Harry Potter Night with Y Pop-Up

It’s a little-known fact that my favorite student organization at Yale is actually one I’m not in. Y Pop-Up has been operating since 2009, bringing delicious multi-course meals to Yale students on a bi-weekly basis. That’s right–Y Pop-Up is cooking GOURMET food and decking out the Silliman buttery to look like a 5-star-restaurant (no small feat)–and we, the people, get to reap the benefits. 

Y Pop-Up works exactly like a normal restaurant with a fixed menu. You make a reservation and show up at your appointed time. At the end of the meal, you Venmo the coordinators. For last night’s five-course meal, I paid $18 plus tip. A pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. 

This week’s Y Pop-Up theme was Harry Potter. My friend Tommy made the reservation. When we arrived, the hosts placed a “sorting hat” on Tommy’s head (which declared him a Ravenclaw–in my opinion, the boringest house) and gave him a beautiful “Hogwarts” letter sealed in real red wax with the Yale Y.

Next up, we had the first course, “Tea Time.” This was a fabulous array of savory tea-time appetizers, including herb scones and toast with beer cheese and tomato jam. My favorite were the “Hufflepuffs”–little balls of choux pastry filled with delicious ricotta. Cute and clever!

After “tea,” it was time for the soup course. The good folks at Y Pop-Up had named their soup “Polyjuice Potion,” which, if you are familiar with Harry Potter, might sound unappealing. But this soup was a lovely green-curry broth with just the right amount of spice.

The main course was mysteriously titled “Forbidden Forest Pasta,” and it did not disappoint. First of all, the pasta itself was a pleasant pale green and the plate was generously piled with pork, wild mushrooms, and fresh cheese. For Tommy, who is vegetarian, the pork was omitted to no detrimental effect. 

Dessert was my favorite course. We were each given a Butterbeer-flavored creme brulee in a tiny mason jar, with a dollop of whipped cream and a pretzel-stick-dipped-in-dark-chocolate Nimbus 2000. This was so good that my mouth is watering as I write about it. The picture really does not do it justice, though I did try my best.

After dessert, we thought (with great sadness!) that our meal was over, but no! Y Pop-Up brought us out a surprise fifth-course–homemade golden snitch chocolate truffles with sugar glass wings!

All in all, it was a magical night. As someone who loves Harry Potter, food, and good company, I really could not have asked for a better experience. Unless, of course, Y Pop-Up had also provided some Felix Felicis.