Grilled shrimp tacos. A house standby...
Frustrated by the number of sharehouses that degenerate into vomit-olympics fraternity parties rife with toxic levels of bitchiness--I set out to create my own. In fact, our unique house caught the attention of New York Magazine.
While alcohol is the centerpiece of many sharehouses, our focus is food. Don't worry, this is hardly a dry house. I'm a former bartender and an accomplished drinker and we have a fully-stocked wet bar, unlimited wine, and a kegerator from which to tap premium beer. Although dining at Chance (check out the photos) means something more than pounding cans of lite beer and then scarfing down a sandwich. Saturday nights kick off with a sunset cocktail hour (on the deck or the beach) followed by a multi-course sit-down meal.
From our Chinese roasting box to our unlimited ice maker, there simply does not exist a sharehouse better stocked and equipped for epicurean living. We also have guitars, drums and other sundry instruments and our meals are frequently followed by impromptu unplugged jam sessions.
Prepping before another Saturday night dinner
Second only to the quality of our people is our high level of structure and respect. This is not the Three Little Bears; you're assigned a bed and will never find someone else there. Our seven-bedroom house--one of the largest in Kismet--is a lush, pimped-out, renovated crib with a mother lode of amenities. (Including a jacuzzi.) House members find it quite comfortable.
We boast a high percentage of returns, however, a few open spots remain in our eclectic group. While we hardly care where your parents went to college, everyone is properly vetted and knows how to share the sandbox. (The uptight and the immature need not apply.) We're saving our open spots for people who are spontaneous and considerate--that small minority who gets that fun and respect need not be mutually exclusive.
While many sharehouses are collections of disparate cliques, this is not a clique-y house. Our rule of not considering groups larger than two has served us well. In fact, most people joined on their own without previously knowing anyone, considerably broadening all of our social circles in the City as well. We want the wild ricochet of protons and electrons. (And maybe one or two neutrons--just to be atomically correct.) We want those seeking a playground not just for the body, but also for the mind. Mainly for the body, though...