John Manion Hosting 2-Day Pop-up Brazilian Dinner at Dodo

While he continues to look for a permanent space for a new restaurant, chef John Manion (Mas, Branch 27) will host a two-day pop-up at Dodo in the West Loop. The event, La Sirena Clandestina (the hidden mermaid), will feature Brazilian seafood served family style and take place on Aug. 26 and 27. Each night will feature two seatings (at 7 and 9) with 25 seats at each and will cost $65 all inclusive.

Manion will be joined by The Bedford's Justin Anderson, who will concoct specialty cocktails to be paired, along with wine, during the four-course meal. While Manion is still finalizing menu details, he will definitely have a ceviche course (likely lobster), probably empanadas, a Brazilian seafood stew and, of course, dessert. The event will also feature something special from Three Floyds Brewing, where Manion's girlfriend is a brewer.

Following the dinner each night, Manion will open the doors to the public around 10 p.m. and serve Latin street food, like choripán, a dish of fried onion and chimichurri with chorizo, which he'll source from Rob Levitt (The Butcher and Larder); empanadas; ceviche and other items he's still working out. Everything on that menu will be around $5 and the post-dinner event will be cash only. Frank Orrall (Poi Dog Pondering, Thievery Corporation) will play a DJ set.

A website for the event will likely go live on Tuesday where people can reserve a spot and pay upfront through PayPal. Updates will also get posted to the La Sirena Clandestina Facebook page. And while the dinners will likely sell out, this isn't a preview for Manion's proposed, unnamed restaurant.

"This is sort of a dive bar concept I have in my head that I want to someday do," Manion said. "[The pop-up] is really just to do something. I want to be cooking this kind of food again."
· La Sirena Clandestina [website]

John Manion [Photo: Yelp]