Popular Lumen Field Outdoor Dining Series Plans a Return in June

After a successful winter debut, Field to Table — the outdoor dining series at Lumen Field — is coming back for seconds. As was the case in February when the project first launched, the main attraction are pop-up dinners each night from several acclaimed Seattle chefs, served on the grounds of the stadium. The dinners will run from June 2 to June 18, with reservations open now via Tock.

Among those returning for the second iteration are Kristi Brown (Communion Restaurant and Bar), Mutsuko Soma (Kamonegi), Trey Lamont (Jerk Shack), Matt Lewis (Where Ya At Matt), Dre Neeley (Gravy), and Maximillian Petty (Eden Hill). Newcomers to the event are Musang’s Melissa Miranda, Eight Row’s David Nichols, 84 Yesler’s Shawn Applin, and Ben Paris’s Quinton Stewart, rounding out a lineup of 14 chefs in all.

Prices for the four-course meals have been bumped up a bit from last time ($119 per person now, versus $100 per person before, not including taxes and fees), and the offerings will reflect the summery season. Brown’s menu includes grilled pork rib tips, along with a pickled watermelon salad, her famed black eyed pea hummus as part of a relish tray, and potato tarts. Miranda’s planning to prepare applewood smoked Pacific oysters, as well as adobong baboy (braised pork cheeks) and tibok tibok (a coconut chocolate mousse). And Lamont is working on jerk sea scallop chowder, as well as Geechee jambalaya with Caribbean fried Alaskan pollock.

Once again, there will be some activities besides the dinners, including a photo booth and the option to purchase a charitable field goal kick at Lumen Field. Each night, those who donate $50 will get three attempts, with bragging rights as the prize if they make it through the uprights. Proceeds go to Big Table, a nonprofit focused on supporting restaurant and hospitality workers in need.

The Field to Table organizers say the sold-out winter edition served 5,000 guests, and got an “incredible” response from the chefs and guests, which seems to track given the fairly high participant retention rate. At the time, it was one of the only major dining events in Seattle, and the intended appeal was to create an expansive, socially distanced outdoor dining atmosphere at a time in February when COVID cases were at more elevated levels, vaccines weren’t as available, and indoor dining was in a more restrictive phase.

With Seattle restaurants beginning to get back into the swing of things this spring, and a full reopening on the horizon by June 30 (per Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent announcement), it will be interesting to see if Field to Table can retain the same interest. This time around, at least, the weather should be much more friendly to open-air dining.

• Field to Table [Official]
• Lumen Field Will Soon Host an Outdoor Dinner Series with Major Seattle Chefs [ESEA]