Roy Choi to Host a Whimsical ‘Feast in the Trees’ at Outside Lands

Roy Choi, co-founder of Locol and chef behind LA’s Kogi BBQ, is usually known more for his bold flavors than for his whimsy. However, this year he’s making his debut at Outside Lands with a fanciful “Feast in the Trees.” The forest feast concept debuted last year with Trestle helming the restaurant-in-Golden-Gate-Park experience — now Choi will host a four-course dinner for one night only, Friday, August 11.

The dinner is an early bird special (5 p.m., before the festival really gets underway), served family-style. Choi will create a dinner mingling his Korean and Californian background — the chef was born in Seoul and raised in LA — with cocktail and wine pairings form Peter Eastlake, who’s also behind Wine Lands. A tentative menu includes dishes like kimchi caprese, chili spaghetti, carne asada, LA “corner on the cob,” and Pillsbury donuts with vanilla ice cream and butter pineapple.

Ellen Fort

Last year’s experience was a multi-day affair, and included the set-up of an entire mobile restaurant on a hill overlooking the Polo Fields, complete with a large chandelier dangling above the dining area. It was certainly a herculean effort on the production side, so translating that into a one-night-only experience makes sense logistically. It also makes sense for Choi, since he’ll also be headlining a set on the GastroMagic stage with a special guest (details TBD).

And while last year’s experience was certainly cool, it was definitely FOMO-inducing once it became clear that one might be missing the Muppets set in favor of eating soup in the woods.

The experience doesn’t come cheap: Tickets are $125 per person (including gratuity), and can be purchased through the OSL website or via StubHub. Tack that onto the cost of the event tickets too, because you’ve got to get in the door to attend this event.

• Action Bronson, Big Freedia Headline Outside Lands’ 2017 GastroMagic Stage [ESF]
• Get Excited for the Full Outside Lands Food Lineup for 2017 [ESF]
• Outside Lands 2016 Introduces a Forest Feast for Intrepid Festivalgoers [ESF]
• Outside Lands [Official]