Los Angeles foodies, prepare for a dining experience that will completely redefine your expectations of a night out. Nestled in the trendy Agora Records venue in the Arts District, sits The Gastro Garage: Full Throttle Dining Experience. This is not just a meal—it’s a full-throttle sensory explosion that combines gourmet cooking, live music, and blowtorches!
What Exactly is the Gastro Garage?
Imagine a dining experience where chefs are more like culinary mechanics, wielding blowtorches with the precision of master craftsmen while creating mind-blowing flavor combinations. Gastro Garage is the brainchild of Stewart Levine and Adam Manacker. Levine worked for Wolfgang Puck and Jose Andres and was inspired by their innovative cooking techniques and presentations. Manacker has been leading venue operations on the West Coast for years and understands how to create a memorable event.
The company started just over a decade ago with 3 dishes and now has over 50, and they’ve been featured at celebrations for Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Warner Bros, and Disney, to name a few. Their signature dish, the Gastro Tank, consists of a brioche donut bread that is reconstructed to a crispy bun through blowtorch searing and injected with nitrous. Toppings are then added, such as spices and oils, and then torched again to achieve maximum flavor. “We’ve traveled the world from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Turks and Caicos, and the overwhelmingly fun F1 in Austin,” exclaims Manacker. Levine and Manacker love sharing their passion for pyrotechnic culinary artistry, and have been featured on series such as Going Off the Menu and Food Paradise.
The Culinary Theatrics
You’ll kick things off with a welcome shot and signature cocktail before diving into an EIGHT-course menu that reads like a love letter to innovative cuisine (The menu is subject to change):
- Starter
- Buffalo Blue Chips: Kettle Chips + Blue Cheese Foam + Buffalo Sauce
- Savory Gastro Tanks
- Gastro Burger Tank: Cheddar Foam + Torched Ground Wagyu Beef + Bacon Lardon Suspended in Cheddar Cheese + Diced Onion + Tomato + Pickle + Gastro Sauce (Available without pork)
- Piston Pizza Tank (one of my favs): Mozzarella Foam + Torched Shredded Mozzarella + Tomato Basil Puree + Fresh Basil (Vegetarian)
- Drill Bits
- Short Ribs Drill Bit: 4oz Torched Japanese Marinated Short Rib finished with Sesame Seeds and served with Aged White Cheddar Foam
- Carrot Pop: Torched Maple Glazed Baby Carrots served with a Maple Gravy Foam
- Naked Salmon Drill Bit (one of my favs): 3oz Clean Salmon Torched and finished with Sesame Oil and Maldon Salt served with Béarnaise Foam
- Sweet Gastro Tanks
- Princess Buttercup Tank: Double Chocolate Foam + Torched Sweet Peanut Puree + Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup + Nutter Butter Powder
- Fire Berry Tank: Sweet Cream Cheese Foam + Torched Strawberry Puree + Caramelized Black Pepper Sugar + Balsamic Finishing and Mexican Crema
Each dish is meticulously prepared and then dramatically torched, creating a multi-sensory experience that’s part cooking show, part rock concert. And yes, pescatarians, vegetarians, and those who are gluten free – they’ve got you covered with substitutions like amazing salmon and tasty veggie skewers that are absolutely FIRE! Please note vegetarian and gluten-free options are available with advance notice.
More Than Just a Meal
This isn’t your typical sit-down dinner – it’s blazing theatrics paired with music by their Gastro Band and live DJ. And let me tell you, the music will get you up out of your seat and dancing, thanks in part to their amazing music director, who is also director of the world-famous Blue Man Group! The music is the perfect complement to your edible art.
The Perfect Venue
Agora Records provides an incredible backdrop for this unique dining experience. Part record store, part art gallery, the venue allows guests to browse incredible artwork and play vinyls from their extensive collection, while waiting for their culinary adventure to begin.
Why Gastro Garage is a Must-Experience LA Event
In a city known for its culinary innovation, Gastro Garage stands out by transforming dining from a passive experience to an interactive performance. It’s not just about eating—it’s about being part of a high-energy, flavor-packed spectacle.
Expect fire. Expect flavor. Expect a SHOW. This is Full Throttle Dining and Gastro Garage represents the pinnacle of Los Angeles’ experimental dining scene. It’s more than a meal—it’s a full-throttle journey into culinary creativity that engages all your senses.
Details
- Location: Agora Records, Los Angeles Arts District – 1022 S Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90021
- Dates: Select Fridays and Saturdays through 5/24 (two seatings per night)
- Friday, 3/28: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Saturday, 3/29: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Friday, 4/11: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Saturday, 4/12: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Friday, 5/9: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Saturday, 5/10: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Friday, 5/23: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Saturday, 5/24: 6:45 pm and 8:45 pm
- Tickets ($100) are limited and these experiences sell out quickly. Early reservation is strongly recommended for those looking to secure their spot at this one-of-a-kind dining event.
Light Up Your Private Event
If you’re looking to light up your upcoming affair, the Gastro Garage is available for private events. “The mechanics can curate a menu specifically for what the client wants. We did a private dinner for Sly Stallone, and he wanted Meatball Parmigiana. We did that! Vegan, kosher meals, we’ve always figured it out and made it through.”- Adam Manacker. You want it, they can torch it!
