Let's bare it all.
Credit: CLASS Lounge + Events
A new dining concept headed to Hollywood next month is inviting guests to bare it all.
On Monday, July 6, Hollywood's newly opened CLASS Lounge + Live Events will host what organizers are billing as a Nude Dinner Experience, a five-course chef-curated meal where guests have the option to dine without clothing in a private, respectful social setting. The event marks the first time the concept has been offered, and if early demand is any indication, it may not be the last.
The experience takes place inside CLASS Lounge, the new companion venue to C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse at 121 N. 20th Ave. in Hollywood. Doors open at 7 p.m. with dinner service beginning at 8 p.m. Pricing is $150 per person for couples and single women, while single men pay $350. The cost includes a champagne toast, five-course steakhouse dinner, private chef experience, robe and towel, tax and gratuity. Vegan options are also available.
Behind the concept is Chef Maurad "Chef Ali" Ali, whose culinary résumé includes time at Tantra South Beach, Shula's Steak House, Fontainebleau and mentorship under renowned chef Allen Susser. Through his private chef company, Ali has also cooked for celebrities including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Lil Wayne.
The idea, Ali says, came from an entirely different conversation.
"We were discussing a cannabis dinner, but there's a lot of red tape with that," Ali told Browardist. "So I said, 'Well, how about a nude dinner?' And we both said, 'Let's see what happens if we make a flyer.' Making a flyer is pretty easy. Getting people's attention is hard."
Apparently, attention wasn't the problem.
"We would love 20 [people for the first event], but it's already selling out, so it's probably going to be 30," Ali said. "We've only started this yesterday and it's almost sold out."
If tickets disappear quickly, Ali says additional dates could be added promptly, making it a monthly (or more) occurrence.
As for the menu, expect a steakhouse-style feast. Planned courses include French onion and brisket soup, oysters or Thai fried shrimp, a surf-and-turf entrée featuring steak and lobster tail, family-style sides, donut beignets and house-made cookies-and-cream ice cream.
Guests aren't required to disrobe the moment they arrive. In fact, Ali says comfort comes first.
"We're going to provide them with a robe," he said. "It's up to them when they disrobe. And also if we get a group that says, 'Hey, I paid, but I'm not taking my clothes off,' that's fine too."
The event also serves as a high-profile introduction to CLASS Lounge, a new venue Ali hopes will become known for immersive culinary experiences, live entertainment and social gatherings.
"The lounge is so new, it's so beautiful that we're trying to build experiences that people may fall in love with," Ali said. "And the fact that you called means that some of it's working."
Indeed, who wouldn’t be intrigued and, yes, the space looks beautiful.
For more information or to reserve a seat, visit CLASS Soiree Steakhouse or contact the venue at (786) 290-7295.
