Oakland restaurateur and Top Chef contestant, Nelson German, teamed up with Chef Mary Lou Davis, runner-up on “Hell’s Kitchen,” for an unforgettable meal at his Uptown restaurant

From left to right: seared scallop, pickled apple, cucumber, chili powder. Flounder crudo with crispy, pineapple coral, lime gel and Szechuan peppercorn. Potato foam, charred sea bean, plantain furikake, smoked trout roe and puffed, jollof rice.

Chef Mary Lou Davis was a runner-up on season 19 of “Hell’s Kitchen” competing for an executive chef position with celebrity chef and host Gordon Ramsay. Since then, the San Antonio, Texas-raised chef relocated to the Bay Area where she works at Viridian in Oakland. Outside of Viridian, Davis continues to host pop-up dinners and travels the country cookin’ up her imaginative dishes inspired by some of her favorite movies, anime and video games under the moniker Geeks and Grubs.

For her first Bay Area pop-up, Davis teamed up with chef German Nelson, who owns alaMar Kitchen & Bar as well as Sobre Mesa cocktail lounge, both located in Oakland. Nelson also showed off his kitchen skills on television as a contestant on season 18 of the highly popular cooking competition, “Top Chef.”

Together, the two chefs dreamed up a delicious, five-course seafood dinner inspired by the live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid,” which premiered in theaters on May 26. Wearing a fire-red wig and a comic book-themed apron, Davis stood next to Chef Nelson cracking jokes in between the chefs welcoming guests as they explained each course. Nelson even borrowed one of Davis’s famed wigs for the occasion as a projector played scenes from the original 1989 Disney movie.

From left to right: Chef Mary Lou Davis and Steph Rodriguez. The Little Mermaid-themed menu created by Chef Davis and Chef German. Apricot flan with sea salt foam, candied apricot, agrodolce, and a sugar tuile.

Each course was playful and full of bold flavors that ran the gamut from West African-jerked goat that had been braised for six hours with a side of charred octopus (ahhh Ursula!) to a crunchy, soft-shelled crab with a curried mousse and crisp snap pea salad. Everything was rounded out with a delightful and refreshing apricot flan, which left guests at this sold-out event swimming in absolute food bliss.

I spoke to Davis briefly after the event where she let my dinner date and I know that she’ll be hosting a Sailor Moon-themed pop-up in the near future. Although it won’t be a sit-down dinner situation, Davis said there will be plenty of creative and whimsical treats for those who are fans of the Japanese manga series. In the meantime, if you want to enjoy delicious grub from either Chef Nelson or Chef Davis, stop by their Oakland restaurants.