed up, Vanessa (my contact from Grubwithus) began planning the meal I was going to be “hosting” at a Chicago Veg restaurant. She very quickly got a dinner planned at Karyn’s on Green, where I had been to before — and loved!
I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous to go to a dinner with people I had never talked to before, so I asked Katie to come along with me. I’m glad I had a friend there with me! There were seven of us total, all of whom were wanting to try out Karyn’s on Green and had found the dinner on the site. The dinner started around 7:00, and we immediately purchased a few carafes of their Tri-Berry Sangria to share at the table (drinks are not included in the dinner ticket).
We had received a dinner menu with our “meal ticket” (you are supposed to print this out before you go although we never needed it), and I was looking forward to all four courses.
Our first two courses were salads of sorts. Course one was entitled “Wild Mushrooms”, and I’m pretty sure this was my favorite dish of the night.
nectarine, lambs lettuce, smoked cipollini onion, black garlic, wild mushrooms
When it arrived at the table, Katie and I both agreed it had a “bacon” smell to it — oh was this dish to die for.It was smoky but sweet, and the flavors were incredible. Who would have thought all of those ingredients would work together so well?
Our second course was the Mizuna Salad.
sweet corn, yellow wax beans, white peaches, curry vinaigrette
This was also pretty exceptional — the dressing was out of this world. It was kind of tangy with a hint of curry flavor — I really enjoyed it!
Our third course was the Carnaroli Risotto with heirloom tomatoes.
While the dish itself was good, I was kind of disappointed this was our main course. I have been to Karyn’s in the past, and there are so many unique and equally delicious items on the dinner menu. I would have loved to be served one of their more unique items. This didn’t really wow me.
For our dessert course, we had “Watermelon Four Ways” — intriguing, no?
The “hot” was my favorite — it was seared on the grill, so all of the sugars started to caramelize. I only got a little piece though because this plate was shared between seven people! A little stingy if you ask me! 
The other three I was not so much a fan of. The raw was mixed with basil, which I wasn’t expecting, and the cold one was “pickled”, which also didn’t do much for me. The liquid one was served in a shot glass which I thought was pretty cute though!
Overall it was a great experience — the people we were dining with were friendly and the conversation kept flowing the entire night. It was fun!
Question: Have you ever heard of Grubwithus? Have you ever gone into a situation where you weren’t completely sure how it was going to pan out?
Grubwithus compensated my meal at Karyn’s on Green in return for my honest opinion about their service. All thoughts are 100% my own.
PS — Happy anniversary to my wonderful Husband! 
Love you!
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea!! I’d love to do something like that. And I love the concept of watermelon done 4 ways. I’ve heard of grilling watermelon, but I’ve been hesitant to try it myself because I think it’s trickier to grill than other fruits.
And happy anniversary!!!
What an interesting concept! Everything looks tasty. But I totally would have been disappointed in the watermelon “dessert”.
Lol I’ve been in many meet new people situations like that… Haha I guess that tends to happen when you live in a big city alone. And HAPPY ANNIVERSAIRY!!!! Only a few days until your trip!
I have too, but I think it’s different when it’s blog people lol, I don’t know! Feel better!
That is an interesting idea- I would be SUPER nervous to sit down to a meal with people I had never met before. But then again, give me good food and I’ll think about it! …..Happy Anniversary to you two love birds! May you be blessed with many more years of happiness and love! Enjoy your day!
That’s why I brought Katie with me!
Come on out and bring a friend, Julie! And, of course, happy anniversary to Chelsey!
What a neat concept! I was just talking to my husband yesterday about ways for me to make new friends in our new city. Definitely checking this out! Thanks!
What a fantastically fun idea! I would have been realllly nervous too…good job getting out there and doing it!
and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!
this sounds like such a fun idea and great way to meet new people in your area! Or if you are visiting a new area! Such a cool concept! I would be very nervous doing it though! Happy Anniversary!
Lots of new Grubbers bring a friend with their first time, Kaitlin. Don’t be shy!
What a great idea!!! I’m going to check into grub with us!
I’ve never heard of Grubwithus, but I’m going to check out the website! Happy Anniversary!
I’ve never heard of it either, but it sounds like it’s potentially a really fun/easy way to meet people and try out some good food! I would definitely bring someone I knew along with too though : )
Happy Anniversary to you and your husband!!
What an awesome website! I just signed up for the Orlando area and can’t wait to see what meals I can attend with other Florida foodies!
That sounds like such a fun website! I’m gonna check it out
that salad looks great too!
That’s such a cool idea! I’m probably going to be moving to another city for my internship next fall and this is such a perfect way to meet new potential friends!
Also happy anniversary!
What a cool idea! I’ve never heard of Grubwithus, but I definitely might check them out. This definitely would come in handy for someone who just moved to a new city!
I have a gift certificate to Karyn’s on Green and will definitely be keeping these dishes in mind for when I finally eat there
The risotto looks delicious, although I agree it’s a cop out as a vegetarian entree. We have a restaurant in Cleveland where in the summer, I always order their Taste of Tomatoes. It comes with risotto, fried green tomatoes, Gezpacho and a stuffed tomato. Delicious and what a tomato entree should be.
On a side note, did you get the Animal and do you love it?
That’s such a cool idea. Must be nerve-racking going to something like that by yourself, though. That risotto looks delicious!