We first heard of Gypsy Dinners a couple of years ago, right here on this very blog. Culinary cloak-and-dagger? Cool!

We emailed sundays@gypsydinners.com. We answered the application we got back -- and noted with wry amusement the last two questions in the email: "Do you or anyone you know work for any agencies that might take a dim view of this adventure? (i.e. the health department, etc.)" and "Please reassure us that you won't betray the cause."

We were in. We did not betray the cause. We only managed to attend one dinner. And now we're not likely to get a second chance.

We recently got an email from Gypsy Dinners with the rather alarming subject line "Please Read. We have been betrayed. The end."

We have been betrayed. Gypsy as we know it was too scary a place to exist, so now it doesn't.

We are going much deeper underground. Those who really know how to get a hold of us, please email (please don't call us), we will start a new list, a more protected list. Dinners are cancelled for all intents and purposes. And to the traitor to the clan we offer you this: May you never sleep well, may laughter sound bitter in your ears, and may food always taste like ashes to you...this is our Gypsy curse. You have destroyed a good thing.

Someone killed it. And even though we figured this was coming -- that something that appeared on No Reservations couldn't stay "underground" forever -- you're a jackass. May your head be served up on a platter at the drive-thru window at McDonald's.

Photo by Culinary Fool, from our Flickr pool.