Even by New York City’s fast and furious standards, time is accelerated with a new pop-up restaurant, The Hunger will open in the unused, finished basement of a SoHo restaurant next Thursday and close Sunday. It’s a concept organizers hope to repeat every couple of months with different locations and menus.
If you’re lucky enough to score one of only 200-plus still-available seats at The Hunger’s communal tables over the next four nights, you may find yourself seated next to Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, a Yankee or even a star from “Gossip Girl.”
The people behind The Hunger — “Top Chef” candidate Camille Becerra and a formidable team of New York City night-life players — plan to seat celebs alongside noncelebs.
“We want to fill it half with our clients and half with people outside our circle who can come and mingle,” says co-organizer Josh Shames.
The Hunger will even Google guests before making seat assignments to get a diverse mix at each table.
The roving restaurant only discloses its location and menu shortly before opening, but we can reveal that the first dinners will take place in the space beneath Little Italy’s Grotta Azzurra restaurant (387 Broome St.).
The roaming-restaurant idea was cooked up at a party Becerra hosted this year in her TriBeCa home, where co-organizer Alan Philips was a guest.
“This works as a concept because New York is all about moments,” says Philips, an events promoter. “We’re creating a New York moment that exists, then goes away.”
Becerra is planning a six-course “urban cuisine bourgeois” menu, which includes pork-belly pop-tarts, grilled duck hearts and gourmet popcorn. The prix-fixe dinner is $75 ($100 on Saturday), $25 extra for wine.
DJ Nick Cohen will create a soundtrack — music will be chosen to go with each of the six courses.
Reservations can now be made at thehungernyc.com.
Or you can take your chances for the four open seats at the bar.