Image by John Cornicello

The Food and cocktails? Delicious. The Setting? Fantastic. The theatrics? Outstanding. Cafe Nordo’s new production, To Savor Tomorrow, continues Nordo’s theme of high-concept gourmet food theatre shows. The show has just opened, and much of the run has already sold out. There’s a good reason for this; there’s nothing else like it. Nordo shows are like visiting the imagination of a performer-chef who dreams of a world where flavors sing and dance, and stories get served like artwork on plates.

There is an OCD quality to every great chef. They demand perfection, and require that their vision be realized. Some of that feeling permeates all of this show. To Savor Tomorrow, like the previous Cafe Nordo productions Sauced, Bounty, and The Modern American Chicken, takes a central idea and explores it with a borderline OCD eye for detail. The setting for this show is the lounge on a Boeing 707 bound from Manila to Seattle for the 1962 World’s Fair, and the food concept is convenience food.

As the show begins people are seated by giddy stewardesses at tables lining the walls of the fuselage-dressed space at the new West of Lenin theatre space in Fremont. Large groups get tables to themselves, and smaller groups are put together. (I recommend attending in small numbers. After all, this is an trip in an airplane. It stands to reason that the people you’re meeting are exceedingly cool, like that small percentage of flights where your neighbor happens to be fascinating, and you chat for the whole trip.) Once everybody is seated, the show starts.

We are introduced to our characters. There’s the Russian agent, the Chinese agents, The American spy, and the flight crew. There are hijinks, double crosses, songs, switcharoos, and dance numbers. The plot of show is broken up with monologues from Petra Proudhurst, the food scientist. This is where the story gets its depth. Petra’s monologues go into the green revolution with an almost religious zeal. She is excited for the possibilities of the future with GMO crops, pesticides, and packaging. The irony in her message is kind of heartbreaking, given the current backlash against thinking of this nature. It makes this audience of Seattle foodies consider the blame we’ve assigned to previous generations. We always think we know what’s best, don’t we?

But I haven’t even described the food! Throughout the show, the audience is served five courses that attempt to showcase the cuisine of the world. Each dish is paired with a cocktail, and each course is delicious and beautiful. The most provocative dish for my table was the “soup” course: Deconstructed Dim Sum and a spicy Mai Tai. It’s crab served in molded pork gelatin, served on a cilantro infused noodle. The texture and flavor is similar to a nice terrine. For me the cuisine highlight was the meatloaf made of braised pork belly, sirloin, and chicken liver. It was served with potato puree, pea crisps, and freshly-made ketchup. The meat was succulent, earthy, and complex. A full description of the menu can be found on the website.

I won’t spoil any of the story for you, but I can tell you that there is some great fun going on with accents, some hilarious dialogue, and some very inventive use of lighting and sound. Going to this show is very much a trip, and well worth the fare. When it’s over, you’ve arrived in a new Seattle with a belly full of wonderful food and tasty drinks, and a spirit lifted from a genuinely unique experience. The show will be running until November 27th. click here for tickets.

For additional information, and to read an interview with Opal Peachy, the actress who plays Petra Proudhearst, be sure to read our preview article.