JANUARY 2020 99
WHERE
T H E
WEED
DINNERS
ARE
KNOW BEFORE
YOU DINE
PAIRINGS VS. INFUSIONS
If an event men-
tions “pairings,”
that means inhaled
marijuana will be
matched up with
courses throughout
the meal. There may
be a “budtender.” At
an infused dinner,
THC is in the food.HOW TO “TASTE” A JOINT
There’s a three-step
tasting method for
inhaled cannabis,
says Rachel Burkons
of Altered Plates.
First, nose the unlit
marijuana to take
in the aroma of the
terpenes. Then, do a
“dry pull,” or inhale
without lighting, to
get the flavor on
your palate. Finally,
once it’s lit, notice
the mouthfeel of the
smoke. “It’s like a
wine tasting—nose,
aroma, palate, and
finish,” Burkons says.IF YOU OVERDO IT
Drink water and
take a walk outside.
Some chefs recom-
mend taking some
CBD. “When people
get too high, they get
stressed, and CBD
helps them relax
and gain focus,” says
David Yusefzadeh.99TH FLOOR (NATIONAL)
Jeepney chef Miguel Trinidad and his
business partner, Doug Cohen, host
infused dinners around the U.S.: Think
Szechuan noodles with rib eye and
infused chile oil. (facebook.com/99thfl)ALTERED PLATES (CALIFORNIA)
The brother-sister team of chef Holden
Jagger and Rachel Burkons specializes
in curated cannabis pairings in and
around Los Angeles. (alteredplates
events.com)MASON JAR EVENT GROUP
(COLORADO)
Pairings like a joint or a shaving of THC
chocolate over dessert allow guests at
Kendal Norris’ Denver dinners to set
their pace. (masonjareventgroup.com)EAT SACRILICIOUS
(MASSACHUSETTS)
Boston chef David Yusefzadeh offers
a terpene cocktail with his CBD- and
THC-infused dishes. Save room for the
infused ice cream. (eatsacrilicious.com)MICHIGAN CANNABIS CHEFS
(MICHIGAN)
Lynette Marie and Nigel Douglas call
their Grand Rapids, Michigan, dinners
“field to fork first, cannabis-infused
second.” (micannabischefs.com)HERBAL NOTES (ILLINOIS)
At these fine-dining events in Chi-
cago, chef Manuel Mendoza prepares
infused fare like THC-cured salmon in a
CBD-infused brown butter with a blood
orange–koji glaze. (herbalnotes.co)SINSEMIL.LA (NEW YORK)
This underground New York City supper
club focuses its attention on cannabis
as part of haute cuisine. (sinsemil.la)Here’s what’s cooking
around the nation.Infused beef shank
in ginger-beef broth
with spaetzle at a
99th Floor dinnerBRAIN FREEZE
Enhanced ice cream is one of the coolest trends in cannabis cuisine.
Here are three to scoop now:3JS HICE CREAM
Launched in Denver on
April 1, 2019 (“People
thought we were jok-
ing,” says cofounder
Jonathan Schillace),
this THC-infused “hice”
cream can be found
in flavors like caramel
apple pie at dispensa-
ries across Colorado.
(3jshicecream.com)CLOUD CREAMERY
In Boston, chef David
Yusefzadeh builds his
CBD- and THC-infused
flavors around ingredi-
ents like fresh mint and
vanilla beans. Look for
them at dispensaries
in Massachusetts; one
day, he plans to open a
scoop shop. (cloud
creamery.co)PROHIBITION
CREAMERY
This Austin parlor’s line-
up includes Afternoon
Delight, for which owner
Laura Aidan infuses a
red velvet ice cream
base with hemp-derived
CBD oil and swirls in
cream cheese frosting.
(prohibitioncreamery
.com)
PHOTOGRAPHY (FROM LEFT): COURTESY LOWELL HERB CO.; STEFEN ROSS